Two Rooks

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Dea O'Malley, taking a moment to relax after a pesky triple murder.

Two Rooks is a complete crime noir webcomic by Alice Fox, set in the dystopian future. There we have the subterranean city of Haven: a refuge built in response to a deadly plague devastating humanity. Those lucky enough to get in may have escaped the plague, but now must live in a crime-ridden, poverty-stricken city under the rule of a tyrannical government. The president is corrupt, the Suits control Nadir, and the police who patrol Haven know no mercy.

The story centers around Deatoura O'Malley, a snarky Irish social engineer who's been contacted by the Queen of Hearts to take on the simple job of assassinating the president. He happens to have experience with this. Opposing him is Keeper Serus Eden, the president's right-hand man and a far more decent individual than Dea could ever hope to be.

Recommended for mature audiences due to violence, harsh language, and more violence. Also highly recommended for those who enjoy great art and writing: it's very high-quality in both areas.

After nearly twelve years' publication, the comic concluded on August 30, 2018. It can be read on the Wayback Machine here. (The original website is now down.)

Tropes used in Two Rooks include:
  • After the End - the comic takes place about fifteen years after the arrival of a plague that seems to have destroyed most of civilization. The lucky made it into Haven, where they now survive. There is still life outside Haven, but exactly what state the rest of the world is in is unclear.
  • Anti-Hero - Dea, Type IV
  • Badass Longcoat - Arguably, all Keepers by definition, but especially Serus
  • Chiaroscuro - Prepare yourself for some very high-contrast lighting.
  • Chromatic Arrangement - The Suits have four subdivisions, with members identified by what color tie they wear. Spades are black, Hearts are red, Diamonds are blue, and Clubs are green.
    • Though technically, Clubs don't wear the uniform, so Uena's the only one in green.
  • Crapsack World - Haven all around, but Nadir in particular
  • Deliberately Monochrome - Limited pallete. The art is done in a very striking color scheme of black, white, and red, with the last used mostly on Dea's hair and shoes, Serus' visor, and blood. Touches of green are also used to a much lesser extent, and occasionally other colors are used to establish lighting, but for the most part, it's black-white-red.
  • Eye Scream - Dea cheats an iris recognition scan...by plucking out the eye of the Sweeper he's just killed.
  • Hero Antagonist - Serus Eden
  • How We Got Here - Story starts In Medias Res, and it's up to Dea to narrate us up to speed.
  • Ho Yay - Serus and Eon have only a little real subtext, but don't tell that to certain fans.
  • Gayngster - Juniper
  • Green Eyes - Dea, and notable in that they are one of the few things always shown in color.
  • Oireland - Parodied. While Dea is from Naas originally, he's otherwise entirely American; but even so, he puts on an exaggerated Irish accent, just to mess with people who don't know any better (this is Lampshaded by Juniper). Otherwise subverted, as other Irish stereotypes just piss Dea off.
  • Orphanage of Love - Lelle runs one
  • Our Presidents Are Different - Eon doesn't quite make it to President Evil levels (yet?), but he's definitely a President Corrupt.
  • Rapunzel Hair - This Troper wants to know how Serus's flowing locks can remain so perfect, even after a motorcycle ride.
  • Redheaded Hero - Dea. Notable in that his hair is one of the other few things always shown in color, though to be fair most other red things are as well.
  • Sassy Secretary - Bera, emphasis on the sassy
  • Saving the Orphanage - Serus has apparently done this several times for Lelle
  • Scary Black Man - Ritz. Six foot seven, carries a gun, used to run blood diamonds and, ahem, "terrorize small villages"? Yepp, scary black man.
  • Secret Police - The Shadows
  • Significant Anagram - Deatoura certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Aeradout.
  • Smoking Is Cool - Dea again. Oh, you thought he stopped smoking?

Dea: I stop smokin' every day.

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