Nikolai Dante

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Nikolai Dante


Nikolai Dante on the cover of 2000 AD prog 1139, drawn by Simon Fraser; copyright Rebellion A/S 2005.
Publisher Rebellion A/S
First appearance 2000 AD #1035 (1997)
Created by Robbie Morrison
Simon Fraser
Characteristics
Alter ego Nikolai Dante
Affiliations Agent of Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror, Romanov Dynasty, Katarina Dante's pirate crew
Notable aliases The Gentleman Thief
Abilities Bio-blades, accelerated healing, telepathic communication with a Weapons Crest (an alien computer disguised as a badge); expert marksman with fast reflexes

Nikolai Dante is the eponymous hero of a comics series published in the weekly British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. Created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser, Dante first appeared in 1997. Fraser was the primary artist on the series for the first three years, with support from artists such as Charlie Adlard, Henry Flint, Chris Weston and Andy Clarke. From 2000 the majority of the stories were painted by John Burns. Fraser returned to the character in October 2006, his first work on the strip since April 2002.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Set in future Russia, the series follows Dante, a swashbuckling young thief and ladies' man, as he discovers he is an illegitimate scion of the Romanov Dynasty, aristocratic rivals to the Tsar, Vladimir the Conqueror of the House of Makharov. Dante's Romanov genes enable him to bond with a "Weapons Crest", a biological weapon which gives members of the dynasty superhuman abilities: in Dante's case, the ability to extend bio-blades from his hands. He gleefully outrages aristocratic society and enjoys a turbulent relationship with the Tsar's daughter Jena. Eventually war breaks out between the Makharov and Romanov dynasties, despite Jena and Dante's attempts to prevent it, and they break off their burgeoning romance to side with their families. After the end of the war and the defeat of the Romanovs, Dante returns to thieving, joining his mother, Katarina Dante, and her notorious pirate crew, before recruited by the Tsar to investigate the proliferation of cyborganic weaponry similar to the Romanov Weapons Crest.

[edit] Characters

[edit] The Romanovs

  • Nikolai Dante - thief, ladies' man and illegitimate son of Dmitri Romanov
  • Dmitri Romanov - head of the Romanov dynasty, aristocratic rivals to the Tsar, and Dante's father
  • Jocasta Romanov - Dmitri's sister, and mother, via genetic engineering, of his legitimate children:
    • Valentine - the "blunt instrument" of the Romanov Dynasty, scarred physically and mentally by his prototype Crest
    • Konstantin - born leader, Crest generates nuclear fusion energy
    • Andreas - womaniser and hellraiser, Crest gives him throwable bio-blades
    • Viktor - enigmatic loner, Crest transforms him into a Romanov eagle
    • Lulu - seductive vamp, Crest creates swarms of deadly robotic insects
    • Alexandr and Alexandra - twins whose Crests allow them to combine into one super-being
    • Nastasia - narcissistic sexual predator, Crest allows her to spit deadly venom
    • Arkady - youngest of Dmitri's sons, the Crest intended for him bonded with Dante instead

[edit] The Makharovs and their allies

  • Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror - ruthless ruler of the Russian empire
  • Tsarina Jena Makharov - the Tsar's daughter and Dante's on-off love interest
  • Count Pyre - shape-changing alien, Commander of the Scarlet Wraiths
  • The Arbatov family - whose members always seem to be on the wrong end of Dante's escapades

[edit] Others

  • The Countessa de Wynter - beautiful, manipulative con-artist
  • Katarina Dante - pirate queen and Dante's mother
  • Eloise de Janissaire - leader of the mercenary Warlords and Dante's wife
  • The White Army and the Red Guard - warring factions from a parallel dimension, the White Army created the Weapons Crest technology, while the Red Guard fight to preserve their humanity
  • Sir Richard Hawksmoore - former Tsarist warrior turned mercenary, obsessed with Jena Makharov
  • Akita Sagawa - Japanese Yakuza leader
  • The Kraken - leader of the Pacific Rievers

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Comics

Nikolai Dante has appeared in a large number of stories in 2000 AD all of which have been written by Robbie Morrison.

[edit] Collections

Rebellion are collecting the stories into a series of trade paperbacks:

  • Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty (November 2004, ISBN 1-904265-20-0):
    • "Nikolai Dante" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1035-1041, 1997)
    • "The Romanov Dynasty" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1042-1049, 1997)
    • "Russia's Greatest Love Machine" (with Chris Weston, in 2000 AD #1066, 1997)
    • "The Gentleman Thief" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1067-1070, 1997)
    • "The Full Dante" (with Charlie Adlard, in 2000 AD #1071, 1997)
    • "Moscow Duellists" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1072-1075, 1997)
    • "The Gulag Apocalyptic" (with Henry Flint, in 2000 AD #1079-1084, 1998)
  • Nikolai Dante: The Great Game (March 2005, ISBN 1-904265-32-4):
    • "The Trouble with Arbatovs" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1083, 1998)
    • "Cruel Britannia" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1084, 1998)
    • "The Great Game" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1101-1110, 1998)
    • "The Octobriana Seduction" (with Andy Clarke, in 2000 AD #1113-1116, 1998)
    • "Masque of Dante" (with Charlie Adlard, in 2000 AD #1125-1127, 1999)
    • "The Moveable Feast" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1128-1130, 1999)
    • "Tour of Duty" (with Charlie Adlard, in 2000 AD #1131-1133, 1999)
    • "The Cadre Infernale" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1134-1137, 1999)
    • "The Hunting Party" (with Andy Clarke, in 2000 AD #1139-1140, 1999)
  • Nikolai Dante: The Courtship of Jena Makarov (January 2006, ISBN 1-904265-44-8):
    • "Fists of Fury" (with Charlie Adlard, in 2000 AD #1141, 1999)
    • "Last Dance of the Trans-Siberian" (with Charlie Adlard, in 2000 AD #1142-1143, 1999)
    • "Cruel Seas" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1148-1149, 1999)
    • "Requiem for Lost Love" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1150, 1999)
    • "The Courtship of Jena Makarov " (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1161-1172 , 1999)
    • "Love and War" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD prog 2000, 1999)
  • Nikolai Dante: Tsar Wars Vol 1 (September 2006, ISBN 1-904265-95-2):
    • "Rudinshtein Irregulars " (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1183-1190, 2000)
    • "Love and War" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1200-1207, 2000)
    • "Battleship Potemkin" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1213-1220, 2000)

[edit] Uncollected

  • Nikolai Dante:
    • "One Last Night in the House of Sin" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD prog 2001, 2000)
    • "The Beguiling" (with Steve Yeowell in 2000 AD #1234-1235, 2001)
    • "Fiends" (with Steve Yeowell in 2000 AD #1236-1239, 2001)
    • "The Romanov Empire" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1250-1262, 2001)
    • "The Return of the Gentleman Thief" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD prog 2002 & #1273-1274, 2001-2002)
    • "The Romanov Job" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1280-1287, 2002)
    • "Hell and High Water" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD prog 2003 & #1322-1328, 2002-2003)
    • "The Sea Falcon" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD prog 2004, 2003)
    • "Agent of Destruction" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD prog 2005 & #1420-1427, 2004-2005)
    • "How could you believe me when I said I loved you when you know I've been a liar all my life?" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1428-1431, 2005)
    • "Primal Screams" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1433-1436, 2005)
    • "Devil's Deal" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD prog 2006, 2005)
    • "Usurper" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1487-1489, 2006)
    • "The Depths" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1500-1501, 2006)
    • "Dragon's Island" (with John Burns, in 2000 AD #1502-1507, 2006)
    • "Sword of the Tsar" (with Simon Fraser, in 2000 AD #1511-ongoing, 2006)

[edit] Novels

A number of novelisations have been written by David Bishop and published by Black Flame. The first, "The Strangelove Gambit", details Dante's misadventures as a tutor in a boarding school for young ladies that hides a deadly secret.

So far they include:

[edit] Trivia

  • In the installment "The Romanov Job" there are cameo appearances by thinly disguised characters from other comics including:
    • The Spider - "Abel Ganz. The Tarantula. Anarchist. Assassin and all-round master criminal"
    • Janus Stark - "Janos Starak. Escapologist Extraordinaire"
    • Catwoman - "Selina Solaris. The Panther"
    • Crusher Creel - "Grushko Kreel"
    • Luther Arkwright - Captain Luther Emmanuel

[edit] External links

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