In the end, I think this is why every harleybertâs arc is so narratively unsatisfactory. Most of their narratives were set up around this loneliness, and it is just⊠never resolved?
Johnâs entire narrative is about growing up, and yes, this aspect of his character arc IS resolved. Heâs the closest to having a complete narrative satisfaction by the end of the comic. Johnâs disconnect from everyone around him is never satisfied, however. He watches his friends all die, he has Roxy, and he has davepeta and both Nannasprites. Thereâs something sad there, watching the one guy who weâve been with since the beginning change over the comic, that even by the end, heâs no longer who he was to his friends at the end of the comic. The one they knew died a long time ago, and he is just filling in the space. Itâs unspoken knowledge that John killed this version of himself. He does not get to go back from that, and his friends know he is not the one they knew. Especially Jade.
Jake English began and ended his story being the butt of a joke (pun unintended). His trials arenât taken seriously, and thereby are never given a satisfying conclusion. His physical separation from everyone around him. Jakeâs like Jane in that people take him saying he wants to be alone at face value, and just⊠let him be alone. Heâs just a lonely kid. Thatâs it. He doesnât ever stop being lonely, and even at the end, he sits separated from everyone else to fight on his own.
Jade Harley is the loneliest girl in the world no matter the universe. Her arc begins with her finally connecting to others, her being close to Dave is presented as so important! She even saves the day in Cascade, a dog-us ex mutt-ina. And yet by the time she rejoins the rest of the cast after her three years in isolation, much like her years in isolation on that island, sheâs used as a tool in her grimbark state, there to be a new obstacle, and lose her agency once again. In the retcon, sheâs been given the opportunity to speak with Calliope, a girl sheâs never met before, to talk about what happened as all of her other friends put her to sleep, out of sight and out of mind. Donât get me wrong, I love the Jane Callie and Jade scene, itâs sweet, itâs just it rings hollow to have Jade sit with people sheâd never met before, rather than speaking with the friends she grew up with.
Jane Crocker is held at emotional distance to the point her friends barely trust her with fundamental knowledge about themselves until much further along. She lives in a suburb and only has three friends. Beyond Calliope and Jade, we almost never see Jane genuinely have a conversation with any other characters outside of the alpha kids. Her arc ends with her barely changed, and her having been shoved into Crockertier via mind control. Like gee, I wonder why most people do not care much for Jane Crockerâs story. She didnât get one. Everything she did get got retconned.
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