History ComicBook / AshesAshes

''Ashes, Ashes'' (French: ''Ravage'') is a Post-Apocalyptic [[FrancoBelgianComics French graphic novel]] by Jean-David Morvan. First published in 2021, the series is an adaptation of a 1943 novel of the same name by René Barjavel, which is cited as one of the top-100 most influential Francophone novels written.

* DwindlingParty: Of the original group that joined Francois and Blanche in escaping Paris, only a small handful make it to Provence.

* LuddWasRight: Averted. From the very beginning, Francois is shown to have a disdain for advanced technology and the modern world, which he blames for robbing humanity of its purity and drive. What's initially shown as simply a longing for [[GoodOldWays the rural traditionalism of his home village]] and discomfort over the apparent shallowness of futuristic Paris, however, devolves over time into the Patriarch's [[EvilLuddite nigh-maniacal obsession]] with keeping society perpetually in medieval standards, which is only causing more suffering.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Francois early on expresses admiration for the Age of Enlightenment as the "ideal" era for humanity to hearken back to, away from the decadence of modernity. Over a century later, this has devolved into ruthlessly enforcing a status quo that's outright medieval out of the belief that it would keep mankind pure.

* YouCannotKillAnIdea: What ultimately brings the Patriarch [[BerserkButton to the edge]] isn't just that his enemies were protecting a dangerous object [[spoiler:a steam engine, but that the one who made it didn't rely on old world material but simple observation and intuition. The realization that humanity ''will'' find a way to rediscover what had been lost is one that he cannot accept.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Few would suspect that a young graduate named Francois Deschamps would one day become the Patriarch, a feared visionary lording over the post-apocalyptic wastes.

* {{Hypocrite}}: For the all the Patriarch's grandstanding about the evils of modern civilization and advanced technology, he nonetheless uses a nanomachine-infused serum to not only keep himself alive far longer than is natural, but also augment his strength to nigh-superhuman levels. He's also not afraid to arm his loyal warriors with scavenged modern body armor and scope-mounted crossbows, [[LoopholeAbuse since they're not technically considered heretical]].

* LuddWasRight: From the very beginning, Francois is shown to have a disdain for advanced technology and the modern world, which he blames for robbing humanity of its purity and drive. What's initially shown as simply a longing for [[GoodOldWays the rural traditionalism of his home village]], however, devolves into the Patriarch's nigh-maniacal obsession with keeping society perpetually in medieval standards, which is only causing more suffering.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Much of Francois ideas, especially as he becomes the Patriarch, can come across as the mantra ''Travail, famille, patrie'' being taken to their (il)logical conclusion. This is carried over from the original Barjavel novel, which was written under the auspices of the Vichy regime.

* YeGoodeOldeDays: The Patriarch's medieval rule tries to give this impression, as conceptually it is giving humanity back its vigor and purity, free of the corrupting influences of the modern world. ''In practice'', however, it's also shown to be a dreary existence, where only the strong thrive and everyone else can barely survive into the next day.

''Ashes, Ashes'' is a Post-Apocalyptic [[FrancoBelgianComics French graphic novel]] by Jean-David Morvan. First published in 2021, the series is an adaptation of a 1943 novel of the same name by René Barjavel, which is cited as one of the top-100 most influential Francophone novels written.

* {{Hypocrite}}: For the all the Patriarch's grandstanding about the evils of modern civilization and advanced technology, he nonetheless uses a nanomachine-infused serum to not only keep himself alive far longer than is natural, but augment his strength to nigh-superhuman levels.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Dr. Fauque, Francois' mentor and his party's resident medic, serves as a moderating influence until dying during the trip south from Paris.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Francois Deschamps, whether as a young man or as the Patriarch, consistently believes that he's doing what is best for mankind by abandoning the weakness enabled by technological civilization. Whether others agree with him or not.

* CozyCatastrophe: Averted in the flashback. Any semblance of civil order in Paris all but crumbles within a few days of the solar flare. While even in the comparatively unharmed French countryside, society is shown to have largely broken down, as roving gangs haunt the highways and once-picturesque towns with utter abandon. One notable exception, however, is Francois' ancestral village in Provence, and even ''that'' required a lot of sacrifice.
* FuturePrimitive: As the Patriarch, Francois forges a civilization greatly resembling Dark Ages Europe. He ruthlessly enforces this by destroying not only any traces of advanced technology he could find, but also books and any shred of knowledge from the old world, believing that they would bring back the decadence and corruption of old.

* {{Hypocrite}}: For the all the Patriarch's grandstanding about the evils of modern civilization and advanced technology, he nonetheless uses nanomachine-infused injections to keep himself alive far longer than is natural.

''Ashes, Ashes'' is a Post-Apocalyptic French graphic novel by Jean-David Morvan. First published in 2021, the series is an adaptation of a 1943 novel of the same name by René Barjavel, which is cited as one of the top-100 most influential Francophone novels written.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Francois early on expresses admiration for the Age of Enlightenment as the "ideal" era for humanity to hearken back to, away from the decadence of modernity. Over a century later, this has devolved into ruthlessly enforcing nigh-medieval standards out of the belief that it would keep mankind pure.

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