Jonathan and Link

Jonathan and Link was a sprite comic series created by Jonathan (JonathanEx) Cresswell, and it forms the basis for Universe A, without realising it. It featured title characters Jonathan (Jon) Explorer and Link (from the Legend of Zelda series).

The comic was created in 2003, and saw several incarnations.

Original


The original comic was created in Paint Shop Pro 5 on another computer when Jonathan's own one was broken, as a way of passing time. Using Megaman 8 styled sprites (with the Link sprite sourced from the then Psyguy.com), it featured Jonathan and Link teasing Spiderman in to running off a cliff. To date, Jonathan has no idea why.

Version 2
Later in 2003 (around August), with Jonathan's clothing updated to the standard shirt (though at this point with stripes, but they were a bitch in some sprites and got dropped out of laziness), Jonathan and Link turned in to a series released on JonX.co.uk. The format was more of individual episodes, with continuity only being applied when relevant. This version introduced Jonathan's love for Pepsi, and Link was consistently shown up, and also shown as a crossdresser. He does wear a skirt permanently, so...

Totally Not Real Life
Sometime after August, the series was restarted, with a more continuous form: with the visual structure being similar to Real Life Comics. This included the gradient backgrounds, and the size meant the introduction of blur. The backgrounds did become a source of jokes, with the first episode opening with Jonathan questioning Link's painting choices, and a later one introducing Shadow had him confused due to clouds painted on the wall. Events of note also included the stealing of a Pepsi vending machine and the sleeping sofa punch. It was around here that The Pixel was started, obviously with stylistic influences. In fact, episode 5 of T3h Pixel was a crossover as Jonathan and Phil competed to make a "Wicky Woo!" comic first. Early versions of The Pixel House used sprites and Real Life cutouts from JaL.

The Blur Is Back
And because it just wouldn't stay dead, the third form was revived with updated sprites, and hopefully humour too: though some episodes were remakes of the more memorable early comics. It was somehow updated daily for quite a while.