The “stranded on an island” trope is not new. It’s been used in everything from horror movies to reality television. In Bad Signs, however, the idea of a group of people stuck together for the foreseeable future in an environment quite removed from the amenities of civilization takes a humorous turn.
Created by Jimena Aranda on Webtoons, the dark comedy uses the zodiac as a focal point. Each character represents a different sign, and what they thought was a vacation in paradise for a reality show turns into a game show of survival of the fittest (or fastest or sneakiest). The trip is doomed from the beginning. We see the pilots and airplane personnel taking dangerous shortcuts to get them to their destination, which inevitably leads to a crash landing.
So what do twelve strangers do to survive when food and supplies are limited? Well, obviously exploring the island for sustenance is a necessary first step. When attempting to eat local monkeys doesn’t work, the only obvious choice is to eat each other, but the real question is, who to sacrifice first?
The web series is supposed to be funny, offering snappy one-liners and even some dirty (yet hilarious) jokes. But the scary part is, humans don’t react well in dire situations, and the comic pretty deftly displays just how easily people break down when their comforts are taken away from them.
Bad Signs updates every Saturday. Begin the adventure here.
