History[]
Twenty-One Toady is a character from the 2000 AD strip Harry Twenty on the High Rock. Sentenced to twenty-one years on the orbiting prison known as the High Rock, he was a cringing, fawning, sycophantic, sneaking lickspittle who would tattle to the guards at every possible opportunity. His abject servility meant that guards and prisoners alike held him in complete contempt. He practically offered to lick Chief Thrower and Guard Pusser's boots clean with his tongue, and even they thought that he was a complete waste of space. Nobody knew his true name; nobody cared. Ironically, his prison name was a pun on the phrase "Twenty-one today," most commonly found on birthday cards celebrating a person's transition from childhood to maturity and independence.
While working in the High Rock's library Toady saw that fellow prisoner Harry Twenty had written details of how to build an escape capsule on a napkin. Despite promising Harry he wouldn't, he promptly told the guards. However, Harry managed to conceal the napkin successfully and Toady lost one week's privileges for lying.
After building his capsule for nearly six months, Harry decided to disguise himself as Toady in order to steal fuel for it. He did this with the aid of "phoney contact lenses" made by Genghis Eighteen, "a little synthi-grease in the hair," a '21' suit made by Ben Ninety and some padding to make him look fatter. (How he managed to reduce his height by about a foot is not recorded.) With Toady knocked unconscious by some equipment in the gym, Harry was free to roam the Rock as he pleased and steal four flasks from the fuel store.
After Harry had escaped and been recaptured he led an uprising on the High Rock. Toady voluntarily joined the Warden's side and used one of the Rock's gun turrets to kill Bones Seventy-Six, one of Harry's new allies. Harry started to open the hatch to the gun turret and Toady did a runner. Harry later decided not to kill Toady because "you're not even worth the blasting," leaving a pathetically grateful Toady to declare his undying loyalty. This act of mercy turned out to have been a smart move, because Toady had knowledge about the High Rock and its weapons that was vital to the revolution's success.
Powers and abilities[]
Abilities
Toadying; eavesdropping; cleaning floors; working in the High Rock's library; computer skills; extensive knowledge of how the High Rock works.
Strength level
He looks pretty feeble.
Weaknesses
Where to start?
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Biocleaner; servo-vac.
Weapons
Gun.
Notes[]
Twenty-One Toady can be seen as Harry Twenty's mirror image:
- Harry wants to be known by his real name rather than his number, and reasserts it at the end of the strip. Everyone has forgotten Twenty-One Toady's real name, and even his prison name has his number as its first part. Toady's speech patterns show that he himself seems to have forgotten his original name: "Toady'll be your friend! Toady'll help you!"
- Harry is taciturn, silently defies the prison guards and keeps a lot of secrets. Toady is verbosely subservient ("Oh yes, Mr Pusser, sir! Right away, sir!"), and can't hold onto a secret for five minutes without blabbing.
- We are given details of Harry's background, which makes him easy to sympathise with. No information whatsoever about Toady's past is given — not even his crime or his nationality. It might have been interesting to discover just why he was so cowardly.
- Harry ends up impersonating Toady, and does it so well that the guards are completely fooled.
- Toady will do anything, even kill somebody, if it's what his current masters have ordered. Harry's moral sensibility and highly-developed conscience are such that he won't kill in cold blood even if such an act would be to his ultimate advantage.
- When it looked like his buddies might leave the Rock without him, Harry didn't care if he himself was left behind as long as his friends were okay. Toady values his own life above all else.
Links[]
- Appearances of Twenty-One Toady
- Character Gallery: Twenty-One Toady
- Images that feature Twenty-One Toady
- Fan-Art Gallery: Twenty-One Toady
- Twenty-One Toady quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: Twenty-One Toady · Unknown · Twenty-One Toady