Jared is a webcomic written and drawn by Harriet Rants.
The main character is Jared A. Updale, a perpetually miserable and bitterly sarcastic Serial Killer. The story really starts when Jared meets Lilac Adams, a nineteen year old who first berates him for killing her boyfriend, and then asks him to train her to be a serial killer as well.
However, it's not all as simple as that. With constant mention of a mysterious League of Killers, the hint of an opposing faction and only brief snippets of Jared's past, the comic takes a vicious glee in teasing about things yet to come, near constantly.
The story is heavily character based, with a lot of dialogue and pages spent on just exploring their views and personalities. Despite the four most important characters being serial killers, there's surprisingly little scenes of them actually killing.
On September 15th, 2011, the creator officially announced the end of the comic after months of struggling to continue it. A new comic with most of the same characters but a bigger focus on the Ensemble Dark Horse Lilac has been announced.
The main characters are:
- Jared A. Updale: The title character. Dark, moody, and very philosophical. Also somewhat of a nerd.
- Mary Updale-Moore: Jared’s "sister" and best friend. A lot more friendly and gentle than her brother. The two are not actually related, but pretend to be.
- Lilac Adams: The tiny and adorable serial killer in training.
- Shia: An old friend of Jared and Mary’s, who dated both of them. Apparently an Otaku.
- Carl Shan: Jared’s other good friend, a corrupt police officer.
- Sarah Landy: Jared’s girlfriend, who both he and Mary despise.
- DCI Blake: The only police officer left not corrupted. A Hero Antagonist.
- Hat Cat: The imaginary cat in Jared’s head, normally accompanied by four miniature cats called “Button Eyed Cats”.
Can be read on the writer's Deviant Art
or on the website.
This webcomic provides examples of:
- Badass Longcoat: While it not actually being a longcoat, Jared nearly always wears a very cool leather jacket. It actually exists.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Averted? Jared and Mary are not actually related; not even adopted or step siblings, they’re just pretending, but treat each other as such. But there are several scenes where Mary is practically sitting on Jared’s lap, riding on his back or just has her arms around his waist, and it really gives off an air of incest.
- Crapsack World: Jared lives in a world almost entirely run by The League, where serial killers freely roam the streets (provided it’s their territory) and everyone is corrupted.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The comic is all black and white, except for the colour red.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Jared’s skin, as seen in coloured pictures such as here: http://harrietrants.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d36ve32 is literally white.
- Flashback: Two, one to when Jared killed his father and one to when Mary and Jared first met.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Jared is type C. He is a real badass, but is selfish and childishly obsessive.
- Self-Made Orphan: Jared killed his father. The fate of his mother hasn't been mentioned, but she was most likely also killed by Jared. Payback for years of abuse.
