Seriously, the 10 minutes I just spent reviewing the recent strips is 10 minutes I will never get back… But I am trying to sort through the names here… The only one for sure is Juanito the Mule…
From what I can tell, Jose (yes there is another one… like that’s the only name in all of Me-he-co that James Allen could come up with…) But he also goes by Jefe (which, again is spanish for ‘boss’) So is Juanito calling the real boss (at which we get our first full, unshadowed look) Jefe? While Jose/Jefe calls him ‘Boss?’ Seriously…
What I also find surprising – or disappointing – is how Allen finally reveals the dramatically half-hidden ringleader (Jose) in the second panel. Rather than a facial closeup (after all, we’ve already seen his torso), we are showing a 3/4-length figure with a rather ambiguously defined face…along with large Popeye forearms! (I blush). Anybody we’ve seen before?
As for Jefe, I pointed out that Jefe can be a person’s name, not just a title. Our nefarious Jose (The Boss) is clearly speaking to a still-unseen Jefe, depicted as a reaching hand in panel three. So, who is this Jefe character? James Allen is certainly having fun with the names, don’t you think?!