So, you may be wondering what all of this is about. It's a good question, and one that I will endeavor to answer.

"Joe and Ami" is a cartoon strip about a man and his computer. Joe is that man, and his computer is called Ami. However, Ami isn't a normal computer. Through a bizarre accident, the details of which they haven't even told me, Ami somehow gained intelligence and self-awareness. He is, quite literally, alive. For the story of Ami's development, check out the Characters section of the site.

The strips are punchline-based, three panel joke cartoons. There is slight character development throughout the strips, although that has yet to be seen (it's there, just in not-yet-released strips). They are produced entirely on my Amiga, except for the bits of me that come up with the ideas (this part of me has yet to be identified.)

Joe And Ami started out in the pages of an Amiga fanzine called The Domain. The Domain was dedicated to Freeware, Shareware and Licenceware reviews, and was looking for contributors. I had already seen a few of the Eric Schwartz cartoons, and decided to have a go at my own Amiga-based cartoon. The first Joe and Ami cartoon was published in issue 5 of The Domain. When The Domain developed into Amiga Survivor, the Joe and Ami strip went with it.

Joe and Ami is still being published in Amiga Survivor, and hopefully this will continue into the future. For this reason, the latest strips on the site will never be any mre recent than the ones published in the magazine. I have decided to start with latest strip published in Amiga Survivor: previous strips can be found in the Archives section.

Joe and Ami is created on an Amiga 1200 using PPaint. It is drawn at exactly the size it will appear on your computer screen. I acknowledge that this causes the graphics to look blocky and lacking in detail. To me, that is unimportant, as I wanted to create the feeling that the strip had been created electronically. Another critiscism that has been levelled at the cartoons is that they are too lacking in action; in response I can only point out that the strips are about a guy sitting in front of his computer. How much action do you expect?

To my mind, the best strips are still to come. However, I am pleased with what has gone before. Take a look at the strips and see what you think. I hope you like them. Personally, I wish I had a talking computer...

MAIN - The main title page.

ABOUT - This text.

CHARACTERS - Read about the characters featured in the cartoons.

ARCHIVE - A complete collection of previously published cartoons.

LATEST - The most recent cartoon published.

Please note: Joe and Ami is copyright 1999 Chris Spicer. They may not be downloaded, distrbuted or altered without my prior permission. They may not be published in printed form in any publication without my prior permission.