History Literature / TheDescendants

The entire series revels in playing with ComicBookTropes and rejecting UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. WordOfGod even states that early versions were a blatant TakeThat at Marvel's ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'' and that as a whole, it strives to find the sweet spot between UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} and UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}.

The entire series revels in playing with ComicBookTropes and rejecting UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. WordOfGod even states that early versions were a blatant TakeThat at Marvel's Comicbook/CivilWar and that as a whole, it strives to find the sweet spot between UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} and UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}.

* DarkChick: Shine and to a lesser extent, Impact

** Batman has two: Barn Owl who is a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob who [[CrimeFightingWithCash Crime Fights With Cash]] and even has a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Older Guardian]] in New York.

* InvoluntaryTransformation: Seems to happen a lot to tertiary characters: Freaque, Wolf, the poor sod the Mauler [[spoiler:possessed]]...

* WaxingLyrical: At least once per volume.
* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Deign. It means to do something that you consider beneath yourself, but Porter uses it to mean didn't all over the place. Also Taunt. It means to provoke or challenge someone with an insulting remarks, but Porter uses it to mean stretched or pulled tightly (Taut).

* IHaveTheHighGround: Warrick, most heroic fliers. During the finale of Volume 1, the heroes call the villains out from a rooftop.

Not to be confused with the novel which was the basis of the [[Film/TheDescendants the 2011 film]]. Or the unrelated Disney Channel franchise ''Film/{{Descendants}}.''

Not to be confused with the novel which was the basis of the [[Film/TheDescendants the 2011 film]]. Or the unrelated Disney Channel franchise [[Film/{{Descendants}}]]

Not to be confused with the novel which was the basis of the [[Film/TheDescendants the 2011 film]].

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Ape Knight and a horde of demon baboons that appear in [[strike:one]] two issues.

Mostly, it sticks to [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld Teen Hero]] books and family themes.

* Golem: In the issue Emet.

* MagicalGirl: Occult is a MagicWarrior.

* PublicDomainCharacter: Morganna. Only not really.

---> '''Alloy''': I never tried to push it at all before.” He said, not so certain himself.

* SuperHero

This series provides examples of:

* {{Expy}}: Liedecker is essentially [[Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse Diniverse Luthor played sane]] and much, much more dangerous.
** Batman has two: Barn Owl who is a RichIdiotWithNoDayJob who [[CrimeFightingWithCash Crime Fights With Cash]] and even has a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Older Guardian]] in New York.
** And Umbrage/Shadow in Chicago, who is a [[{{Antihero}} Antiheroic]] cop on disability after being tortured. He goes after criminals at night and while he uses his powers to torture mobsters who got away with their crimes, he doesn't kill and has a [[KidSidekick sidekick]] who he admits is helping him to pull back from the edge.

* NinetiesAntiHero: Deconstructed, any character that has the motivation and personality of one is a straight up villain here. See Samael: His [[TakeThat defining characteristic]]? [[Creator/RobLiefeld Pouches]], lots of pouches.
** His fandom seems to share his views, in the [[TabletopGames PbP RPG]] they're playing on the website's forums one of the characters comments on a hulking man with tiny feet and, of course, pouches.
** Even [[AliceAllusion Vorpal]], who is the most woobish of the villains, gets a ShutUpHannibal by the ''KnightInSourArmour'' Hope, of all people.

* BadassNormal: Liedecker manages to fight a [[spoiler:freaking demon]] to a standstill. But the cake goes to [[spoiler:George]], who single handedly stops Rehenimaru's plan, and ''without'' any kind of weapon or battle training. Doubles as BadassGrandpa too.

* EverythingsBetterWithPlatypi: Morganna keeps one around for the poison.

* {{Mutants}}: Called 'descendants' here. An interesting case in that while descendants are born with their powers, those powers are the result of [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke experimentation]] during WorldWarTwo, hence the name- because they are the descendants of the people experimented on.

* FutureSlang: Shiny is used probably as a ShoutOut to Fireflyy.
* {{Expy}}: Liedecker is essentially [[{{DCAU}} Diniverse Luthor played sane]] and much, much more dangerous.

** The author has gone back and done a lot of editing, so at least it isn't a case of TheyJustDidntCare.

** And for a GreenDay [[WaxingLyrical reference]].
* ForWantOfANail: Apparantly according to [[spoiler:George]] if Alexis didn't see the memo and breakout the descendants in stasis the world becomes a [[CrapsackWorld crapsack one]] within six months or so. Since she did, it looks like the world is instead heading to a Golden Age.

The entire series revels in playing with ComicBookTropes and rejecting UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks. WordOfGod even states that early versions were a blatant TakeThat at Marvel's [[Comicbook/CivilWar Civil War]] and that as a whole, it strives to find the sweet spot between the SilverAge and UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}.

* TheBechdelTest: Lampshaded in one conversation that has been 100% about dating and boys, capped off with a character mentioning that she's probably going to fail the test she's studying for, administered by a Professor Bechdel.

* ShoutOut: Many. Especially the names of Alloy's sentient, metal tentacles, [[Webcomic/SluggyFreelance Isp and Osp]].

* NinetiesAntiHero: Deconstructed, any character that has the motivation and personality of one is a straight up villain here. See Samael: His [[TakeThat defining characteristic]]? [[RobLiefeld Pouches]], lots of pouches.