Wandering Ones

"The mid-21st century: The fortunes of the human race have taken rather a down turn. A man-made viral weapon has seen to that. In the year 2035, a group of religious zealots called the Mavonites left Earth to colonize a far-off world, and to get away from the rest of humanity. Most of them have no knowledge of the plague bomb their leaders dropped from orbit. The leaders figured if things didn't work out, they could return to a new world with no unbelievers in it. Now, 30 years later, the wind whistles down the highways choked with dust, empty except for the call of the birds or the rustle of a coyote. Well, maybe not completely empty. It seems the human race is a little tougher than anticipated."

The Wandering Ones, by Clint Hollingsworth, is a webcomic about the exploits and adventures of the scouts of the Clan of the Hawk and their allies, who are trying to secure civilization against the expansionist Reich government in what used to be the northwestern United States, somewhere in or near the Oregon-Washington area.


 * Bedouin Rescue Service: Justified; the rescuer had been following the victim all day to see if he could survive in the desert on his own.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Damon Chisolm, especially earlier in the comic. He is learning some humility and subtlety, however, as he continues to dine on his feet.
 * Colonel Badass: Zephyr Crow is a Major whose physical stength, flexibility, and agility is combined with extreme martial arts skill to make anyone familiar with her quite... polite. And if they're not... well...that can be very quicklyrectified.
 * As it turns out, there's a reason for this.
 * Cool, Clear Water: Averted. Embedded in a very Anvilicious Green Aesop here.
 * Depopulation Bomb: Released by the Mavonites in order to have an empty world to return to if their colonization didn't work out. The bomb didn't seem to work out.
 * Five-Man Band:
 * The Hero: Ravenwing
 * The Lancer: Jack Crow
 * The Big Guy: Damon Chisolm
 * The Smart Guy / The Chick: Bobbie Blackburn
 * Big Brother Mentor: Max Thorson
 * Wasteland Elder: Gray Dog
 * Green Aesop
 * Hyper Awareness: The scouts of the Clan of the Hawk. Ravenwing is attempting to train her apprentices in this essential skill.
 * Magical Native American: Subverted with Ravenwing's father; in the before-time he worked a casino.
 * Nature Spirit: Ravenwing, Flame, and Gray Dog all have long-standing communication with the more benevolent Nature Spirits, while Bobbie and Max have encountered the more ambiguous type.
 * Noble Savage: The Clan natives are considered to be this to some degree, particularly Ravenwing.
 * Super Prototype: Alpha (Arthur) has far more strength and speed then Zephyr (Delta) Crow, and Beta (Bob) has mind powers well in excess of any of his "siblings."
 * Shown Their Work: The author knows wilderness survival, so he doesn't just tell you about the clan's skill, he shows and explains it to you.
 * The Immune: This is why there are still people on Earth after the disaster.
 * Schizo-Tech: The Clan follow a traditional Indian lifestyle, in-touch with nature and mostly shunning technology (Ravenwing hates firearms, but will use them if necessary). Their allies in the Alliance and the Yakama Nation, on the other hand, are willing to embrace more advanced technology.