Particle Fiction

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— The Mgmt.

Particle Fiction is a monthly webcomic by writer/artist David Wynne in the tradition of 2000 AD (Sort of). It describes itself as 'a monthly comic book that just happens to be online' and is in some ways an attempt to bring a more traditional style of comic books to the webcomic medium.

Currently^[when?] consists of

• Volume One:
  • Issue #1 - Eye Of The Tiger
  • Issue #2 - Ideasman
  • Issue #3 - Scorched Earth
  • Issue #4 - Ideasman 2: The Mite of God
  • Issue #5 - The Complex
  • Issue #6 - Ideasman 3: Skeleton Vanguard
• Volume Two:
  • Issue #7 - Ideasman 4: Personality Clash
  • Issue #8 - The Catch
  • Issue #9 - Scorched Earth 2
  • Issue #10 - Ideasman 5: Ideasman and the Cataclysmic Plot Device
  • Issue #11 - Hypergirl
  • Issue #12 -

After this, the plan is to transition to a fully Ideasman comic.

Tropes used in Particle Fiction include:

• Abusive Kidnapping Psuedo Parents: The slavers in Scorched Earth took children made psychic by the aliens and turned them via abuse into weapons.
• Action Girl: Dawn Garrett in Issue #3
• Air Vent Passageway: Justified in that the tunnel Gray uses to escape is a maintenance and observation tunnel.
• Alien Invasion: Summarised in the first page of Issue #3, Scorched Earth - and of a Type 1 variety.
• All Bikers Are Hells Angels: In a dog-eat-dog post-apocalyptic world, they sure are.
• All Psychology Is Freudian / Freud Was Right: Thoroughly inverted. Freud is so fed up of his psychology not being taken seriously than he unleashes the monstrous representations of Superego and Id by incapacitating Ego, who normally controls them (as per his theories). In a sense, Freud Was Right, because the versions exist between the realities, but clearly he didn't consider himself right enough.
• Alliteration: 'This archipelago of aerodynamic architecture is the arena for the crazy cacophony of creatures and cultures from the multitude of multiverses to meet in a melting pot of madness!'
• And the Adventure Continues...: At the end of the first Ideasman, he's called to the Museum of Unnatural History to deal with an escaped Black Hole. Little did we know that he would be truly returning for another adventure in Issue #4. And #6. And #7. (And who knows how many more?)
• And I Must Scream: The prisoners of The Complex in Issue #5.
• Anthology Comic: Sort of. David Wynne is the main writer and sole artist, but does each issue in a different style
• Are You Sitting Comfortably?: The twist on the classic story start is asked by The Tiger to Eddie Bradshaw when he's recounting the murder and cover-up which he has worked out. 'And then I shoot him in the knees.'
• As You Know: Issue #4 opens with Ideasman's bosses saying 'So, let's go over the mission one more time...'
• Ascetic Aesthetic: The Complex definitely is made of this; almost reaches White Void Room within the cell - where there are only doors and the people strapped to their crosses.
• Aside Glance: After the woman in The Complex has been woken up, she stares at a bemused (or terrified) looking Gray, first seeming to look straight at the reader, repeating just one phrase.
• Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The theme of Issue #7 - except that they're giant representations of psychoanalytic phenomena.
• Audience Participation: Issue #7's Issue #8's Issue X's genre, Children's Fantasy, was Decided by One Vote
• Bad Cop, Incompetent Cop: The police force on Mars after indepdence is described as 'a tiny, underfunded gang'.
• BFG: The Tiger has a gun that subverts this--bullets only 3mm long, but with explosive charges.
• Blood Knight: The Tiger lets himself be surrounded just so he can kill the men sent to kill him.
• Boom! Headshot!: Dawn Garrett is good at these.
• Breaking the Bonds: Gray wrenches himself from side to side on the cross to achieve this.
• Brute In The Boot: Dawn finds Nigel ANEKA ^[1] Slick inside the back of a truck.
• By-The-Book Cop: The cop chasing Rey in The Hook follows the rules, even when no other cop on Mars seems to.
• Catboy: Tibbles McCoy combines this with Dirty Harry. Really.
• Comic Book Adaptation: Issue #5, of as-yet unpublished novel The Purity Construct. Incidentally, if you want to see what it was adapted from, Tetrarchangel, the author, has put the appropriate chapters on Google Documents.
• Comic Book Fantasy Casting: The woman in Gray's dream is based on Liz May Brice, of Resident Evil, Children of Earth and Dead Set fame.
  • And also, she showed off her One of Us credentials - http://twitter.com/#!/lizmaybrice/status/24459301092
• Cool Bike: The Hypothercycle deployed by Ideasman in Issue #7 is a pretty standard hoverbike.
• Crossover: Sort of. In the Geek cult of the runaway I.D.E.A. clerk, the headdresses come from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who - one of the masks is of The Greys.
• Crystal Ball: Flatulax the Malodorous, Ideasman's enemy in Issue #6, uses one to watch the progress of his battle with the Skeleton Vanguard.
• Curb Stomp Battle: What Scorched Earth implies went on between the aliens and our armies.
• The Corrupter: Jake Mulligan proves to be this.
• Curse of the Ancients: Mostly as homage to such fantasy villains, this is often how Flatulax the Malodorous speaks.
• Cut the Juice: How Gray 'frees' the woman from her paralysis. He then uses the heavy cable to smash through the door
• Cute Bruiser / Tomboy: Although such terms are likely to get you punched by Punchin' Judy, these are the sort of categories she fits into.
• Deadly Euphemism: Issue #1, 'persuading'
• Decompressed Comic: Issue #5 focuses on the visuals, as it mostly occurs in silence.
• Deliberately Monochrome: To an extent. Though the colour cover of the trade paperback is awesome.
• Dem Bones: The titular Skeleton Vanguard of Issue #6.
• Doesn't Like Guns: In some times and places, this is admirable. In the Scorched Earth, Mike being this is something of a problem for Dawn who could do with an arsenal to defend him and his family.
• Dirty Cop: The Big Bad of Issue #1, the infamous Eddie Bradshaw. (No relation to Carrie).
• Disproportionate Retribution: The theme of Issue #6 - the I.D.E.A. is taking disproportionate retribution on Flatulax.
• Dissonant Serenity: Sunrise definitely has this, still more so when she explodes a villain with her psychic powers.
• Distracted By The Quantum Vibrosphere: Ideasman starts Issue #4 not listening to his mission briefing on account of standing on a platform above what is apparently "The Outer Crust of Reality."
• The Don: Jake Mulligan in Issue #8.
• Downer Ending: Rey's loss of innocence at the end of Issue #8
• Easily-Thwarted Alien Invasion: Inverted or Subverted depending on whether you think two panels are enough to set up an expectation of the humans winning in Issue #3.
• Emphasize Everything: The narrator of the Ideasman issues is definitely, absolutely, totally this, dear reader as an Homage to old-fashioned pulp science fiction.
• Endless Corridor: The prison contains rows and rows of balconies, cell after cell after cell.
• Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: Hellvetica appears riding a T-Rex. But the T doesn't stand for Tyrannosaurus.
• Exposition Beam: When Gray touches the socket of the implant on his back, he's hit with an overwhelming rush of images that might serve as this if they made any sense.
• Faux HTML Tags: How Ideasman defeats Hellvetica
• Fighting For a Homeland: What Dawn Garrett is fighting for in Scorched Earth.
• Flash Back / Dream Sequence: Half of the opening of Issue #5 (see Zoom (Optics) below)
• Fluffy the Terrible: Played pretty straight: The dragon is called Fluffykins.
• Frame-Up: The hurried plan for the cover-up in Issue #1, needing The Tiger to Clear Their Name.
• Freudian Couch: Ideasman appears on one in the cover art for Issue #7.
• Freudian Slip: The classic joke appears. Being the Institial City in the Gutter between dimensions, this summons Freud's actual mother. Ironically, this plays into the Freudster's very own Mummy Issues, which may well make this a Freudian Excuse. Yes, it's no surprise that this issue hits every Freud trope there is.
• Frogs and Toads: Flatulax's henchman is a Frogman. Called Toad. May also be The Renfield.
• Fun with Acronyms: Ideasman Theo Sweeper works for the Interstitial Department of Eternal Affairs.
• Funetik Aksent: The Freudster has a classic faux-Austrian/German/Whatever one.
• Gadget Watch: Just part of Ideasman's gadget armada.
• Gallows Humor: How the man that Dawn rescues in Issue #9 hides his injury from his wife.
• Genre Roulette: The point of the concept - each month has a different setting and genre.
• Grappling Hook Pistol: Ideasman sets his lasso to this (pretty convention for him) mode to lasso the dragon Fluffykins and thereby become a Dragon Rider
• Greed: The motivation for the murder and cover-up in Issue #1.
• Hellhole Prison: Despite the transparent-able doors and automated guards, The Complex is a Hellish prison, crossing over into Room 101 territory
• Hello: Significant as Gray's only spoken dialogue in Issue #5.
• Heroic BSOD: Gray's reaction to seeing the tantalised prisoners reaching out for each other.
• High Altitude Interrogation: The Tiger uses this to find out the location of Alex Bradley.
• Higher-Tech Species: The aliens in Scorched Earth are this; and even more so once they've destroyed humanity, ignoring them as being 'like ants to them.'
• Humongous Mecha: The war scenes in Gray's dream panel in Issue #5 contain soldiers fighting against/with these. Their arms are rotary cannons that somewhat defy their purpose by firing all at once. They can also fly.
• Hyperspace Arsenal: Given that the Interstitial City is in-between dimensions, it probably makes sense that Ideasman can have I.D.E.A. Control beam him all sorts of equipment.
• If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him / He Who Fights Monsters - The Tiger tries to spare the father of the victim this.
• Impending Doom POV: Played with in Issue #9 - Dawn can see the biker gang on the horizon and knows it's only so long before they come after her.
• Improbable Taxonomy Skills: I mean, how can Ideasman figure out it's an Insecuritree so quickly? He gives a quick textbook description of the plant, which is printed in a more academic font.
• Improvised Weapon: Gray uses the heavy electrical cable that had been keeping him sedated to break down the door of the cell.
• In Medias Res: Issue #2 starts this way.
  • As does Issue #9
• Interstitial City Between The Worlds: The apparent location of the Interstitial City, home of Ideasman.
• The Klutz: Gray. He manages to accidentally hit his mad companion into unconsciousness with the heavy cable and gets shards of glass in his leg.
• Laser-Guided Karma: One of the freed slaves uses a helpful brick to save Dawn from Slick
• Leap and Fire / Guns Akimbo: Dawn dives from the van and takes out some of the bikers this way.
• Leet Speek / In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: Issue #4 includes the line "Dave 'For The' Wynne presents"
• Legitimate Businessmen's Social Club: Mulligan runs a nightclub on Mars in Issue #8 that is well known for being his headquarters, not that he needs to hide it.
• Literal-Minded: The issues featuring Ideasman, has a universe built this way, including a literal Wall of Text.
• Made a Slave: The breakdown of society in Scorched Earth has led to the more common presence of slavers.
• Magic Carpet: Flatulax has one, and it is what starts all the trouble.
• The Man Behind the Man: Ego, Superego and Id have been unleashed by the Freudster!
• Meaningful Name / Punny Name: Hellvetica.
  • Also, Judy Punchowski. Guess how she fights. Go on, guess.
• Medium Awareness: When Ideasman finds himself in the situation featured on the Splash Page, he quips 'Woah, deja vu.'
• The Messiah: Rogue clerk Derek Eichenberger is titled the Geek Messiah.
• Minimalistic Cover Art: Often just a symbol or silhouette.
• Mix and Match: Issue #3--post-apocalyptic meets western.
• The Mole: Nigel was a slaver all along, despite seemingly being rescued/captured by Dawn.
• Motive Rant: Eichenburger has one of these when confronted by Ideasman.
  • As does the Freudster - he was tired of people not taking his theories seriously
• The Multiverse: Where Interstitial City is located in-between.
• The Name's Garrett, Dawn Garrett: Dawn introduces herself this way in Scorched Earth #2
• Oh Crap: If Gray actually spoke this might just be his reaction to seeing the prisoners who are reaching out for one another.
• One-Man Army: Ideasman isn't usually this, but when it comes to fighting the Skeleton Vanguard with the Hands of Boom, he certainly becomes one.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: In Issue #1, The Tiger.
• Open Says Me: Gray achieves this, with a certain amount of collateral damage.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Ideasman calls it a 'big scaly chicken.' It certainly looks and breathes fire like a dragon. And if you find yourself flying with scaly wings, breathing fire at humans, you might be a dragon
• Please Wake Up: Lisa says this to Mike as he is unconscious or dead in Issue #9.
• Plot-Driven Breakdown: Admittedly justified, Ideasman's communicator is disrupted by the Mite in Issue #4. This following the line from his boss "So long as you keep in touch, you'll be fine."
• Pokémon-Speak: A serious use - the woman in The Complex only repeats the phrase 'Will you?' to Gray. It's unknown what action she's asking him about.
• Power Fist: The Hands of Boom. That is all.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The prisoners of The Complex are unclothed in the novel. The comic gives them simple black clothes.
• Precap: Issue #2 Ideasman's opening with the octoplus.
• Pretentious English Motto: In Infinity We Trust - the motto of the I.D.E.A.
  • Although in Issue #4, it also has the slogan Keeping the Multiverse Safe and Protecting Every Reality
• Private Eye Monologue: The Tiger combines this one with Thought Caption
• Put Down Your Gun and Step Away: Played straight at the end of Issue #9 up until the point where the hostage psychically explodes the hostage-taker's head
• A Rare Sentence: The opening of issue #6 sure is one!
• Recycled in Space: Issue #8 is a noir drugs tale on Mars.
  • And the Holy Terran Empire can probably be considered analogous to the Holy Roman Empire
• Rousing Speech: Ideasman uses one to restore Ego.
• Rule of Symbolism / Multiple Demographic Appeal: Issue#7 - Giant clay-like wild monster fights smarmy super hero because their average human brother hasn't got them under control. Oh, and their names? Id, Superego and Ego. The whole motivation of the villanous Freudster was that modern psychologists and people in general don't take his theories seriously. Puns and commentary on the evolution of psychology!
  • Later in that issue, there's a bit of Fridge Brilliance as Ideasman restores ego to full size and strength by puffing him up with compliments.
• Schedule Slip / Out of Order: Not a serious problem, given that it only led to issues #4 and #5 being swapped around. If anything, this makes it better since it means all the even-numbered episodes are Ideasman.
• Seen It All: Ideasman is almost certainly this (especially in Issue #6), but of which of the three types is up for debate.
• Ship Tease: The end of Issue #10 has this for Ideasman and Puchin' Judy
• Shockwave Stomp: How Ideasman defeats the Skeleton Vanguard - by splitting the earth with the Hands of Boom
• Shout-Out:
  • Hellvetica may be this to The System.
    • This has now been Jossed
  • The security automaton in Issue #5 is this to Johnny 5, except with a chainsaw, a circular saw, a flamethrower, a serrated machete and a drill.
  • Punchin' Judy (Ideaswoman) in Issue #7 is a shout-out to violence-laden children's puppet show Punch and Judy.
• Smoking Is Cool: Try and tell me that Rey from Issue #8 isn't cool. This does after all come from a man nicknamed 'The Pied Piper of Lung Cancer'.
• Something Completely Different: Although this basically happens every issue, special note goes to Issue #8 which is more an illustrated prose story than a normal comic book issue.
• Something Person: Ideasman.
• Speculative Fiction: Often.
• Spiritual Successor: To webcomics Mindhack and Damnation. May later be an actual successor and carry on the story.
• Stock British Phrases: Gladly lacking mostly in this genuinely British work, there appear a number used humourously in Issue #6, notably 'Blow me down and call me Petunia' (which is structurally common), and Bloomin' (in the more peculiar context Bloomin' Undead).
• Stun Guns: Ideasman's blaster has it, along with many more esoteric functions.
• Super Team: Ideasman calls for backup in Issue #7 and gets Ideaswoman Judy Punchowski and Ideascat Tibbles McCoy.
• [[Surname, First Name Surname
• Swiss Army Weapon: Ideaman's Blaster turns this Up to 11.
• Take My Hand: In Issue #8, whilst he does want to escape the cop, Rey does his best to keep him from falling.
• Take That: Ideasman: 'Control, what the hell was that thing in the last cage?' Control: 'The one with the body of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle? That was a griffin.' Ideasman: 'No -- I know that one --! I mean the one with the body of a slug, the head of a pig, and an anus where its mouth should be...' Control: 'That's a Nick Griffin.'
• Temporary Bulk Change: Ego has been subjected to this by the villain of the piece, and is increased to Incredible Hulk-like proportions by Ideasman's Rousing Speech.
• Thought Caption: Gray, being trapped in a prison with no sane companionship, spends most of his time thinking in this way, and only rarely uses speech bubbles.
• Thought Eater: The eponymous Mite of God from Issue #4 consumes ideas. Later, this becomes an aversion of Gods Need Prayer Badly
• Titled After the Song: Issue #1 is called Eye of the Tiger.
• Torches and Pitchforks / Fantastic Racism: The refuge town at the end of Scorched Earth #2, perhaps wisely, hates Freaks. And of course, Dawn is traelling with a cute 5-year old who can melt people's heads.
• Touched by Vorlons: Humans living near alien hive cities may develop psychic powers. And madness.
• Troubled Fetal Position / Downer Ending: The ending of Issue #5, to beautiful gut-wrenching effect.
• Unfortunate Names: Flatulax the Malodorous. It may well be accurate, but it is unfortunate.
• Unhand Them, Villain!: In The Hook, whilst Rey has not wanted to kill the cop, just escape him, The Don Jake Mulligan has no qualms about pushing him to his death.
• Unsound Effect: In Issue #2, EXPLOSION, followed by BLAST, DETONATION, ERUPTION and CONFLAGRATION.
• Unwilling Roboticisation / Unusual User Interface: The closest trope This Troper (Tetrarchangel) has got to how the prisoners in The Complex are held in paralysis/sleep - specifically, a huge cable that plugs into the back of the neck.
• War Is Hell: A literal interpretation - the background of the war flashback contains wall-to-wall flame.
• What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Hellvetica's crime, leading to her banishment from the bibliosphere, was Dewey decimal deviance.
• What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: Gray is introduced strapped to a cross. Well, technically a Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross. And what happens if you google St Andrew's Cross to research this trope?
• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The psychic human held by the slavers and released by Dawn.
• Words Can Break My Bones: Hellvetica and Thesaurus Rex together are almost unstoppable thanks to their power over words.
• A Worldwide Punomenon: The opening of issue #6 has Ideasman's badge, which is marked Access All Eras.
• Wrecked Weapon: Fluffykins makes light work of the Hands of Boom.
• Writing for the Trade: Mostly averted. Ideasman is episodic, and Dawn Garrett has yet to be returned to, though more stories are said to be planned.
• Written Sound Effect: Conventional ones from the dinosaur in Issue #2, as well as the more unconventional Zammow! for Ideasman's blaster. Later, when Ideasman sets his blaster to italics and strikethrough, the Zammow appears appropriately formatted.
• Zoom (Optics) / Eye Open: The opening of Issue #5 mixes this with Flash Back and Dream Sequence, eventually zooming in onto the opening eyes of Gray after decades of sleep.

1. ↑ Also Not Especially Known As