Led by a Mad Man



Led by a Mad Man is an After the End Web Comic following a band of five people, made up of Daniel(the titular madman who is determined to become the king of this newly abandoned country), Ian (a boy he picks up on the way), Richard (Ian's grandfather), Timothy, and Karen. They're now traveling aimlessly, presumably the sole survivors after a vaguely explained mass genocide.

Despite the dark backstory, the series itself seems to be planted just to the left of the middle on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.

It can be read here.

"Karen: Morning, Daniel. Daniel: (groggy) Wait, why is it morning? Oh right. Morning happens. Karen: What?"
 * Adult Child: Daniel
 * Adam and Eve Plot: Invoked by Daniel, though it was quickly denied
 * After the End
 * Angst? What Angst?: Used straight for Daniel and (generally) Ian, but averted for the rest of the cast.
 * Apocalypse How: Either Class 0 or Class 3a, with the characters assuming the former, though there's been no proof to support or deny just yet.
 * Bishie Sparkle: Richard
 * Bi the Way: At one point, Daniel mentions being married to a man and a woman (at the same time).
 * Celibate Hero: Daniel, as that's not what Kings do. No one in the comic follows the logic either.
 * Presumably Richard too, as he never married.
 * Cheerful Child: Ian, usually
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Daniel


 * Cozy Catastrophe: While awful events led to the comic's present, the characters are pretty amiable and friendly, and the world left behind isn't particularly dangerous.
 * Crazy Prepared: For an electrician, Timothy knows quite a lot on outdoor survival strategies
 * Cryptic Background Reference
 * Deadpan Snarker: Timothy has shades of this
 * Depopulation Bomb: While there's mentions of a genocide by the military with gas and firearms, the full extent isn't known.
 * The End of the World as We Know It: Exact details aren't known except for mentions of a civil war and mass genocides.
 * Fan Dumb: Around the introduction of Timothy, there was a rabidly vocal small minority whose anti-Timothy and Anti-Richard comments nearly led to a permanent hiatus.
 * Five-Man Band: Discussed and invoked by Daniel, with...
 * The Hero: Daniel
 * The Lancer: Timothy
 * The Smart Guy: Richard/Timothy
 * The Chick: Karen/Richard
 * Tagalong Kid: Ian
 * Gender Rarity Value: Or it would have been if if Timothy weren't gay, Richard weren't "decrepit," and Ian a little older.
 * A King Am I: Daniel is pretty intent on this
 * Ghost Cities
 * Imagine Spot: While not explicitly shown to the audience, Timothy has his entire affair with Richard figured out (at least in his mind).
 * Iyashikei: Despite the premise, the series comes off as this, not unlike Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Daniel
 * Limited Wardrobe
 * May-December Romance: At least, if Richard reciprocates Timothy's feelings
 * Mix And Match: After the End + Slice of Life
 * Moe Old Guy: Richard
 * Nakama
 * The Napoleon: Daniel
 * Nightmare Fetishist: A more innocent version. At first, Ian starts up a collection of photos of the dead, in order to remember them, though he's recently seemed to avoid that particular hobby.
 * No Body Left Behind: Completely averted
 * No FEMA Response
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: At times, there's hints of this with Daniel
 * Oblivious to Love: Richard
 * Parental Abandonment: Though, death is a pretty good reason...
 * Perma-Shave
 * The Rival:
 * Rousseau Was Right: Despite what led to the events before the series, the cast are well-intentioned people.
 * Rule 63: As seen here
 * Scavenger World
 * Scenery Porn / Scenery Gorn: While it's not as detailed as other examples, several panels are specifically of the landscape, both ruined or otherwise.
 * Stepford Smiler: Richard makes sure to keep a smiling face around the rest of the cast
 * Invisible to Gaydar: Timothy, with the older Richard as his Love Interest
 * Team Mom: Argueably, Richard counts as this, at least until Karen is introduced.
 * Token Girl: Karen
 * True Neutral: Daniel
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: Karen's husband, Brian
 * White and Grey Morality: Despite the acknowledgement that the rules of society don't apply when there's no society, the cast tends to keep to them regardless, with scavenging for food being the only real exception.
 * Though, as the series progresses, it seems to be coming close to Grey and Grey Morality
 * Yaoi Fangirl/Fanguy: Daniel seems to be of this vein, constantly making comments about Timothy's crush, and Karen seems enthused by the idea as well.