Remus

In the near future, increasing political polarization drives one man to commit a suicide attack on the White House. This act sparks an escalating cycle of partisan violence, forcing the government to step in. In order to combat the rising tide of extremism, the government repeals the bill of rights, declares martial law, and hugely expands the power of the CIA to deal with perceived threats to American security.

17 years after the end of the war, an arms dealer named Ryan Davidson escapes CIA custody with a bullet in his back and collapses in a back alley. He wakes up to find that he's stumbled on the local headquarters of a growing Resistance movement that attempts to combat the government's slide away from democracy. With no other options, Ryan joins the group and takes his place on the front lines of the conflict. But the Resistance isn't all idealistic freedom fighters, and Ryan himself may be a little bit more than he appears...

Remus is a Speculative Fiction webcomic written and drawn by Kyle Jacobs. You can find it here.


 * Action Prologue
 * Agony of the Feet: Ryan has recently lost some toes.
 * Art Evolution: Given that the comic is pretty much the first time the artist has ever drawn anything more detailed than a stick figure, this is already starting to happen.
 * Art Shift: During the flashbacks of Ryan's torture at the hands of Williams. The art shifts to grayscale, except for the spilled blood. It's very effective.
 * And when Gus shoots Ryan In the Back during said flashback, this happens.
 * Badass Beard: Ryan and Jason.
 * Badass Longcoat: Seth.
 * Badass Long Hair: Ryan again, if his escape from the CIA and the fact that he survived a bullet in the back is any indication.
 * Body Motifs: Read down the page and take a damn guess.
 * Black and White Insanity: What led to the deplorable conditions of the US was the partisan climate devolving into this.
 * Bloody Handprint
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Ryan is on the receiving end of the electric variety from Williams.
 * Covered with Scars: Ryan, and most of them are fresh.
 * Crapsack World: Since the President is killed in the first page, it's to be expected.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Page 1. That is all.
 * Dystopia
 * Eighties Hair: Ryan, in more recent pages, bears a mullet not unlike that of Solid Snake.
 * Establishing Series Moment: Page one has a suicide attack on the White House. You can only assume that it doesn't stop going downhill from there.
 * Eye Awaken / Eye Open / Eyedscreen: Used VERY frequently in the first chapter. Word of God is that there's a reason for this and it won't show up as much in later pages.
 * Flashback Effects: Everything goes grayscale with the occasional Splash of Color.
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom / By the Lights of Their Eyes: Everyone has them as a part of the art style.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Ryan has a morally ambiguous one on his face, while Marcus has a very large evil one.
 * Hotblooded Sideburns: Jason.
 * In the Back: This is how Ryan got shot - obviously, it wasn't fatal, but still.
 * Knife Nut: WILLIAMS.
 * La Résistance
 * Mutilation Interrogation: By Seth, to Ryan.
 * Psychotic Smirk: Seth demonstrates quite nicely here.
 * Only a Flesh Wound: Double-subverted. After Ryan gets shot in the shoulder during his escape, he collapses and Seth states that he's going to bleed out within the span of a few minutes. He proceeds to get up and make it to the Resistance hideout before he passes out from blood loss.
 * Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: The pilot on page 1.
 * R-Rated Opening: If the first page of this comic doesn't qualify, nothing does.
 * Schedule Slip: Chronic and unfortunate, thanks to the website being hacked.
 * Sinister Silhouettes: This is how Seth's face is hidden during the Chapter 1 flashback.
 * Sinister Surveillance
 * Sink the Life Boats: This is Seth's introduction. Noticing a pattern here?
 * Slasher Smile: Williams gets one here.
 * Splash of Color: Williams's eyes and the electricity are the only things in color during the flashback sequence.
 * Scratch that - blood and muzzle flares are also in full color.
 * Technicolor Eyes: Emphasized due to the art style.
 * Ryan and Williams have Blue Eyes
 * Jason and Nicole have Eyes of Gold
 * Bill has Gray Eyes
 * Janice has Green Eyes
 * Marcus and Gus both have Brown Eyes
 * Torture First, Ask Questions Later
 * Torture Technician: Williams, big time.
 * Two-Faced: Marcus.