About Not Your Average Jo


Not Your Average Jo is a comic based very loosely on real characters. Jo, herself, is based directly upon the creator of Not Your Average Jo, Jo T. Burrows. Her associate and friend, JAC, is also based on a real person, if loosely, who gave the cartoonist (me) permission to portray her image and personality any way she saw fit. Some may have noticed a large fella in one or two comics in the first 20 or so, and may reoccur in future strips. New characters may also be introduced, I have not decided yet. Anyhow, this large fella is based loosely off of my brother in real life who is one heck of a joker. As for Enigma the Echidna is the idea given to me by a plushie toy that I bought of an Echidna. I have always liked echidnas, and felt the need to use a non-human character in there. A mascot, token animal, whatever. Something cute and fuzzy... well not fuzzy but equipped with quills but that is beside the point.


This is where the idea for Enigma came from!

Not Your Average Jo started as a group project between myself and JAC In social studies where we worked together to create a comic illustrating the conflict between the two mainstream fur trading Companies in Early Canada, being Hudsan Bay Company (Still around as The Bay) and North West Trading Company. Using cartoons of ourselfs we narrated and laid out the facts and interacted in a comical way. After the success of that comic we went on to do another Comic for Social Studies about the harms of Media, but sadly, never finished. Taking the ideal image of how I portrayed myself in this comic, I went Solo and started Not Your Average Jo. The first Strip, Sheep's Blood, was done about 1 am in the morning for fun, but once I had Jac's approval for using her image in my comics, I began making more.

Not Your Average Jo has some events that are loosely based on my own experiences, and some that are entirely made up. Fact and fiction are cleverly interweaved to create the strange off-of-the wall occurances of a teenage girl. I'm certain readers can detect the things that are in fact fiction, like Enigma or the Poodle Headed Ninja Spider. However I did really get Jac to drop a snakes and ladders game on an icky spider. My older brother really does called me 'Derunk' and "Knave'. I've never gotten drunk before though.

As I go through the strips, I most likely will be soon bringing in more characters. Some entirely fictional, some based on real people. There have been a few people around me begging me to put them or one of their chibified and animated alter egos in my comic. However people don't understand that they must first sell me their soul and rights to their personality. Once they let a representation of themselves in my comic, then they will not be allowed to complain about misportrayal. I don't want that complication, and I certainly will remain as a solo artist on this particular project.

That is all I have to say about Not Your Average Jo for now. Have a nice day.


My brother took this picture. This is Me, Jo, the star and creator. Too bad I had my hair cut short in this photo, and too bad my brother hates cameras and doesn't take very good pictures.


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