Nikolai Dante

Nikolai Dante

Nikolai Dante on the cover of 2000 AD #1139.
Art by Simon Fraser
Character information
First appearance 2000 AD #1035 (1997)
Created by Robbie Morrison
Simon Fraser
In-story information
Team affiliations Agent of Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror
Romanov Dynasty
Katarina Dante's pirate crew
Partnerships Elena Kurakin
Notable aliases Quentin Durward
Abilities Bio-blades, accelerated healing, telepathic communication with a Weapons Crest (an alien computer disguised as the Romanov crest); expert marksman with fast reflexes
Publication information
Publisher Rebellion Developments
Schedule Weekly
Formats Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the comics anthology(s) 2000 AD.
Genre
Publication date March 1997 – July 2012
Main character(s) Nikolai Dante
Jena Makarov
Creative team
Writer(s) Robbie Morrison
Artist(s) Simon Fraser
John Burns
Chris Weston
Charlie Adlard
Henry Flint
Andy Clarke
Steve Yeowell
Creator(s) Robbie Morrison
Simon Fraser
Editor(s) Tharg the Mighty
Reprints
Collected editions
The Romanov Dynasty ISBN 1-904265-20-0
The Great Game ISBN 1-904265-32-4
The Courtship of Jena Makarov ISBN 1-904265-44-8
Tsar Wars Volume 1 ISBN 1-904265-95-2
Tsar Wars Volume 2 ISBN 1-905437-24-2
Hell and High Water ISBN 1-905437-59-7
Sword of the Tsar ISBN 978-1-905437-69-6
The Beast of Rudinshtein ISBN 978-1-905437-92-4
Amerika ISBN 978-1-906735-12-8

"I'm too cool to kill"

Nikolai Dante's tag line

Nikolai Dante was a comic book series published in the weekly British science fiction anthology 2000 AD from March 1997 through July 2012.

History

Nikolai Dante was created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser. The lead character, Dante, first appeared in 1997 in Prog 1035, and he made his final appearance in 2012 in Prog 1791. Fraser was the primary artist for the first three years of the series, with support from artists including Charlie Adlard, Henry Flint, Chris Weston and Andy Clarke. From 2000, the majority of the stories were painted by John Burns, until Fraser returned to the character in October 2006, when the two artists began to alternate on different stories.

Plot

Set in the 27th century after a resurgent Imperial Russia has seized absolute control of both the entire Earth and an interstellar domain, 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 Makarov. Dante's Romanov genes enable him to bond with a sentient "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 and hack into computer systems at will. He outrages aristocratic society and enjoys a turbulent relationship with Tsarina Jena. Early plotlines also dealt with attempts by Dmitri, the Romanov patriarch and bitter enemy of the Tsar, to mould Dante into an aristocrat and killer worthy of the Romanov name.

Dmitri's underhanded political manoeuvering eventually prompts his war between the Makarov and Romanov dynasties, despite Jena's and Dante's attempts to prevent it, and the lovers break off their burgeoning romance to side with their families. The civil war rips the empire apart, and Dante is forced to commit many atrocities in the Romanov name. Vladimir triumphs, Dmitri dies by his own hand, and the power of the Romanovs is broken. Dante–now the most wanted man in the empire–returns to thieving, joining his estranged mother, Katarina Dante, and her notorious pirate crew. After spending time in the Pacific, he is forcibly recruited into the Imperial Service.

In his new role as Sword of the Tsar, Dante works against everything he once held dear, though he secretly abuses his position in order to plot against his employer. His underworld connections come into their own as he begins to build a secret army. A brutal massacre in the oppressed state of Amerika prompts Dante to try to kill the tsar. Imprisoned and tortured, Dante escapes from jail with the help of Jena, and the two renew their relationship and raise an army of thieves and whores to fight (and win) a revolutionary war against the tsar. Tsar Vladimir is put on trial for his crimes and a victorious Dante proposes to Jena. Their new-found happiness is cut short by the surprising return of Dmitri Romanov, who had been long thought dead.

Dmitri embarks on a psychopathic rampage, murdering several of Dante's close allies, capturing Jena and destroying Dante's weapons crest. As he sets about tightening his grip on the empire, planning to marry Jena and execute Vladimir on their wedding day, Dante finds himself fighting the same war against a different enemy. On the day of Jena's forced wedding to Dmitri, Dante leads his army to a second, final triumph that leaves Dmitri dead and a new era of peace and prosperity set to begin.

Characters

The Romanovs

The Romanovs are one of the most powerful dynasties in Russia, descended directly from Peter the Great, and rivalling the Makarovs in influence and military power. The main sources of the family's power are its "Weapons Crests," cybernetic symbiots from another dimension, which provide their bearers with incredible powers. The crests were designed to only bond with the DNA of the Romanov family.

The Makarovs and their allies

The Rudinshtein Irregulars

During the war, Dante is given command of a regiment raised in his own fiefdom, Rudinshtein. Initially made up of regular soldiers, the regiment is eventually supplemented by troops drawn from penal military units.

Other recurring characters

Other characters and imperial factions

Bibliography

British computer games company and comic book publisher Rebellion Developments collected the entire saga into a series of trade paperbacks.

Cultural references

Other media

Novels

A number of Nikolai Dante novels have been written by David Bishop and published by Black Flame. Each is a new Dante story, set in between events depicted by the comic serials. The first novel, "The Strangelove Gambit," details Dante's misadventures as a tutor in a boarding school for young ladies that hides a deadly secret. In the second, "Imperial Black," Dante is forced to seek out an ancient citadel on the roof of the world. The final Dante novel to date, "Honour Be Damned," is a romp set in future Britain that spoofs "The 39 Steps". All of the novels are currently out of print, but E-book editions are available.

So far they include:

Notes

  1. 2000AD Prog 1531 – 4 April 2007
  2. 2000AD Prog 1736 – 1 June 2011
  3. 2000AD Prog 1537 – 16 May 2007
  4. 2000AD Prog 1528 – 14 March 2007

References