All New Issues
was a Slice of Life comic written by Bill Ellis and Dani O'Brien, about a guy who runs a comic shop, his friends, and the strange relationship issues they endure.
Due to personal and professional complications, the comic went on hiatus on April 28, 2014. The tentative return date was September 20th, 2015, but as of September 2020, the original website only connects to a generic hosting-service screen.
This comic has examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Truth: Although Karen gets a lot of material for her blog from recording the shenanigans of the cast, she often finds herself inventing stories for page hits (and also to make sure the cast doesn't know she's profiting off of their real life drama). At one point, she invents a story about the Robyn and Todd analogues having sex with each other, because there was no way that could ever happen.
- The Alcoholic: Robyn tends to resort to drinking when dealing with emotional problems. Which is fairly often, given the nature of the comic. Ironically, she seems to drink less once she gets a job as a bartender.
- Amicable Exes: Desiree and Todd. Well, eventually.
- Ascended Extra: Karen was originally just a one-off character for the intro arc of the comic. She comes back later and becomes an important character in her own right.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Jason and Molly are pretty bad at actually talking to each other, so they wind up having multiple fights, almost always ending the same way.
- Blind Date: Robyn is invited on a blind double-date with Jason, Molly and Molly's friend Brad. Robyn intends to skip out until she sees Brad.
- Brick Joke: When Jason tells Robyn that he "hit it off" with Molly five times after their first date, he holds up his hand for a high five... and Robyn leaves him hanging. Later, he tells the same thing to Gavin, and gets his long-awaited congratulations."And that's how you're supposed to do it!"
- Later turned against him by Robyn herself.
- Also, the holy water bottle reappears every once in a while.
- When Todd first pitches the Lobster Boy celebration idea, he mentions getting carolers to sing at the event. So guess what happens when Jason stops paying attention to what Todd is doing?
- Later turned against him by Robyn herself.
- Chekhov's Gun: The holy water spritzer.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: Karen wears one as she finds her new topic for her blog.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Todd becomes convinced that the reason the trades keep winding up out of order is because the store is haunted by poltergeists. So he steals holy water from a church and attempts to exorcise the comic shop.
- He also fails to notice that his girlfriend had broken up with him for two months, because he was busy playing a video game.
- Cluster F-Bomb: What happens when Jason is asked to give a Career Day presentation about running a comic shop to a bunch of grade school kids. Despite being the teacher of the class, Desiree doesn't seem to mind.
- Cuteness Proximity: Even Jason isn't immune to Selena the cat.
- Crossover: Robyn is the cousin of Hazel from Girls with Slingshots.
- The Cynic: Jason.
- Deadpan Snarker: Jason is the biggest offender, but almost everyone is at least a little snarky.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Jason is so distracted, in fact, that he doesn't notice that Todd has gone against his orders to throw a Lobster Boy event right under his nose.
- After a while, Jason begins to realize his relationship with Molly isn't working, and considers dumping her. The thought is interrupted when he comes back to his apartment with Molly in lingerie.
- Drowning His Sorrows: The first time we meet Robyn, she's just been laid off and has come by to raid Jason's liquor cabinet.
- Drugs Are Bad: When Todd starts having sex with Robyn, everyone becomes convinced that he's started taking drugs... because he becomes more responsible, more mature, and actually does work.
- This eventually results in his mother kicking him out until he "cleans up."
- Genius Bruiser: Every single wrestler in the league appears to be an accomplished academic, or at least extremely cultured.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Jason is never seen without his cigarette, which never seems to go out.
- G-Rated Drug: Todd's mother mistakes a bag of Selena's catnip for marijuana, and accuses him of drug use.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: And none more than Karen when she finds out that the Lobster Boy even she was sent to cover had been pre-emptively cancelled.
- Idiot Savant: Todd manages to put together a complicated market analysis study on whether to sell card games at the store, but still can't do basic tasks, like catologuing comics, managing money or even feeding himself.
- This is due, in part, to having a doting mother that does everything for him.
- If It Bleeds, It Leads: While less graphic than most examples of this trope, Karen takes advantage of the dramatic goings-on at the comic store for her blog.Karen: "Did somebody say drama?"
- In-Series Nickname: Desiree is often referred to as "Dee" for short.
- Intrepid Reporter: Karen Lee wants to be one, but due to cursing on-camera, she gets downgraded to a blogger.
- Just Fine Without You: At first, Jason is happy to have had Todd quit when Todd finds out that Jason made out with Karen. Then all the work Todd took care of starts piling up, and people start asking where Todd went... needless to say, this situation doesn't last long.
- Kayfabe: The reason Gavin needs to go out in his luchador mask on his date with Desiree. After all, a luchador cannot be seen without his mask and retain his honor.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: After Robyn and Todd sleep together, they resolve to never tell anyone about it. So, of course, it takes one strip for them to falter.
- Like Brother and Sister: A relationship between Robyn and Todd is initially teased, but discredited based on this trope.
- Later subverted- Robyn and Todd wind up sleeping together after a night out drinking, but it remains more of a Friends with Benefits situation.
- Loony Fan: Todd is absolutely obsessed with Lobster Boy. He blows his paycheck on Lobster Boy memorabilia, follows the comics religiously, and holds a memorial service when the actor that was going to portray Lobster Boy in a live-action movie dies.
- Lousy Lovers Are Losers: Played With Dee and Gavin are clearly kind people and care about each other a lot, but their relationship hits a major hitch when it turns out neither is able to please the other in bed. At least, until they decide that Gavin should wear the mask again.
- Love Dodecahedron: Lampshaded by the characters, who note that their lives sound like a Soap Opera.
- Manchild: Todd, who still lives with his mother and lacks many important life skills.
- Masked Luchador: Gavin as the Masked Marvel.
- Momma's Boy: Todd, which is a big part of the reason for his Adult Child tendencies.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The characters in Karen's blog are blatantly copied from the cast, only with their names changed to keep anyone from figuring that out.
- Unusually, she actually invents new stories about the "characters" in her blog- partly to throw the cast off the scent, and partly to fill time when they're too boring to blog about.
- One of the Guys: The reason Todd has had a crush on pretty much every woman who comes across his path except Robyn.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Jason's mood improves as a result of dating Molly, his friends become increasingly concerned. Although, they have conflicting opinions on whether this is a positive development or not.Robyn: They have to-Todd: They can never-Both: Break up!
- Platonic Life-Partners: Robyn and Jason zig-zag between this and Just Friends. So far, it hasn't resulted in anything.
- Punny Name: The store is called Silver Rage Comics, a reference to Silver Age of Comics.
- Relationship Upgrade: Played with. Though they spend a lot of time together, Desiree and Gavin hit a snag when Gavin wants to move in with her, and Desiree doesn't. Eventually, Dee gets over her anxieties and decides to move in with Gavin.
- The Reveal: After Jason breaks up with Molly and Robyn breaks up with Brad, the group goes out drinking. It looks like Robyn and Jason are finally about to resolve their sexual tension, when it's revealed that Robyn went home with Todd instead.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Selina the cat, which eventually takes up residence in the comic shop.
- Rule of Drama: Lampshaded by Karen, who notes that their lives seem to provide a ready source of material for her blog.
- Running Gag: Todd's ongoing conflict with "seaf00dlover45," who he first meets after getting into a bidding war with him/her on eBay.Todd: "One hundred fifty seven points?! seaf00dlover45, this just became Words with Enemies!"
- Sell-Out: Karen is happy to do so when a production company offers to buy her blog. Subverted in that the moral quandary has less to do with the act of selling out, and more to do with how her blog was using the real relationship issues of the cast as fodder for her blog, without their knowledge or consent.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Robyn, for the occasion of her double date. It does nothing for her personality, however.Jason: You got dressed up!Robyn: Shut it.
- Sex Changes Everything: When Robyn and Todd hook up, it changes their relationship dramatically.
- Sex Equals Love: Averted. Jason gets into a relationship with a woman that is almost entirely defined by the sex. When Jason realizes how hollow the relationship is, he decides to break it off.
- Sex God: Todd. Seriously. It's the reason why Desiree was willing to put up with him and his antics for two years.
- Later confirmed by Robyn.
- Shared Universe: Hazel of Girls with Slingshots is Robyn's cousin. Robyn's cat, Selina, is one of the offspring of Sprinkles (Hazel's cat) and Choo-Choo Bear of Something*Positive.
- Show Within a Show: Lobster Boy, which seems to have a large mainstream fandom similar to Spider-Man or Batman.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Karen and Dee still believe Robyn is protesting a bit too much when she says she and Jason are Just Friends. Thus far, however, it hasn't panned out into anything.
- Tempting Fate: After Robyn puts Jason in the awkward position of choosing between keeping Todd on and hiring her, he thinks that he couldn't possibly feel any worse at that moment. And then it starts to rain.
- In order to deal with the lack of material in her blog, Karen invents a story about the Robyn and Todd analogues having sex, believing it could never happen in real life. Unfortunately for Karen, Reality Is Unrealistic, especially when alcohol is involved.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Invoked by Todd, who believes this to be happening between Robyn and Jason. So far, it hasn't panned out.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Jason is so distracted by his relationship with Molly that he doesn't notice the Lobster Boy-themed decorations that Todd set up around the store.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Jason is asked by Desiree to give a presentation at career day to the kids she teaches, Jason decides to enlist Robyn's help... without telling Robyn first. She calls him out on it.
