Thunderstruck
A web comic where All Myths Are True. Wonderfully integrates magic, science, and religion in a modern setting. Tells the story of two sisters with recently discovered magical powers heading to New Orleans to learn about their origins. Gail is an athletic, katana-wielding Action Girl. Sharon is a lightning shooting former paraplegic.
Pits the magical Knight Templar organization Vigil against the machinations of the witch and Magnificent Bastard Bella Brouchard, with the two sisters caught in between. Trying to save them and avert calamity are detective and magician Saxony Canterbury and his half-Kitsune partner Hayaka.
Was an Orphaned Series for a while starting in September 21, 2009, as artist Grayson Towler has decided to concentrate on his professional works, but it was revived and as of July 2020 is still active.
It can be read here.
- All Myths Are True: So far we've had demons from India, biblical characters, Lovecraftian monstrosities, and more...often in the same person.
- Subverted, however, in that they're not quite the versions we know of. For example, Ragnarok already happened (this we learn from a six-foot-tall dwarf), and the Scripture is said to be less than accurate.
- Badass Normal: Grandma Stella Wincott, dad Aaron Curmen. The only normal characters to speak of.
- Stella isn't quite so normal anymore
- For that matter, Aaron never was normal to start with
- I count three subversions rapid here
- Stella was a Badass Normal prior to comic 585, though Aaron apparently never was normal he thought he was and therefor couldn't use his powers.
- For that matter, Aaron never was normal to start with
- Stella isn't quite so normal anymore
- Badass Abnormal: Stella Wincott
- Badass Preacher: Gail, sort of. Not really a preacher, but when she starts praying out loud, epic things are about to go down.
- Barehanded Blade Block. Justified: performed on a practice sword by an extraordinarily competent and superhuman fighter.
- Bi the Way: Sharon
- Biblical Bad Guy: Bella's henchman Jude, formerly known as Judas Iscariot.
- Chekhov's Gun: The baseball Gail hits out of the park and Saxony later picks up. Used to steal Hayaka's white sphere back from the Perivigilum.
- Cool Gate
- Figure It Out Yourself: The Shackled Man (Justified since his ability to predict the future is inversely proportional to how much he involves himself)
- Filk Song: "The Moron" ("The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers)
- Foreshadowing
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Lily Curmen: Just be careful! My mother's apt to start running the place if you don't watch out! |
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- Aaron Curmen talking about how magical types can forget their magical nature and become ordinary humans like him.
- Also:
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Saxony (Regarding Brouchard: Tomorrow, she may wish she didn't have a head. |
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- Forgot the Call: Is a hazard for people with magic, called 'disappearing'.
- Aaron Curmen is the most extreme example. This is also our introduction to Psyche.
- Good Is Not Soft: Saxony. Just about everyone else in the comic would probably describe themselves this way, but YMMV.
- Well, when we first meet Saxony get a scene to show us now not-soft he is.
- Holier Than Thou: The comic covers almost the whole spectrum of religious attitudes, and none of them turn out to be evil (flawed, yes, but not out-right evil, Grandma's actions notwithstanding, and the jury is still out on the God-hating Bella Brouchard)
- Hollywood Atheist: Notably averted by Sharon.
- Impossible Thief: With Saxony it really is magic!
- Incendiary Exponent: A variation, instead of being on fire Sharon does things while crackling with electricity after being struck by lightning!
- Lightning Can Do Anything: Sharon Curmen.
- Living Lie Detector: Gail Curmen.
- Magicians Are Wizards: Saxony Canterbury.
- Missing Floor
- Never Mess with Granny: The girls' grandmother, Stella "tough-as-an-iron-battleship" Wincott.
- No Such Thing as Wizard Jesus: Subverted
- Our Vampires Are Different
- Reality Subtext: When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the writer originally planned to ignore it since the story was not set at a specific time. He later wrote it in as a significant plot point.
- Ribcage Ridge
- Shout-Out: Sharon likes to tell stories. Subversive ones, usually.
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- Also, one of the stories Sharon tells about her miraculous healing is that "you would be amazed at how many health problems can be cured by the strategic use of small explosive charges". The person she is speaking to bears quite a resemblance to Riff.
- Something Only They Would Say: That song.
- Weirdness Censor: Muggles can see and interact with magical events, but tend to overlook them, take them for mundane, and/or suppress the memory.