"How did you find out about the unnatural?"
— Uche, to Russell
EverydayAbnormal
is a mature-readers, Urban Fantasy Webcomic by Jon Grasseschi, aka Zomburai. The series focuses on the Innocent Bystanders (usually also classifying as Muggles) that are affected by the supernatural horrors, high-tech threats, and mind-bending wizardy hiding just below the surface of the modern world. The civilian world is guarded by the global Agency of the Unnatural, an organization that appears to be dedicated to protecting both the world and the secrets of the paranormal.
Each chapter is a stand-alone arc, but each contributes to the ongoing story of the Agency and introduces new facets of the world. The comic also features a large ensemble cast (there have been at least 30 named characters in the comic's two-and-a-half year existence) and a healthy mix of human drama, paranormal weirdness, and action sequences.
The series begins here. Be warned, as some sequences are NSFW.
- Action Girl: Mawa qualifies, though Asuka makes her look like an amateur.
- Aerith and Bob: The Agency is a global organization, so we have people named Nick, Lilith, and Russell working alongside people named Uche, Mawa, Rix, and Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
- Ancient Conspiracy: Both Agency of the Unnatural and The Society have been around in some form or other for most of human history.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Nick's punishment for his role in the events of the "Long Way Down" arc was being tasked with rooting out a suspected mole in The Society. When he asks what would happen if he refuses, the answer was "I think you know the answer."note
- Anticlimax: At the end of Chapter 1, the villain has won. The Agents cannot stop him. As they watch helplessly, he completes the ritual that might make him omnipotent or end this universe. Unfortunately for him, nobody was aware that the victim he sacrificed for a virgin's blood, um, wasn't a virgin.
- Anti-Hero: Nick seems to be a Type II upon his introduction, but is looking more like a Type III/Type IV after that scene with Arkady.
- Artifact of Doom: The Book of the Void/Codex Anathema.''Imagine a book with so much knowledge no two groups could agree on its name. Imagine a book that had information you could never get from any scientist, theologian, or supercomputer. Now imagine that every word and diagram in that book was designed to murder and torture you and everyone you ever really loved.
- Black Eyes of Crazy: The Society member in Chapter 2. The other Society members presumably have them too, but opaque sunglasses are apparently standard issue.
- Blatant Lies: Lilith has a knack for them, belting off a few during Chapter 4. One is used to coerce a confession from a suspect.
- Blood Magic: Comes up at the end of Chapter 1. Near the beginning of Chapter 2, the Dust Witch powers her spell with Ahmed's soul.
- Clown-Car Base: The Agency operates out of the Corridor, a massive, castle-like structure with doors that connect to doors all across the planet.
- The Conspiracy: The Society
- Conspiracy Theorist: Russell is introduced as one. Chapter 2 explains why he's one.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Asuka spent her first appearance murdering half a dozen Yakuza gangsters in an open gunfight. She spent her second appearance humiliating who one character describes as "the world's best hand-to-hand fighter."
- Determinator: Mawa, Mawa, Mawa.
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: Chapter 2 hovers between this and Zombie Apocalypse. There's no chance of worldwide upheaval, but it's certainly apocalyptic to the soldiers that are in the middle of it.
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: In just under two hundred pages, we've seen time-space distortions, brain monsters, witches living in inhospitable wilderness, evil rituals, demons, nanotech viruses, one of The Greys, an undead horde, and a mythological giant.
- Functional Magic: Rhine has an inherent gift. Other magic that we've seen either leans towards or is completely rule magic.
- Government Conspiracy: The Society is looking like this, though Metal claims that they're a larger power than any government.
- The Greys: The Agency has one working for them. She is a female.
- Hot Witch: The Dust Witch. Though she takes the "usually at least somewhat benevolent" portion of the trope, beats it unconscious, and leaves it for dead in an alley.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Nick's basically doing this to Arkady already... before he pins the human-formed demon to the floor and pulls out a multi-tool with a huge grin.
- Jerkass: Mawa counts, though she's a mild example so far.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Subverted by Asuka. She gets into a katana fight with Shiro, but only after trying to kill him with a rifle and a handgun first.
- Leaving You to Find Myself: Wheeler declares her love to Russell... but he leaves her so he can pursue his newfound mission of fighting the Society.
- Magical Negro: Uche is literal magical negro, as he's a trained mage, but isn't actually an example himself.
- The Men in Black: The Society are archetypal MI Bs. The Society agent featured in "No Survivors" is able to bully a full-bird colonel and executes him and a ranking general to silence the zombie outbreak in Animus Base.
- N.G.O.: The Agency is looking like this, but they have enough power to override the jurisdiction of American agencies on American soil.
- Nice Guy: Uche, Rhine, and Danny.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Shooting the zombies that the Dust Witch summoned in the head doesn't actually accomplish much. Even shotgunning a zombie to pieces doesn't truly stop them, as the shreds keep trying to kill the the living. The Society agent's gun, though, drops them and keeps them down.
- Perpetual Smiler: Nick's only expressions are smiles. Usually bemused smirks, occassionally warm smiles, often slasher smiles, and more than a few psychotic smirks, but he only ever shows smiles. The Dust Witch also qualifies, but she only appears for a handful of pages.
- Perma-Stubble: Nick.
- Relationship Reveal: Colin, the victim from Chapter 1, and Rhine Liebowitz.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Asuka wasn't kissing her hand. That would be weird. She wasn't thinking about a boy. And he definitely wasn't British.
- The Syndicate: The trope name is dropped as the name of a faction in the comic's universe, but what it is or does has yet to be revealed.
- Torture Always Works: At least it works on Arkady/Zan'Terr'yx, though it could be justified by his non-human psychology.
- Wham Line: Russell delivers one at the end of the flashback in Chapter 2.Oh, Wheeler, you really don't understand, do you? None of us. None of us survived.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: The translator amongst Russell's squad wouldn't, and it ends up getting him shot. That forces Russell to shoot her, but he doesn't take it well.
- Would Hurt a Child: Nick. Literally and brutally.
- Yakuza: Asuka makes her appearance by killing a half-dozen of them. The dialogue implies she's been doing this for a while.
