The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver

That his yearning for a new opportunity, a new start, failed to fruit. Given TJ’s drifter circumstances, not to mention his habit of obscuring the truth via omission, it isn’t implausible that Amal doesn’t find him there after all. Amal’s detour to the tattoo shop concludes the comic with a sense of positivity and hopefulness what happens after he passes through the door, however, remains unspecified. All throughout TJ and Amal, the duo vacillates between succumbing to the allure of spontaneous whims and looking toward the future with anxiety. A more definitive outcome – one where the audience watches them either advance or terminate their burgeoning relationship – would operate against the narrative’s overarching tone of uncertainty. While seemingly straightforward, what makes the ending arresting is how it presents a range of possible conclusions. He grasps a stylized napkin sketch of an anthropomorphic phoenix, a personalized gift from his road trip buddy-turned-lover first appearing in Chapter 19, and enters. The series wraps on Chapter 44, entitled “Grace Under Pressure.” Dreading the inevitable confrontation with his parents, who vocally oppose his homosexuality, Amal Chakravarthy decides to take an unplanned side trip to Graceland Tattoo and Piercing – ostensibly searching for TJ. Eventually, they reach their destination, both of them far happier, arguably far healthier, than they were when they first set foot in the car. Of companionship, alternately friendly and sexual, but almost always playful. Weaver’s breezy buddy dramedy webcomic The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal, despite the title, tells a big story.

Rhode Island, not heaven, though one would be forgiven for any conflation of the two.Į.K. They don’t know each other, but they’re headed to Providence together, anyway. Amal’s sloughing off expectations that he settle down with a woman, sire a cadre of children, and continue lying about his heterosexuality. TJ’s sloughing off a drug-running career and hopes for a safer future.

They both need an escape from the Bay Area and a hard reset of their difficult lives.

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver