Sachyriel
Banned
Floating ships that shoot magical bursts downward to lay waste to inhabitable lands =/= Hind Helicopters.
Some Great AH Comic Book Titles To Check Out
- Thread starter Mr_ Bondoc
- Start date
Floating ships that shoot magical bursts downward to lay waste to inhabitable lands =/= Hind Helicopters.
That's not quite what I meant. The Red Star sticks to the course of actual Soviet history so close that there isn't much room for surprise if you're at all familiar with that history. In fact, it sticks so close that it ignores the implications of its worldbuilding when they threaten to break the analogy, such as the question of why a pseudo-Cold War betwen the URSS and the WTA (aka ersatz America) has broken out when nuclear deterrence doesn't exist and fielding millian-man armies is not a problem.
(Yes, I am aware that there is an explanation, but I find it unsatisfactory for different reasons.)
It's pretty mild, as AH goes, but Brian Celvinger's Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics) is wonderful. It doesn't exactly have a PoD, since the comic is based primarily on pulp action and humour. Basically, in 1923, Nikola Tesla constructs a nuclear powered robot. This robot- Robo- goes on many adventures throughout the 20th Century. These include fighting in World War II, accompanying a probe to Mars, and all sorts of cool stuff. It's a really fun series, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh.
Two more, though they may count as secret histories.
The Programme (DC/Wildstorm): The Nazis succeed in creating a superhero too late to do them any good. After the war, the Americans and the Soviets experiment with their own creations, but little comes of it, and by the 1970s both sides have discontinued and buried their projects. The story itself kicks off in 2008, when four Soviet metahumans (in cold storage since 1953) are accidentally reactivated, discover that history hasn't quite gone the way Marx predicted, and so decide to vent their frustrations by beating the shit out of the United States. The designs for the Soviet characters are pretty cool, but the story is really little more than an extended "take that, America."
The Winter Men (DC/Wildstorm): Probably the best damn comic about Russian superheroes you're likely to find. The story itself starts out as a crime drama in 2001 Moscow revolving around the abduction of a girl who recieved a unusual liver transplant, but it quickly expands into a sort of sprawling journey across the ruins of the Soviet Union, focusing on the fallout of the multiple superhero projects the Soviets worked on, and the fate of this one semi-mythical figure dubbed "The Hammer of the Revolution." In a way, you could think of the story as a sort of coda to the typical superhero-deconstruction story, where the heroes and their victims have changed and grown (and in many cases, traded places) over the weary decades, and fight more out of instinct and a vague desire for some, nay any, type of closure to their lives and their society.
The Programme (DC/Wildstorm): The Nazis succeed in creating a superhero too late to do them any good. After the war, the Americans and the Soviets experiment with their own creations, but little comes of it, and by the 1970s both sides have discontinued and buried their projects. The story itself kicks off in 2008, when four Soviet metahumans (in cold storage since 1953) are accidentally reactivated, discover that history hasn't quite gone the way Marx predicted, and so decide to vent their frustrations by beating the shit out of the United States. The designs for the Soviet characters are pretty cool, but the story is really little more than an extended "take that, America."
The Winter Men (DC/Wildstorm): Probably the best damn comic about Russian superheroes you're likely to find. The story itself starts out as a crime drama in 2001 Moscow revolving around the abduction of a girl who recieved a unusual liver transplant, but it quickly expands into a sort of sprawling journey across the ruins of the Soviet Union, focusing on the fallout of the multiple superhero projects the Soviets worked on, and the fate of this one semi-mythical figure dubbed "The Hammer of the Revolution." In a way, you could think of the story as a sort of coda to the typical superhero-deconstruction story, where the heroes and their victims have changed and grown (and in many cases, traded places) over the weary decades, and fight more out of instinct and a vague desire for some, nay any, type of closure to their lives and their society.
Batman/Doc Savage (DC Comics)- First comic special in the "First Wave" storyline, which introduces a new universe within the DC multiverse, written by Brian Azzarello. This is an ATL wherein Gotham City takes the place of Los Angeles; airships/ blimos are common;and there are no super powers; but there are plenty of superheroes. This special introduces some of the many changes that are taking place....
Catch this one while you can:
Victorian Undead (Wildstorm/DC Comics): The setting? London, the year 1884. Gas lamps throw long shadows across closed storefronts; a horse-drawn carriage prattles down the cobblestone street, paying no mind to the feral children sleeping in the alley. The only sounds audible at this late-night hour are a bit of music rising from the pub on the corner and the low moan of a zombie shuffling over the sidewalk... Wait – zombies?.. Why are the dead rising in London? Who or what is behind their resurrection? It’s up to a certain famous detective and his erstwhile comrade to find out... It’s written by WildStorm alum Ian Edginton and illustrated by international sensation Davide Fabbri, and sports the gruesome Tony Moore cover that’s been making its rounds across the web the last two days.
Victorian Undead (Wildstorm/DC Comics): The setting? London, the year 1884. Gas lamps throw long shadows across closed storefronts; a horse-drawn carriage prattles down the cobblestone street, paying no mind to the feral children sleeping in the alley. The only sounds audible at this late-night hour are a bit of music rising from the pub on the corner and the low moan of a zombie shuffling over the sidewalk... Wait – zombies?.. Why are the dead rising in London? Who or what is behind their resurrection? It’s up to a certain famous detective and his erstwhile comrade to find out... It’s written by WildStorm alum Ian Edginton and illustrated by international sensation Davide Fabbri, and sports the gruesome Tony Moore cover that’s been making its rounds across the web the last two days.
That sounds like The Way (Crossgen Comics). If anything, it was a comic book series before its time.
Also check out these series:
We Will Bury You!! (IDW Comics) by Brea and Zane Grant, the idea is that zombies have infested 1927 Hollywood, California and New York City, New York. Find out how Jazz Age America would have dealt with the zombie apocalypse... coming in February 2010
For fans of the television series:
Jericho (Devil's Due Press) comes out as a direct series continuation, following directly from the second season cliffhanger. The characters have delivered a nuclear weapon to San Antonio, Texas, and the United States is on the verge of a Second Civil War. If you were a fan of the series, be glad that the series was actually written by the series creators... OUT NOW!!!
Here are some titles of some great AH Comics that you might be able to find at your local comic book store:
A) Pax Romana (Image Comics)- Classic ISOT story wherein the Vatican City sends an elite group of mercenaries, armed with modern military tactics and technology, to the age of Emperor Constantine. Their job is to try and unify the planet in a religious sense. It even comes with a detailed ATL that explains the full ramifications....
B) Supergod (Avatar Comics)- Written by Warren Ellis, this is probably one of the most interesting, but thoroughly offensive comics on the market at the moment. Imagine an ATL wherein starting c. 1955, the major nations of the world attempt to create superhumans, but get beings who think of themselves as gods, causing apocalyptic violence and mayhem until c.2010. Lots of blood, gore, and psychotic violence....
A) Pax Romana (Image Comics)- Classic ISOT story wherein the Vatican City sends an elite group of mercenaries, armed with modern military tactics and technology, to the age of Emperor Constantine. Their job is to try and unify the planet in a religious sense. It even comes with a detailed ATL that explains the full ramifications....
B) Supergod (Avatar Comics)- Written by Warren Ellis, this is probably one of the most interesting, but thoroughly offensive comics on the market at the moment. Imagine an ATL wherein starting c. 1955, the major nations of the world attempt to create superhumans, but get beings who think of themselves as gods, causing apocalyptic violence and mayhem until c.2010. Lots of blood, gore, and psychotic violence....
Well, it was kinda of expected that if anyone had subscribed to the site, they had already known about The Watchmen and Superman: The Red Sun. Both comics would be like Bring the Jubilee or For Want of a Nail, serving as the first building blocks for understanding the genre.
Second, I also want to introduce any new series, graphic novels, et al. that might not get covered ....
Baker Street: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Street_(comics)
The Boston Bombers: http://www.uchronia.net/bib.cgi/label.html?id=fortboston
The Boston Bombers: http://www.uchronia.net/bib.cgi/label.html?id=fortboston
Definitely check out the final issue of Galactica 1980 (Dynamite Comics). If anything, there is an ending that pays tribute to the 2002 Battlestar Galactica series. It also leads to the creation of a future mini-series Galactica 1981. There is a strage cameo by a certain rebel leader in Afganistan. The ending is very much like the one for Independence Day (1996), but if you are even a casual fan of the genre, you should check them out....
Captain Confederacy is one... much of the plot didn't turn out the way I expected it to do.
It can be read here: http://captainconfederacy.blogspot.com/
It can be read here: http://captainconfederacy.blogspot.com/
There's a rather neat trilogy of AH Star Wars comic books called Star Wars Infinities that I would definitely recommend. The one for "A New Hope" is the best; the POD is Luke's failure to destroy the first Death Star.
Hmm... interesting. The premise is obviously a giant mass of handwave, but the middle two-thirds aren't bad. Then the ending kinda takes a big jump into the crazy again. Still, not too bad a story.