History ComicBook / WelcomeToHoxford

-->'''Ray:''' I've learned that when Death stares right at you, and smiles its big ol' toothy grin- the best thing to do [[DoNotGoGentle is smile right back at the fucker]].

* MoralityPet: Dr. Ainley serves as one to Ray, and at the finale [[spoiler:he dismisses her from the prison after becoming the Alpha werewolf, rather than simply killing her]].

''Welcome to Hoxford'' is a 4-issue miniseries by Creator/BenTemplesmith that follows Ray Delgado - an utter psychopath who's considered a major threat even when ''on'' his anti-psychotic medications, as he's transferred to the titular Hoxford penitentiary, a private prison owned by the Russian-based Usmanov Corporation along with [[HellholePrison other irredeemable prisoners]].

This inspired a 15-minute [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stnRvFzGWY8 fan-film]] that, while largely faithful to the source material, centers solely around the first two issues, ending after [[spoiler: Ray kills the werewolf entering his cell]].

-->'''Pack Alpha''': Are you insane? Oh, right.

-->'''Ray''': I've learned that when Death stares right at you, and smiles its big ol' toothy grin- the best thing to do [[DoNotGoGentle is smile right back at the fucker]].

-->'''Ray''': You're special, doc. I like you. I'll speak to the other Gods and we'll make sure you get favors. Favors from the Gods. You'll like that.
* {{Bedlam House}}/{{Hellhole Prison}}: Hoxford's a prison for the criminally insane.

* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Ray, while under the delusion that he's Cronos, believes that he's meant to do battle with the beasts - naturally, he's right.

--->'''Gravy''': You don't say? [-I know [[IAmAHumanitarian I eat people]], but fucking hell-].

* AGodAmI: Ray believes himself to be Cronos, [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Lord of the Titans]]; though his first fight against a werewolf [[spoiler: causes him to start thinking he's one of them, instead]].

-->'''Ray''': I must either fight the beasts - or become one. If I'm not already.

* IAmAHumanitarian: "Gravy", one of the fellow inmates, is in jail for this crime. He's later given a KarmicDeath when [[spoiler: Ray, now convinced he's a werewolf, accepts Baker's invitation to chow down on the still-living Gravy]], a fact that Warden Baker notes is [[IronicDeath deliciously ironic]].
* ILoveTheDead: Skunty, who is in prison for killing people so that he could enact this trope on them - [[spoiler: this eventually costs him his life, as he does this with a ''werewolf'''s corpse [[TooDumbToLive while the others are still on the hunt]]]].
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: In spades, as the protagonist is the criminally-insane Ray Delgado, but the antagonists are a pack of werewolves using the prison as a PeopleFarm.

* MoralityPet: Dr. Ainley serves as one to Ray, and at the finale [[spoiler: he dismisses her from the prison after becoming the Alpha werewolf, rather than simply killing her]].

* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: the Alpha rips out his son's heart and crushes it in revenge for Baker's betrayal.]]

* PeopleFarms: The werewolves have an agreement with the US government - they get a supply of people to hunt, while the US is able to get rid of the most irredeemable prisoners they've got.
* PowerBornOfMadness: Ray Delgado achieves what he does because he's just that disconnected from reality. Who else would come up with the idea of [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu biting off a werewolf's tongue]] as it's snarling at you? He even finishes the series by [[spoiler: challenging the Alpha to a DuelToTheDeath and ''wins'', effectively [[KlingonPromotion becoming the packleader]] without actually being a werewolf]].

-->'''Ray''': The monsters come. And I will do battle.

* ScaryShinyGlasses: Ray sports a pair that he ''never'' removes, even when in the showers. [[spoiler: His eyes are visible ''once'', as he spares Dr. Ainley from being devoured.]]
** His eyes are also visible when seeing the fight in the showers, as [[ShellshockedVeteran he has a flashback to the war he'd fought in]] before approaching the injured man [[spoiler: before taking a bite out of his neck]].

* SpoilerCover: See the page image, as the fact that the prison's staff are all werewolves is kept a secret until the second issue. However, [[spoiler: it also acts as some subtle foreshadowing due to Ray becoming convinced ''he's'' a werewolf, too]].

* YouWillBeSpared: The old man that Dr. Ainley frees makes the "I'll kill you last" promise.
** Ray makes a similar promise to Morton, [[spoiler: and follows through on it in the last pages]].

* FreudianExcuse: Ray suffers from both of these, as he'd killed his mother by pushing her over (accidentally, [[UnreliableNarrator according to him]]), and then suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his father.

* OedipusComplex: One of the inmates, "Burly Bill", was a serial rapist/murderer because the women he killed reminded him of his mother.

[[quoteright:329:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41ygdtsrvl_sx327_bo1204203200.jpg]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Burly Bill's reaction to being called a "regular old skull-fucker", given [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil the nature]] of [[OffWithHisHead his crimes]].

Due to the brief nature of the story, basic plot spoilers will be unmarked. NeedsWikiMagicLove.

-->'''Gravy''': You don't say? [-I know [[IAmAHumanitarian I eat people]], but fucking hell-].

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Burly Bill's reaction to being called a "regular old skull-fucker", given [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil the nature]] of [[OffWithHisHeadhis crimes]].

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Burly Bill's reaction to being called a "regular old skull-fucker", given the nature of his crimes.

-->'''Ray''': I've learned that when Death stares right at you, and smiles its big ol' toothy grin- the best thing to do is smile right back at the fucker.

** It happens again the ''second'' time Dr. Ainley was almost subjected to "something else," only for Ray to turn around [[BoomHeadshot and promptly correct the one that suggested it]]. She promptly tags along with Ray rather than stay with the others.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gravy's reaction to one of Ray's AGodAmI moments.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: In spades, as the protagonist is the thoroughly insane Ray Delgado, but the antagonists are a pack of werewolves using the prison as a PeopleFarm.

-->'''Ray''': You're special, doc. I like you. I'll speak to the other Gods and we'll make sure you get favors from the Gods. You'll like that.