Gary the Alchemist is a Slice of Life webcomic started in 2009 by Andrew "Xiam" Jenkins, featuring an alchemist named Gary, a high school student with a bizarre interest in the discredited protoscience of alchemy.
Despite that the comic is set what may as well be the real world, Gary has had some success in his efforts, having produced a homunculus (before the comic picks up) and a golem a year or so in.
The comic can be found here
. It ended in August 2013.
This comic provides examples of:
- Alchemy Is Magic: Played with a lot. Gary treats it as a science, and he's managed to even create life with it, but no one else takes it seriously, except perhaps Edy.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Gary's feelings for Lizzie were never returned.
- Edy's major problem after her introduction until Gary lets Lizzie go.
- Attention Deficit-- Hey, Sugar!: The homunculus is easily distracted by the thought of anything sweet.
- Bourgeois Bohemian / Hippie Parents: Edy's parents are definitely a product of the '60s and '70s.
- Character Development: Most noticeable with Gary, who used to be totally isolated and is now looking forward to spending vacation time with his friends.
- Also seen some with the homunculus, who seems to be less interested in fire than he began.
- Companion Cube: The Mandrake, or so the
fans would have you believe. - Demoted to Extra: A result of Character Development, Dan has begun hanging out with a different group of friends but remains on good terms with Gary.
- Embarrassing First Name: Edy's real name is Edith.
- High School: The setting of the majority of the comic. It's currently unknown if Xiam will continue the series after Gary's graduation.
- High-School Dance: It was bound to happen.
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted, as all the character seem to have a full closet of clothing. Cappy comes closest, but only his hat and jacket are consistent.
- According to
Word of God, Gary only has seven shirts, one for each day of the week.
- According to
- Magic Versus Science: Played with almost as much as Alchemy Is Magic, above.
- No Name Given: The homunculus doesn't seem to even have a name, though fan suggestions abound.
- The golem also lacks a name.
- The mandrake is nameless, as well. Understandable, as it's a plant root.
- We've finally learned Gary's last name: it's Dee.
- No Social Skills: Gary starts out this way, but over the course of the comic, and with a lot of help from Edy, he grows out of it.
- Slice of Life: This is the format of the comic.
- True Companions: Tee, Cappy, and Jean.
- TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life: Xiam has put a lot of references and links to this very wiki into his comic and comments.
- The Voiceless: The golem cannot speak, being made of clay.
- Visit by Divorced Dad: Inverted. Gary visits him at one point.
- Webcomic Time: Largely averted. Weekly stories often take place on the same day (at three updates a week), but overall the comic follows real time, with Gary actually vacationing in the summer and a little over the winter.
- New Year Has Come: Repeatedly.
