"When you're done waking the whole building, Jekkel, consider yourself deputized. And for Aerie's sake, put on some pants."
—Sed
Iron Nail Afternoon
is a fantasy series set in a world of monsters and misfits. The series focuses on Sed Stonehaven, the charismatic Sheriff of the Iron Nail county. Working with the elegant witch Rachel and a naïve monster-hunter called Little Chuck, Sed helps manage a county haunted by dragons and beasts.
In 2020, the prototype comic was published in its entirety by the Pulp Press. The creator has since made the series freely available as a webcomic. It also underwent a Soft Reboot.
Iron Nail Afternoon contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Valjo. She's rugged, muscular and imposing. When first introduced, she's even wearing war paint.
- Anti-Hero: Sed. He's charming, intelligent and highly educated. But in the prototype issue, he cripples one of his drinking buddies. Although Sed had some moral justification (his friend was guilty of elder abuse), the real reason is simple. Sed was having a bad day. In the Soft Reboot, he's a much more moral character - in fact, probably the most moral character in the series.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Most Skins turn into monsters. Skollina switches between male and female (and looks very attractive in both forms.)
- Beast Man: Even in human form, Little Chuck retains some animal-like qualities such as his fangs, cat-like eyes and digitigrade legs.
- Black Comedy: Upon finding Jekkel and Rachel having sex in his living room, Sed promptly deputizes Jekkel. Before telling him to put on some pants. And then there's the bizarre scene transition from the blood slowly dripping out of Jackie's broken nose to Sed's lava lamp...
- Big Beautiful Man: Sed piled on the extra weight after losing his wings. Despite this - or because of it - he's garnered a significant fanbase. However, his weight fluctuates according to his life style - in the current story arc, he appears to be losing weight.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: Big Chuck might be a loud, dangerous Beast Man but he's a loud, dangerous Beast Man who cares deeply for his friends and has a strong sense of justice.
- Cultural Rebel: Little Chuck was banished from his home island and family for not fitting in.
- The Chessmaster: As Iron Nail Governor, Rachel manipulates both district and her people with smooth efficiency. She moves her staff and friends around like pieces on a chessboard.
- Decomposite Character: Little Chuck and Big were originally one character called Smiling Chuck. However, as the series developed into its final form, the character split into two distinct individuals with different personalities and backgrounds.
- Everyone Has Lots of Sex: The first issue features Rachel and Jekkel getting it on. A later chapter showcases a heated encounter between Little Chuck and his ex....in the boardroom while his friends awkwardly wait outside.
- Genius Bruiser: Sed is able to defeat a much younger and fitter man (who also happens to be a werewolf.) How? By waiting until the guy's in mid-transformation to attack him. Sed's also the Smart Guy of the group.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Big Chuck's response to nearly every situation is to either bellow or snarl. And his idea of a discussion is to shout at the other person until they agree with him.
- Hemo Erotic: Jekkel has some vampiric qualities; in a sex scene with Rachel, there's a trickle of blood on his lips and her neck has puncture marks. Clearly he's bitten her and her expression indicates that she's very into that.
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Ho Yay: Sed and Little Chuck. They argue like an old married couple and Sed's measured replies generate a...rather passionate response from Little Chuck. Plus Little Chuck left his old home (and partner) just for a chance to work with Sed again. - The Don: Rachel. She's Governor of Iron Nail and runs it like a mob boss. Despite this, she's a pretty good boss and does seem to care about her district and the people who live there.
- Intersex Tribulations: Sed was originally written as an intersex character. In the Soft Reboot, Skollina fulfils the narrative role as metaphor for an intersex person and Sed became a cis guy. However, Skollina has suffered a lot of trauma and mistreatment and fits this trope.
- Interrupted Intimacy: Jekkel and Rachel just can't get a break. If Sed's not bursting in on them while they're getting freaky then a monster interrupts them. It's a running gag in the series.
- Love Triangle: Sed seems to carry a torch for Little Chuck but Little Chuck is still very entangled with his ex-boyfriend.
- Morality Pet: Sed has The Jekkel, a emotionally damaged ex-assassin with a passion for dragon plushies.
- Our Were Wolves Are Different: In the series, they're called Skins and they transform by peeling off their human skin to review their animal-like form. They also don't pass for quite human even when they're not in werewolf form.
- Pretty Boy: The Jekkel. With his white hair and lean physique, he definitely qualifies as the pretty boy of the group.
- Put on a Bus: Jekkel is a fairly major character in the Iron Nail Afternoon prototype. But he has yet to feature or be mentioned in the current series.
- Self-Made Man: Rachel is a female example of this, having clawed her way up from poverty to a position of leadership in Iron Nail.
- Soft Reboot: The series is a soft reboot of the long-running webcomic Smoke Fur And Stone by the same creator. And the Iron Nail Afternoon series itself has been rebooted on one occasion.
- True Companions: Sed, Rachel and Skollina.
