Bad Signs is a webcomic made by Jimenda Aranda, published in WEBTOON. The first episode aired on 7/24/2018. It became a WEBTOON original on 6/1/2019.
The plot follows 12 people who were chosen for a reality show, but on the way to the island their plane crashes on a deserted island.
The characters are designed following the stereotypes of their horoscopes.
Summary in WEBTOON:
"The pilots fudged up their flight-checks and the plane engine's probably going to blow, but what else can you expect when Mercury is in Retrograde? So much for the paradisiacal vacation these twelve contestants signed up for. Now all twelve members of the zodiac are trapped on a real desert island with nothing to eat but each other and some monkeys. Who will win? Who will survive? Only the stars know for sure."
Bad Signs contains examples of:
- All Love Is Unrequited: David has a pretty blatant crush on Alan, who’s aware of his feelings but thinks he’s too young to know for sure. Philip has feelings for Rachel, but she has a fiance back on land.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Played with. Abby is treated like this (partly due to her strict parents giving her a sheltered upbringing) but she, Blake and David are all 23, with David being the youngest by a few months.
- Big Beautiful Man: Philip is heavier-set than the rest of the cast, but is no less handsome than the others.
- Cast Full of Gay: So far three of the main cast (Alan, Blake and David) are confirmed to be LGBT. Ashton's sister Taylor is a trans woman and has a girlfriend. Other characters seem to be exploring their identities, in particular Emma and Abby, who are implied to be bisexual and asexual, respectively.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Alan is an "angry stick bug" and at first acts like a primadonna, but he does begin to warm up to the other castaways.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mara can be selfish, rude and petty, but she cares deeply for her family and the other survivors and soon acts as more of a Cool Big Sis.
- Happily Married: Julia and her husband Nicholas, although the stress of adopting a child has put pressure on their marriage. Not to mention the fact that she's now stranded on a deserted island with no way to contact him.
- Hidden Depths: Most characters initially come across as stereotypes, but are revealed to be deeper throughout the comic. This is most obviously shown when we learn why they entered the reality show for the prize money in the first place:
- Ashton is a Cloud Cuckoo Lander and seems like a stereotypical twenty-something slacker. In actuality, he spent most of his savings funding his younger sister's MTF transition and wants the prize money to help kickstart the music career he put on hold.
- Mara initially comes across as a vain Hard-Drinking Party Girl, but she wants the money to buy the café that she works at that's closing down, especially because she's close with the pensioners that go there.
- Julia is a social worker who comes across as a Stern Teacher, micromanaging the household and the chores. She wants to adopt a child from South America with her husband because they both see so many children in bad situations through their work.
- Craig comes across as a Dumb Jock despite being a police officer. It's later revealed that not only was he injured in the line of duty, but he needs the prize money to pay off his ailing mother's debts.
- Philip acts like a Class Clown, but has remarkable emotional sensitivity and observational skills, being able to calm Rachel down from a panic attack and noticing her methods of self-comfort.
- Robinsonade: Starts off like this, with the cast struggling to build shelters and forage for food. Later they come across an abandoned house with canned food, mitigating the Man Vs Nature element, although they still struggle with being cut off from society.
- Shipper on Deck: Mara, especially for Philip and Rachel. It's even mentioned in her character profile.
- Team Mom: Julia ends up largely taking on this role thanks to her organized nature and experience as a social worker.
- Western Zodiac: Probably the most important trope. All main characters are stereotypes for their horoscopes. Astrology is often mentioned through the comic.
