Angela Larkin

Fictional character biography
Angela Larkin first appeared in the debut issue of Belch Dimension Comics. She is 15, and a student at Carbuncle High School in Jigaboo Junction. Series creator Jonathan M. Sweet J.M. Sweet named and based her on a girl he knew since grade school, whom he admired. He described it as a "schoolboy crush--sort of like Dante had for Beatrice [Portinari]...not carnal at all, merely sweet and innocent, and done largely from afar. I like to think she was one of the few people who ever understood me."

Angela is third-in-command under Joshua; her position in the succession ladder is noted in "Demi-Jon" when they consider asking Jon to step down (owing to Demi-Jon's horrid behavior causing them to think [[Jonathan M. Sweet (character)|Jon has gone insane). She can hold her own with the boys; however, she is often relegated to the role of "damsel in distress" because of the overwhelming sexist nature of villains, who frequently exploit her femininity by tying her up, taking her hostage, or forcing her into unwelcome, awkward situations. Her sex aside, she is no doubt intelligent and resourceful, proving an admirable soldier and even a capable field leader when she must.

Angela is, as most of the main characters in the series, rendered as a stick-figure, with curly blonde hair tied with a pink hair ribbon and pink sneakers. When, on occassion, she is called upon to wear clothes--generally as part of a disguise--she looks to have an impressive curvy figure.

Enemies
Although not having any foes particular to her, she does participate in a number of battles with Hiss Hole, Demi-Jon, Dr. Ichabod Freely, and other villains. Captain Maggot once tried to enter into a forced marriage with her, after he sent Jon overboard and left Josh, Ben, and Billy to die on a deserted island; perhaps she still holds a grudge.

On one occassion ("Standup and Deliver", #10) she sent a polite letter to a crass shock comic whose racist and sexist routines offended her. After he read her letter on the air and mocked her, she confronted him, disguised as first the comedian's twin sister "Andrea" (though she never gives this name in the story, it's on the model sheet), and then "Dr. Ruthless Eastheimer". She used this opportunity to publically embarrass him by blowing him up twice, though the second was strictly accidental. He promised to clean up his act from then on.

She and Jon both have frequent run-ins with a local tough named Tony Moneran, the neighborhood bully. She actually is slightly taller than he, and seems able to physically take him--she (quite literally) "pins his ears back" in #11, for example. However, most of their battles involve outwitting him (it's not hard) with logic and disguises rather than fisticuffs.

Jon and Angela, coupley?
Angela has known Jon since the two were five, and though he cares for her and respects deeply, he is completely oblivious to her feelings for him.

She actually told Jon she loves him in "Once Upon A Time Warp" (#21), when they were marching with Gen. Custer's cavalry and she thought they were about to die; however, the noise of a pistol shot interrupted her. When Jon asked her about it later, she coyly said it was unimportant, adding "Some things are better left in the past."

The others seem, for the most part, aware that there's at least something bubbling there. In #19 Josh found her crying bitterly after "Jon" (actually Demi-Jon) made a crude pass at her. He asked her "Are you two--?" "Friends...He's never asked, and I've never said," she replied, and that ended it.

Flunger neatly sidestepped using the word "boyfriend" to refer to Jon in "Dizzy Doctors" (#33), opting for an innocuous "friend" instead.

Personality
Angela is bright, chipper, and seems to provide the balance between Jon's periodic blue funks and Josh's outright crassness. While not as smart as Jon, she has many insights that he perhaps overlooks. Often she prompts him to either figure out a villain's motive from some small clue or comment or to formulate a plan of attack accordingly. She was the one who figured out how to tell Jon from Demi-Jon (though her feminine modesty prohibited her from looking at their penises to determine which had been circumscised at birth--Jon--she still managed to determine which was which because Demi-Jon, being grown in a tank rather than born, lacked a navel).

Sometimes she worries about Jon; she wishes he could open up more to her (indicating despite their long friendship she may not know everything about his past). In this respect she seems closer to a lover than a friend, though she seems reluctant or scared to tell him just how she feels. She seems tolerant of his friendships with other women, suggesting such flings never lasts more than a short while and he'll always come back to her.

She may have moderate political leanings, as she has read Al Gore's book (the title is here rendered as "Earth in the Crapper") and once teased Jon by calling him "Mr. Compassionate Conservative".

Talents
Angela has a natural knack for mimicry, and often assumes character roles. Her most frequently-used persona is "Dr. Ruthless Eastheimer"--which is basically just her in a skimpy nurse's outfit, though even while looking her full in the face the bad guy always fails to recognize her! Dr. Ruthless is first seen solo in #10, then in #15 accompanied by "Dr. Belcher" (played by a somewhat better-disguised Jon, who dons a false beard). Other characters she plays include "Andrea Dice Clay" (she also appears in this costume, billed as "the biker chick", on the cover of that issue), ASCRAC head "Valerie 'V.V' Valenzuela", supermodel "Cindy Crawdad", and wealthy heiress "Angora DeAmethyst" (though this was only in a dream sequence, Angela apparantly actually owns that costume, as it's seen as her formal wear in "Missed Manners".)

She speaks a little Spanish and French, although admits she isn't doing well in science. She seems to hace training or experience in first aid, though, as Jon assigns her to this duty in "Hiss Hole Comes to Town" and she has a first-aid kit at the ready. She gets her learner's permit in #5's "Driving Miss Crazy" (meaning she can only operate a motor vehicle if Josh and Jon, both licensed drivers, are with her), and is initially terrible at driving. By "Plant Feud" (#23) she has improved significantly and can make a two-hour trip (coming and going) to Jiggsboro; however, she still has a bit of trouble with shifting gears.