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The Complete Series Red Star: The Battle of Kar Dathra's Gate (Volume 1) Red Star: Nogorka (Volume 2) back to top

Red Star: The Battle of Kar Dathra's Gate ISBN: 1582401977 by Christian Gossett, Bradley Kayl Image Comics 2001 This is one of the few graphic novels I've come across that made me sit back and just stare. The artwork, a combination of traditional illustration techniques and the 3D computer imaging used in the finest computer games, is absolutely stunning. Lucky for us, the story is equally brilliant. A reworking of world history, The Battle of Kar Dathra's Gate follows one Comrade Sorcerer through her brutal memories of the title battle in a conflict which mirrors Russia's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. On that day, she lost both her faith in her country and, more personally, her beloved husband. Her story, however, is much more than it seems, and destiny has greater plans for both her and her husband. review by robin return to top

Red Star: Nokgorka ISBN: 097147141X by Christian Gossett and Bradley Kayl Art by Christian Gossett, Snakebite, Paul Schrier, and Richard Starkings Archangel Studios 2002 The audacity of reworking Russian history and filling it with technology-driven sorcery and mythological destinies still wows me when I consider Red Star � the authority and brilliance with which Team Red Star does leaves me gasping. We return to the world of the United Republics of the Red Star to find the once great now corrupt government falling apart internally while fighting a fruitless war against the rebellious and feverishly insular people of N0kgorka. As Sorceress-Commander Maya Antares and her remaining allies struggle to find reasons to obey their orders from above, a fourteen year-old member of the Al'Istanni resistance, the fearless Makita, stalks the remaining soldiers through the ruins if her city. The loss of her closest friend drives Maya into the smoking remains of the city, with Makita soon picking up her trail � what neither of them knows is that the greater spirits behind the battleground have far different plans than either one expects. Once again, the combination of traditional illustration techniques and computer-generated environments blends into a vivid iconic style that remains to be matched. The detail and the blend of history into the writing is just as remarkable. review by robin return to top