Tropes:
- Aborted Arc: Alex Vega was last seen heading to Australia with Ben Saxon to investigate Belltower's activities in Deus Ex: The Fall, but shows up (sans Saxon) helping Adam as Mission Control in the comic without any explanation of whether she completed her goal or not. Somewhat Justified as her quest to investigate Belltower was over tainted neuropozyne, which is a non-issue after the Aug Incident; additionally, while the corporation reinvented itself as Tarvos Security Services, Belltower officially ceased to exist not long after the Aug Incident, similarly making any investigation into them yesterday's news.
- Always Save the Girl: Played with. In the aftermath of Bruno killing Marek and himself, Adam asks to go rescue the remaining hostage's daughter, who has been kidnapped by extremists. Miller invokes the trope by saying that while Adam may want to save the girl, they can't extend their hand and need to wait for actual leads first.
- Artistic Licence – Law: Under the German criminal code of justice, as well as that of several other European countries and Commonwealth countries, Titus King could not continue his drivel, as it constitutes as "Incitement to hatred" (Volksverhetzung §130, StGB), an offence that carries an up to 10 year prison sentence, especially if Article 1 of the German constitution (dignity of humanity) is violated. That Miller, who cannot stand bigotry, isn't arresting him, is an oversight.
- Bad Boss: Sebastian King, who not only recruits Child Soldiers, but is not above killing children and plans to blow himself and his father (and the other children) up on live television in an act of revenge.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Adam learns from Alex that the Juggernaut Collective has camera feeds everywhere just like the Illuminati, and are currently watching him as he stands outside the interrogation room inside TF 29's bunker. Adam is rather bothered by their surveillance of him, not to mention worried - the cybersecurity of the bunker is run by Peter Chang. Who, as a hacker, is on the same level as Francis Pritchard, and nothing escapes his notice for very long.
- Bittersweet Ending: Adam manages to stop Sebastian and the augment extremists, but utterly fails at everything else. The lone girl he tries to rescue has become a child soldier who rails at him for not doing more to help augs, her mother is dead, he's no further along with finding out who the mole is inside Task Force 29, and the man fueling anti-aug resentment is still free to continue his broadcasts.
- Boom, Headshot!: Adam executes a headshot on an anti-aug extremist (and saving MacReady's life) while in the process of leaping down into the warehouse.
- The Cavalry: Adam runs into the warehouse in Prague to rescue the rest of the task force after they're pinned down by gunfire.
- Children Are Innocent: The plot is motivated by the abduction of children raised by government officials. However, this is played with later on, as the disaffected augment teenagers are conscripted by Sebastian to act as Child Soldiers, and are very nearly killed by MacReady at the end until Adam tells him to stand down.
- The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: It is revealed that Titus King's hatred of augments stems from his own family, as his son was augmented and killed his mother during the Aug Incident two years earlier. Not only does Titus not attempt to talk his son down after being kidnapped, but he uses Sebastian's death as a means of grandstanding and continuing to promote anti-aug ideals.
- Continuity Nod: Alex Vega (from Deus Ex: The Fall) attempts to call Adam during his mission, but he doesn't answer it and says that the Juggernaut Collective's needs will have to wait.
- Deadpan Snarker: Adam, of course. Duncan MacReady has his share of snark as well.Adam: (after seeing Emilia taking part in the attack on King's broadcast) Maybe the hearts-and-minds strategy isn't working so well after all.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: What most exchanges between Mac and Adam amount to.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In DXMD, MacReady wears his beard in a permanent five o'clock shade. Here, which happens six months before the events of the game, he's running around with a full beard and without his iconic cockscomb undercut hair.
- Expospeak: Titus King and the Picus cameraman in the first issue go on at length about what warehouse they're going to, why they're going and how Interpol is involved.
- Face–Heel Turn: Emilia decides to become a child soldier due to the Trauma Conga Line she's been experiencing for the majority of the series. When Adam attempts to console her at the end of the series, she yells at him for not doing enough to protect other augments.
- Fantastic Racism: Invoked. Some of the fictional advertisements in the comic have this attitude towards augmented individuals due to the "Aug Incident". One in particular from the first issue is an anti-aug Public Service Announcement, which asks readers if their children are safe while an augment (who looks like Adam) is standing menacingly in front of a group of kids in a diner.
- Hidden Agenda Villain: Pavel Mikulski, a commentator on King's television show who is revealed to be in collusion with the Illuminati to promote anti-aug sentiment.
- Hope Spot: After begging Adam to rescue her daughter, Helena is finally reunited with Emilia and it seems as though they'll be protected at a safehouse. Seconds later, Helena is assassinated and Emilia is kidnapped by Sebastian for his army.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Adam impales an augmented man right through the head with his armblades after the latter attempts to kill Emilia on Sebastian's orders.
- Invisibility Cloak: The Glass Shield (one of his augmentations) allows Adam to move unseen past enemy combatants.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: The first thing Adam does after arriving back home (right after Helena was killed) is pour himself a glass of brandy.
- The Mole: Alex reveals to Adam that a mole has worked their way inside Task Force 29, though their identity isn't revealed by the end of the series.
- Noodle Incident: Exactly how Adam survived the destruction of Panchaea in Human Revolution (assuming the "Everybody Dies" Ending was chosen) isn't explained or dwelled on. The foreword to the first issue states that Adam has "unspoken ties" with the Aug Incident.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Lieutenant Fallada, who leads the military division in Dresden and butts heads with Miller over the Glasshutte.
- Omniscient Council of Vagueness: Much like the previous game, the Illuminati council members appear as unseen faces talking to each other over infolink.
- Pet the Dog: Although MacReady acts like a Jerkass towards Adam for the majority of the series, he's the first to ask Adam if he's okay after Helena is killed and Emilia is kidnapped.
- Pretty Little Headshots: Both Helena and Sebastian die in this fashion, despite both being killed via sniper rifle.
- Product Placement: In-universe. Each issue begins and ends with various advertisements for films and initiatives in the Deus Ex universe, including a Shout-Out to the 1969 film Where Eagles Dare.
- Rule of Drama: The entire plot.
- Shoot the Hostage Taker: Invoked. Miller orders Vasquez not to shoot Sebastian until Adam has a chance to talk him down, but someone (presumably The Mole) tells Vasquez otherwise and he snipes Sebastian in the head, causing all manner of pandemonium until the rest of the team moves in.
- Society-on-Edge Episode: Moreso than the previous game, the comic deals with the growing anti-aug sentiment being pushed by Titus King (acting unintentionally on behalf of the Illuminati), which is causing pro-aug extremists to rise up, civil unrest being cranked up to unreasonable levels and Adam's own team viewing him with suspicion and mistrust.
- Spotting the Thread: Miller figures out that Adam was way too knowledgeable regarding his infiltration of the Glasshutte, as he doesn't realize that the Juggernaut Collective is also feeding Adam information. In turn, Adam makes up an excuse that he just knew where he was going from a look at the exterior.
- A Storm Is Coming: MacReady holds this attitude regarding the growing anti-aug sentiment.
- Time Skip: The events of the comics (and subsequently, the sequel) take place two years after the destruction of Panchaea during Human Revolution.
- Trauma Conga Line: Emilia gets put through the wringer throughout the series. She's kidnapped by pro-aug extremists and left in a locked room alone, nearly killed before Adam rescues her, witnesses her mother get sniped in the head by the leader of the extremists, is involved in a car crash and watches as said leader is sniped in the head on television. After all that, it's little wonder why she also becomes extremist in her beliefs.
- Tyke Bomb: Marek, one of the hostages in the Prague warehouse, was outfitted by Bruno to act as this in the event that the latter is captured by the authorities. The paranoia regarding which other augmented children are also outfitted with internal bombs motivates the team's attitude towards them for the rest of the series.
- Urban Segregation: Played with. One of the in-comic advertisements shows a community built exclusively for augments and portraying it as an idyllic place to live. However, in the series itself, Adam states that he's seeing augments driven into ghettos by law enforcement.
- Vasquez Always Dies:
- The tough, no-nonsense female soldier in Task Force 29, Niemi, is the first (and only) casualty after Bruno detonates the bomb inside of Marek.
- Ironically, TF29 also has a soldier named Vasquez on their team, but this soldier is male and is out of harm's way for the majority of the story.
