History ComicBook / StrangersInParadise

* {{Flanderization}}: Not within the main comic, but in the SpinnofBabies mini-series ''SIP Kids'', which re-imagines the characters as young children, David has been hit with this ''big'' time. While the other characters are mainly [[CharacterExaggeration slightly exaggerated]] and more childish version of their adult selves (Darcy is a SpoiledBrat, the TomboyAndGirlyGirl contrasts between Francine and Katchoo are more pronounced), David's NiceGuy and ButtMonkey status have been exaggerated to make him a FriendToAllLivingThings and an outright ChewToy. He's also become a total {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who only makes the occasional contact with reality.

* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: Tambi's default attitude towards romance for most of the series. In the last few chapters, she admits to [[spoiler: Casey]] that IJustWantToBeLoved.

* ButchLesbian: Tambi Baker. Even as a fictional character she is tough and ''hard''.

-->'''Francine:''' Did you ever ask me to do anything I couldn’t handle? If you wanted to be with another woman, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution why didn’t you just ask me instead of going behind my back?]] I might have said ''yes''. [[DidntThinkThisThrough Did you ever think of that?]] Maybe I like women too. We could have had a three-way.

* SourOutsideSadInside: There are a couple of examples in this comic, but none more prominent than Katchoo -- ''especially'' in the early issues. After a hugely messed-up life and suffering tons of trauma, she's by all accounts a ''terrible'' person, especially towards [[DoesNotLikeMen anyone who happens to be male]], she actively pushes everyone away and keeps them at an arm's length by being verbally and sometimes physically abusive. Later in the comic she slips into Brokenbird more often, but her abusive tendencies still rear their ugly heads from time to time.

** Francine is a big one for Katchoo. Especially in the early comics, it's quickly established that while Katchoo is ''incredibly'' angry at the world, she's got the world's biggest soft spot for Francine. Their relationship isn't perfect by any means, but Francine is the person that Katchoo will consistently try to be a better person for.

* {{Bookends}}: The covers of the first and last issues are nearly identical: Francine and Katchoo in an art gallery, in the same poses. Notably, on the first issue cover, Katchoo wears a necklace with two interlinked venus symbols, indicating her sexual preference. On the last issue cover, Francine wears the same necklace. The tenth and last issue of ''Strangers In Paradise XXV'' also has the two in the same pose, this time accompanied by their daughters.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Katchoo slaps and punches David, but it's shown as proof of her terrible mental state.

* GirlishPigtails: Casey

* DeadpanSnarker: Katchoo speaks almost entirely in sarcasms. Good-natured ones if she's feeling friendly, hurtful ones if she's annoyed or upset, ''LOUD'' ones if she's angry.

* DrowningMySorrows: Katchoo

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Katchoo and Francine

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler:David.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Katchoo
* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: For quite some time, this was the main dynamic of the comic, with David, Francine and Katchoo. The dynamic got a little mixed up with characters moving apart and back together again, plus Casey getting bigger roles and essentially becoming the fourth main character.

* VillainousIncest

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: In the (possible?) future, Katchoo and Francine's daughter Ashley is attempting to publish a story, based on their life, titled ''Strangers In Paradise''. Since the canonicity of this future isn't quite clear, it's a little vague whether this scene means the entire comic is actually Ashley's fictionalized retelling of Katchoo and Francine's story or not -- though it does rather neatly explain away some [[SeriesContinuityErrror continuity errors]] and {{Aborted Arc}}s by having Ashley admit that since she's writing about things that happened before she was even born, she got some details wrong.

* SliceOfLife

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: "Molly and Poo", a dark psychological thriller.

* SourOutsideSadInside: There are a couple of examples in this comic, but none more prominent than Katchoo -- ''especially'' in the early issues. After a hugely messed-up life and suffering tons of trauma, she's by all accounts a ''terrible'' person, especially towards [[DoesNotLikeMen anyone who happens to be male]], she actively pushes everyone away and keeps them at an arm's length by being verbally and sometimes physically abusive. Later in the comic she slips into Brokenbird more often, but her abusive tendencies still rear their ugly heads from time to time.

* GenerationXerox: They don't play a very large role, but in ''XXV'' it gets increasingly obvious that Francine and Katchoo's respective daughters Ashley and Koo both take ''heavily'' after their mothers, not only in looks but in personality as well -- though thankfully they seem to be a lot more well-adjusted. They're both rambunctious little girls, but Ashley is the sweet-natured CuddleBug while Koo is the cheeky MouthyKid and FearlessFool.

* GenerationXerox: They don't play a very large role, but in ''XXV'' it gets increasingly obvious that Francine and Katchoo's respective daughters Ashley and Koo both take ''heavily'' after their mothers, not only in looks but in personality as well -- though thankfully they seem to be a lot more well-adjusted. They're both rambunctious little girls, but Ashley is the sweet-natured CuddleBug and AdorablyPrecouciousChild while Koo is the cheeky MouthyKid and FearlessFool.

* GenerationXerox: They don't play a very large role, but in ''XXV'' it gets increasingly obvious that Francine and Katchoo's respective daughters Ashley and Koo both take ''heavily'' after their mothers, not only in looks but in personality as well -- though thankfully they seem to be a lot more well-adjusted. They're both rambunctious little girls, but Ashley is the sweet-natured CuddleBug and AdorablyPrecautiousChild while Koo is the cheeky MouthyKid and FearlessFool.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: In the (possible?) future, Katchoo and Francine's daughter is attempting to publish a story, based on their life, titled ''Strangers In Paradise''.

* HasTwoMommies

* AllJustADream: Happens from time to time.

* BrokenBird: Katchoo

* TheMole: Almost everyone at one point or another.
* MoralityPet: Casey, [[SuspiciouslyspecificDenial somebody who is not involved in any way with Francine or the Big Six or the Parker Girls]], often gives Katchoo a good grounding in reality and at least once helps pull her away when she starts to sink back into her past life.
* NaiveEverygirl: Francine

* TwoGirlsAndAGuy

* EvilMakeover

Not to be confused with film ''Film/StrangerThanParadise''.

* BiTheWay: Katchoo, [[DoesNotLikeMen despite her attitude]], is not a lesbian. In fact, almost every woman in this series turns out to be bi.

-->'''Francine:''' Did you ever ask me to do anything I couldn’t handle? If you wanted to be with another woman, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution why didn’t you just ask me instead of going behind my back?]] I might have said ''yes''. [[DidntThinkThisThrough Did you ever think of that?]] [[BiTheWay Maybe I like women too]]. We could have had a three-way.

->''"I can sniff out the potential SIP fans, those looking for something different, some character driven drama with fear and loss being the kryptonite and love being the hero. This book will always continue to draw new readers in."''\\
--guest review of ''Strangers in Paradise'' from [[http://flyingcolorscomics.com/blog/2007/06/strangers-in-paradise-echoes-of-home.html "The View from Flying Colours"]].

That is how ''Strangers In Paradise'' '''starts'''. First published by Creator/AntarcticPress in November 1993, the series moved by Abstract Comics, creator Terry Moore's own company, between 1996 and 2007; it consists of over 90 issues. It is generally acknowledged as a SliceOfLife classic, although the occasional vergings into crime drama were not quite as well received, and it is frequently hailed as the number one comic book to give to your girlfriend. What that means is a bit unclear, but it probably means ''something''.

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: In the (possible?) future, Katchoo and Francine's daughter is attempting to publish a story, based on their life, titled ''Strangers In Paradise''.

* ReWrite: Issue 43. A much older Katchoo and Francine have a daughter, an author, who is trying to publish a story [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis based on their life]]. At the end of this little interlude it says "end of version one," and the same events are retold in a slightly different fashion. Fandom's reaction was... mixed.

-->''Francine:'' Did you ever ask me to do anything I couldn’t handle? If you wanted to be with another woman, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution why didn’t you just ask me instead of going behind my back?]] I might have said ''yes''. [[DidntThinkThisThrough Did you ever think of that?]] [[BiTheWay Maybe I like women too]]. We could have had a three-way.
-->''Brad (stunned):'' [[AThreesomeIsHot ...Really?]]
-->''Francine:'' [[KickTheSonOfABitch Well, now you’ll never know, will you?]]

* {{Bookends}}: The covers of the first and last issues are nearly identical: Francine and Katchoo in an art gallery, in the same poses. Notably, on the first issue cover, Katchoo wears a necklace with two interlinked venus symbols, indicating her sexual preference. On the last issue cover, Francine wears the same necklace.