Abby Lambert

She kept old sketches and drafts. She had a separate file cabinet where she stored even ideas the studio had rejected. Joey joked that it was a "graveyard of broken dreams," and Abby replied, "We'll come back to them one day."

She helped newcomers blossom. She specifically took young artists under her wing, showing them how to work with storyboards and how to guide the viewer's eye through the frame. Many of them later became key figures at the studio. She did not tolerate injustice. There's a scene in the book where she harshly rebuked a senior animator who tried to shift his mistake onto a junior employee. After that, an unspoken rule was established at the studio: those who made mistakes were held accountable for them.

She was the artists' "protector." If Joey harshly criticized someone's work or demanded impossible deadlines, Abby would try to soften the blow: she'd negotiate an extra day for edits and ask them to formulate their comments more constructively. Because of this, she was highly valued by the team.
She wasn't afraid to argue for the sake of quality. If Abby felt a scene was losing its impact due to simplifications "for a mass audience," she'd speak up to Joey directly—and often get her way. The book depicts such moments as tense but respectful: Joey would grumble, but ultimately agree that "she had a good eye."

Joey valued her artistic taste and skill, but often emphasized that she "didn't understand business." In the book, this reads like a typical sexist attitude of the era: he acknowledges her talent but doubts her ability to see the big picture in terms of profits and contracts. Abby quickly became a key figure in the studio's art department. Initially an animator, Joey later appointed her head of the art department—a notable move, as women were rarely put in charge of creative departments at the time. This led to dissatisfaction among some of the senior artists, and some even left.

Joey occasionally made sexist remarks—he noted that Abby "doesn't always understand how business works" because she's a woman. At the same time, he acknowledged her professional qualities.

So overall, their relationship evolved from a friendly passion for art to a working partnership, although it was not without its minor frictions.

Abby studied art, and it became a common theme. They visited exhibitions together.
Participated in amateur theatre productions.
Joey sincerely admired her passion for creativity. Under Abby's influence, he began drawing more himself. A key plot point: it was Abby who introduced Joey to Henry Stein. It happened in the summer of 1928 at an art exhibition. Joey was looking at Henry's caricatures, and at that moment, the idea of ​​creating moving pictures—cartoons—was born. Soon after, he invited Henry to his place, and that's when the first ink devil, Bendy, was born.

Stern and straightforward, Abby doesn't stand on ceremony with people, speaks bluntly, and doesn't tolerate nonsense. Her recordings are full of dissatisfaction with the studio's chaos and the management's decisions.
Demanding of work and discipline. She's the head of the art department and takes her job very seriously. She especially doesn't tolerate theft, which is what caused her relationship with Buddy to sour.
Irritated and tired, she's under a lot of pressure from the studio environment: constant ink problems, chaos, and distractions. This often makes her sound angry and cynical.
Independent. She likes to wear men's clothing and keeps to herself, valuing her personal space (even creating a "sanctuary" for herself in the department).
A dedicated professional. Despite her frustrations, she strives to do her job well and genuinely cares about the quality of her projects.
She's skeptical of Joey Drew's management decisions. She believes he's too lax in some areas and plans poorly, which only adds to the department's problems.

Miss Lambert worked at a comic book store when Joey (she was 19 and he was 21) walked in and met her. That's how they became friends. Soon they went to an art exhibition, and Abby introduced Joey to Henry, her friend. That's how they met, and Joey, a platonic man, decided to start a studio.