Mintcy, Ben, Charlie, Jethro
"We sure as Hell ain't a lost cause."
A historical American Civil War webcomic, Lost Cause
refers not only to the devastated physical and psychological state of the south, but a story following four young southerners as they face individual hardships of the Civil War.
In the year 1861, Benjamin "Ben" Sorderer volunteers to fight for the Confederate army in hopes of winning his father's approval , and proving his courage to himself and a certain girl. Ben finds out the hard way that being a war hero means sacrificing the things he loves the most. The webcomic offers a modern look into the social and ideological issues faced by adolescents of the era.
The story begins in 1851, exploring each of the four character's starkly different childhoods growing up in the Victorian period. Read the comic here.
Tropes used by Lost Cause
- Appalachia: Jethro Pelsman. Grade A hick.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Lilah ft. Jethro. Jeez, Jeth.
- The American Civil War: Self explanatory.
- Anyone Can Die: It's a comic about the Civil War. Any character is at risk.
- Ben's older sister Mary...Who saw that coming?
- Archnemesis Dad: Jethro Pelsman's (Jr.) relationship with his father, and maybe even Ben. Who has a good relationship with their dad in this thing?
- Big Fancy House: The Bishop mansion, complete with white pillars in the front and acres of indigo.
- Children Are Innocent: William, and to be honest, all of the Sorderer boys.
- Crippling Overspecialization: Antebellum talk.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Jethro S. Pelsman, the poor man. His father was an alcoholic, beat him and his mother, and verbally abused him.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: In a flashback, Mintcy's mother has nothing but good words about her father, recently passed away.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Despite his bad experiences with alcoholism, a bottle of whiskey is seen on Jethro's nightstand when we catch up to him in 1859.
- Fiery Redhead: Ben, the Irish ginger.
- Funetik Aksent: When Jethro and his "fam'ly" speak, their accent's spelled out phonetically so's the reader hears what they sound like.
- Gorgeous Period Dress: Charlotte Bishop, daughter of a wealthy planter, can't keep her grubby paws off beautiful dresses.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Mintcy's father was a white man, but her mother was Cherokee. Antebellum South being the tolerant, progressive place it was, the poor girl endured all sorts of prejudice growing up.
- Historical Beauty Update: Technically all of the main characters.
- Love Interests: It's a romance. There are multiple love interests and pairings throughout the course of the story.
- Minor Living Alone: In order to save her son from a life of abuse in the house of an alcoholic, Jethro's mother sends him to his uncle's house in Missouri - on his own, with no way to give him any sort of food or supplies, and no way of knowing if he'll make it there safely.
- Mood Whiplash: Goes from happy, whimsical childhood memory to depressing funeral and a family ripped apart by grief in a single page.
- Period Piece: Takes place in the 1860's. Strives to be as accurate as it can in respect to clothing, customs, and style of speech, as well as the history of the Civil War.
- Proper Lady: Charlotte Bishop has been trained to adhere to the strict behavioral and social rules of a proper Southern lady, thanks to her mom.
- Rich Bitch: Guess who? Charlotte Bishop.
- Shirtless Scene: Jethro's seen in bed with another woman in only his trousers.
- Shown Their Work: The artists don't claim to be experts, but they've put time and effort researching the time period and the events surrounding the story, and it shows. An informational blurb relevant to the page (mourning customs, the Cherokee language, etc.) is occasionally provided, meant to expand the reader's understanding of the context.
- Southern Belle: Charlotte's family doesn't grow indigo for nothing.
- Sweet Home Alabama: Jethro. He's proud of it too.
- The Squad: Mintcy, Ben, Charlie, and Jethro.
- The One That Got Away: Ben, you gotta get Charlie back.
- The Un-Favourite: Ben's dad honestly doesn't care about poor Ben.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Mary was kind, talented, supportive of Ben's writing, and loved her parents and little brother. We knew she wouldn't last long.
- Walking Spoiler: Mary dies soon into the comic.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: How Ben feels about his relationship with his father. And he's right.
- Why Are You Not My Son?: Ben hates Jethro for this, as his father loves Jethro more than him.
- You Should Have Died Instead: Ben's pa wishes Ben had died instead of Mary, and he puts no effort into hiding this fact from anyone. Despite this, Ben still tries to put himself in his father's good graces. It hasn't worked so far.
