History Webcomic / NextTownOver

The webcomic updates every Saturday. The first page is [[http://squidbunnies.com/nto/?p=4 here]], and the latest is [[http://www.nexttownover.net/ here]].

* Bittersweet Ending: Heavy on the bitter light on the sweet. [[spoiler: with the aid of Coyote and all of the spell ingredients he has acquired over the comic Hunter is able to properly resurrect Vane; but dies of his injuries not long after. Vane is then mortally wounded not long after by the remains of the vengeful posy comprised of all the people Vane and Hunter have wronged over the course of the comic. Vane kills Mark, Eli, and with Flint's help Inspector DeFoix, and Coyote and Cyclondance kill Professor Crawford by sumoning an Eagle spirit with the Philosopher stone Hunter created. The sweetness comes from the fact that Cyclonedance and Stone-Hears-Nothing survive and recover the stone; and Vane and Hunter are reunited in death and seen waving goodbye to Cyclonedance before embracing.]]

* "EverybodyDies"Ending: [[spoiler: by the End of the series Stone-Hears-Nothing, Cyclonedance, Ms.Dauterive, and Flint are the only major named characters who survive the final climatic battle at The Tumbling JHH Ranch. Vane, Hunter, and all the people they've wronged die violent deaths in a bloody and explosive gun battle.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Gears, Glyphs, Guns and Ghosts....From [[http://squidbunny.deviantart.com/ Erin Mehlos']] [[http://squidbunny.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d2waats deviantArt]] [[http://squidbunny.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3c5kkm account]].]]

''[[http://www.nexttownover.net/ Next Town Over]]'' is a weekly GaslampFantasy western webcomic by Erin Mehlos.

* NiceHat: They're part of Erin Mehlos' SignatureStyle, so it's natural that she would choose to tell a story in the Wild West, where nice hats abound.

As they battle across the frontier, they take advantage of every object, person, or animal which might help them to achieve their goals. And neither of them seems to care much about the collateral damage they cause during their confrontations. This is ''not'' a good thing for the other inhabitants of TheWildWest. (See TitleDrop below)

* AntiHero: Vane is one [[UnscrupulousHero ruthless]] heroine, if not an outright VillainProtagonist, given how so far she's caused more death and devastation than good in her quest to kill Hunter.

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's. [[spoiler: Over the course of ''many'' flashbacks, we're shown that Vane was killed by a failed violet feaver vaccine of her own design - only for Hunter to bind a fire spirit to her body as she died, causing her to resurrect in fiery splendour.]]

* BadassLongcoat: Hunter.
* TheBlacksmith
* BloodMagic: Brother Matteo in Villa Dolorosa uses blood magic to heal Hunter after a fight with Vane. [[spoiler: the Reverend Mother Harker uses his magic to attempt to exorcise Vane unleashing the fire spirit bound to her body.]]

* CoolHorse: Diamonds.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The flashback panels and "Genevieve".

* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: Mother Harker keeps several books on evil magic under the logic that if the Devil can use the scriptures for evil then they can use his scriptures for good. [[spoiler: ends up backfiring when her knowledge of forbidden magic unleashes the fire spirit contained in Vane.]]

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Bordering strongly on EvilVersusEvil. Vane is a borderline VillainProtagonist with ruthless tendencies and committing many morally questionable actions: gradually turning her faithful steed into a mechanical abomination to [[spoiler:shooting a boy and his dog, killing a young woman trying to protect Hunter, and possibly killing and disecting her own patients to learn how to cure Hunter’s paralysis]], while Hunter is a reckless thief with little concern for collateral damage or human lives [[spoiler: and killed prostitutes in archane experiments to learn how to ressurect Vane]]. At the same time, though, both are given sympathetic attributes, and their conflict is definitely not at all simple.
* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Though we don’t see much of the conflict between the Empire and the Republic the Empire is implied to be intolerant of magic users, slandering them as witches while the Republic is much more tolerant of magic users. [[spoiler: somewhat subverted as the Republic is encroaching on the Suntouched who used their magic to help the Republic gain its independence.]]
* HarmfulHealing: In Wayward it is revealed [[spoiler: that Vane was working on a vaccine for Violet Fever. However the strain intended to immunive the body to the disease turned out to be worse than the disease itself. Vane tested this strain on herself and it eventually killed her.]]

* IronicEcho: On page 17 of Wayward Hunter justifies [[spoiler: killing and experimenting on prostitues to ressurect Vane]] by saying “I’d’ve done anything for you.” This is revealed to have been an itonic echo when we learn in a flash back [[spoiler: Vane said the exact same thing to justify killing and disecting her own patients to discover how to repair Hunter’s paralysis]]

* MadeOfIron: Vane certainly qualifies. So does her horse, Diamonds, [[spoiler:in an increasingly literal sense, too.]] And Hunter seems to have shades of this, too.

* MasochismTango: [[spoiler: It gradually emerges that Vane and Hunter used to be romantically involved, and still have... ''feelings'' of a sort for each other. Vane in particular has very violent ways of expressing them.]]

* PlotIncitingInfidelity: [[spoiler: Hunter cheating on Vane led to argument that left Hunter paralyzed.]]

** In Alex Ivanova of Webcomic/TheSwordInterval makes a Caneo as a bounty hunter in Fort Fairbanks.
* SoulJar: In Short End Vane speculates that the source of Hunter’s seeming invulnerability is that he has stored his soul somewhere outside of his body but on his person.

* TitleDrop: "I feel sorry for the sonsabitches in the next town over" -- said by a sheriff, standing before a burning saloon, watching Vane chase Hunter out of town. [[http://squidbunnies.com/nto/?p=133 Page 18]], hence referring to the main theme and conflict
* Upgrade Artifact: Hunter’s magical powers manifested after Vane removed and replaced his spine with a steel one in order to restore his mobility after accidentally paralyzing him during a heated argument.

* WomanScorned: Vane [[spoiler: witnessed Hunter cheating on her with another women, leading to an argument between the two of them where Vane struck Hunter with the arm of her MiniMecha leaving him paralyzed. After Hunter resurrects Vane using his fire magic she is filled with rage by the knowledge of how he resurrected her that she vows to kill him.]]

* TricksterGod: Coyote is certainly in line with his characterization as a trickster god. He stole spirit fire from the gods and lent it to the Suntouched, [[spoiler: and he is also the source of Hunter’s fire magic. Who is then granted the spirit fire by Coyote at the end of The Chimney]]

* BulletCatch: Hunter can [[http://www.nexttownover.net/?p=2015 pull one off]].
* TheBlacksmith

* PlotInducingInfidelity: [[spoiler: Hunter cheating on Vane led to argument that left Hunter paralyzed.]]

* MagicalNativeAmericans: The Sun Touched are coded after various Native American Nations of the Western United States. Likewise they were gifted their “spirit fire” by the trickster god Coyote.

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's. [[spoiler: Over the course of ''many'' flashbacks, we're shown that Vane was killed by a failed yellow feaver vaccine of her own design - only for Hunter to bind a fire spirit to her body as she died, causing her to resurrect in fiery splendour.]]

* HarmfulHealing: In Wayward it is revealed [[spoiler: that Vane was working on a vaccine for Yellow Fever. However the strain intended to immunive the body to the disease turned out to be worse than the disease itself. Vane tested this strain on herself and it eventually killed her.]]

* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: Though we don’t see much of the conflict between the Empire and the Republic the Empire is implied to be intolerant of magic users, slandering them as witches while the Republic is much more tolerant of magic users. [[Spoiler: somewhat subverted as the Republic is encroaching on the Suntouched who used their magic to help the Republic gain its independence.]]
* Harmful Healing: In Wayward it is revealed [[that Vane was working on a vaccine for Yellow Fever. However the strain intended to immunive the body to the disease turned out to be worse than the disease itself. Vane tested this strain on herself and it eventually killed her.]]

** [[spoiler: Or "shoot the innocent girl who was flirting with your former husband when she tries to defend him from you".]]

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's. [[spoiler: Over the course of ''many'' flashbacks, we're shown that Vane had some form of debilitating sickness (strongly implied to be a failed Yellow Fever vaccine), that gradually got worse until it killed her - only for Hunter to bind a fire spirit to her body as she died, causing her to resurrect in fiery splendour.]]

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's. [[spoiler: Over the course of ''many'' flashbacks, we're shown that Vane had some form of debilitating sickness, that gradually got worse until it killed her - only for Hunter to perform some ritual as she died, causing her to resurrect in fiery splendour.]]

* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler: Hunter did... ''something'' to Vane that caused her to rise from the dead as a fiery, burning being.]]

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Bordering strongly on EvilVersusEvil. Vane is a borderline VillainProtagonist with ruthless tendencies and committing many morally questionable actions (ranging from gradually turning her faithful steed into a mechanical abomination to [[spoiler:shooting a boy and his dog and a young woman trying to protect Hunter]]), while Hunter is a reckless thief with little concern for collateral damage or human lives [[spoiler: and apparently was a serial killer targeting prostitutes in the past]]. At the same time, though, both are given sympathetic attributes, and their conflict is definitely not at all simple.

* DealWithTheDevil: In the side story "Genevieve", an author trades his soul, one third at a time, for a pen that he will never lose, a light that never goes out, and a limitless supply of ink. Why? Well, he views completing his work as much more important than anything as trifling as a soul, plus, he is a young man, and the price will not come due until after he dies. He finishes justifying this with a line that actually stuns the EldritchAbomination he is making the deal with: [[CompletelyMissingThePoint When I am dead, what use will I have for a soul, anyhow?]]

* ManInWhite: Hunter. Vane is easily able to locate him simply from hearing descriptions of his fancy dress.

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's. [[spoiler: Over the course of ''many'' flashbacks, were shown that Vane had some form of debilitating sickness, that gradually got worse until it killed her - only for Hunter to perform some ritual as she died, causing her to resurrect in fiery splendour,.]]

* ShoutOut: One character takes on the appearance of Lee Van Cleef's character from ''ForAFewDollarsMore'', down to the pocket watch. As a bonus that movie also had revenge as a prominent theme.

* FoeYay: Hunter and Vane's current relationship is positively made of the stuff, especially on Hunter's side. He still loves the woman Vane used to be, but isn't willing to just let her kill him.

* BackFromTheDead: Who or ''whatever'' burst out of that coffin in the first few pages, her build looks suspiciously like Vane's.

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Bordering strongly on EvilVersusEvil. Vane is a borderline VillainProtagonist with ruthless tendencies and comitting many morally questionable actions (ranging from gradually turning her faithful steed into a mechanical abomination to [[spoiler:shooting a boy and his dog]]), while Hunter is a reckless thief with little concern for collateral damage or human lives. At the same time, though, both are given sympathetic attributes, and their conflict is definitely not at all simple.

* TitleDrop: "I feel sorry for the sonsabitches in the next town over" -- said by a sherriff, standing before a burning saloon, watching Vane chase Hunter out of town. [[http://squidbunnies.com/nto/?p=133 Page 18]], hence referring to the main theme and conflict
* VictorianNovelDisease: At least one character suspects Vane's got one of these.

* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:more like "shoot the dog and also a small child to make a point about how cold you've become"]]