Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Characters / TopSecretMagazine

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

''[[Magazine/TopSecretMagazine Top Secret]]'' was a Polish computer game magazine which existed between 1990 and 1996. Since 1992, the magazine featured a handful of recurring fictional characters, who appeared in comics and stories published in the magazine, and would sometimes [[FourthWallMailSlot write articles or answer the readers' mail]].

They originally appeared out of necessity--after pretty much the entire staff resigned in 1992, the editor-in-chief had to prepare a new issue almost all by himself, so he came up with a handful of fictional personae to mask the staff shortage.

!!The Very Top Secret Kąpany
A team that consists of Naczelny, Dżemik and Kopalny, who sometimes set out on various game-related missions. This includes things such as heading into game worlds to write walkthroughs and maps, or researching the future of gaming via a time machine.
* BigThinShortTrio: With Kopalny being the big one, Naczelny being the thin one, and Dżemik the short one.
* GratuitousEnglish: The name of the group is in English (although with "company" deliberately misspelled with Polish letters.)

!!Naczelny
Naczelny (literally "chief", as in "editor in chief") is the alter ego of the actual editor-in-chief, Marcin Borkowski. He's a thin, moustachioed fellow.
* IconicItem: He is always seen with his briefcase, which he ''never'' leaves behind, no matter what. In one of the comics, its contents are finally revealed: [[spoiler:alcohol]].
* InkSuitActor: His appearance is a caricature of the real-life Marcin Borkowski.
* TheLeader: He usually takes this role in the team, though how much is Kopalny willing to listen to him varies.

!!Professor Dżemik
A short, balding guy who is a skilled scientist, and the team's go-to intellectual.
* GadgeteerGenius: His inventions include a mail-sorting machine and (in one episode) a time machine.
* ShoutOut: His name is a pun on the real-life linguist, professor Miodek ("miodek" is diminutive for "honey", "dżemik" is diminutive for "jam".)
* TheSmartGuy: If you ever need him to explain things in TechnoBabble or invent something convenient, he's your guy.

!!Kopalny
A menial worker employed at the magazine, his duties are mostly limited to mowing the lawn and doing any heavy physical work. He is depicted as a burly, short-haired, unshaven guy with a permanent dopey look. He ''really'' loves beer. \\ He is the main character of the fantasy story "Piwem i Mieczem" ("With Beer and Sword"), in which he gets transported to a fantasy land, and is subsequently roped into a dragon-slaying mission.
* TheBigGuy: During the missions of the Kąpany, he tends to serve as the muscle.
* LazyBum: He may be employed for menial work, but he absolutely ''hates'' it, and often complains (in the magazine) how much he is exploited.
* PermaStubble: He is always drawn with a stubbly beard. One of the magazine issues mentions that "handing Kopalny a razor is a particularly uncomplicated method of suicide", although it's not clear if it's his BerserkButton or if he is ''that'' clumsy with it.
* PunnyName: Of a rather convoluted sort. One of the meanings of the word "Naczelny" is "primate"; "Kopalny" ("fossil") is thus meant to be an antonym, as in, someone way more primitive than Naczelny.
* RealMenWearPink: He is always depicted in a bright-pink sweatshirt.

!!Brat Marcin
The mysterious, never-seen "coordinator from the Bajtek center" who manages the Very Top Secret Kąpany. He is actually the alter ego of the real-life head editor, Marcin Borkowski. Yes, just like Naczelny, which means there are two separate fictional alter egos of the same person. Don't think about it too hard.
* TheFaceless: While he actually shows up in person in one of the comics, his face is not visible.
* MissionControl: Apparently fills this role, though he's not above taking on the mission on his own whenever the Kąpany turns out to be particularly incompetent.

!!Małolata
Małolata ("Teenybopper") is Kopalny's occasionally mentioned girlfriend. Kopalny apparently considers her terrifying. In "Piwem i Mieczem", he compares her to a rock avalanche, and upon hearing the roar of an enraged dragon he wonders if it's her.
* TheGhost: She is mentioned in the magazine, but is never depicted in any of the comics.
----

Top