History ComicBook / NathanHalesHazardousTales

* {{Catchphrase}}: Hangman's ''"WE HANG SPIES!"''

* AnthropomorphicAnimalAdaptation: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood''. After the Hangman thinks the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI is too boring, he requests that the story be told with [[FunnyAnimal cute little animals]], much to the Provost's annoyance and Hale's begrudgment. As such, the different nations and their people involved are represented by different animals.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Will Cushing, from ''Big Bad Ironclad'', is a walking, talking embodiment of this trope. He's a goofy prankster with a bad sense of humor who got kicked out of the Navy ''twice'' for his mischief. He also rose to the rank of lieutenant commander and was even able to sink an ''ironclad'' with just a bomb on a stick.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: Will Cushing, from ''Big Bad Ironclad'', is a walking, talking embodiment of this trope. He's a goofy prankster with a bad sense of humor who got kicked out of the Navy ''twice'' for his mischief. He was also, arguably, the first Navy SEAL.

* WarIsHell: The books hardly shy away from the horrible, violent, and tragic parts of the many wars they cover. ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood'' arguably displays this trope the most prominently, especially with many real life quotes they have at the end describing how terrible World War 1 was.

** Later on in ''Alamo All-Stars'', Davy Crockett interrupts his own biography, not wanting to waste pages on himself and instead focus on the story of the Alamo, and encourages the reader to buy his own autobiography.

* RunningGag: In ''Big Bad Ironclad'', characters frequently discuss the underwater toilet that John Ericsson designed for the USS Monitor.

* EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep: Provost and Hangman are only ever referred to by their job names.

-->''Big Bad Ironclad''

* WarIsHell: The book hardly shy away from the horrible, violent, and tragic parts of the many wars they cover. ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood'' probably displays this trope the most, especially the many real life quotes they have at the end describing how terrible World War 1 was.

* WarGod: In ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood'', Ares, the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek God of War]], is introduced at the beginning of World War I as a metaphor, showing soldiers running and falling into his melting pot. At the end of each year of the war, Ares is shown to have grown bigger, uglier, and more monstrous, representing the evolution of weapons technology and the millions of lives being claimed by the conflict. He is taken apart by the different nations when the war ends. However, he makes a brief return to signify the start of World War II in ''Raid of No Return''.

* WarGod: In ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood'', Ares, the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek God of War]], is introduced at the beginning of World War I as a metaphor, showing soldiers running and falling into his melting pot. At the end of each year of the war, Ares is shown to have grown bigger, uglier, and more monstrous, representing the evolution of weapons technology and the millions of lives being claimed by the conflict. He is taken apart by the different nations when the war ends.

* ExcitedShowTitle: ''Big Bad Ironclad!'', ''Lafayette!'', and ''Let's Make History!''

* AnthropomorphicAnimalAdaptation: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood''. After the Hangman thinks the story of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI is too boring, he requests that the story be told with [[FunnyAnimal cute little animals]], much to the Provost's annoyance and Hale's begrudgment. As such, the different nations and their people involved in are represented by different animals.
** The Austro-Hungarian Empire are represented by the Griffin, the symbol of the House of Hapsburg.
** Serbia and it's people are represented by a Wolves, their national animal.

** Germany is the Eagle, designed after it's Coat of Arms.

** Belgium is the Lion, it's national animal.

** In same vain, The United States of America is not a Bald Eagle, but a Bunny.

** Canada is the Beaver, it's national animal.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Donner Dinner Party'' is significantly darker then the two books that came before it, going into detail about the grisly fate of the titular Donner Party. Hale [[ContentWarning even]] [[BreakingTheFourthWall tells the reader]] that if they're easily squicked out, they should skip certain pages.

* HitMeDammit: The Hangman and and the Provost both ask Bill Richmond to show them a punch. He knocks them both down easily.

* NoFourthWall: Played with. The main characters are fully aware that they're in an graphic novel, as they make many jokes and nods to it, even talking directly to the audience at times. However, the Provost and Hangman express surprise and take insult when Hale explains that they are just fictional characters that the writer created while almost everyone else is a real-life historical figure. This doesn't seem to affect that much in the long run. Additionally, multiple characters within the stories and events being discussed are aware of the medium their in.

* ShoutOut: In ''Cold War Correspondent'', Maggie Higgins points out that General [=MacArthur=]'s plan was considered to be bad decision by future historians, as he committed a land war in Asia. Hale chimes in:

* WarGod: In ''Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood'', Ares, the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek God of War]], is introducing in the beginning of World War I as a metaphor, showing soldiers running and falling into his melting pot. At the end of each year of the war, Ares is shown to have grown bigger, uglier, and more monstrous, representing the evolution of weapons technology and the millions of lives being claimed by the conflict. He is taken apart by the different nations when the war ends.