Written by Robbie Morrison
Art by Simon Fraser, Chris Weston, Charlie Adlard and Henry Flint
Cover by Fraser
DC Solicitation: Russia, 2666 A.D.: Where a man can become a legend if he's fool enough to stake his life on it. That man is Nikolai Dante - lover, rogue and thief, son of a pirate-queen and altogether too cool to kill!
Created by Robbie Morrison (BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS) and Simon Fraser (Lux & Alby), this collection features art by Chris Weston (THE FILTH), Charlie Adlard (THE ESTABLISHMENT) and Henry Flint (Judge Dredd/Aliens).
When chance leaves him working with the Tsar's beautiful daughter Jena, Dante discovers his heritage - bio-bonding with the alien Weapons Crest, which grants him astonishing abilities. But with the new enemies he's making - much less the family he never knew about - can Dante keep his head?
On sale Nov 17 [2004] o 7.375" x 10.1875" o B&W*, 192 pg. $19.95 US MATURE READERS
*actually in color
This volume reprints:
Nikolai Dante, 7 episodes, progs 1035-1041 (Mar. to Apr. 1997). Story by Robbie Morrison, art by Simon Fraser & Alison Kirkpatrick.
The Romanov Dynasty, 8 episodes, progs 1042-1049 (May to July 1997). Story by Morrison, art by Fraser & Kirkpatrick.
Russia's Greatest Love Machine, prog 1066 (Oct. 1997). Story by Morrison, art by "Spaceboy" (Chris Weston).
The Gentleman Thief, 4 episodes, progs 1067-1070 (Nov. 1997). Story by Morrison, art by Fraser & Kirkpatrick.
The Full Dante, prog 1071 (Dec. 1997). Story by Morrison, art by Charlie Adlard.
Moscow Duellists, 4 episodes, progs 1072-1075 (Dec. 1997). Story by Morrison, art by Fraser & Kirkpatrick.
The Gulag Apocalyptic, 4 episodes, progs 1079-1082 (Jan. to Feb. 1998). Story by Morrison, art by Henry Flint.
Commentary: Nikolai Dante and Sinister Dexter came to 2000 AD after years of short-run serials and strips which only presented about 8 new episodes a year. The comic was in a funk, for while anthology books thrive on "the shock of the new," some feeling of continuity, beyond only Judge Dredd, is vital to keep an audience hooked. Dante and Sinister Dexter became semi-regulars for a three year period, and while both strips continue today at a much slower pace (sharing space with a number of other semi-regular strips), they were responsible for 2000 AD making it through a moribund mid-90s and into the thrill-powered juggernaut which roared into the 21st Century.
It's not possible to read these fantastic episodes without being hooked. Robbie Morrison and Simon Fraser put far more research and behind-the-scenes work into this strip than was typical for series at the time, with vibrant results. Fraser's art is simply amazing, and he uses an incredibly detailed sense of design and feel for architecture to ground the strip in a world all its own - this is no generic "future" world, it's emphatically Russia in the 27th Century, with each location breathing its own atmosphere.
Morrison and Fraser populate this world with a remarkably vivid cast of amazing characters. Tsar Vladimir is emphatically one of comics' greatest villains, and the Romanovs a shockingly real clan of backstabbing protagonists. Calling this bunch "heroes" simply isn't at all accurate.
Above this perfect, rich background are Nikolai Dante and Jena Makarov, the devil-may-care rogue and the lady who presents his greatest challenge. Dante is a liar, a criminal, a braggart, an uncouth lout who has little going for him save luck and street smarts and misuses even these, and commands the page like nobody's business. The ongoing character arc, as Dante comes to appreciate the demands of his position and the intricacies of his world's politics, will make a man of this fool over the course of future volumes, and future events are foreshadowed in the wonderful "Moscow Duellists," which ably mixes some wonderful comedy with a truly unexpected conclusion.
This edition replaces an earlier volume released by Hamlyn Books with the same name, which only included the Simon Fraser episodes. DC/Rebellion's collection adds a pair of one-offs by Charlie Adlard and Chris Weston (the latter of which is a legendary episode involving a bearded nun) and a wonderful outer space adventure illustrated by Henry Flint, who isn't as absolutely comfortable with Dante's trappings as he is in other strips like Shakara and Judge Dredd, but it's an important story all the same and its inclusion most welcome! Book Two is scheduled for March 2005.