History ComicBook / TheDesertPeach

%% * AnythingThatMoves: Rosen has been known to have sex with women too.

** Really, it'd be easier to list the stuff that ''doesn't'' fall under this. Just to point out the two most obvious matters; Pfirsich and Rosen couldn't be engaged in that time period, as gay marriage was an unthinkable concept in any Western country in the world, and Pfirsich wouldn't even be allowed to ''hold'' his position, given that A: homosexuals in general were held up as abominations and forbidden service in the military in every Western country, and B: Nazi Germany prosecuted and interned homosexual under Weimar-era laws.

** Even more ironic, the only Nazi in the whole unit is Udo. [[spoiler: He happens to be Jewish. He only joined because a desperate party recruiter bought him beer.]] Later, we find out [[spoiler:Udo's family all joined up, to prove that Jews were as patriotic Germans as anyone. One of his cousins ''ended up in the SS'']].

Pfirsich is a colonel (oberst) running a [[RagTagBunchOfMisfits small support unit of gravediggers]] in the Afrika Corps. He's helped by his trusted orderly Corporal Udo Schmidt, annoyed by the Nazi-supporting Lt. Kjars Winzig and loved by his handsome fiance Rosen Kavalier.

* AndZoidberg: With a dash of BlackComedy. CloudCuckooLander Dobermann is back from a stint back in the Reich.
-->'''Dobermann''': They was killing kikes! And queers!! And Jehovah's Witnesses!!! I'M a Jehovah's Witness!! WHO'D WANT TO HARM A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS!!!
-->(Cut to the rest of the squad, looking up at the sky and whistling.)

%% * CloudCuckooLander: Dobermann is rather addled, to put it simply.

* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: Bears repeating, according to the newly assigned camp medical officer/psychiatrist.

** Even more ironic, the only Nazi in the whole unit is Udo. [[spoiler: He happens to be Jewish. He only joined because a desperate party recruiter bought him beer.]] Later, we find out [[spoiler:Udo's family all joined up, to prove that Jews were as patriotic Germans as anyone. One of his cousins ''ended up in the SS''.]]

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. ''The Desert Peach'' is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]] wasn't ''entirely'' made of up people who committed breathtakingly disgusting atrocities against innocent and/or helpless people, though this is helped by the focus on the African Front - a marginal part of the war in which the stakes were low, the need to extort food and clothing and housing from the local population was also low, and there was no intention to exterminate the local population (as in the northern, central, southern, and south-eastern fronts of the Eastern European Theatre). The story does well to present everyone as human throughout, something many stories that 'do' acknowledge the Wehrmacht's jaw-droppingly long list of cruel and brutal acts fail to do.

** Really, it'd be easier to list the stuff that ''doesn't'' fall under this. Just to point out the two most obvious matters; Pfirsich and Rosen couldn't be engaged in that time period, as gay marriage was an unthinkable concept in any Western country in the world, and Pfirsich wouldn't even be allowed to ''hold'' his position, given that A: homosexuals in general were held up as abominations and forbidden service in the military in every Western country, and B: Nazi Germany categorized homosexuals as undesireables and treated them ''exactly'' the way they treated Jews, Romani and the mentally disabled.[[note]]Which is to say they worked them to death in concentration camps. Or just shot them and left the body in a ditch.[[/note]]

* MultinationalTeam: For a German army unit, they are remarkably cosmopolitan. A French North African auxiliary, the aforementioned Cossack, the German-American P.O.W. who runs the camp newspaper...

* DrugsAreBad: They cause the normally effeminate Pfirsich to act extemely macho. [[spoiler:And psychotic to boot.]]

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Rosen Kavalier is a nickname. His real full name [[spoiler: ('''Melvin Gonville Ramsbottom''')]] is very embarassing.

* FoeYay: Winzig and Udo in Miki.

* SceneryCensor: The first 20 or so pages of "The Infamous '''NUDE''' Surfing Issue", getting increasingly ridiculous, until Udo [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]] and calls the creator on it.

* TheFaceless: Erwin Rommel's face was constantly hidden, at least until issue #7.

* AnythingThatMoves: Rosen has been known to have sex with women too.
** The spin-off novel ''Bread & Swans'', implies that Rosen had ''only'' ever had sex with women until he met Pfirsich. There's a line about [[EvenTheGuysWantHim Pfirsich's beauty]] activating the part of Rosen's brain that is apparently best described as "an omnisexual monkey".

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Contrary to what the comic claims, Udo ''could not'' have been a member of the Nazi Party while in the ''Heer.'' Longstanding German law provides that political party membership lapses instantly upon entering the armed forces.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Pfirsich is a true gentleman, unless you do something that makes him angry (such as beating up his orderly).
* ButtMonkey: Udo. With a hint of OnlySaneMan as well.
* CampGay: Pfirsich. And, yes, he IS fabulous.
* CassandraTruth: Who was it that trashed the bar? "The old man did it!" and who was he fighting? "A Cossack!"
* ClosetKey: Pfirsich is this to Rosen.
* CloudCuckooLander: Dobermann is rather addled, to put it simply.
* CompanionCube: Dobermann's pet Teller-mine "Fridl".

* EveryOneCallsHimBarkeep: Rosen Kavalier is a nickname. His real full name [[spoiler: ('''Melvin Gonville Ramsbottom''')]] is very embarassing.
* GratuitousGerman: Buckets of it, mostly footnoted, some of it actually safe to repeat in polite company.

* {{Jerkass}}: Rosen Kavalier. Handsome and dashing, and an incredible jerk. WordOfGod, "He's [[ComicStrip/BloomCounty Steve Dallas]] in Jackboots. And he gets away with it because he's sex on a stick."
* MultinationalTeam: For a German army unit, they are remarkably cosmopolitan. A French North African auxiliary, the aforementioned Cossack, the German-American P.O.W. who runs the camp newspaper..
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Issue #3 "A Day at the Beach", (a.k.a. "The Infamous '''NUDE''' Surfing Issue".)
* OnlySaneMan: Udo tends to act like this because he feels that the rest of his unit can be nuts. See ButtMonkey above.

* PinkIsForSissies crossed with InsistentTerminology: Pfirsich's scarf is "peach-colored". Pink is "tacky".

* ThoseWackyNazis: Lt. Kjars Winzig. (Ironically, he wasn't a member of the Party because he would have had to pay dues.)
** Even more ironic, the only Nazi in the whole unit is Udo. [[spoiler: He happens to be Jewish. He only joined because a desperate party recruiter bought him beer.]]
*** Later, we find out [[spoiler:Udo's family all joined up, to prove that Jews were as patriotic Germans as anyone. One of his cousins ''ended up in the SS''.]]
* WronskiFeint: Rosen does this to a British pilot. Justified; Rosen's in a Stuka (a dive bomber that's meant for this sort of action) and the Brit ''isn't.''

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/desert_peach_issue_1_8623.jpg]]

Originally published in print, it's now being [[http://www.desert-peach.com/comic/ released online]] (may be NSFW).

During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, fighting for the Germans was a general called UsefulNotes/ErwinRommel: "The Desert Fox". This comic isn't about him. This comic is about his fictional gay younger brother, Pfirsich Rommel: "The Desert Peach".

** Really, it'd be easier to list the stuff that ''doesn't'' fall under this. Just to point out the two most obvious matters; Pfirsich and Rosen couldn't be engaged in that time period, as gay marriage was an unthinkable concept in any Western country in the world, and Pfirsich wouldn't even be allowed to ''hold'' his position, given that A: homosexuals in general were held up as abominations and forbidden service in the military in every Western country, and B: Nazi Germany categorized homosexuals as undesireables and treated them ''exactly'' the way they treated Jews, Africans, Romani and the mentally disabled.[[note]]Which is to say they worked them to death in concentration camps. Or just shot them and left the body in a ditch.[[/note]]

* CloudCuckooLander: Dobermann.

* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Issue #3 "A Day at the Beach", (a.k.a. "The Infamous NUDE Surfing Issue".)

* SceneryCensor: The first 20 or so pages of "The Infamous NUDE Surfing Issue", getting increasingly ridiculous, until Udo [[BreakingTheFourthWall breaks the fourth wall]] and calls the creator on it.

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. ''The Desert Peach'' is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that [[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]] wasn't ''entirely'' made of up people who committed breathtakingly disgusting atrocities against innocent and/or helpless people, though this is helped by the focus on the African Front - a marginal part of the war in which the stakes were low, the need to extort food and clothing and housing from the local population was also low, and there was no intention to exterminate the local population (as in the northern, central, southern, and south-eastern fronts of the Eastern European Theatre). The story does well to present everyone as human throughout, something many stories that 'do' acknowledge the Wehrmacht's jaw-droppingly long list of cruel and brutal acts fail to do.

* ButtMonkey: Udo.
* CampGay: Pfirsich.

During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, fighting for the Germans was a general called ErwinRommel: "The Desert Fox". This comic isn't about him. This comic is about his fictional gay younger brother, Pfirsich Rommel: "The Desert Peach".

* PaintingTheMedium: An early issue starts with Pfirsich in prison and the comic in white lines on black. Then [[ErwinRommel his brother]] shows up and rips and tears until normalcy is restored. "When you're a legend, you can do anything!"

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. ''The Desert Peach'' is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that [[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]] wasn't ''entirely'' made of up people who committed breathtakingly disgusting atrocities against innocent and/or helpless people, though this is helped by the focus on the African Front - a marginal part of the war in which the stakes were low, the need to extort food and clothing and housing from the local population was also low, and there was no intention to exterminate the local population. The story does well to present everyone as human throughout, something many stories that 'do' acknowledge the Wehrmacht's jaw-droppingly long list of cruel and brutal acts fail to do.

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. ''The Desert Peach'' is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that [[NazisWithGnarlyWeapons the Wehrmacht]] wasn't ''entirely'' made of up people who committed breathtakingly disgusting atrocities against innocent and/or helpless people, though this is helped by the focus on the African Front - a marginal part of the war in which the stakes were low, the need to extort food and houses from the local population was also low, and there was no intention to exterminate the local population. The story does well to present everyone as human throughout, something many stories that 'do' acknowledge the Wehrmacht's jaw-droppingly long list of cruel and brutal acts fail to do.

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. ''The Desert Peach'' is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that the German Army in WWII wasn't necessarily made up of Nazis and treats all sides as human.

Pfirsich's unit doesn't really fight in battle, and the Peach likes it that way. Most of the comic revolves around the interactions between the characters, the [[HilarityEnsues various messes they get into]], and how they deal with war. TheDesertPeach is notable for its incredibly human characters, who all have faults and make mistakes yet are still heartwarming and engaging. It's also one of the few works of fiction that remembers that the German Army in WWII wasn't necessarily made up of Nazis and treats all sides as human.

* {{Jerkass}}: Rosen Kavalier. Handsome and dashing, and an incredible jerk. WordOfGod, "He's [[BloomCounty Steve Dallas]] in Jackboots. And he gets away with it because he's sex on a stick."