Herbie Popnecker
Herbie Popnecker was a stoic adventurer, best-known for his rotundity and the lollipops he constantly carried.
Biography
At a mall
On one occasion he was at a mall when a group of ninjas appeared and began making trouble for the others there. As some fleeing shoppers ran past him he observed, “Doesn’t seem right. Ninja’s gangin’ up on two girls.” He warned the ninjas to knock it off lest he bop them with his lollipop. They did not take this threat seriously and were quickly laid out by a blast of lightning. Remarked Herbie, “Poor lollipop. Such a waste”. (COMIC: Mother is Visiting)
In the Naked Jungle
Herbie was seen at The Adventurers' Club in The Naked Jungle one night, as a background cameo appearance. He got no lines and his presence there was never explained. (COMIC: Ruthless Ro-Man)
Some time later Herbie travelled with Jenny Everywhere aboard a time machine shaped like a grandfather clock. The machine broke down as they were passing over the Naked Jungle of Kaza and Gwenna in Reality Z-25 31-H and they became separated while Herbie was working on fixing the machine. He eventually succeeded and, displaying Fourth Wall Awareness, suggested that they leave quickly because they'd done their duty “to the webcomic” and didn't want to stick around too long and “end up as part of the regular cast”. (COMIC: Meanwhile…)
Visiting the Parallax Universe
In the Parallax Universe, a version of Herbie observed Eric socializing with David Lowe, who he knew. Herbie accosted the young man later but their chat was interrupted by the arrival of Sophie Everytime, who quickly dominated the conversation. Sophie mentioned that she and Herbie had known each other for a while, as they “got candy at the same place”. (PROSE: How Jenny First Met…) Sophie later gave magical lollipops of Herbie's to Eric, using one of them to heal him after he was accidentally injured. When Eric asked her if Herbie was a shifter too, she replied that Herbie was “his own thing” and not quite “human”, telling him to ask Herbie himself for details if he wished. (PROSE: Preludes and Knick-Knacks)
