Albert the Alien Chapter 4 Page 19

After escaping from the (no longer) mysterious locker #13, the kids have a chance to catch their breath. The locker thief owns up to what they did, and receives forgiveness from Albert the Alien and friends.

I said earlier I originally wanted the locker thief to become a villain for Albert. Like Lex Luthor, he would be a best friend that turned into an enemy. But when I thought about it, it really didn’t fit with Martin’s personality and motivation. He’s been called the smartest kid in school (in fact, the whole reason he was shoved into that locker was because he got the highest math score in the class), so he’s a smart kid. Not selfish. And that tends to be how I define my villains – they’re very selfish.

Martin was just a good kid put into a tough situation, and made a bad decision. Instead of going to his friends or parents for help with bullying, he tried to make matters into his own hands. It didn’t work out so well for him, and he’ll have to be punished for his actions. But ultimately, I felt turning this into a lesson was better than turning his character into a villain.

We’ll see more of Martin in later stories, for sure. Perhaps a slight break in the next story arc when we introduce a few new characters, but he’ll be back.

Have a great weekend!