History Webcomic / DominicDeegan

* ConRecap.

* OutOfFocus: Given the comic's [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters large character base]] and varied locations, it's not uncommon for the focus to change drastically from arc to arc. Supporting characters like Milov and Jayden will sometimes disappear for arcs at a time, and even main characters like Dominic and Luna will occasionally take an arc off.

* PantyShot: In-universe example; Quilt has rudimentary second sight. Only problem is, when he uses it, the image is always the same...[[spoiler:right up Pam's legs]].

** Gets kind of ridiculous when you add GenerationXerox: Dom and Greg look like their mother and father while their older brother has their mother's parents' [[SkunkStripe hair]] and better-than-thou attitude. It also kind of messed-up [[spoiler: the dramatic entry of The Infernomancer into the Beast's and King Johann's plot since he wasn't named and he looks like a buffed-up Greg with cool gauntlets]].

* MirrorCharacter: Not only is Celesto Morgan Dominic's EvilCounterpart (and opposing Champion during the Storm of Souls arc), but Celesto's tendency to believe IDidWhatIHadToDo, that UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans, to act as if he has an OmniscientMoralityLicense and is AboveGoodAndEvil, and his WellIntentionedExtremist thinking are all mirrored in Dominic being TheChessmaster who often gets accused of ProtagonistCenteredMorality, WhatTheHellHero, and MoralDissonance. Dominic, recognizing this, keeps trying to offer Celesto a way back to the light on numerous occasions (which he of course [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids sneers at]] and [[RedemptionRejection rejects]]) while Celesto, when he isn't offering Dominic the chance to [[WeCanRuleTogether join him and make the world a better place]], the way they think it "should" be, is usually calling Dominic on his manipulative actions and nastily underscoring their similarities. In a twisted way, even his stint as TheAtoner could be said to be Celesto [[MustMakeAmends attempting to make amends]] by turning himself into what [[EvilCannotComprehendGood he thinks]] [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame Dominic actually is]].

* EldritchAbomination: The Beast, AKA [[FanNickname Snuggly]] or [[TheFlyingSpaghettiMonster Spaghetti Monster]].
** Though not portrayed as malevolent, the Hydra seen in the Vacation arc wouldn't be out of place in a Lovecraft story.
*** It's a hydra worshiped by half-fish people. If it's not a shout out to Shadow Over Innsmouth, what is?

* RedRightHand: Jacob Deegan has (had?) one skeletal hand.
* RedShirt: A lot of these guys are lost in Built to Resist. They don't call Celesto [[FanNickname 'Collateral Damage Man']] for nothing.
** Also anyone who wins a named appearance in the comic.

* LoveAtFirstSight: Usually averted, but played straight with [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2009-05-14 Hansi and Kiya]].

''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire]]'' is a {{webcomic|s}} started by Michael "Mookie" Terracciano on May 21, 2002. It follows the life and times of Dominic Deegan, a {{messianic|Archetype}} yet pessimistic seer who travels about with Spark, his [[TalkingAnimal feline comic relief]], and assorted companions. Originally a lighter strip based on puns and wordplay, CerebusSyndrome ensued, arguably starting with the "Visions of Doom" arc, but certainly by "Storm of Souls".

* NotSoDifferent: Not only is Celesto Morgan Dominic's EvilCounterpart (and opposing Champion during the Storm of Souls arc), but Celesto's tendency to believe IDidWhatIHadToDo, that UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans, to act as if he has an OmniscientMoralityLicense and is AboveGoodAndEvil, and his WellIntentionedExtremist thinking are all mirrored in Dominic being TheChessmaster and DesignatedHero who often gets accused of ProtagonistCenteredMorality, WhatTheHellHero, and MoralDissonance. Dominic, recognizing this, keeps trying to offer Celesto a way back to the light on numerous occasions (which he of course [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids sneers at]] and [[RedemptionRejection rejects]]) while Celesto, when he isn't offering Dominic the chance to [[WeCanRuleTogether join him and make the world a better place]], the way they think it "should" be, is usually calling Dominic on his manipulative actions and nastily underscoring their similarities. In a twisted way, even his stint as TheAtoner could be said to be Celesto [[MustMakeAmends attempting to make amends]] by turning himself into what [[EvilCannotComprehendGood he thinks]] [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame Dominic actually is]].
** [[spoiler:King David]] also tries to pull this on Dominic, based on their both being TheChessmaster and doing their level best to preven the tragedies they foresee. Of course Dominic's methods are nothing like his, and while he tries to prevent the death and suffering of loved ones and friends, [[spoiler:the king]] is trying to prevent [[SuperiorSpecies the loss of magical prominence]] [[FantasticRacism for Callan]] ([[ItsAllAboutMe and himself]]).

-->'''[[spoiler:Celesto]]''': ...[[FamousLastWords took the words right out of my mouth]].

Um... '''[[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/comic/2010-02-08 All of them]]''', [[spoiler:your majesty]].

* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: [[KnightTemplar Siegfried]] uses almost the trope name in the 'War in Hell' storyline after Dominic calls him a racist. Unusually, what he says is absolutely true and not particularly tainted by stereotyping or tokenism: One of his best friends ''is'' a spellwolf. It's just orcs. He has this huge problem with orcs. Oh, but "[[CompletelyMissingThePoint orcs aren't people]]."

** [[https://www.dominic-deegan.com/comic/December-18-2019/ December 16 2019 strip]]: "Asleep" by Prento Fallin

* CallingYourAttacks: Often. Hilariously coupled with BuffySpeak in the last panel of [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-01-28 this strip]]

-->'''Vilrath''': Listen to me well, seer, because I'm only going to say this once. You are no match for me.
-->''[later]''
-->'''Dominic''': Listen to me well, seer, because I'm only going to say this once. I'm not afraid of you.

** Also, alterism. It's basically plastic surgery, only magic and therefore with far more options. Like, presumably, ftm sex-change operations that really ''work,'' as it were.

-->'''Celesto''': [[PretenderDiss Hard to believe]] [[IronicEcho I ever considered you a threat]].
-->'''Mookie''': Dominic's reflection on The Beast in the second half of today's comic is true about most things we're frightened of. [[NothingIsScarier The unknown is the scariest element of all]]. Knowledge dispels fear as it creates understanding, and even the mightiest of monsters can be reduced to a stain on the ground. Over time, knowledge of The Beast has diminished it. From [[EldritchAbomination a disembodied, eldritch god-fiend from an unknowable place]]...[[spoiler:to [[EyeScream the discarded eyes of a mad king]], [[BigBadWannabe given parasitic life in a planar garbage dump]].]]

* BadDreams:
** In an early comic, Dominic makes a distinction between his visions of doom, and just regular old nightmares, and notes he's learned to differentiate between them.
** After being inflicted with the Blight as a child, Gregory Deegan suffered from terrible nightmares. After he learns white magic, the nightmares go away, but they return in force when Gregory's magic is stolen.

On May 24, 2013, the comic ended at [[WebcomicsLongRunners 3,000 comics.]] A set of colored epilogue prints, some with art by Garth Graham (Mookie's partner on his following webcomic ''Webcomic/StarPower''), were later published. A half-hour documentary about the making of the comic, ''See For Yourself: The Dominic Deegan Story'', was released by [=TriFocal=] Productions.

** And also comes up near the climax when [[HealFaceTurn Jacob]] has a revelation about true necromancy, directly tied to his experiences in Maltak. He realizes that necromantic corruption is actually life magic twisted to destruction, which is why it can endlessly grow and consume. He is then able to use necromancy, merging creation and destruction, to cure a massive case of blight from hundreds of people.

** [[spoiler:King David]] claims this as part of his MotiveRant, by creating [[CulturalPosturing the greatest]] ([[{{Greed}} and only]]) [[FantasticRacism magical kingdom in Callan]], but really it's just a cover for AmbitionIsEvil (and, if he gets hold of the Heart of Magic, AGodAmI).

* SuddenlySpeaking: Variation with Bort the mongrelman: he could talk when introduced, but only in brief bits of HulkSpeak. During the final arc of the comic [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2013-04-01when he [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2013-03-29 shows up]] to help, thanks to [[AWizardDidIt a combination of Celesto's magic and that of the Elemecca]] he can [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2013-04-01 talk normally]]--and he's as surprised as Dominic is. Even funnier, he speaks in near-SesquipedalianLoquaciousness.

* Self-Depreciation: Donovan resorts to this type of humor as applied to Callanians while held captive by [[spoiler:the Shintula]], including the local equivalent of a LightBulbJoke.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Stunt, in his early days of [[StrawMisogynist semi-violent misogyni]] still [[EvenEvilHasStandards gets appaled]] by the implication that he'd use [[SlippingAMickey "Sin City Specials"]] while in Erossus.

** Gets kind of ridiculous when you add GenerationXerox: Dom and Greg look like their mother and father while their older brother has their mother's parents' [[SkunkStripe hair]] and better-than-thou attitude. It also kind of messed-up [[spoiler: the dramatic entry of The Infernomancer into the Beast's and King Johan's plot since wasn't named and he looks like a buffed-up Greg with cool gauntlets]].