Line #22 Webcomic/ThunderstruckGraysonTowler


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4	A [[http://www.talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/ webcomic]] where AllMythsAreTrue, which integrates magic, science, and religion in a modern setting. The comic tells the story of two sisters with recently discovered magical powers heading to New Orleans to learn about their origins. Gail is an athletic, katana-wielding ActionGirl. Sharon is a [[ShockAndAwe lightning shooting]] former paraplegic.
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6	The story pits the magical KnightTemplar organization Vigil against the machinations of the witch Bella Brouchard, with the two sisters caught in between. Trying to save them and avert calamity are [[PrivateDetective detective]] and magician Saxony Canterbury and his [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Kitsune]] partner Hayaka.
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8	Experienced a SeriesHiatus from September 21, 2009, when artist Grayson Towler decided to concentrate on his professional works, but it [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comicr.html returned]] on December 16, 2013.
9	----
10	!!This webcomic provides examples of:
11
12	* AllMythsAreTrue:
13	** So far we've had demons from India, biblical characters, Lovecraftian monstrosities, and more...[[JuliusBeethovenDaVinci often in the same person]].
14	** Subverted, however, in that they're not ''quite'' the versions we know of. For example, Ragnarok already happened (this we learn from a six-foot-tall dwarf), and the Scripture is said to be less than accurate.
15	%%* AngelUnaware: [[spoiler: Aaron Curmen.]]
16	* AntiVillain: Pretty much every villain seen so far has some redeeming features to them- it's just a matter of what [[WellIntentionedExtremist their]] [[KnightTemplar actions]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters say.]]
17	* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler: Bella's harp.]] It's not as bad as other examples of this trope, but will still cause massive catastrophe as a by-product of its intended purpose- [[spoiler: [[TheMagicComesBack bringing the two worlds back together.]]]]
18	* BadassNormal: Grandma Stella Wincott, dad Aaron Curmen. [[spoiler: Eventually subverted for both- Stella becomes an EmpoweredBadassNormal, while Aaron was [[AngelUnaware never normal to begin with.]]]]
19	* BadassBoast:
20	** Gail gives a particularly chilling one on [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic111.html this page.]]
21	** A spoilery example, but Sharon gives a more flippant, but no less badass one at the end of [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic698.html this page.]]
22	--->'''Sharon:''' You want me... to [[spoiler: [[RageAgainstTheHeavens hit God with a hammer?]]]] Man, I've wanted to do ''that'' my whole life.
23	* BadassPreacher: Gail, sort of. Not really a preacher, but when she starts praying out loud, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome epic things]] are about to go down.
24	* BarehandedBladeBlock. Justified: performed on a practice sword by an extraordinarily competent and superhuman fighter.
25	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gail. A good, kind Christian girl... who will absolutely ''end'' you if you do anything to hurt Sharon. [[spoiler: [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic111.html Even if it's her own grandmother.]]]]
26	* BewareTheSillyOnes: Ishmael Enoch is the vessel for Metatron, and the senior member of Vigil. In his brief appearance, he acts like a very childish fool, but gives some hints of a ''very'' sharp and calculating mind, testing Stella on her perception and capacity even while he scampers around like a ferret.
27	* BiblicalBadGuy:
28	** [[spoiler:Bella's henchman Jude, formerly known as Judas Iscariot.]]
29	** Technically [[spoiler: the Curmen sisters' grandfather as well, as [[IHaveManyNames one of his names]] is Lucifer.]] Subverted as he's not actually a bad guy.
30	* BornLucky: A possible interpretation of Lily Curmen. She got "trained" to hide her powers by her abusive mother, allowing her to flawlessly evade Vigil's notice for most of her life. She [[spoiler: married an archangel who ForgotTheCall just in time for them to stumble across each other.]] When her daughters compromised her secrecy, she got taken into protective custody by Vigil and then hijacked the dream they trapped her in allowing Stella to take charge of her imprisonment. Then [[spoiler: her mother took over Vigil]] and when they tried to relocate her, [[spoiler: Aaron was listening in on their plans.]] And when [[spoiler: Stella entered her dream with the assistance of [[TheMole someone she really shouldn't have trusted]], [[https://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic662.html Aaron proved exactly why she was so lucky to marry him]].]]
31	* CannotCrossRunningWater: Hayaka eludes a pack of vampires by luring them onto a train as it's crossing over a river. Every single vampire except the Baron of Denver is thrown off as if they had hit an invisible wall.
32	* ChekhovsGun: The baseball Gail hits out of the park and Saxony later picks up. Used to [[spoiler:steal Hayaka's white sphere back from the Perivigilum.]]
33	%%* CoolGate
34	* EmpoweredBadassNormal: [[spoiler: Stella Wincott becoming the vessel for the Archangel Michael.]]
35	* EndOfAnAge: Ragnarok. Technically TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but the world itself kept on spinning afterward... with [[TheMagicGoesAway some changes,]] of course.
36	* FigureItOutYourself: The Shackled Man (Justified since [[spoiler:his ability to predict the future is inversely proportional to how much he involves himself]])
37	* {{Foreshadowing}}: ** [[spoiler: Aaron Curmen talking about how magical types can forget their magical nature and become ordinary humans like him.]]
38	%%-->'''Lily Curmen''': Just be careful! [[spoiler:My mother's]] apt to start ''running'' the place if you don't watch out!
39	%%** Also:
40	%%-->'''Saxony''': (Regarding [[spoiler: Brouchard]]) Tomorrow, she may wish she [[OffWithHisHead didn't have a head.]]
41	%%* ForgotTheCall: Is a hazard for people with magic, called 'disappearing'.
42	%%** [[spoiler:Aaron Curmen]] is the most extreme example. This is also our introduction to Psyche.
43	* GodIsDead: [[spoiler: Well... OnlyMostlyDead, really. At the end of Ragnarok, Yahweh was struck from behind by The Shackled Man, almost killing him. The purpose of the Vigil is to keep him preserved between life and death.]]
44	* GodIsEvil: Played with. UnreliableNarrator is in full effect on both sides of the argument, but no one can argue that [[spoiler: [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt splitting the world in two at Ragnarok]]]] was probably not the nicest thing to do. Possibly given even more mileage once it's revealed that [[spoiler: Yahweh is half-dead since Ragnarok, and some of the Vigil members keeping him in that state ''do not'' want him to wake back up.]]
45	%%* GoodIsNotSoft: Saxony. Just about everyone else in the comic would probably describe ''themselves'' this way, but [=YMMV=].
46	%%** Well, [[EstablishingCharacterMoment when we first meet Saxony]] [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic123.html get a scene]] to show us now not-soft he is.
47	%%** Exaggerated when Saxony ''[[spoiler: cuts off and magically preserves Bella's head]]'' to get them to cooperate with him.
48	* GottaCatchEmAll: [[spoiler: To use the Harp without causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt (again), Saxony and the gang must find all the Anchors that Bella used to make it.]]
49	* HalfHumanHybrid: Hayaka is half human half kitsune.
50	* HolierThanThou: The comic covers almost the whole spectrum of religious attitudes, and none of them turn out to be evil (flawed, yes, but not out-right evil, [[spoiler:Grandma's]] actions notwithstanding, and the jury is still out on the God-hating [[spoiler:Bella Brouchard]].)
51	%%* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: Aaron Curmen gets one [[http://www.talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic724.html here]]
52	%%* ImpossibleThief: With Saxony it really is magic!
53	* IncendiaryExponent: A variation, instead of being on fire Sharon does things while crackling with electricity after being struck by lightning!
54	* InvisibleToAdults: Children are not susceptible to "[[WeirdnessCensor snow blindness]]" regardless of whenever or not they have magical aptitudes, thus requiring magical types to be careful around them. [[NotNowKiddo It is also the reason adults tend to ignore children]].
55	* KatanasAreJustBetter: zigzagged. A traditionally made katana contains some of the forger's faith, making it dangerous to supernaturals. [[spoiler: Then a vampire picks up a metal pipe]].
56	-->'''Vampire:''' [[spoiler: But it's still just a katana. They're surprisingly fragile weapons.]]
57	* LargeHam: [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic064.html Aaron Curmen.]] He even lets out an EvilLaugh at one point.
58	%%* LightningCanDoAnything: Sharon Curmen.
59	%%* LivingLieDetector: Gail Curmen.
60	%%* MagiciansAreWizards: Saxony Canterbury.
61	%%* TheMagicComesBack: [[spoiler: Bella Brouchard's]] true goal.
62	* TheMagicGoesAway: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] As many characters will tell you, magic is not exactly common since Ragnarok, but there's still magic about if you're willing to look for it.
63	* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: [[spoiler: A steady glance at panel 2 of [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic495.html this page]] will reveal a faint blue glow around [[AngelUnaware Aaron's]] eyes.]]
64	* MeaningfulName: {{Subverted}}. [[spoiler: Psyche isn't named after the figure from Greek mythology. [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic662.html She is her.]] ]]
65	* MessianicArchetype: Gail is a devout believer in God, but unlike [[KnightTemplar her grandmother,]] she’s more focused on [[AllLovingHero love and kindness,]] to the point that her faith can ''[[spoiler: cure vampirism.]]'' [[spoiler: [[BiblicalBadGuy Jude]] implies she’s more than just an “archetype.”]]
66	%%* MissingFloor
67	%%* NayTheist: [[spoiler: Bella Brouchard.]] Sharon, too, after a while.
68	* NeverMessWithGranny: The girls' grandmother, Stella "tough-as-an-iron-battleship" Wincott. [[spoiler: This trope is even more so in effect when Stella becomes the vessel for Michael.]]
69	* NoSuchThingAsWizardJesus: Averted; Gail, a devout Christian, raises the possibility [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic239.html here]]. Given that other entities from Christian stories (namely [[spoiler:Lucifer, archangels, and Judas Iscariot]]) have been presented as magical beings in-universe, Wizard Jesus seems likely. If [[spoiler:Judas]] is to be believed, that's exactly what Jesus was.
70	* OffingTheOffspring: Grand-offspring, specifically. Stella attempts to kill Sharon as early as chapter 3 fearing that her abilities are demonic.
71	* OffWithHisHead: Saxony to [[spoiler: Bella Brouchard.]] A rather twisted example, as [[spoiler: [[AndIMustScream Bella is still very much alive afterward.]]]]
72	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Hayaka, being a half-kitsune, has her soul contained in a white ball.
73	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Zigzagged here - they do share the stereotypical weaknesses and strengths. Stronger vampires ''can'' cross running water, and so on, though when Jude [[spoiler: (AKA Judas Iscariot, yes, ''that'' one)]] eats a clove of garlic in front of a group with every sign of enjoyment, they're utterly dumbstruck.
74	* RibcageRidge: [[spoiler: Sharon finds Jormungandr's corpse in the other world.]]
75	* SatanIsGood: [[spoiler: While [[GodIsEvil Yahweh being evil]] is unconfirmed, Lucifer (aka Prometheus) has been nothing but decent thus far.]]
76	* SatanicArchetype: [[spoiler: Ironically, [[GodIsEvil Yahweh]] is portrayed as having horns, performing a great betrayal and is the one typically blamed for all of the CrapsackWorld aspects of the setting.]]
77	* ShockAndAwe: After getting hit by lightning, Sharon acquires the ability to absorb electricity and turn it into super strength and zap people like an electric eel.
78	* ShoutOut:
79	** Sharon likes to tell stories. Subversive ones, usually.
80	--->'''Sharon''': [[Literature/TheDiamondAge So Princess Nell and her four guardians set off to find the land of King Coyote...]]
81	** One of the stories Sharon tells about her miraculous healing is that "you would be amazed at how many health problems can be cured by the strategic use of small explosive charges". The person she is speaking to bears quite a resemblance to [[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance Riff]].
82	** One to ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic661.html here.]]
83	* SmugSnake: Grant Grogan[[spoiler:, [[AntiVillain at least at first]]]]
84	%%** Ray Warwick is an even bigger one.
85	* ThirteenIsUnlucky: An extension of the MissingFloor situation, mixed liberally with YourMindMakesItReal. The thirteenth floors of hotels, et cetera, are inaccessible spaces by and large. [[spoiler: Bella Brouchard hid most of the vampires she'd staked on the 'missing' thirteenth floors of various buildings, an astral space which most folks couldn't see. When the ash stake was destroyed... well.]]
86	* TookALevelInBadass: Sharon was badass enough as it was. Then [[spoiler: [[http://talesfromthevault.com/thunderstruck/comic699.html she got her hands]] on {{Mjolnir}}.]]
87	* VerbalTic: Saxony's tendency to [[RhymesOnADime rhyme at the end of his sentences.]]
88	* WeirdnessCensor: {{Muggles}} ''can'' see and interact with magical events, but tend to overlook them, take them for mundane, and/or suppress the memory. Children don't have it, and are ''drawn'' to the supernatural. [[InvisibleToAdults This is the reason]] [[NotNowKiddo adults tend ignore children]], their {{Weirdness Censor}} blocks them.
89	* WeaksauceWeakness: Anyone who possesses Hayaka's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent white ball]] can coerce her into do it whatever they want. Grogan gets ahold of it early in the story.
90	* WhamLine: After Jude [[spoiler: kills the man who Gail just cured of vampirism]], he justifies his choice with the following:
91	-->'''Jude:''' The ungrateful shit you healed was about to blab. Just like they always do.\
92	'''Gail:''' Always? Has someone else [[spoiler: cured vampirism]]?\
93	'''Jude:''' [[spoiler: Vampirism? No. [[Literature/TheBible Try leprosy.]]]]

Context Webcomic / ThunderstruckGraysonTowler