Glyph is a cabin mate of sorts with Halo Jones and Toy Molto aboard the star ship E.S.S. Clara Pandy, by which I mean Glyph simply seems to have just barely come to their attention, as there’s a rather forgettable air and appearance. When Halo and Toy do finally address their “guest”, Toy (and later Halo) refers to “it” rather than he or she in a clumsy way to bypass Glyph’s gender ambiguity, which is illuminated when Glyph reveals “I remember I started off as a girl. That much I’m certain of…or maybe I started out as a boy. Never mind–it doesn’t really matter.” Glyph proceeds to recount that her/his original gender caused unhappiness and underwent a “total body remould” and within months regretted the change. Glyph admits to having 47 body remoulds over the span of five years, and because of all the physical and psychological changes could no longer remember his/her birth gender. In the process all trace of personality had been erased and she/he began to turn into a non-entity, losing jobs, a home, and interaction with society. Glyph learned how to use the newly acquired anonymity to survive by walking unquestioned into people’s home for food and eventually stowing aboard the Clara Pandy for a change of pace.
Glyph reappears a couple chapters later as Halo is on a mission which will have unforseen consequences years later. That mission is to find a rat to replace the dying member of a symbiotic “rat king” group intelligence. Thanks to Glyph’s demeanor, it’s an easy task to walk up and grab one for Halo.
In a subplot whose details are largely irrelevant to this entry, Glyph sacrifices her/his life to save Halo and Toy from being mauled and killed by Toby, Halo’s robotic dog companion. Glyph manages this by opening a barrel of flammable liquid in the path of the smoking cybernetic canine and creating an explosion. In keeping with the theme, Halo asks Toy if they’re dead and she replies that nobody died today.
Glyph was created by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson and appeared in The Ballad of Halo Jones Book 2 (published in 2000 AD Progs#406-415) and is part of the trade collection The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones. Art by Ian Gibson.
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