History Webcomic / ISO

* GoodAngelBadAngel: First in issue 7, when debating whether to [[spoiler:come out to Jake]], and then again in issue 8 when debating whether to [[spoiler:break up with Doug]], Cody gets a visit from this pair. Notable for reversing the shoulder position, as well as for the angel and devil not only getting into a heated argument (complete with a PrecisionFStrike [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness from Angel Cody]]) but literally [[ProfessionalWrestling jumping into the ring together]]. (By the way, Angel Cody wins.) A RuleOfFunny moment, but it may also be a nod to the original notion (see the trope page) of a person's personified virtues and vices having a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind for control of his or her soul. Also notable for a number of fans [[invoked]][[EvilIsSexy finding Devil Cody hot]], as well as [[AngelDevilShipping shipping the two]] [[ScrewYourself with each other]]--a notion the author teased fans with on the back cover of issue 8.

* AnythingThatMoves: Jake. Deconstructed, however, since this coupled with UrbanLegendLoveLife makes it so Zach can't tell when Jake is genuinely interested in someone and when it's just more of his usual 24/7 horny "playah" mode[[spoiler:, with the result that Jake loses out on the one guy he did want ([[PoorCommunictionKills and thought he was already with]])]].

* NotWhatItLooksLike: PlayedForLaughs and also {{Invoked|Trope}} by Jeff--by claiming he needs a certain red baseball cap (which Doug [[ContrivedCoincidence just so happens to be wearing]]), then using a motorized button to make Doug spill his drink tray right when he's next to Jake, he engineers it so that Jake drags Doug off toward the Hangout bathroom to obtain the hat...so that an observing Cody thinks [[ChekhovsGun the drinking game]], Doug's mussed hair, and [[AnythingThatMoves Jake's reputation]] means the two of them were making out. All of this is meant to [[CannotSpitItOut push Cody into finally talking to Doug and asking him out]], when he thinks the latter might get taken by another guy--and it works.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Jokingly invoked by the author to explain how (and why) he creates such wonky panel layouts and [[VisualPun Visual Gags]]. Arguably one of the many reasons the comic has such a big following.

** After learning about Maureen's TrophyHusband, Wendell, [[spoiler:Thor]] decided to [[RatedMForManly play up the testosterone]] so as to give her what he thought she wanted. Turns out she was actually [[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking looking for a family man]], who would need to show a tender, caring side...which he could have shown to her via his [[spoiler:love of plants]] if he wasn't ''also'' hiding that from the college authorities. [[HoistByHisOwnPetard And Maureen hates liars]]. Luckily, Cody has a plan...

* FurryComic: All of the characters are anthropomorphic animals, and the author is a member of the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom, so...yeah.

* TheMoorcockEffect[=/=]CanonWelding: ''i.s.o.'' and another work by the same author, ''Webcomic/TheClassMenagerie'', not only take place in the same shared universe, but at the same [=DeMontfort=] University and their characters even live in the same dorm building, Richter Hall. But whereas ''TCM'' characters live on the dorm's third floor, ''i.s.o.'' characters Cody and Jake live on the first floor, and the characters from the two stories are not seen meeting one another.
** While none of the ISO cast met the CM cast, there was a 'blink and you miss it' cameo in issue 6, where Sam is describing her taste in men: the skater roo is pretty much confirmed to be Mikey. Also, a retooled Biff appears near the end of issue 9.
** Dani appears in an ImagineSpot in ''From Russia With Lust''.

* PoorCommunicationKills: For the longest time, Doug and Cody can't manage to connect on a physical level, beyond a number of kisses both passionate and sedate. Doug feels this is due to Cody being so new at even admitting his sexuality, letting alone dating another man for the first time, while his friend Robbie is afraid Cody is just stringing him along either to dump him or pressure him into sex when he's "built it up enough" and is "owed" it. Cody meanwhile is afraid that he's coming across like too much of a horndog, and also worries that his inability to follow through means he might not actually be gay. When they are finally able to clear the air between them, it turns out that [[spoiler:while Cody has always played the tough manly guy, and can continue to take charge if it's what his partner wants, he really is looking for equality in a relationship...and while Doug did like the idea of Cody both [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys being a bad boy]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold having a kinder, gentler side]], in the end he is...still a submissive. While this isn't the only issue[[labelnote:*]][[TriangRelations Cody has the hots for Jake while Jeff has the hots for him]]; Doug is starting to think no young gay men want what he wants, and believes Cody might cheat on him; Cody has pushed away other big, muscular men for so long (to keep anyone from guessing the truth) that associating Doug with intimacy is difficult for him, and [[SexChangesEverything is afraid of going all the way as "sealing the deal" on his sexuality]][[/labelnote]] this fundamental incompatibility is a big part of why they decide in the end that they're BetterAsFriends]].

** Also implied to be what happened to Jeff's first boyfriend, Jeremy [[spoiler:thanks to Maureen outing him]].
* IHaveToWashMyHair: When Cody is trying to work up the nerve to ask his crush, GentleGiant Doug, out on a date, his ImagineSpot comes up with various reasons why Doug might turn him down. This excuse is one of them.

* SneezeOfDoom: This is actually how Thor catches Cody in the greenhouse, thanks to him sweeping the dirt from a pot he spilled under the table where the latter is hiding.

* CharacterTic: Cody's fur floofs/frizzes whenever he is greatly startled, distressed, freaking out, embarrassed, or aroused (such as being touched by a hot guy). ''It never stops being funny''. It's also [[LikeFatherLikeSon something he inherited from his father]], which naturally means there's a scene where [[SerialEscalation the two of them get to floof at the same time]]. [[UpToEleven And it can somehow be heard over the phone]].

* {{Meganekko}}: Cody likes Doug with glasses -- a sexy SpearCounterpart of the usually female Meganekko.
** Also, for the straight readers, Sam's friend Jeanne.
** Sam herself has a bit of this going on when she meets Cody's parents.

* ViolentGlaswegian: In earlier public drafts of ''i.s.o.'', there was no Thor, and in his place was a {{Jerkass}} dragon groundskeeper with a Scottish accent named Duncan. This character being able to [[PlayingWithFire breathe fire]] was the original premise of how Thor accidentally started a fire in his BackStory. But Duncan's role was completely replaced with Thor because Duncan's personality and occupation [[CaptainErsatz too closely resembled]] [[TheSimpsons Groundskeeper Willy]]. Thor, a bison, can't breathe fire, so his fire backstory is more of a conventional accident. Still, Duncan was [[{{Pun}} hot]] enough to get some {{Fanart}} for a little while.

* RedHerring: A lot of readers thought when he appeared that Nate would be a threat to Cody's relationship with Doug, would even try to sabotage it so he could snag the tiger for himself. Some actively hoped for it, though not because they had anything against Doug.) But in the end, he turned out to be exactly what he seemed to be--a NiceGuy and a good, gay friend with no strings attached to help show Cody how to have a normal life.

* BaitAndSwitch: An utterly delicious example (which is almost a [[FakeOutOpening Fake Out Ending]]) happens in the very last issue of the comic, where it appears that [[GayBestFriend Straight Best Friend]] Todd has lost a bet via poker game and thus has to engage in a threesome with Cody and [[spoiler:Jeff]]. [[invoked]][[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt Hardly any of the readers believed it was for real]], despite the large number of fans with PerverseSexualLust who hoped Todd would turn out to be bi...but the dialogue was set up with so many [[DoubleEntendre Double Entendres]] that the whole thing began to feel scarily plausible. [[spoiler:Of course, it turned out to be the Bengal had to go swing dancing.]] A definite SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome ''and'' SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} for the author.

* ChekhovsGunman: Steve. What appeared to be a throwaway character (in SinisterSilhouettes no less) to explain Doug's [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys poor taste in men]] ends up showing up again in issue 9 [[spoiler:as an inadvertent villain, accidentally setting fire to the Hangout while doing drugs, and almost getting Doug himself killed]]. Not really enough to justify a [[invoked]]MoralEventHorizon, but more than enough for the readers to truly enjoy his [[LaserGuidedKarma karmic fate]].

* TheCloudcuckoolanderWasRight: Zach, the one everyone, including [[HypocriticalHumor Jake himself]], thinks is dumb, turns out to have guessed right that Cody is hiding his new S.O. because he's gay and in the closet. Becomes [[invoked]]FridgeBrilliance once [[CharacterDevelopment it's revealed]] that Zach is [[{{Flanderization}} not quite as dumb as he appears]], and downright painful once Zach tells Jake that [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer people assuming this about him and treating him like the slow, happy, tagalong sidekick]] is something he's "just gotten used to".

** An in-story example would be Nate, who after hearing that [[spoiler:Jeff]] has feelings for Cody and the tiger just might act on them, [[invoked]][[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments begins openly drooling and fantasizing about them making out, to the chagrin of Todd]].

* GenderEqualsBreed: Done [[invoked]]WordOfGod intentionally as a rule of genetics in the story.

** Also, for the [[invoked]][[PeripheryDemographic straight readers]], Sam's friend Jeanne.

** While none of the ISO cast met the CM cast, there was a 'blink and you miss it' cameo in issue 6, where Sam is describing her taste in men: the skater roo is [[invoked]][[WordOfGod pretty much confirmed to be Mikey]]. Also, a retooled Biff appears near the end of issue 9.

* [[spoiler:OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding]]: [[spoiler:While Cody and Jeff get together, and even the [[HeelFaceTurn redeemed villains]] get married and [[BabiesEverAfter are expecting a baby]], poor Doug is left without a man in his life--though to be fair, it is hinted he might be interested in Tim, he gets his life saved, and his breakup with Cody is the best one on record for him. Meanwhile Jeremy, Jeff's old boyfriend outed by Maureen, gets dragged away by his belligerent father and is never seen again.]] [[invoked]][[spoiler:WordOfGod states he's all right...somewhere...but even factoring in this being a slice-of-life comic which can't have pat endings and all loose ends tied up, it still feels a bit...unsettling.]]

* RedHerring: A lot of readers thought when he appeared that Nate would be a threat to Cody's relationship with Doug, would even try to sabotage it so he could snag the tiger for himself. [[invoked]]([[{{Shipping}} Some actively hoped for it]], though not because they had anything against Doug.) But in the end, he turned out to be exactly what he seemed to be--a NiceGuy and a good, gay friend with no strings attached to help show Cody how to have a normal life.

* RuleOfThree: "I must not die a virgin I must not die a virgin I must not die a virgin..." "Whew! Not gonna die a virgin." [[invoked]][[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments "Aw, crap. I am]] ''[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments so]]'' [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments gonna die a virgin..."]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]The first two bookend his attempting to scale the dorm roof to explore what turns out to be Thor's secret greenhouse, and succeeding at doing so. The last one comes after Thor is spotted heading to the room and Cody has to hide under a table.[[/labelnote]]
* RuleThirtyFour: Strangely averted. For a comic with a great deal of [[invoked]]HoYay and {{Fanservice}}, there is a significant FanArt scene and [[invoked]]LGBTFanbase, but a surprising scarcity of actual Rule Thirty Four, even in the wake of a particularly homoerotic ShipTease {{Cliffhanger}}. And most of the Rule Thirty Four that's actually been published, was by the original artist. This seems to defy expectations of human nature.

* ShirtlessScene: A number of times with Cody, and also with Doug and a few other characters. Does not technically apply to Jake, as he ''[[WalkingShirtlessScene never]]'' [[WalkingShirtlessScene wears a shirt]] anyway. (The one time this is averted, when he dresses up to make a good impression on Cody's parents, ends up still hilariously played straight in the end when he later shows up at the restaurant with Becky, and [[FunnyBackgroundEvent Mr. Frost can't help wondering in the background,]] [[LampshadeHanging "What happened to his shirt?"]]) Also Nate at Kyell's. And since the basketball games in issue 5 involve "Shirts vs. Skins" this ends up applying to a large number of characters. Including Dusty, [[invoked]][[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments to Cody's freakout]]. [[spoiler:She's still wearing a sports bra.]]

* ViolentGlaswegian: In earlier public drafts of ''i.s.o.'', there was no Thor, and in his place was a {{Jerkass}} dragon groundskeeper with a Scottish accent named Duncan. This character being able to [[PlayingWithFire breathe fire]] was the original premise of how Thor accidentally started a fire in his BackStory. But Duncan's role was completely replaced with Thor because Duncan's personality and occupation [[CaptainErsatz too closely resembled]] [[TheSimpsons Groundskeeper Willy]]. Thor, a bison, can't breathe fire, so his fire backstory is more of a conventional accident. Still, Duncan was [[invoked]][[LGBTFanbase hot]] enough to get some {{Fanart}} for a little while.
* VisualPun[=/=]StockVisualMetaphors: The author's artistic style is replete with these. Most occur within Cody's ImagineSpot, but just as many are unusual panel layouts, commentary on the dialogue (slice-of-life shots from Todd and Cody's past are depicted on slices of bread), or ways to liven up the boring square panel comic-book style. To list all of them would be almost as long as this page--and many, many of them are a [[invoked]]SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} or SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome. [[spoiler:The {{Shout Out}}s to ''Naked Gun'' in the PG-13 sex scene between Jeff and Cody are particularly hilarious.]] One of the most striking examples would be the series of images from Cody's lying telephone call to his parents, since each is interlocked with or leads into the next: parachuting out of a plane ("taking the plunge") which lands him in the middle of a spider web ("caught in a web of lies") which then appears inside a maze he has to find his way out of, a maze he is then seen [[DiggingHimselfDeeper digging out of]] until finally he is underwater ("in over his head").

* WontTakeYesForAnAnswer: Cody, when asking [[spoiler:Sam]] to pretend to date him for his parents' benefit, falls into this because he fully expects her to refuse outright, or at least argue with him about it until he can convince her--except she instantly agrees. Causing his ImagineSpot [[invoked]][[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments to view her briefly as a nun]].

* PoorCommunicationKills: For the longest time, Doug and Cody can't manage to connect on a physical level, beyond a number of kisses both passionate and sedate. Doug feels this is due to Cody being so new at even admitting his sexuality, letting alone dating another man for the first time, while his friend Robbie is afraid Cody is just stringing him along either to dump him or pressure him into sex when he's "built it up enough" and is "owed" it. Cody meanwhile is afraid that he's coming across like too much of a horndog, and also worries that his inability to follow through means he might not actually be gay. When they are finally able to clear the air between them, it turns out that [[spoiler:while Cody has always played the tough manly guy, and can continue to take charge if it's what his partner wants, he really is looking for equality in a relationship...and while Doug did like the idea of Cody both [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys being a bad boy]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold having a kinder, gentler side]], in the end he is...still a submissive. While this isn't the only issue[[labelnote:*]][[TriangRelations Cody has the hots for Jake while Jeff has the hots for him]]; Doug is starting to think no young gay men want what he wants, and [[YourCheatingHeart believes Cody might cheat on him]]; Cody has pushed away other big, muscular men for so long (to keep anyone from guessing the truth) that associating Doug with intimacy is difficult for him, and [[SexChangesEverything is afraid of going all the way as "sealing the deal" on his sexuality]][[/labelnote]] this fundamental incompatibility is a big part of why they decide in the end that they're BetterAsFriends]].

* {{Adorkable}}: Dusty, when she walks in on [[spoiler: Cody and Doug kissing.]]
-->Don't mind me, I was about to...er, um, go to the store...Yes, for...things. That I need to buy. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which come from a store]], so you two boys just, uh...
** Also Cody, when dancing.
** And Todd, playing with the [[BlandNameProduct Metalformers]] [[FunnyBackgroundEvent in the background]] while Jeff and Cody [[invoked]][[{{Fanservice}} talk about his hunkiness]] [[{{Shipping}} and whether Cody ever hoped he'd "experiment" with him]].

* BiTheWay: Jake and Zach are both bisexual. Jake's UrbanLegendLoveLife includes men and women alike. Zach hooked up with Jake a few times[[spoiler:, but ultimately fell for Jake's female cousin]].

* [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys All Guys Want Bad Boys]]: Cody's dominant JerkassFacade [[spoiler:has the effect of making him sexier to submissive Doug.]] This tendency in Doug is also why he has such a bad track record with previous boyfriends.

* ComingOutStory: Cody. Ironically, the one time we see him come out onscreen (albeit in flashback), the reveal of his sexuality goes completely smoothly with no problems; it's only when Todd says he should have seen it in retrospect thanks to Cody's overcompensating, ManlyGay JerkassFacade, his [[HatesBeingTouched dislike of being touched by other men]], his always seeming to have a secret, and so forth--and Cody takes offense at this--that things go south.

* JerkassFacade: From early on we know Cody's reason for him exhibiting this trope.

''[[http://www.hirezfox.com/isoarchives/ i.s.o.]]'' is a completed gay-themed furry comic book series by artist Creator/VinceSuzukawa. A follow-up to his long-running webcomic ''Webcomic/TheClassMenagerie'', it also follows the lives of characters at the fictional [=DeMontfort=] University. However, it is not a sequel; though ''i.s.o.'' even takes place in the same dorm as the former series, it focuses on the residents of a different floor of the building. Likewise, while ''TCM'' shows events through the eyes of several characters, ''i.s.o.'' concerns itself primarily with a tiger named Cody Frost, a freshman at [=DeMontfort=] who struggles with his new relationships, his homosexuality, and his desire to be "normal."

** Then there's the ScoobyDoo reference when Jake is trying to find out Cody's secret before he finds out that Cody's gay:

* PoorCommunicationKills: For the longest time, Doug and Cody can't manage to connect on a physical level, beyond a number of kisses both passionate and sedate. Doug feels this is due to Cody being so new at even admitting his sexuality, letting alone dating another man for the first time, while his friend Robbie is afraid Cody is just stringing him along either to dump him or pressure him into sex when he's "built it up enough" and is "owed" it. Cody meanwhile is afraid that he's coming across like too much of a horndog, and also worries that his inability to follow through means he might not actually be gay. When they are finally able to clear the air between them, it turns out that [[spoiler:while Cody has always played the tough manly guy, and can continue to take charge if it's what his partner wants, he really is looking for equality in a relationship...and while Doug did like the idea of Cody both [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys being a bad boy]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold having a kinder, gentler side]], in the end he is...still a submissive. While this isn't the only issue[[labelnote:*]][[TriangRelations Cody has the hots for Jake while Jeff has the hots for him]]; Doug is starting to think no young gay men want what he wants, and [[YourCheatingHeart believes Cody might cheat on him]]; Cody has pushed away other big, muscular men for so long (to keep anyone from guessing the truth) that associating Doug with intimacy is difficult for him, and [[SexChangesEverything is afraid of going all the way as "sealing the deal" on his sexuality]][[/labelnote]] this fundamental incompatibility is a big part why they decide in the end that they're BetterAsFriends]].

* GoodAngelBadAngel: First in issue 7, when debating whether to [[spoiler:come out to Jake]], and then again in issue 8 when debating whether to [[spoiler:break up with Doug]], Cody gets a visit from this pair. Notable for reversing the shoulder position, as well as for the angel and devil not only getting into a heated argument (complete with a PrecisionFStrike [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness from Angel Cody]]) but literally [[ProfessionalWrestling jumping into the ring together]]. (By the way, [[CaptainObvious Angel Cody wins]].) A RuleOfFunny moment, but it may also be a nod to the original notion (see the trope page) of a person's personified virtues and vices having a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind for control of his or her soul. Also notable for a number of fans [[invoked]][[EvilIsSexy finding Devil Cody hot]], as well as [[AngelDevilShipping shipping the two]] [[ScrewYourself with each other]]--a notion the author teased fans with on the back cover of issue 8.

* IgnoringBySinging: Todd does this, as a form of BrainBleach when he is forced to listen in as Cody and Jeff discuss Cody's sex life. "You do the hokey pokey and you tune your best friend out..."

* UsefulNotes/AustralianAccent: Jake, being from Australia as he is.

* WackyMarriageProposal: A bit downplayed, but when [[spoiler:Thor goes to propose to Maureen, he brings her the engagement ring hanging off the branch of one of his bonsai trees]].