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Gravel (Comic Book)
- 145 statements
- 27 feature instances
- 9 referencing feature instances
| Gravel (Comic Book) | type |
TVTItem | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | label |
Gravel (Comic Book) | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | page |
Gravel | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | comment |
Gravel is a series of Comic Books.All William Gravel has going for him is this: He can learn only by doing things over and over like a dog, he's able to do terrible violence to people and walk away after, he knows exactly how far any given person in a room is from starting something, and he knows where the exits are.That, and he's a combat mage— one of only around eight he's aware of using his "gift" in such a way. Perfect for Britain's Special Air Service.Starting life when Warren Ellis wanted to salvage a Satana story Marvel rejected for not being "kid friendly", Gravel the series follows Gravel the man. A member of the SAS like his father was, Bill Gravel is also a chronic "moonlighter", doing cash and carry jobs off the books for extra money. Too valuable to simply be offed for this breach of SAS protocol, he's instead often put on K Duty— deniable ops. The shit the British military needs done off the books. Since it's off the books, it's bad for the Sergeant Major's service record— and thus his pay. Which leads to more moonlighting.He's also a member of Britain's "Minor Seven", the Occult Detectives that keep things clean while the master mages of the Major Seven... do things beyond mortal knowledge.In contrast to the strong sci-fi leanings of most of Ellis' work, Gravel deals more directly with his love of the Weird Tales tradition, such as Lovecraft and his ilk. Ellis and penciler/ co-writer Mike Wolfer tell tales of a man dealing with horrible things Man Was Not Meant to Fuck With.Gravel first appeared in Strange Kiss #1 (November, 1999). Gravel's story starts in six collected black and white miniseries known as the Strange Killings books, available as trade paperbacks or collected in the Never a Dull Day omnibus. He then appeeared every six weeks or so in an ongoing Gravel series, now in color. Three collections were released before Avatar abruptly stopped publishing comics in 2019. As of early 2022, the future of then series (and Avatar itself) is uncertain.At one point, Warren Ellis was also working on the screenplay for a Gravel film.Gravel-Centered Series Strange Kiss (1999-2000). 3 issues. Stranger Kisses (2000-2001). 3 issues. Strange Killings (2002). 3 issues. Strange Killings:The Body Orchard (2002-2003). 6 issues. Strange Killings:Strong Medicine (2003). 3 issues. Strange Killings:Necromancer (2004). 6 issues. Gravel (2007-2009). 22 Issues Gravel: Combat Magician (2014). 5 Issues | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | fetched |
2023-08-23T12:13:29Z | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | parsed |
2023-08-23T12:13:29Z | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | processingComment |
Dropped link to EverybodyHasStandards: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | processingUnknown |
EverybodyHasStandards | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_2dfdd387 | type |
Human Disguise | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_2dfdd387 | comment |
Human Disguise: Or some sort of organic Mobile-Suit Human? The first story involves an Eldritch Abomination of a lizard which sends extensions of itself disguised as attractive humans to Earth. The story compares them to the entity's reproductive organs because when they have sex with humans they're implanted with multiple examples of the creature's young becoming living incubators. These pseudo-humans can die from physical trauma much like real people and when dissected, they are shown to have a large lizard located in their thorax that apparently dies when they do. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_2dfdd387 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_2dfdd387 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_2dfdd387 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_372bc105 | type |
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_372bc105 | comment |
Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Hard toward cynicism, though it can be argued Bill's own cynicism helps him take care of the real bastards. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_372bc105 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_372bc105 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_372bc105 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_38047858 | type |
Squishy Wizard | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_38047858 | comment |
Squishy Wizard: Strongly averted, whenever he doffs his shirt, his fellow SAS commandos look like scarecrows compared to Bill. He's got enough muscles to intimidate Conan and that's under normal circumstances! But all this shoots through the roof when he starts cranking out the magic. When he starts channelling his magic into himself, he has enough super-strength to tear people and monsters in half with his bare hands. Also he can withstand getting impaled in a spiked pit and having his arm cut off (he's also able to use magic to cure holes in him from the impalement and re-attach his arm). | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_38047858 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_38047858 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_38047858 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_3f7a958b | type |
Secret Test of Character | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_3f7a958b | comment |
Secret Test of Character: Gravel's feud with the Minor Seven? All being watched by the Major Seven, to see if he'd be a suitable replacement for a dead member. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_3f7a958b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_3f7a958b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_3f7a958b | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_447d9e50 | type |
Xanatos Speed Chess | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_447d9e50 | comment |
Xanatos Speed Chess: NEVER play this with Gravel... | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_447d9e50 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_447d9e50 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_447d9e50 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_4e3decd5 | type |
A Friend in Need | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_4e3decd5 | comment |
A Friend in Need: Gravel follows this strongly towards people who save his life and is keen on returning the favor when able. In Strange Kiss, an old (and according to him his only) friend of his was impregnated by an Elder God, so he killed it and sent it crashing into Manhattan at his friends' dying request. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_4e3decd5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_4e3decd5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_4e3decd5 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_51a485d1 | type |
Brought Down to Badass | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_51a485d1 | comment |
Brought Down to Badass: At the end of the series, Gravel loses his magic and ends up living in Indonesia, training British soldiers stationed there. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_51a485d1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_51a485d1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_51a485d1 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_5573c595 | type |
Home Field Advantage | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_5573c595 | comment |
Homefield Advantage: Extremely important. A magician is nearly unassailable within their "Place of Power". The Major Seven only figure out how scary Bill really is when they discover he's made all of London into his Place of Power. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_5573c595 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_5573c595 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_5573c595 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_56de963d | type |
Working-Class People Are Morons | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_56de963d | comment |
Working-Class People Are Morons: Averted by Gravel; while not "book smart", he's anything but an idiot. Actually a bad button to press around him. Ask the old Minor Seven. Oops, he killed them all, and was partly able to due to this assumption. The new Minor Seven Bill's building also seem built to avert and lampshade this trope in many ways. Or ask the Major Seven. Uh, you'll need to hunt down the only other survivor. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_56de963d | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_56de963d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_56de963d | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_6627695f | type |
Author Appeal | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_6627695f | comment |
Author Appeal: Warren seems oddly fond of telling people how good the British, and especially the British special forces, are at horribly murdering their enemies. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_6627695f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_6627695f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_6627695f | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_68da6712 | type |
Canon Welding | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_68da6712 | comment |
Canon Welding: Another Ellis comic published by Avatar Press, Captain Swing And The Pirates Of Cindery Island, features characters who appear to be ancestors of John Reinhardt and William Gravel. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_68da6712 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_68da6712 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_68da6712 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_7286e96d | type |
Idiot Ball | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_7286e96d | comment |
Idiot Ball: Gravel has ruthlessly killed people even when they aren't a direct threat to him, but what happens when he meets a creepy stalker who wants to join his Minor Seven? He interrogates the guy and finds out that he's a magically talented serial killer who is influenced by the Whitechapel murders and its connection to the occult. Yet rather than slotting the guy, Gravel frees him and warns the murderer to run back to Scotland and never set foot in England again. Naturally the guy is in no mood to comply after getting humiliated like that and this ends up biting Bill in the ass later on. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_7286e96d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_7286e96d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_7286e96d | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_815556aa | type |
Tome of Eldritch Lore | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_815556aa | comment |
Tome of Eldritch Lore: Bill possesses the Sigsand Manuscript from Carnacki the Ghost-Finder. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_815556aa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_815556aa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_815556aa | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8767b1f3 | type |
Black-and-Gray Morality | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8767b1f3 | comment |
Black-and-Gray Morality: Arguable; Gray-and-Grey Morality is also a viable call. Gravel sure as hell isn't a white knight. He has ideals—and watch what he does for them. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8767b1f3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8767b1f3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8767b1f3 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8774fb47 | type |
Eldritch Abomination | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8774fb47 | comment |
Eldritch Abomination: Multiple examples. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8774fb47 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8774fb47 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8774fb47 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8ba9512b | type |
Our Zombies Are Different | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8ba9512b | comment |
Our Zombies Are Different: In Necromancer a Mad Scientist has invented a gas which kills people and reanimates them as zombies. However, unlike most zombies in media, they still decay at the same rate as normal corpses. Their brains also degrade to the point where they can be (barely) controlled by sating their powerful primal urges for food and sex, though they retain enough intellect to follow basic orders. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8ba9512b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8ba9512b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_8ba9512b | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_91e3f284 | type |
Military Mage | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_91e3f284 | comment |
Military Mage: The titular wizard is a member of the British Special Forces and as such is assigned to do "black" ops from time to time by the government, which has made him bump heads with members of the British wizard community that, putting it nicely, look down their noses at the Muggles (as such, quite a few of said "black ops" had been to kill some of the more insidious members of said community). | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_91e3f284 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_91e3f284 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9ac6b0c1 | type |
Sociopathic Hero | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9ac6b0c1 | comment |
Sociopathic Hero: Bill Gravel is this. By his own account, he is a sociopathic bastard with a predilection for killing and only does altruistic deeds out of service to the SAS and a sense of duty as a magician. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9ac6b0c1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9ac6b0c1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9ac6b0c1 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9b54d536 | type |
Evil Counterpart | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9b54d536 | comment |
Evil Counterpart: "Bible" Jack would be this for Gravel. Like Bill, he grew up in vicious destitute conditions and had a natural affinity for magic and killing. Like Bill, he was quite crafty in his usage of magic in addition to being skilled enough to murder an entire roster of the Minor Seven handpicked by Bill like Bill had done to the previous Minor Seven. Unlike Bill, "Bible" Jack was a power-hungry Ax-Crazy sadist who wanted to use his skill to become the top magician in Britain, while Bill is a stoic Professional Killer who just wanted to wipe out dangerous magician elitists who lorded over the lower classes. Unlike Bill, Jack was a scrawny emaciated upstart who relied on magic instead of a built and seasoned veteran. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9b54d536 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9b54d536 | featureConfidence |
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| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9b54d536 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9e943076 | type |
One-Man Army | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9e943076 | comment |
One-Man Army: Gravel can literally take on elite SAS operatives, powerful magicians/sorcerers & Eldritch Abomination all by himself | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9e943076 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9e943076 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_9e943076 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_a6a68db3 | type |
Humble Goal | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_a6a68db3 | comment |
Humble Goal: All Bill ever really wanted was a pint and the peace to enjoy it, but people keep involving him in their schemes. But then, that's the price of power like his. Never a dull day, being a magician. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_a6a68db3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_a6a68db3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_a6a68db3 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_bda3d68a | type |
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu? | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_bda3d68a | comment |
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu? and Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Bill is quite good at this. And later on in the ongoing, we even get Did Bill Just Summon Cthulhu? | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_bda3d68a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_bda3d68a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_bda3d68a | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d01cffbc | type |
Badass Longcoat | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d01cffbc | comment |
Badass Longcoat: Gravel's garb of choice, with black shirt and jeans | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d01cffbc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d01cffbc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d01cffbc | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d4c64fb7 | type |
Blue-Collar Warlock | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d4c64fb7 | comment |
Blue-Collar Warlock: Gravel. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d4c64fb7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d4c64fb7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_d4c64fb7 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_e35ab565 | type |
Indy Ploy | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_e35ab565 | comment |
Indy Ploy: Several by Gravel. Especially when he's dealing with lying commanders who won't tell him everything. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_e35ab565 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_e35ab565 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gravel (Comic Book) / int_e35ab565 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_f6ca5b54 | type |
The Archmage | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_f6ca5b54 | comment |
The Archmage: Gravel was temporarily this when he was the undisputed "king" of Britain's magicians after killing the Minor Seven and Major Seven. | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_f6ca5b54 | featureApplicability |
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Gravel (Comic Book) / int_f6ca5b54 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_name | type |
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| Gravel (Comic Book) / int_name | comment |
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Gravel (Comic Book) |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Blue-Collar Warlock / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Comic Books of the 1990s / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Government Agency of Fiction / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel | seeAlso |
Gravel (Comic Book) | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Home Field Advantage / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Magical Foreign Words / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Military Mage / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
The Wild Hunt / int_841ee823 | |
| Gravel (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Urban Fantasy / int_841ee823 |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.