Joey
Our protagonist is a dreamer. Thoughtful and creative, his life was thrown into turmoil when his parents moved from bustling Toronto to the northern outpost of Cold Springs, Manitoba. Joey never seems to be able to catch a break as he struggles to keep his marks up in school and his butt off the bench in sports. His only solace at times is witnessing the ridiculous lives of his newfound friends, which make his seem maybe just a little bit more normal.
Herb
Joey’s over-caffeinated bear companion isn’t as intelligent nor as cultured as he professes to be. He enjoys sleeping in, reading the morning paper – in the afternoon – and a good latté. He plays the dual role of Joey’s harshest critic while also serving as his support system, always willing to discuss the latest life crisis over a warm beverage. He comes across as smooth and unbreakable, but the truth is he’s far from it.
Penelope
Joey’s pet cat is the quintessential princess: entitled, vain and demanding while being more than content to sleep the day (or week) away. If her food or water dish is empty, or the litter box isn’t immaculate, Joey will hear about it. Penelope is the subject of her own regular feature – Feline Physics – where many of her, ahem, eccentricities, are explored.
Frank & Egmond
These little green men from Mars – seriously – crash landed in a tree outside of Joey’s bedroom window and have decided to stick around Cold Springs for the time being. As tourists to Earth, they are obsessed with… not necessarily the best aspects of our pop culture, including fast food, reality TV and Swedish furniture. Their technological knowledge may seem unlimited, but it’s thanks to a secret Martian fruit that they’re able to travel throughout the galaxy like a frog hopping across lillypads.
Gaston Malade
One of the comic strip’s stereotypical bumbling villains, this evil inventor is obsessed with acquiring Frank & Egmond’s technology – or the Martians themselves – to unlock the scientific mysteries that will elevate his new homeland of Belgravia and more importantly, give him the fame and recognition he deserves. This quest invariably brings him into direct conflict with Joey and Herb.
Mimi Dangereux
Gaston’s sinister fashionista sidekick is an expert-level spy and a master of disguises. Also a citizen of the mysterious republic of Belgravia, Mimi is less invested in serving her new homeland than she is in becoming rich and famous and slinking off into anonymity in the south of France. Until then, it’s the daily grind of an evil cartoon villain.
Cyrus Belgrave
Gaston and Mimi take their orders from this mysterious kabillionaire, who lives on a space station orbiting high above the Earth. Belgrave’s modus operandi is achieving world domination through the fame and fortune of Belgravia, the country he discovered, named for himself and presides over – even if it means having to endure every one of Gaston and Mimi’s idiotic moves along the way.
Théodore Thibodeau
The eccentric sitting Prime Minister of Canada has a habit of popping up improbably in Joey’s life and has formed a kinship with the boy and his friends. Thibodeau leads an adventurous life – ironically, very little of it in parliament – often impossibly traversing the globe by plane, train, automobile or… canoe. Audacious and daft, he always has an incredibly absurd and complicated backstory to tell.