History ComicBook / WeStandOnGuard

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: {{Averted}}. Les [=LePage=] is one of the three Two-Fours to survive.]]
* CanadaEh: Canadian stereotypes are occasionally played with, but mostly averted, though many identifiable pieces of Canadiana (Creator/{{CBC}}, Tim Hortons, the Parliament building) are used to anchor the setting.

''We Stand on Guard'' is a 2015 comic book miniseries written by Creator/BrianKVaughan, drawn by Steve Skroce (''ComicBook/{{Cable}}'', ''Amazing Franchise/SpiderMan''), coloured by Matt Hollingsworth (''ComicBook/{{Alias}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}''), lettered by Fonografiks, and published by Creator/ImageComics.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: {{Averted}}. Les [=LePage=] is one of only two Two-Fours to survive.]]

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: {{Averted}}. Les [=LePage=] is the only one of the Two-Fours to survive.]]

* NoPronunciationGuide: The American administrator apparently doesn't know how to pronounce "Regina". As Vic says, it should rhyme with [[CountryMatters vagina]].

* AttackDrone: The Americans use ''a lot'' of them, the dog-like "[[PunnyName Dogs]] [[ShoutOutToShakespeare Of War]]" being the most normally seen. The reasons the Two-Fours' base has remained hidden as long as it did was because satellite surveillance is nearly impossible due to a huge amount of debris in orbit (several characters mention the U.S.A. and China destroying each others satellites and presumably never replacing them), and moving around when the climate makes it hard to send aerial drones (which the U.S.A. hasn't managed to modify for operating in cold temperatures). The HumongousMecha they capture also resembles a super-big Dog Of War, and up until their unpleasant discovery via SacrificialLamb, they thought that it was a drone.

*** It is also the name of a seminal album by Canadian prog-rock trio Music/{{Rush}}.

* CrusadingWidower: Dunn lost his husband Paul in the Battle of Brunswick, and now fights with the Two-Fours.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Characters are shown executing unarmed, surrendering prisoners of war and engaging in torture

* ClimateChange:
** Dialogue suggests that global warming has ruined the American breadbasket, leading to a need for Canadian water.
** Dunn tells Amber that because the weather wrecked their existing habitats, coyotes and wolves wound up breeding together, producing his "coywolf", Hungry.

* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The Americans obviously view the Two-Fours as terrorists, while they and other Canadians view themselves as freedom fighters liberating themselves from occupation.

* GlobalWarming:
** Dialogue suggests that global warming has ruined the American breadbasket, leading to a need for Canadian water.
** Dunn tells Amber that because the weather wrecked their existing habitats, coyotes and wolves wound up breeding together, producing his "coywolf", Hungry.

''We Stand on Guard'' is a 2015 comic book miniseries written by Creator/BrianKVaughan, drawn by Steve Skroce (''ComicBook/{{Cable}}'', ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan''), coloured by Matt Hollingsworth (''ComicBook/{{Alias}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}''), lettered by Fonografiks, and published by Creator/ImageComics.

In the year 2112, TheWhiteHouse is destroyed by unknown assailants. While the world speculates, the United States launches a surprise attack on Canada, [[CurbStompBattle destroying the capital of Ottawa in an instant]] and [[OvernightConquest swiftly occupying the rest of the country]]. Twelve years later, Amber Roos, who was orphaned in the attack on Ottawa, is now a subsistence hunter in the Northwest Territories, hoping to someday find and rescue her captive brother Thomas. There, she meets up with the Two-Fours, a [[LaResistance motley crew of freedom fighters]] looking to strike back at the American occupation.

* BrickJoke: A pretty dark one with Superman's backstory (see {{Deconstruction}}).

** CanadianEqualsHockeyFan: Invoked by Dunn, who demands that Amber tell him who won the last [[UsefulNotes/TheStanleyCup Stanley Cup]] in 2111 as a form of TrustPassword. Subverted, as Amber hates hockey, and also was only five when it happened. [[note]]One also wonders what would've happened if he'd happened to meet an American hockey fan.[[/note]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: In the first issue, Booth is given lip about his {{Superman}} tattoo and he defends it by saying that Superman has a message of immigrants that become powerful (especially Canadian ones). In the ''last'' issue, Amber is about to detonate a bomb vest that will kill her, the Administrator and will poison Canada's water (which ''will'' make the Americans leave, but will cause an immense amount of ecological damage). Amber's last words before detonating it?
--->"There's no Superman out there. 'Cause you know what ''really'' happens when you blow up a kid's parents? You don't get some noble defender of justice. [[SociopathicSoldier You get me]]".
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: An American soldier is seen calling Canadians "[[BestialityIsDepraved moosefuckers]]". "Goatfuckers/Camelfuckers" was a common [[NicknamingTheEnemy nickname]] for Iraqis and Afghans given by American servicemembers deployed to the Middle-East.
** Really, replace "oil" with "water" and "Iraq/Afghanistan" with Canada and you have a very critical view of UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror.

* NoBloodForPhlebotinum: It's widely speculated in-universe that the attack on Canada was really for its fresh water.

* {{Room 101}}: The "basement", where the VirtualRealityInterrogation takes place.

** Really, replace "oil" with "water" and "Iraq/Afghanistan" with Canada and you have a very critical view of TheWarOnTerror.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: [[spoiler: {{Averted}}. Les LePage is the only one of the Two-Fours to survive.]]

* EliteMooks: The Navy SEALs.

* FalseFlagOperation: Subverted as Amber, like many, is convinced the U.S. military destroyed the White House themselves just to give the excuse to invade Canada. In her confrontation with the American general, she's shown video footage of the head of the Canadian Armed Forces confessing that Canada did indeed launch the attack as a first strike against the U.S.' coming invasion. The U.S. commander literally laughs at the idea her country ever wanted to attack Canada in the first place. In the end, the truth is still unknown.

* FictionalGenevaConventions: The London Convention, which is not elabourated upon beyond "no killing prisoners of war."
* GaiasLament: The US are in the early stage of this, hence the need for Canadian water. [[spoiler: Likely to become even worse at the end when the entire Great Salt Lake is poisoned to force the Americans to leave]].

* ArtificialLimbs: Dunn has one, as well as a nasty facial scar. Where he obtained them specifically has not yet been addressed.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The Two-Fours' vehicle specialist, Highway, at least so far.

* OneOfUs: InUniverse: Booth, who extols Superman as a metaphor for Canada.

* DayOfTheJackboot: Let's just say that the United States don't feel like applying TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar on this series.

In the year 2112, TheWhiteHouse is destroyed by unknown assailants. While the world speculates, the United States launches a surprise attack on Canada, [[CurbStompBattle destroying the capital of Ottawa in an instant]] and [[OvernightConquest swiftly occupying the rest of the country]]. Twelve years later, Amber, who was orphaned in the attack on Ottawa, is now a subsistence hunter in the Northwest Territories, hoping to someday find and rescue her captive brother. There, she meets up with the Two-Fours, a [[LaResistance motley crew of freedom fighters]] looking to strike back at the American occupation.

* AttackDrone: The Americans use ''a lot'' of them, the dog-like "[[PunnyName Dogs]] [[ShoutOutToShakespeare Of War]]" being the most normally seen (also one of the reasons the Two-Fours' base has remained hidden as long as it did was because they take care of moving around when the climate makes it hard to send aerial drones. The HumongousMecha they capture also resembles a super-big Dog Of War, and up until their unpleasant discovery via SacrificialLamb, they thought that it was a drone).

* {{Deconstruction}}: On the first issue, Booth is given lip about his {{Superman}} tattoo and he defends it by saying that Superman is has a message of immigrants that become powerful (especially Canadian ones). On the ''last'' issue, Amber is about to detonate a bomb vest that will kill her, the Administrator and will poison Canada's water (which ''will'' make the Americans leave, but will cause an immense amount of ecological damage). Amber's last words before detonating it?
--->"What happens when [[DoomedHometown someone's planet is destroyed]] is not that they become heroes. They become ''[[SociopathicSoldier me]]''".

* FalseFlagOperation: Subverted as Amber, like many, is convinced the U.S. military destroyed the White House themselves just to give the excuse to invade Canada. In her confrontation with the American general, she's shown video footage of the head of the Canadian Armed Forces confessing that Canada did indeed launch the attack as a first strike against the U.S.' coming invasion. The U.S. general literally laughs at the idea her country ever wanted to attack Canada in the first place.

** Dunn tells Amber that because the weather wrecked their existing habitats, coyotes and wolves wound up breeding together, producing his "coywolf" Hungry.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: the Americans waging a brutal occupation to steal Canadian water vs. the Two Fours killing a surrendering and unarmed American soldier and [[spoiler: consciously releasing a very large amount of arsenic into the surrounding environment]]

* ParentalIncest / RapeAsBackstory: During her interrogation, [[spoiler: Vic is broken when a simulation of her father offers to "[[{{Squick}} make love to her]]" for the rest of her life, strongly implying that there's history there.]]

** The year of the attack on the White House, 2112, is the 300th anniversary of the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812, though the actual burning of the White House came in 1814.

* ShowerScene: In Issue #2, Amber gets her first real shower in a long time. There is a [[{{Fanservice}} gratuitous butt shot]] along the way.
** ThePeepingTom: Amber assumes Dunn is this, but actually he's a) gay, and b) specifically looking for signs the Americans might've implanted a TrackingDevice into her at some point without her knowledge.

* CriticalResearchFailure: the usual one about the Canadians burning down the White House in the War of 1812 is mentioned and debunked. However, Qabanni's assertion that the United States took in a "token handful" of refugees as opposed to the "legions" of refugees Canada took in is incorrect--the United States takes in far more refugees than Canada does [[note]] For instance, between May 2015 and April 2016, the United States took in 150,875 refugees, while Canada took 17,578 [[http://globalnews.ca/news/2951263/these-14-countries-have-taken-more-refugees-than-canada/ source]] [[/note]]. It is possible this has changed in the 100 or so years in the future that the story is set.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: the Americans waging a brutal occupation to steal Canadian water vs. the Two Fours killing a surrendering and unarmed American soldier and [[spoiler: consciously releasing a very large amount of anthrax into the surrounding environment]]