The Meek

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
"Find the center, the lost one will know the way. A woman who cries but sheds no tears, and a man who hates in the name of love."

The Meek is a graphic novel about Angora, an inexperienced young girl who has been sent on a quest to save the world. War looms on the horizon, and at its helm is Luca DeSadar, the Emperor of the North, and his hellish adviser. The two countries are overwhelmed with as much terror, crime, disease and revolution as they are with those who wish to create peace. Armed with only her instincts and an unexplainable power, she must experience and judge the world and decide once and for all if it is truly worth saving.

Readers take warning, the first chapter is definitely Not Safe for Work. You know, cause she's naked for most of it.

Tropes used in The Meek include:
  • Accidental Pun: See Curse Cut Short.
  • All There in the Manual:
    • The Meekipedia provides loads of background information on the setting, characters and different cultures.
    • The comic's DeviantART gallery contains several sketches, including those of characters who won't be appearing for a few chapters.
  • Ass in Ambassador: Tesa, though it bites her in the ass in the next page. Her companion Lethy on the other hand seems to be much better at it.
  • Attempted Rape: The very first scene features Angora dashing naked through the woods, pursued by three men who haven't "seen one woman...for months," and are "not losing this one." She's saved by her own running skills and the interference of an angry drunk. Worth noting is that Angora appears to have no idea what they wanted to do to her.
  • Author Appeal: The author admits to liking sideburns and gloves, Pinter has sideburns while Luca happens to have both. The author is also a trained biologist, and though not blatant this knowledge does show up in the comic.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: Luca, who earlier in life qualified for Asskicking Equals Authority, and Amen.
  • Background Halo: The cover of the first chapter.
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: Pretty much averted in the first chapter, but Angora's showing signs of it in the fourth.
  • Banana Republic: The Northern Territories ruled by Emperor Luca seem to have aspects of this, including background information that he dissolved the cabinet and essentially became a dictator.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: Luca and Phe started out like this (it's stated in the Wiki that they didn't get along too well when they first met) and even after about two decades of marriage still have a bit of this, including fairly frequent arguments that involve things getting thrown. They do however deeply and sincerely love each other and always make up.
  • Berserk Button
    • Don't spill any of Pinter's booze.
    • Or badmouth Angora's hair.
    • Or tell Luca the Carissi aren't enemies.
    • Or tell Soli she doesn't understand sacrifice.
  • Bifauxnen: Soli. Lethy, too.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Pinter towards Angora. Yes, he finds her irritating, but it's obvious he's protective of her, especially when would-be rapist Kiz is around.
  • Brick Joke: The wen in the first page of chapter one appears again at the end of the chapter, and he finally got his fruit.
  • By The Book Officer: Amen
  • Cast of Snowflakes: As testament to the skill of the artist, despite the relatively simple art style no two characters look exactly alike.
  • Cerebus Syndrome: The first chapter is pretty lighthearted for the most part, but Chapters 2 and 3 certainly aren't following suit.
  • Closed Door Rapport: Phe locks her husband Luca out of their bedroom after a heated argument got out of hand and gives him an ultimatum; he can have his revenge, or her, but not both. It's not until Luca apologises does Phe open the door and drag him inside for make-up sex.
  • Cradle of Loneliness: Luca cradles his wife's body for an extended period of time after her death here.
  • Cryptic Conversation: Cryptic inner monolouge, technically. Although, if if you keep an eye out, you may be able to find some answers.
  • Curse Cut Short:

Alamand: It's hotter than a donkey's buttho--
Soli: Alamand.
Alamand: --out there.

    • Earlier:

Pinter: What the h-
Angora: Hello!

Pinter: You can start by putting on a shirt like a god-damned normal, modest, respectable, civilized, sane, normal person!
Angora: You said "normal" twice!

  • Divine Chessboard
  • Domestic Abuse: Although it's well known that Luca and Phe fight and then make up, the arrival of the ambassadors causes Luca to cross the line. Der-Shing outright says that their relationship is unhealthy and dysfunctional on many levels. And yet, they're Happily Married with bouts of great make-up sex and plenty of Crowning Moments of Heartwarming between them.
  • Dropped a Bridget On Him: Soli to Amen.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Amen, if the reader's responses to his introduction are anything to go by.
  • Exact Eavesdropping: Rana eavesdropping on her parents gives the reader backstory on Luca and the current political climate.
  • Eyepatch of Power: The boss of Tyros wears one, which seems to cover his missing left eye.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Somewhat averted, the three ethnicities aren't like any found on earth, but the Pasori are kind of like very militant Finno-Ugric people and the Carissi have a Byzantium vibe to their architecture.
  • Foot Focus: Both Angora, a girl, and Alamand, a guy, are portrayed barefoot, and both of them (especially Angora) get close-up shots.
  • Foreign Cuss Word: When Luca gets mad, he reverts to his native language of Basori, the insults of which are apparently quite colorful. The author won't say exactly what he's saying, but it's easy enough to fill in the blank.
  • Foreshadowing: "You can have your revenge, Luca, or you can have me. But you won't have both." As one commenter put it after page 33 of chapter 2, "Well, that solves that problem".
  • Fourth Wall Mail Slot: Soli has been known to chat with the readers.
  • Freak-Out: Luca after Phe is killed.
  • Grey and Gray Morality: You know you have a complex plot when a dictator who silences dissidents is the only person holding the morally correct position in the aftermath of a war.
  • Groin Attack: Happens to Kiz. He deserved it, though.
  • Hair Colors: Although it's a fantasy comic, everyone has natural hair colors- with one obvious exception. Angora has green hair, but this is not considered normal. It's been described as both green and mossy, and it apparently blooms. Flashbacks show it to have originally been a normal colour (brown).
  • Heroic Sacrifice: The kid boss of the Tyros trade network is shot at the heart while trying to get the kids to escape from soldiers.
  • Hope Spot: The comic where it briefly looks like Luca won't go on a murderous rampage after Phe's death.
  • Hypocritical Humor:
    • Pinter berates Angora for not respecting his personal space. Her response? Getting right into his face and screaming, "Yes I do!"
    • Later on Luca insists to his wife Phe that he doesn't need her help, only to need her help fastening his jacket. Supplemental material says that several of his fingers were broken in the past (hence why the appear purple), so it's possible that he really can't do it himself.
  • Inelegant Blubbering: "Next time you’re at a dinner party at which you are accused of murdering the host’s wife, remember to wear waterproof mascara! Rookie error." Really, Tessa's face in the third panel is almost enough to balance the Oh Crap feeling one gets from the last panel. Almost.
  • Innocent Fanservice Girl: Angora is the new poster-girl for this trope, having summed up the entire trope in one elegant quote. She arrives in the comic nude, sees no need to dress, and is downright confused when people ask her about it. She does put on a pair of pants (and only pants) at the end of the first chapter, which Word of God says is an allegory for her losing her innocence during her trip. Interestingly, Angora lived in a commune called "The Monastery," a sort of druidic community deep in the jungle, however, they did not encourage (nor share in) her nudism.
  • I Resemble That Remark: See Hypocritical Humor above.
  • It Got Worse: Much worse. Also, Luca's life in general is a case of It Got Worse.
  • Kid Sidekick: Alamand appears to be this for Soli.
  • Killed Off for Real: Phe.
  • Laughing Mad: Luca, when Phe is dead. A much weaker, possibly mocking version comes from offscreen shortly afterward courtesy of the Dagre . What shows someone losing it better than Dissonant Laughter?
  • Literary Allusion Title: To the Bible: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)
  • Little No: Luca, and the context is one hell of a Tear Jerker.

"Oh no. No. No. No."

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/The_Meek?oldid=1851604"