Gold Digger (Comic Book): Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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Fred Perry also began working on an independent OVA based on the original "Time Raft" pilot story since 1999. He basically did ''[[Dancing Bear|everything]]'' except for the voice acting and music composition, while still producing the main series. The last part of story was finally completed and released in 2010.
Fred Perry also began working on an independent OVA based on the original "Time Raft" pilot story since 1999. He basically did ''[[Dancing Bear|everything]]'' except for the voice acting and music composition, while still producing the main series. The last part of story was finally completed and released in 2010.


Not to be confused with the (completely different) [[Gold Digger|character archetype]] - even though that very trope ''is'' a derisive (and largely undeserved) [[In Series Nickname]] for [[Adventurer Archaeologist|Gina]].
Not to be confused with the (completely different) [[Gold Digger|character archetype]] - even though that very trope ''is'' a derisive (and largely undeserved) [[In-Series Nickname]] for [[Adventurer Archaeologist|Gina]].


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** Peebri, however, wraps around to this trope again, in much the same way a childish Brianna would act.
** Peebri, however, wraps around to this trope again, in much the same way a childish Brianna would act.
* [[All Women Are Lustful]]: Gina and Brittany especially, but females in this series tend to gravitate towards the aggressive side when it comes to guys.
* [[All Women Are Lustful]]: Gina and Brittany especially, but females in this series tend to gravitate towards the aggressive side when it comes to guys.
* [[Always Someone Better]]: A [[Lawyer Friendly Cameo]] of [[Lara Croft]] filled this role from off-screen for Gina for a while.
* [[Always Someone Better]]: A [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]] of [[Lara Croft]] filled this role from off-screen for Gina for a while.
* [[Animation Bump]]: A couple shots in the first part of the OAV were redone for the final version, and they really stand out against the original footage.
* [[Animation Bump]]: A couple shots in the first part of the OAV were redone for the final version, and they really stand out against the original footage.
* [[Animesque]]: Among the oldest examples still being produced.
* [[Animesque]]: Among the oldest examples still being produced.
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* [[Breast Expansion]]: Britanny, when she [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|goes from human form to hybrid form]]. This is also a major reason why she prefers to stay in Hybrid form as much as possible. (Well, actually because she's taller, stronger and faster, but this side benefit comes with the rest.)
* [[Breast Expansion]]: Britanny, when she [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|goes from human form to hybrid form]]. This is also a major reason why she prefers to stay in Hybrid form as much as possible. (Well, actually because she's taller, stronger and faster, but this side benefit comes with the rest.)
* [[Brooklyn Rage]]: Roxy Rabinowitz (AKA Dark Bird), leader of the Night Flight airborne mercenaries, has a strong Brooklyn accent and a BIG chip on her shoulder, especially when dealing with Ace. She also {{spoiler|recently took over a country led by her estranged sister}}, who was a large source of the aforementioned rage.
* [[Brooklyn Rage]]: Roxy Rabinowitz (AKA Dark Bird), leader of the Night Flight airborne mercenaries, has a strong Brooklyn accent and a BIG chip on her shoulder, especially when dealing with Ace. She also {{spoiler|recently took over a country led by her estranged sister}}, who was a large source of the aforementioned rage.
* [[Buffy Speak]]
* [[Buffy-Speak]]
* [[Burger Fool]]: Penny forces Gina to work at one of these before she'll loan her enough money to avoid bankruptcy.
* [[Burger Fool]]: Penny forces Gina to work at one of these before she'll loan her enough money to avoid bankruptcy.
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: The [[Voltron|Vaultron]] force, the [[Thunder Cats|Edge Guard]], and [[Rocky and Bullwinkle|Dr. Peachbody]].
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: The [[Voltron|Vaultron]] force, the [[Thunder Cats|Edge Guard]], and [[Rocky and Bullwinkle|Dr. Peachbody]].
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** Brianna still had concerns about this for a long time, though. Charlotte [[The Ditz|...not so much]].
** Brianna still had concerns about this for a long time, though. Charlotte [[The Ditz|...not so much]].
* [[The Commies Made Me Do It]]: Crush; although somewhat justifiable, she notably refused a [[Get Out of Jail Free Card]] and chose to do the time for the crimes she committed, proving she did have moral fiber.
* [[The Commies Made Me Do It]]: Crush; although somewhat justifiable, she notably refused a [[Get Out of Jail Free Card]] and chose to do the time for the crimes she committed, proving she did have moral fiber.
* [[Creepy Twins]]: Montara; they are also [[Half Identical Twins]].
* [[Creepy Twins]]: Montara; they are also [[Half-Identical Twins]].
* [[Cute Machines]]: The Peebos
* [[Cute Machines]]: The Peebos
* [[Cute Monster Girl]]: Just about everybody, even the ''males''; Crescens was when she was young, but is now kind of [[Nightmare Fuel]].
* [[Cute Monster Girl]]: Just about everybody, even the ''males''; Crescens was when she was young, but is now kind of [[Nightmare Fuel]].
* [[Dark Action Girl]]: numerous including Link and Zelda, two of Talon's employees.
* [[Dark Action Girl]]: numerous including Link and Zelda, two of Talon's employees.
** G'Nolga, Julia Digger's archrival in Jade.
** G'Nolga, Julia Digger's archrival in Jade.
* [[Dark Skinned Redhead]]: Xane
* [[Dark-Skinned Redhead]]: Xane
* [[Dark Skinned Blond]]: The human forms for both Britanny "Cheetah" 'Gia and her daughter Tifanny.
* [[Dark-Skinned Blond]]: The human forms for both Britanny "Cheetah" 'Gia and her daughter Tifanny.
* [[Demon Head]]: Theodore's "Flaming Skull Bit."
* [[Demon Head]]: Theodore's "Flaming Skull Bit."
* [[Distracted By the Sexy]]: Pretty much the entire cast is guilty of this one, but Gina takes the cake: in Issue 105, she and a male colleague nearly ''destroyed the world'' by daydreaming about each others' naughty bits instead of the [[Doomsday Device]] they were supposed to be disarming.
* [[Distracted By the Sexy]]: Pretty much the entire cast is guilty of this one, but Gina takes the cake: in Issue 105, she and a male colleague nearly ''destroyed the world'' by daydreaming about each others' naughty bits instead of the [[Doomsday Device]] they were supposed to be disarming.
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* [[Fake Crossover]]: The series really skirts the line of this, such as when Gina mentions receiving a [[Inspector Gadget|computer book from a girl with a weird uncle]]. Mind you the girl in question eventually became a full-fledged character).
* [[Fake Crossover]]: The series really skirts the line of this, such as when Gina mentions receiving a [[Inspector Gadget|computer book from a girl with a weird uncle]]. Mind you the girl in question eventually became a full-fledged character).
* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]
* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]
* [[Feminist Fantasy]]: Probably one of the most tolerant and evenhanded comics around. The female characters are smart, capable, funny, goofy, distinctive, well-rounded, and memorable, in a diverse and amusing manner reminiscent of ''[[Tenchi Muyo (Anime)|Tenchi Muyo]]'' or ''[[Urusei Yatsura (Manga)|Urusei Yatsura]]'', and avoid the bland and forced "[[Girls Need Role Models|Strong Female Characters]]" pitfalls. Fred makes a continuous effort to represent different body types and give female readers evenhanded "beefcake" treatment.
* [[Feminist Fantasy]]: Probably one of the most tolerant and evenhanded comics around. The female characters are smart, capable, funny, goofy, distinctive, well-rounded, and memorable, in a diverse and amusing manner reminiscent of ''[[Tenchi Muyo! (Anime)|Tenchi Muyo]]'' or ''[[Urusei Yatsura (Manga)|Urusei Yatsura]]'', and avoid the bland and forced "[[Girls Need Role Models|Strong Female Characters]]" pitfalls. Fred makes a continuous effort to represent different body types and give female readers evenhanded "beefcake" treatment.
* [[Flying Brick]]: Agent M
* [[Flying Brick]]: Agent M
* [[French Maid]]: Link is an [[Amazonian Beauty]] who wears rather ... undersized french maid outfits on missions.
* [[French Maid]]: Link is an [[Amazonian Beauty]] who wears rather ... undersized french maid outfits on missions.
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* [[Girls Behind Bars]]: ''Gold Digger'' #82
* [[Girls Behind Bars]]: ''Gold Digger'' #82
* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: Natasha, ruler of the undead, who would rather let her kingdom be wiped out than be humiliated by a higher power.
* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: Natasha, ruler of the undead, who would rather let her kingdom be wiped out than be humiliated by a higher power.
* [[Grandma What Massive Hotness You Have]]: A lot of elderly characters certainly age gracefully, despite all the action they go through{{spoiler|, including Gina herself}}.
* [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!]]: A lot of elderly characters certainly age gracefully, despite all the action they go through{{spoiler|, including Gina herself}}.
* [[Half Human Hybrid]]
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]
* [[Heel Realization]]: Madrid has a moment of clarity when she realizes that her [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] needlessly ruined a chance to escape capture and imprisonment.
* [[Heel Realization]]: Madrid has a moment of clarity when she realizes that her [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] needlessly ruined a chance to escape capture and imprisonment.
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Redemption is a major running theme in this comic. Many of Gina and Britanny's enemies become their best friends and allies. Mesha, Tark, Brianna, Penny, Charlotte, Jetta...{{spoiler|Pee Wee, Madrid, Lich King...}}
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Redemption is a major running theme in this comic. Many of Gina and Britanny's enemies become their best friends and allies. Mesha, Tark, Brianna, Penny, Charlotte, Jetta...{{spoiler|Pee Wee, Madrid, Lich King...}}
* [[Hive Mind]]: Array is a variant; each [[Mes a Crowd|duplicate of herself she creates]] has an independent personality which returns to her mind when she reassimilates her body. However, they all share the same general goals.
* [[Hive Mind]]: Array is a variant; each [[Me's a Crowd|duplicate of herself she creates]] has an independent personality which returns to her mind when she reassimilates her body. However, they all share the same general goals.
* [[Hot Amazon]]: many, including actual Amazons.
* [[Hot Amazon]]: many, including actual Amazons.
* [[Hot Librarian]]: Kahn, librarian of the Library of Time.
* [[Hot Librarian]]: Kahn, librarian of the Library of Time.
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* [[Kudzu Plot]]: A pretty bad case, highlighted by the fact that the websites hawking the comic often contain cover previews and summaries for upcoming issues… but then Fred gets an itch to go growing the plot in some other direction entirely, and the previewed issues often have completely different covers and subjects, with the original plots dropped to be completed off-camera, if that.
* [[Kudzu Plot]]: A pretty bad case, highlighted by the fact that the websites hawking the comic often contain cover previews and summaries for upcoming issues… but then Fred gets an itch to go growing the plot in some other direction entirely, and the previewed issues often have completely different covers and subjects, with the original plots dropped to be completed off-camera, if that.
** Lately, however, a good portion of those storylines have begun to be tied together to the [[Myth Arc]]. (See below.)
** Lately, however, a good portion of those storylines have begun to be tied together to the [[Myth Arc]]. (See below.)
* [[Lawyer Friendly Cameo]]
* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]]
* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Team Noob]], ridiculously over-armed leprechauns with no idea where they are, what they are doing, what their mission is, how to operate their equipment, or how to not blow themselves up in 5 seconds, but using binoculars and bazookas backwards hasn't slowed down their enthusiasm yet. The ''GD Tangent'' [[Web Comic]] has a similar setup as the [[Trope Namer]], with a [[Shout Out]] as well.
* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Team Noob]], ridiculously over-armed leprechauns with no idea where they are, what they are doing, what their mission is, how to operate their equipment, or how to not blow themselves up in 5 seconds, but using binoculars and bazookas backwards hasn't slowed down their enthusiasm yet. The ''GD Tangent'' [[Web Comic]] has a similar setup as the [[Trope Namer]], with a [[Shout Out]] as well.
* [[Leprechaun|Leprechauns]]: <small>WITH TANKS AND [[Mobile Suit Human|MECHA]]!!</small>
* [[Leprechaun|Leprechauns]]: <small>WITH TANKS AND [[Mobile Suit Human|MECHA]]!!</small>
* [[Load Bearing Boss]]: Invoked after Julia's fight with Serpentus{{spoiler|, in which she uses magic-proof Dwarven chains to tie him to the room in such a way that ten tons of rock will fall on him if he isn't untangled very, very carefully}}.
* [[Load-Bearing Boss]]: Invoked after Julia's fight with Serpentus{{spoiler|, in which she uses magic-proof Dwarven chains to tie him to the room in such a way that ten tons of rock will fall on him if he isn't untangled very, very carefully}}.
* [[Lions and Tigers And Humans Oh My]]: Mostly whenever the story takes place on Jade, as many anthropomorphic characters co-exist with other humans or humanoid species in that dimension. On Earth, they usually work under a [[The Masquerade|masquerade]], save for a few special places around the globe.
* [[Lions and Tigers And Humans Oh My]]: Mostly whenever the story takes place on Jade, as many anthropomorphic characters co-exist with other humans or humanoid species in that dimension. On Earth, they usually work under a [[The Masquerade|masquerade]], save for a few special places around the globe.
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: …and loads. There's a tie-in comic with one-to-three page write-ups on the characters that have appeared in the series. There have been ''23'' issues published so far (though only the first 17 are on the characters; the rest focus on locations). The first 17 issues of this Guide to the GD Universe have now been collected into [[Doorstopper|a two-inch-thick tome]].
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: …and loads. There's a tie-in comic with one-to-three page write-ups on the characters that have appeared in the series. There have been ''23'' issues published so far (though only the first 17 are on the characters; the rest focus on locations). The first 17 issues of this Guide to the GD Universe have now been collected into [[Doorstopper|a two-inch-thick tome]].
** [[Cast Herd]]: The characters tend to come in sub-groups—the Edge Guard, Lord Talon and minions, Agency Zero—who can hold down arcs or even mini-series by themselves.
** [[Cast Herd]]: The characters tend to come in sub-groups—the Edge Guard, Lord Talon and minions, Agency Zero—who can hold down arcs or even mini-series by themselves.
** Array personifies this trope [[Mes a Crowd|all by herself]], [[I Have Many Names|and herself]], [[Mind Hive|and herself]], [[The Conspiracy|and herself]], [[Doppelganger Attack|and herself]], [[Living Weapon|and herself]]... but they're all on the same side - ''her side!''
** Array personifies this trope [[Me's a Crowd|all by herself]], [[I Have Many Names|and herself]], [[Mind Hive|and herself]], [[The Conspiracy|and herself]], [[Doppelganger Attack|and herself]], [[Living Weapon|and herself]]... but they're all on the same side - ''her side!''
* [[Lovable Sex Maniac]]: Britanny (until her marriage), and Gina. Ironically, the latter used to be a [[Geek|Geeky]] [[Shrinking Violet]], until her [[The Ladette|more outgoing]] sister Britanny had enough of her reclusive attitude and, to make a long story short, broke her out of her box. The result? Gina became "boy-crazy" ''[[Up to Eleven|by "boy-crazy extraordinaire" Britanny's personal standards]]''. The latter doesn't know whether or not she should regret "helping" her sister.
* [[Lovable Sex Maniac]]: Britanny (until her marriage), and Gina. Ironically, the latter used to be a [[Geek|Geeky]] [[Shrinking Violet]], until her [[The Ladette|more outgoing]] sister Britanny had enough of her reclusive attitude and, to make a long story short, broke her out of her box. The result? Gina became "boy-crazy" ''[[Up to Eleven|by "boy-crazy extraordinaire" Britanny's personal standards]]''. The latter doesn't know whether or not she should regret "helping" her sister.
{{quote| '''Britanny:''' '''You've gotta be joking!!!''' You're '''gorgeous'''! Look at you! Look at '''''these'''''! <{{smallcaps|[[Skinship Grope|HOIST]]}}><br />
{{quote| '''Britanny:''' '''You've gotta be joking!!!''' You're '''gorgeous'''! Look at you! Look at '''''these'''''! <{{smallcaps|[[Skinship Grope|HOIST]]}}><br />
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'''Britanny:''' Do you know how many gals would '''kill''' for [[Buxom Is Better|a nice, firm set]] like '''yours'''??? What man wouldn't fall all over himself just to get to '''talk''' to you? From now on, when you think of guys, think of broad, masculine chests...! ''(Gina looks "bewildered")'' Strong, handsome buns!! Hard, rugged muscles...! ''(A small smile graces Gina's lips)''And all of the warm, yummy things you can do with them...! ''(Gina's face breaks into a full-blown, "Uh-oh"-worthy [[Cheshire Cat Grin]].)''<br />
'''Britanny:''' Do you know how many gals would '''kill''' for [[Buxom Is Better|a nice, firm set]] like '''yours'''??? What man wouldn't fall all over himself just to get to '''talk''' to you? From now on, when you think of guys, think of broad, masculine chests...! ''(Gina looks "bewildered")'' Strong, handsome buns!! Hard, rugged muscles...! ''(A small smile graces Gina's lips)''And all of the warm, yummy things you can do with them...! ''(Gina's face breaks into a full-blown, "Uh-oh"-worthy [[Cheshire Cat Grin]].)''<br />
'''Brianna (narrating):''' I remember a sharp change in Gina's attitude toward men that moment. (And her being '''boy-crazy''' ever since.) }}
'''Brianna (narrating):''' I remember a sharp change in Gina's attitude toward men that moment. (And her being '''boy-crazy''' ever since.) }}
** Brianna may have gained both of their sex drives combined, as [[Crowning Moment of Funny|she used to chain her panicked boyfriend to the bed to have her way with him]]. [[Rule of Funny|Xane is the most extreme of all, as she regularly drools while taking concealed clothes-removing x-ray photographs of any attractive male within sight]]. She is getting some [[Laser Guided Karma]] from [[Ho Yay|Crush]], though.
** Brianna may have gained both of their sex drives combined, as [[Crowning Moment of Funny|she used to chain her panicked boyfriend to the bed to have her way with him]]. [[Rule of Funny|Xane is the most extreme of all, as she regularly drools while taking concealed clothes-removing x-ray photographs of any attractive male within sight]]. She is getting some [[Laser-Guided Karma]] from [[Ho Yay|Crush]], though.
* [[Magic From Technology]]: Gina eventually gains a working knowledge of draconic magic by analyzing extradimensional technology.
* [[Magic From Technology]]: Gina eventually gains a working knowledge of draconic magic by analyzing extradimensional technology.
* [[Meat O Vision]]: Britanny experiences this when Tark's [[Charm Person]] spell misfires in the "Time Raft" OVA.
* [[Meat O Vision]]: Britanny experiences this when Tark's [[Charm Person]] spell misfires in the "Time Raft" OVA.
* [[Meganekko]]: Gina, for more than several issues now.
* [[Meganekko]]: Gina, for more than several issues now.
* [[Mes a Crowd]]: Array
* [[Me's a Crowd]]: Array
* [[Military Mashup Machine]]
* [[Military Mashup Machine]]
* [[Missing Mom]]: several examples, including Gina's [[Action Mom]] Julia {{spoiler|and until recently, Britanny herself}}.
* [[Missing Mom]]: several examples, including Gina's [[Action Mom]] Julia {{spoiler|and until recently, Britanny herself}}.
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** Also Jetta, [[Heel Face Turn|at first]].
** Also Jetta, [[Heel Face Turn|at first]].
* [[Rousseau Was Right]]: The story has a very sympathetic tone; no matter how heinous the acts somebody has done, if they were simply misguided without direction, they are usually afforded compassion and given a new chance to start over and do good.
* [[Rousseau Was Right]]: The story has a very sympathetic tone; no matter how heinous the acts somebody has done, if they were simply misguided without direction, they are usually afforded compassion and given a new chance to start over and do good.
* [[Rule Thirty Four]]: some of it drawn by Perry himself.
* [[Rule 34]]: some of it drawn by Perry himself.
* [[Sarcastic Clapping]]: During her trip with Gina to explore Dreadwing's mymior (treasure trove, re: knowledge, spells, etc.), Brianna plays it straight and lampshades Fauntleroy's sarcastic clapping at the same time.
* [[Sarcastic Clapping]]: During her trip with Gina to explore Dreadwing's mymior (treasure trove, re: knowledge, spells, etc.), Brianna plays it straight and lampshades Fauntleroy's sarcastic clapping at the same time.
* [[Sassy Black Woman]]: Penny; Britanny's voiced like this in the "Time Raft" OVA.
* [[Sassy Black Woman]]: Penny; Britanny's voiced like this in the "Time Raft" OVA.
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* [[Shout Out]]: To just about every [[The Eighties|'80s]] or classic [[Western Animation|cartoon]], many, many [[Video Games]], and [[Humongous Mecha]] anime.
* [[Shout Out]]: To just about every [[The Eighties|'80s]] or classic [[Western Animation|cartoon]], many, many [[Video Games]], and [[Humongous Mecha]] anime.
** In fact, the shout-outs have become so common, numerous, and a close to the source material that some critics feel it's led to a bit of [[Seasonal Rot]], that the homages have come a little too close to crossing the line into just yanking whatever he likes from other canon and using it directly. (Example: Gina basically just builds herself an exact copy of the Lagann, complete with similar abilities to hijack whatever it attaches to.)
** In fact, the shout-outs have become so common, numerous, and a close to the source material that some critics feel it's led to a bit of [[Seasonal Rot]], that the homages have come a little too close to crossing the line into just yanking whatever he likes from other canon and using it directly. (Example: Gina basically just builds herself an exact copy of the Lagann, complete with similar abilities to hijack whatever it attaches to.)
*** It wouldn't be so bad if these things were just done as gags all the time, but often they're ''plot relevant'' in working just like the original reference material. Gina's [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Lagann]] knockoff's ability to, well, act just like the Lagann is extremely important in the storyline. Same with the [[Transformers|Matrix of Leadership]] [[Expy]] the Edge Guard have (which was transferred in a [[Whole Plot Reference|whole scene reference]] right down to the use of "'Til all are one") (Granted, the Matrix analogue contained a planetoid-sized spaceship in its own pocket dimension, so it didn't function ''quite'' the same. Still, Fred ''does'' love to riff blatantly on ''[[Transformers the Movie]]''.)
*** It wouldn't be so bad if these things were just done as gags all the time, but often they're ''plot relevant'' in working just like the original reference material. Gina's [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Lagann]] knockoff's ability to, well, act just like the Lagann is extremely important in the storyline. Same with the [[Transformers|Matrix of Leadership]] [[Expy]] the Edge Guard have (which was transferred in a [[Whole-Plot Reference|whole scene reference]] right down to the use of "'Til all are one") (Granted, the Matrix analogue contained a planetoid-sized spaceship in its own pocket dimension, so it didn't function ''quite'' the same. Still, Fred ''does'' love to riff blatantly on ''[[Transformers the Movie]]''.)
* [[Spot the Imposter]]: Madrid was [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] about this.
* [[Spot the Imposter]]: Madrid was [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] about this.
* [[Start of Darkness]]: Tirant, Dreadwing, the Lich King
* [[Start of Darkness]]: Tirant, Dreadwing, the Lich King
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* [[Troperrific]]: One can argue that all of ''Gold Digger'' is Fred Perry's parody/homage to comics, novels, RPGs, video games, tropes, cliches and genres of all stripes.
* [[Troperrific]]: One can argue that all of ''Gold Digger'' is Fred Perry's parody/homage to comics, novels, RPGs, video games, tropes, cliches and genres of all stripes.
* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Britanny loves tuna. Charlotte the harpy, meanwhile, is obsessed with peanuts and pretzels; if enough are available, she'll [[Big Eater|stuff her face]] almost to the point of killing herself.
* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Britanny loves tuna. Charlotte the harpy, meanwhile, is obsessed with peanuts and pretzels; if enough are available, she'll [[Big Eater|stuff her face]] almost to the point of killing herself.
* [[TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life]]: Mentioned in the 2010 Halloween special:
* [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life]]: Mentioned in the 2010 Halloween special:
{{quote| Gina: Oogh... Mental note: Marathon sessions at "TV Tropes" and "Know Your Meme" are ''not'' conducive to proper sleep!}}
{{quote| Gina: Oogh... Mental note: Marathon sessions at "TV Tropes" and "Know Your Meme" are ''not'' conducive to proper sleep!}}
* [[Valley Girl]]: Moisha, like, totally!
* [[Valley Girl]]: Moisha, like, totally!
* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Dreadwing and Ancient Gina are playing a rather slow version of this {{spoiler|via their own competing versions of Infinity}}.
* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Dreadwing and Ancient Gina are playing a rather slow version of this {{spoiler|via their own competing versions of Infinity}}.
* [[Web Comics]]: The "Ayane" and "Northern Edge" Tangent webcomics; both are currently on hiatus. Also, "Level UP!", a ''Final Fantasy XI'' webcomic by the same author.
* [[Web Comics]]: The "Ayane" and "Northern Edge" Tangent webcomics; both are currently on hiatus. Also, "Level UP!", a ''Final Fantasy XI'' webcomic by the same author.
* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Awesome]]: Ancient Gina's "Millenium Pimp Slap", one of a class of spells of legendary power, warps space and time to open a portal behind the target—to [[Megaton Punch|let the caster slap him upside the head]]. It requires such nigh-infinite power to execute that it causes EVERY MAGE IN THE SERIES to sense a disturbance in the Force!
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: Ancient Gina's "Millenium Pimp Slap", one of a class of spells of legendary power, warps space and time to open a portal behind the target—to [[Megaton Punch|let the caster slap him upside the head]]. It requires such nigh-infinite power to execute that it causes EVERY MAGE IN THE SERIES to sense a disturbance in the Force!
* [[What Measure Is a Non Human]]: Frequently averted. For instance, Brianna, the lab accident composite clone trying to kill the Diggers sisters, now their gung-ho sister. Or Charlotte, the instant-grown harpy girl accidentally freed from the control of the time-travelling dog who fired her at our heroes, now co-headliner of a [[WAFF|WAFFy]] spinoff.
* [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]: Frequently averted. For instance, Brianna, the lab accident composite clone trying to kill the Diggers sisters, now their gung-ho sister. Or Charlotte, the instant-grown harpy girl accidentally freed from the control of the time-travelling dog who fired her at our heroes, now co-headliner of a [[WAFF|WAFFy]] spinoff.
* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]
* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]
* [[The Worf Effect]]: Stripe. Just...Stripe. Despite a massive-power up halfway through the B&W series making him one of the two most powerful good guys, he is infamous for being hit by surprise, dropping his guard, and so on. Outside his first battles post-power up, it's rare he doesn't end up knocked out at least for a while during a fight. No wonder Agent M thought he needed training despite his skill and strength.
* [[The Worf Effect]]: Stripe. Just...Stripe. Despite a massive-power up halfway through the B&W series making him one of the two most powerful good guys, he is infamous for being hit by surprise, dropping his guard, and so on. Outside his first battles post-power up, it's rare he doesn't end up knocked out at least for a while during a fight. No wonder Agent M thought he needed training despite his skill and strength.

Revision as of 12:45, 8 January 2014

Gina Diggers and Dreadwing


Gold Digger is a long-running US comic from Antarctic Press with manga-inspired art, written and drawn by Fred Perry. The first appearance of the characters was in the anthology title Mangazine Vol. 2 #11 (September, 1991). They then got their own eponymous 4-issue miniseries (September 1992-March 1993). This proved successful enough to make Gold Digger Vol. 2 an ongoing. 50 regular issues were published between July 1993 and June 1999, plus a number of annuals. These issues were mostly in black-and-white. The series was then relaunched as a full-color series. Vol. 3 started in July 1999 and is still ongoing.

The story centers around the adventures of the kind, nerdy, and idealistic Hot Scientist inventor, archaeologist and explorer Gina Diggers; and her Boisterous Bruiser, fashionista, were-cheetah adopted sister/bodyguard, Britanny "Cheetah" Diggers, as they search the world (and others) for relics of the distant past.

The third sister, Brianna, is the goofy mental and physical combination of Gina and Britanny, accidentally created in the process of removing a curse gained during one of their adventures. She combines Gina's thirst for mysteries, scientific acumen, and libido with Britanny's low attention span and thirst for action, fashion, or entertainment (plus a portion of her werebeast strength). Hence, she likes action-technology of any kind, especially if explosions are involved. She is usually accompanied by her trademark childlike little Peebo robots.

If, as the name and the Adventurer Archaeologist trope implies, the sisters seem more intent on digging up valuable treasures to fund their lifestyle than searching for actual knowledge, they invariably make up for it by becoming unwitting heroines in the process, usually with the help of their friends, and with time, Gina evolves into more idealistic Pillars of Moral Character material.

It is popular enough to have several spin-offs, usually four-issue miniseries.

Fred Perry also began working on an independent OVA based on the original "Time Raft" pilot story since 1999. He basically did everything except for the voice acting and music composition, while still producing the main series. The last part of story was finally completed and released in 2010.

Not to be confused with the (completely different) character archetype - even though that very trope is a derisive (and largely undeserved) In-Series Nickname for Gina.

This comic includes examples of:

  • Action Duo: Gina and Britanny, Brains and Brawn.
  • Action Mom: Julia; Britanny after Tifanny's birth.
  • Adventurer Archaeologist: Gina, Penny, Lord "Pee-Wee" Talon, and many others.
  • Airborne Aircraft Carrier
  • AI Is a Crapshoot: The Pee-bees: Brianna's AI bullets that only target "bad guys". Too bad they aren't very smart, and see people jaywalking, squirrels taking acorns, and even someone stealing a kiss as "bad guys".
    • Her standard Peebo A Is, on the other hand, avert it and are much more well behaved, even if they do like going "boom" on bad guys. (It's just that they have a much better idea of what a "bad guy" is.
    • Peebri, however, wraps around to this trope again, in much the same way a childish Brianna would act.
  • All Women Are Lustful: Gina and Brittany especially, but females in this series tend to gravitate towards the aggressive side when it comes to guys.
  • Always Someone Better: A Lawyer-Friendly Cameo of Lara Croft filled this role from off-screen for Gina for a while.
  • Animation Bump: A couple shots in the first part of the OAV were redone for the final version, and they really stand out against the original footage.
  • Animesque: Among the oldest examples still being produced.
  • Artificial Human: Brianna, Array, Raphiel, the whole Amonian race.
  • Atlanta: Home of the Diggers family.
  • Author Appeal: Fred definitely loves his were-creatures. Ironically, he dislikes certain varieties. A furry/TF fan, he apparently is not.
  • Bald Women: Zelda, one of Talon's employees. In no way detracts from her Amazonian Beauty status.
  • Balloon Belly: Charlotte has had this happen to her at least once, leading to her being Mistaken for Pregnant.
  • Becoming the Mask: Madrid
  • BFG: Brianna's favorite trope.
  • BFS: Shinryuken's Size-Mitar. Remember, there is nothing his Colossal Blade cannot cut!
  • Big Bad: Dreadwing
  • Big Monster Cute Name: "Flakey", the 2-kilometer-long kraken.
  • Bleached Underpants: Fred Perry used to draw more adult material, and in fact still does. Gina has her origins in this material, which explains her proportions (and attidude).
  • Blessed With Suck: Ayane the mixed-martial artist is a true sweetheart...and incredibly lonely due to her cold, cruel eyes that creep out everyone she meets. There's hope; Jotaru the genie has a crush on her. Did we mention that some genies in this series have their eyes in their torso instead of their face?
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Brianna, Xane
  • Boobs of Steel: The stronger females tend to have larger breasts (at least within their respective Cast Herd)—not that this says much.
  • Bottle Fairy: Monty's ghost girlfriend.
  • Brawn Hilda: "Grammy" Brunhildagarde Brigand, Julia's mother and the Diggers sisters' grandmother.
  • Breakout Villain: The dragon Dreadwing was originally just a one-shot villain for the pilot story, which ended with him as a skeleton. Now, he's the Man Behind the Man for many of the plotlines past and present, and is dueling with Ancient Gina across most of time with virtually all the other characters as pawns.
  • Breast Expansion: Britanny, when she goes from human form to hybrid form. This is also a major reason why she prefers to stay in Hybrid form as much as possible. (Well, actually because she's taller, stronger and faster, but this side benefit comes with the rest.)
  • Brooklyn Rage: Roxy Rabinowitz (AKA Dark Bird), leader of the Night Flight airborne mercenaries, has a strong Brooklyn accent and a BIG chip on her shoulder, especially when dealing with Ace. She also recently took over a country led by her estranged sister, who was a large source of the aforementioned rage.
  • Buffy-Speak
  • Burger Fool: Penny forces Gina to work at one of these before she'll loan her enough money to avoid bankruptcy.
  • Captain Ersatz: The Vaultron force, the Edge Guard, and Dr. Peachbody.
  • The Chessmaster: Gothwrain; Dreadwing; Ancient Gina
  • Clark Kenting: Agency Zero, especially Agent M, formerly the most recognizable hero on Earth. Pinky & The Cheets.
  • Cloning Blues: Averted. Brianna is a fusion of Brittany and Gina, magically brought to life by a curse, and Charlotte was a bio-engineered "harpy" created as a disposable weapon by a villain. Both have been treated as full characters in their own right from their very first appearances.
    • Brianna still had concerns about this for a long time, though. Charlotte ...not so much.
  • The Commies Made Me Do It: Crush; although somewhat justifiable, she notably refused a Get Out of Jail Free Card and chose to do the time for the crimes she committed, proving she did have moral fiber.
  • Creepy Twins: Montara; they are also Half-Identical Twins.
  • Cute Machines: The Peebos
  • Cute Monster Girl: Just about everybody, even the males; Crescens was when she was young, but is now kind of Nightmare Fuel.
  • Dark Action Girl: numerous including Link and Zelda, two of Talon's employees.
    • G'Nolga, Julia Digger's archrival in Jade.
  • Dark-Skinned Redhead: Xane
  • Dark-Skinned Blond: The human forms for both Britanny "Cheetah" 'Gia and her daughter Tifanny.
  • Demon Head: Theodore's "Flaming Skull Bit."
  • Distracted By the Sexy: Pretty much the entire cast is guilty of this one, but Gina takes the cake: in Issue 105, she and a male colleague nearly destroyed the world by daydreaming about each others' naughty bits instead of the Doomsday Device they were supposed to be disarming.
  • Expy: Aljabra Gihom, an expy of Fred's "Level UP!" Mithra character Calcula Mihgo—herself a Captain Ersatz version of Osaka from Azumanga Daioh.
  • Evil Twin: Brianna and Madrid
    • With a shot of Fridge Brilliance: Madrid's current persona allows the author to write either solo "Gina" stories about Madrid the explorer with Dao and Subtracto, or ensemble "Gina" stories about Gina the professor with her students and family.
  • Face Heel Turn: A magical mishap turns Theo's father Jonathan into the evil Lich King.
  • Fake Crossover: The series really skirts the line of this, such as when Gina mentions receiving a computer book from a girl with a weird uncle. Mind you the girl in question eventually became a full-fledged character).
  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink
  • Feminist Fantasy: Probably one of the most tolerant and evenhanded comics around. The female characters are smart, capable, funny, goofy, distinctive, well-rounded, and memorable, in a diverse and amusing manner reminiscent of Tenchi Muyo or Urusei Yatsura, and avoid the bland and forced "Strong Female Characters" pitfalls. Fred makes a continuous effort to represent different body types and give female readers evenhanded "beefcake" treatment.
  • Flying Brick: Agent M
  • French Maid: Link is an Amazonian Beauty who wears rather ... undersized french maid outfits on missions.
  • Fun Personified: The series as a whole.
  • Future Badass: "Ancient Gina", apparently Madrid-Gina's future self sent back in time to take The Slow Path to the present. Also "Charles" and "Prof. Cee", Charlotte's alterfuture selves.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Gina and many others
  • Gambit Roulette: Gothwrain's plan to break free of his enslavement; Dreadwing's plan to take power from Ancient Gina; and Ancient Gina's plan to save the universe, which includes the other 2 roulettes.
  • Gender Bender: A male character drank a potion specifically designed for women. Guess what happened.
  • Girls Behind Bars: Gold Digger #82
  • God Save Us From the Queen: Natasha, ruler of the undead, who would rather let her kingdom be wiped out than be humiliated by a higher power.
  • Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: A lot of elderly characters certainly age gracefully, despite all the action they go through, including Gina herself.
  • Half-Human Hybrid
  • Heel Realization: Madrid has a moment of clarity when she realizes that her Chronic Backstabbing Disorder needlessly ruined a chance to escape capture and imprisonment.
  • Heel Face Turn: Redemption is a major running theme in this comic. Many of Gina and Britanny's enemies become their best friends and allies. Mesha, Tark, Brianna, Penny, Charlotte, Jetta...Pee Wee, Madrid, Lich King...
  • Hive Mind: Array is a variant; each duplicate of herself she creates has an independent personality which returns to her mind when she reassimilates her body. However, they all share the same general goals.
  • Hot Amazon: many, including actual Amazons.
  • Hot Librarian: Kahn, librarian of the Library of Time.
  • Hot Mom: Julia later Brittany
  • Hot Scientist: Gina and Penny.
  • Humanity Ensues: Fauntleroy is a dragon cursed to stay in human form. When he finally finds the MacGuffin he needs to return to dragon form, he decides to wait and see if there's more he can learn from being human.
  • I Was Quite a Looker: Grammy Brunhildagarde
  • Infant Immortality: Dr. Diggers tried his best to disarm the werewolf leader, but in the end the only werecheetah left to save was baby Britanny.
  • Ki Attacks: Several of the martial artists, especially the ninjas, and Ryan Tabbot.
  • Killer Rabbit —er, Wabbit.
  • Kudzu Plot: A pretty bad case, highlighted by the fact that the websites hawking the comic often contain cover previews and summaries for upcoming issues… but then Fred gets an itch to go growing the plot in some other direction entirely, and the previewed issues often have completely different covers and subjects, with the original plots dropped to be completed off-camera, if that.
    • Lately, however, a good portion of those storylines have begun to be tied together to the Myth Arc. (See below.)
  • Lawyer-Friendly Cameo
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Team Noob, ridiculously over-armed leprechauns with no idea where they are, what they are doing, what their mission is, how to operate their equipment, or how to not blow themselves up in 5 seconds, but using binoculars and bazookas backwards hasn't slowed down their enthusiasm yet. The GD Tangent Web Comic has a similar setup as the Trope Namer, with a Shout Out as well.
  • Leprechauns: WITH TANKS AND MECHA!!
  • Load-Bearing Boss: Invoked after Julia's fight with Serpentus, in which she uses magic-proof Dwarven chains to tie him to the room in such a way that ten tons of rock will fall on him if he isn't untangled very, very carefully.
  • Lions and Tigers And Humans Oh My: Mostly whenever the story takes place on Jade, as many anthropomorphic characters co-exist with other humans or humanoid species in that dimension. On Earth, they usually work under a masquerade, save for a few special places around the globe.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters: …and loads. There's a tie-in comic with one-to-three page write-ups on the characters that have appeared in the series. There have been 23 issues published so far (though only the first 17 are on the characters; the rest focus on locations). The first 17 issues of this Guide to the GD Universe have now been collected into a two-inch-thick tome.
  • Lovable Sex Maniac: Britanny (until her marriage), and Gina. Ironically, the latter used to be a Geeky Shrinking Violet, until her more outgoing sister Britanny had enough of her reclusive attitude and, to make a long story short, broke her out of her box. The result? Gina became "boy-crazy" by "boy-crazy extraordinaire" Britanny's personal standards. The latter doesn't know whether or not she should regret "helping" her sister.

 Britanny: You've gotta be joking!!! You're gorgeous! Look at you! Look at these! <HOIST>

Gina: Eek! (Narrating): "I remember thinking: 'Jinkies! Where did those come from'?"

Britanny: Do you know how many gals would kill for a nice, firm set like yours??? What man wouldn't fall all over himself just to get to talk to you? From now on, when you think of guys, think of broad, masculine chests...! (Gina looks "bewildered") Strong, handsome buns!! Hard, rugged muscles...! (A small smile graces Gina's lips)And all of the warm, yummy things you can do with them...! (Gina's face breaks into a full-blown, "Uh-oh"-worthy Cheshire Cat Grin.)

Brianna (narrating): I remember a sharp change in Gina's attitude toward men that moment. (And her being boy-crazy ever since.)

  Gina: Oogh... Mental note: Marathon sessions at "TV Tropes" and "Know Your Meme" are not conducive to proper sleep!

  • Valley Girl: Moisha, like, totally!
  • Xanatos Speed Chess: Dreadwing and Ancient Gina are playing a rather slow version of this via their own competing versions of Infinity.
  • Web Comics: The "Ayane" and "Northern Edge" Tangent webcomics; both are currently on hiatus. Also, "Level UP!", a Final Fantasy XI webcomic by the same author.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Ancient Gina's "Millenium Pimp Slap", one of a class of spells of legendary power, warps space and time to open a portal behind the target—to let the caster slap him upside the head. It requires such nigh-infinite power to execute that it causes EVERY MAGE IN THE SERIES to sense a disturbance in the Force!
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Frequently averted. For instance, Brianna, the lab accident composite clone trying to kill the Diggers sisters, now their gung-ho sister. Or Charlotte, the instant-grown harpy girl accidentally freed from the control of the time-travelling dog who fired her at our heroes, now co-headliner of a WAFFy spinoff.
  • With Great Power Comes Great Insanity
  • The Worf Effect: Stripe. Just...Stripe. Despite a massive-power up halfway through the B&W series making him one of the two most powerful good guys, he is infamous for being hit by surprise, dropping his guard, and so on. Outside his first battles post-power up, it's rare he doesn't end up knocked out at least for a while during a fight. No wonder Agent M thought he needed training despite his skill and strength.
    • Fortunately, now that he's not adventuring in areas where he's forced to team up with everyone else, he can fight a bit more.
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