Jeremiah is a French-Belgian comic book series by Hermann which started publication in 1979.
20 Minutes into the Future, racial tensions in the USA have degenerated into all-out civil war, and things snowball until civilization collapses altogether. In this post-apocalyptic America, most of the surviving population lives in small rural communities, while new states and polities have sprung up and attempt to fill the vacuum.
Jeremiah is, at first, an ordinary Farm Boy, but is forced by circumstances to become a drifter when his village is destroyed by slave traders. He is joined by a resourceful Loveable Rogue, Kurdy Malloy.
For the Live-Action Adaptation loosely based on the comics, see Jeremiah.
Tropes:
- After the End: The entire series is set after the few remnants of human civilization began to recover from a devastating war.
- Apocalypse How: Thanks to a massive war stemming from racial tensions in the U.S., a Class 2 (Global societal collapse) catastrophe occurred, with remaining civilizations being scattered settlements ranging from rural villages to technologically advanced enclaves.
- Character Development: Jeremiah gradually becomes increasingly jaded and cynical, and his moral code grows murkier.
- Crapsack World: The post-apocalyptic civilization is not a nice place to live, as warfare still occurs between opportunistic warlords, surviving radical groups that caused the destruction, and feuding city-states. As a result, the populace has to live in fear from constant conflicts along with bandits and slavers taking advantage of the lack of law and order. Even if the settlements manage to police their borders and maintain law and order, it tends to be harsh and cruel (in some cases, only serving the interest of the powers that be) to its populace.
- Doomed Hometown: Jeremiah's hometown is destroyed and all its inhabitants enslaved.
- Feathered Fiend: The villain in "La Nuit des Rapaces" has a giant aviary in which he keeps various birds of prey. He ends up locked in it, and the hungry birds eat him alive.
- Injun Country: In a twist, the surviving Native American tribes managed to create functioning nation-states with their own military to police and sometimes conduct raids against nearby white settlements.
- Loveable Rogue: Kurdy, whose It's All About Me nature put him as an opposite to a more-altruistic Jeremiah.
- Maiden Aunt: Martha, Jeremiah's aunt, is a straight-laced old woman with a borderline puritanical ethical code.
- Monster Clown: In "Un Hiver de Clown", Jeremiah and Lena come across a community of psychopathic circus clowns.
- Never Bareheaded: Kurdy never takes off his GI-style helmet, even when showering.
- New Old West: Post-apocalyptic America looks like the Wild West.
- Only One Name: Jeremiah is only known by his first name, unlike Kurdy and Lena, whose family names are both known (if seldom used).
- Persecution Flip: Native Americans have managed to establish their own states after the war, and they ironically take the role of the US Cavalry against mostly-Caucasian settlements.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: One story involved a secluded laboratory that harvests humans to create youth serum. Kurdy was captured in a fake invitation and Jeremiah had to rescue him. In the end, the entire staff mutinied against the doctor and the serum clients began to panic and fight over the remaining serum the moment the news was heard.
- Scavenger World: Some bits of pre-apocalypse technology can be found in places.
- Swamps Are Evil: In "Les Eaux de Colère", a swamp turns out to be inhabited by a sprawling, quasi-sentient vegetal entity.
- Took a Level in Badass: Jeremiah is at first a pretty clueless young man, but over time he grows into a self-confident and worldly badass.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Kurdy occasionally dresses as a woman for infiltration purposes.
