Johnny Wander - Television Tropes & Idioms

"Johnny Wander might be about life after college, being a kid, growing up and all the people you meet and all the things that happen in that brave new world.

"Or it might be about something else entirely."

Johnny Wander

is a Slice of Life webcomic by Yuko Ota and Ananth Panagariya. The comic mostly follows the everyday lives of Yuko and company after graduating college, but since September of 2009, they have started putting up short comics with an Urban Fantasy theme on occasion.

The main cast includes:

Ananth, a self-proclaimed comics nerd, whose hat always covers his eyes. Even when he's not wearing it.
Yuko, a small girl who is often mistaken for a boy, and is "internet famous"-. Can also fit inside a dryer.
Conrad, an exhibitionist who likes to eat breakfast 24/7. Also has a very suspicious hairdo.
John, a mildly ornery tallish fellow who likes to clean.
Steve, a DJ who's skillful with bass.
Mike, a musician who can be stopped with shellfish and/or bullets.

Also:

Rook: Yuko's (very talkative) cat. Meow meow meow meow meow meow. Not a real cat

.
Gonta: Yuko's dad's cat. Likes to fret.
Mika: Yuko's mom's cat.
George: smiles all the time.
Evan: is very quiet.
Lela: who likes dogs and cooking.
Cricket: the laundry kitten. Chirrup.

The main comic contains examples of:

Alt Text
And Now For Something Completely Different: The short story comics that come now and again.
Beautiful All Along: Yuko, when she takes off her glasses.
Bifauxnen: Yuko.
The Big Guy: The only person John might not be taller than is Jeph and that's only because they haven't appeared in the same comic together.
Bishie Sparkle: Yuko without her glasses, in this one
Blatant Lies: "It's been a busy week". Although they actually were swamped that week.
Brick Joke: The coffee table.
- Do not put butter in there. (Alt text.)
Can't Hold Her Liquor: Yuko, thanks to Asian alcohol intolerance.
Character Title: Possibly, but most probably not. There is a character named John, although no one ever calls him Johnny, and there's no obvious reason for the comic to be named after him.
- Because he's just that awesome? ... Nah, probably not.
Cheshire Cat Grin: George as his default expression.
- Apparently, if he stops smiling, the world explodes.
Creator Couple: Ananth and Yuko, though it's easy to forget that they're more than just bros.
Cute, but Cacophonic: Rook the cat.
Cute Kitten: Cricket. "omigosh."
Death Glare: John tries this.
Did Not Do the Research: An In-Universe example - Yuko's parents take care of her spider plant for a while. It returns to her in pieces.
Distant Reaction Shot: The garlic incident.
- And the grill.
  - Note that they both involve the same guy...
Due to the Dead: Parodied— he was only moving to Portland.
Epic Fail: Trying to dry peppers and roast garlic in the toaster oven is a mistake.
Expressive Mask: The characters with glasses and Hidden Eyes usually get this as a substitute.
Expressive Computer: The logos on the characters' computers often change to reflect how they feel, or that the computer just died. Also the Apple logo tends to get replaced with other foods.
Extreme Omnivore: Rook the cat.
Eye Beams: Cyclops-style Power Incontinence seems to be the reason Ananth wears that hat.
Five-Token Band: Parodied in this strip.
Flat "What.": Ananth in this strip, as well as Yuko in this one.
Frame Break: In "The Surest Path to Friendship", Cricket and Rook both rub against the panel lines (with Rook's ears actually going past the panel).
Friend to All Living Things: Yuko likes all kinds of critters, including bugs. Although not enough that she won't get mad at her parents' cats when they barf on her floor, or freak out about finding a dead mouse.
Gladiator Games: John's opinion about the Super Bowl in this strip
Hidden Eyes: Ananth's hat permanently hides his eyes.
- Although the hat's shadow remains after he takes off the hat... and to keep up the joke, his eyes are always blacked out in photographs.
- Also Yuko and George, whose glasses are Scary Shiny Glasses.... or just thick.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Ananth and Yuko.
- Even more so, Yuko and Jeph Jacques, who apparently really is that tall in real life.
- For that matter, Yuko and John.
Impossibly Cool Clothes/Real Men Wear Pink: He is a warrior. He seeks the Quickening. Right after some fancy cakes.
- With the right clothes, you can make any journey epic.
I Want Grandkids: Yuko's mom.
Journal Comic: Most of the time.
Loony Fan: Not very extreme, but ever since Evan moved in, Yuko likes to know what he's dooin'.
Made of Plasticine/Clean Cut: Beware the NYC subway doors.
Meganekko: Yuko.
Neat Freak: John, who is sometimes The Comically Serious ... and sometimes, Not so Above It All.
Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: John says some creepy things sometimes.
- "The call is coming from inside the houussee."
No Hugging, No Kissing: There are almost no implications in the comic that Ananth and Yuko are an item.
No Mouth: Evan, but he has a mustache.
Noodle Incident: Literally.
Older than They Look: Yuko is often mistaken for someone around the age of 14... despite being 24.
Out of Focus: When the characters of your comics are friends and roommates, they tend to come and go whenever they move away.
Orwellian Retcon: After the revelation that Conrad's hair is a small furry animal, they went back and drew eyes on it in every single comic.
Perma Stubble: Ananth's superpower.
Perpetual Smiler: George grins constantly. If he is ever not baring his teeth, the world explodes. Although he did grimace once.
The Protomen: They appeared in a comic accidentally hitting George in the face with a drumstick at one of their concerts.
The Quiet One: Evan, who is kinda skittish. He also likes Rook a lot.
Real Men Wear Pink: Ananth enjoys froofy starbucks drinks and wearing Yuko's girly socks to stay warm.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: Rook and Cricket.
Shonen Hair: Conrad has hair enough like this for someone to ask about it in the Q&A comics. Apparently it's a small furry creature that lives on his head.
- It looks kinda like a hedgehog...
Shopping Montage: At Ikea, no less
Slasher Smile: "the secret punchline is the unwaveringly sinister grin of george rohac"
Sock It To Them: Used in an Imagine Spot, as the characters discuss what to do with $50 worth of small change.
Special Guest: Occasionally the gang hangs out with some other relatively popular online figures, such as Neil Cicierega or KC Green.
Squee: Yuko in panel three here when meeting an especially lovable owl.
Step Three: Profit:
Step 1 - Vote
Step 2 - Get free food.
Step 3 - Repeat step 2
Straight Gay: A sort of Word Of God. John's "John Advice" column on Formspring reveals that he's gay, but you wouldn't know it from the comic (except perhaps from his obsession with cleaning and his delight at the acquisition of a new coffee table). Who'da thunk it.
True Companions
Un Entendre: The "Puck Fair" comic.
Viewer Gender Confusion: Yuko is frequently mistaken for a boy (in-universe). This happens to be Truth in Television.
What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?: The "Ultimate Clementine Peeling Technique", among others.
What If?: Comics # 135 and 136

The short story comics provide examples of:

Adorkable: Death.
Badass in a Nice Suit: Death tends to dress immaculately.
Belly Mouth: Maws.
Bishie Sparkle: Pony of the Pony Cop duo.
Cool Pet: "Puppy", the basilisk.
Disability Immunity: Delilah is immune to her Cool Pet's petrifying gaze, because she's blind.
Don't Fear The Reaper: Death, who is actually a bit bumbling and awkward (but very sweet and an utter gentleman).
Kiss of Death/Stripped to the Bone: (a very localised form of the latter)
Looks Like Cesare: Eating feathers makes you look like this. Very noticeable on Callie, who has the classic black hair.
Really 700 Years Old: It's easy to miss, but Cecilia's date with Death happened in the 1920s. She stayed the same physical age for around eighty years because he was avoiding her.
Shrinking Violet: Cecilia's date, Death.
Taken for Granite
Transformation Trauma: The end of Callie Eats Feathers.