Off Beat (comics)

Off*beat is an original English-language manga authored by Jennifer Lee Quick. It is both licensed and published by Tokyopop, with two volumes currently available, published September 2005 and October 2006. The third volume is expected April 2007. A live presentation of the first chapter of Volume 1 is available through Tokyopop's Manga Online feature, Mangapods, though Quick herself denies being part of the project due to lack of communication.

Volume 1
The story of Off*beat is set in Queens, Manhattan, and begins with focus pitted on Christopher "Tory" Blake, a bright and disenfranchised fifteen year-old who amuses himself by taking endless notes in a notebook about what he sees and hears each day. Usually a loner, Tory becomes infatuated with the boy who moves in next door in the middle of the night, and even switches schools to St. Peter's so that he can follow the new boy, Colin Stephens, and learn what he is hiding.

While Tory generally has an over-active imagination, Colin truly has secrets to conceal. He is withdrawn, does poorly in school, sleeps through classes in the library, and has episodes of sickness characterized by shaking and coughing.

After bribing the college student who lives in the apartment above, Paul, into tracking down a license plate number for him, Tory finds out that Colin and his guardian are somehow connected to something known as "The Gaia Project," but is unable to discover any further information. Behind the guise of a student council member, Tory plots to get closer to the mysterious boy by offering peer tutoring sessions to students whose conduct is below what is considered acceptable. Dragged into the scheme, Colin, along with Tory's newfound friend Mandy, form their study group. Volume 1 ends with the two boys alone, and Colin cracking the questions: "Why are you always around? What are you trying to do?"

Volume 2
The confrontation at the finale of Volume 1 ends in confusion. While Tory remains dumbfounded, Colin begins acting playful around him, leaving him his phone number and scheduling more outings to get closer to the boy. As their friendship deepens, Tory runs into trouble with his mother, Paul, and Mandy, all of whom he ultimately reconciles by admitting to errors on his part. To further complicate matters, Paul's hard drive is mysteriously hacked, but he manages to salvage key bits of information withheld previously from Tory concerning The Gaia Project. The enigmatic license plate is traced to Carl Hayes, an officer who interrogated Dr. Garrets shorly prior to the move across the street from Tory after receiving an anonymous report that he was in illegal possession of equipment, though charges were dismissed.

During a study session and dinner at the Blake household, Colin steals one of Tory's journals in order to investigate just how much he has unearthed about the project. Collapsing in a café, he subsequently returns it to him and voices his own suspicions regarding Tory's intentions. Volume 2 ends with Colin punching Tory in the face when he insists on working together.

Christopher "Tory" Blake
An asocial self-proclaimed genius with a photographic memory, Tory is a boy so unchallenged by academics that he resorts to other means of exhausting his energy. He is overly obsessive when something or someone catches his interest, and keeps tabs on every event he deems significant in his life, recording the exact time (down to the minute or second) and place in which they occur. When Colin moves into the apartment across the street, he instantly becomes hooked on tracking his every move. In Volume 1, he chases after Colin, blinding himself with the prospect of uncovering his secrets; he is unwilling, at this point, to admit to himself the circumstances surrounding his feelings towards the other boy.


 * Given name is that of his hated father
 * Birthday: August 26, 1990
 * Sign: Virgo

Colin Stephens
The extremely quiet, mysterious, and cold boy who moves into the apartment across the street from Tory. His success in school is mediocre despite study, and he often skips classes, adding to his already poor reputation among teachers and students alike. He lives a secluded life, only leaving his home to go to church and to travel. He suffers from an ailment that causes intense coughing and shivering that may or may not be related to his involvement in The Gaia Project. Though he rejects Tory and Mandy's attempts to help him during a relapse of his condition, he eventually becomes close friends with the two during their peer tutoring sessions.


 * Birthday: November 18, 1989
 * Sign: Scorpio
 * Born in South Africa
 * British father; half British, half Chinese mother

Amanda "Mandy" Townslan
An outgoing, popular, and gossipy girl at St. Peter's who is in the same science and P.E. classes as Tory and Colin. She has an affinity for withdrawn individuals, which leads her to befriend the two boys, always willing to lend a sympathetic ear. She has trouble in physics class, but does well in social studies and history. A vegetarian, Mandy supports animal rights and hopes to find a career in social services. She also enjoys meddling in Tory and Colin's relationship.

Mary Grace Blake
Tory's overprotective single mother. She is the head of the graphic design department of a small advertising agency where she works, and is the owner of the apartment duplex where she and her son live together. She is mild-mannered and does not become infuriated by the fact that Paul steals food from their fridge, but worries around the clock about her son.

Paul Patterson
A college student who rents out the apartment above Tory's, Paul is the boy's only intellectual equal in some respects. He makes a living off graphic design, works towards a film major, and is obsessed with video games and internet porn. He is skilled with computers, able to hack files and write programs, often serving as Tory's means of collecting information on Colin. He pesters the boy for stalking Colin, but is repetitively met with defiance, which prompts him to take his leftovers. His eyes are blue.

Dr. Dustin Garrets
The American cofounder and present leader of The Gaia Project (launched 1985), and Colin's guardian. He retired from science, but met with Colin's parents before their deaths and continued his research, taking custody of the boy after their respective passings. He cares only for his work, disregards Colin's personal interests, discourages him from making friends or spending money on frivolous things, and prevents his expulsion from school through large monetary donations.


 * Born and raised in Massachusetts, 1958
 * Studied archaeology, anthropology, and linguistics at Birkbeck

Minor Characters

 * Amy: One of Mandy's close friends. She despises P.E. class, and believes Mandy has strange tastes in regards to the boys she hangs out with.


 * Jenny: The secretary who works in the guidance counselor's office at St. Peter's.


 * Jeremy: A student attending St. Peter's who is easily irritated. Colin bumps into him in the hallway, and he pushes him into a locker, triggering a relapse in the boy's condition.


 * Kevin: The team captain of the St. Peter's basketball team.


 * Mira: One of Mandy's close friends, who shares Amy's sentiments towards her relationship with Tory and Colin.


 * Mr. Brown: The guidance counselor who works at St. Peter's.


 * Mrs. Keplar: Tory, Colin, and Mandy's physics teacher at St. Peter's. She has a stern sense of duty and high expectations for her students, especially when it comes to state-issued examinations. She was the person who agreed to bring Tory's idea for peer tutoring before her superiors for evaluation.


 * Scott: One of the players on the St. Peter's basketball team.

General

 * In an early conception of the story, all characters wore school uniforms.

Volume 1

 * According to Tory's notes, Colin moved in across the street Saturday September 25, 2004, between 12:14 AM and 1:25 AM.


 * Colin's address is 346 68th St., Woodridge, Queens, New York.


 * The video game Tory attempts to bribe Paul with is entitled 1995 Fighter Zone.

Volume 2

 * Tory lends Paul a copy of GameEmu v.51IB from his computer in return for the copy of Gaia Project-related files salvaged from his hard drive.


 * According to the Gaia Project files, Dr. Garrets was interrogated September 13, 2005, at 2:00 AM.