Keith Gerald "Jerry" Holkins is the writer of the Penny Arcade comic strips. Holkins' comic alter-ego is Tycho Brahe, named after the astronomer.
Comic Life[]
Jerry is known for his work on his overly long news posts about the comic strip or other such topics. He very frequently uses very long wording and sometimes these words are made-up. He has a love for extravagant wordplay.
Personal Life[]
He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, Brenna. They had a daughter(See here) on November 22, 2005, named Samantha Jacob Holkins. It was announced on November 25 that he and his wife had this child on the Penny Arcade website in four acts.
On September 6, 2009, Jerry and Brenna had a daughter DURING PAX 2009. Her name, according to the newspost "Girl You're so Groovy" is Ronia Quinn Holkins. It was reported by many who attended PAX that he still made it to the "writing a strip" panel although a bit late.
Jerry is the lead singer and guitarist in a musical band known as The Fine Print. Their work is downloadable off the internet.
Alter Egos[]
Tycho has several author insertion characters both inside and outside the continuity of the comic.
- Tycho Brahe - One of the two main characters of Penny Arcade. He is patterned off of Holkins and his interactions with co-author Mike Krahulik. Although the character is modeled after him in terms of personality, he is usually exaggerated to the point where he is portrayed with a uniquely psychotic and narcissistic personality that makes him distinct from Holkins.