The Red Star Volume 1 Issues #1-9 Complete + Annual

is an award-winning graphic novel and comic series by Christian Gossett set in a sci-fi/fantasy world described by Gossett as "Mythic [Soviet] Russia". As a graphic novel it remains one of the most celebrated of the decade, an epic mythology inspired by the art, folklore and military history of the former Soviet Union. The series is thus an allegory of the former USSR--a post-World War II Soviet Russia mixing technology and sorcery. The 'United Republics of the Red Star', often simply called the 'State' in the comic, are shown to be coterminous with the historical Soviet Union in a map at the beginning of the first issue. The main enemy of the first novels, Al'Istaan, is a stand-in for historical Afghanistan and occupies a similar area on the map. Volume 1 consists of ten comics in a limited series, published by Image Comics from June, 2000 to June 2002. There are actually nine issues with an added Issue #7.5, plus an annual issue. Within the comics world, the books are a hit, and have already amassed an international cult following. For the world of popular art, they represent a very important progression in the way that comic books can be drawn, coloured and produced using a combination of traditional drawing, CG artwork and digital compositing, resulting in a unique, cinematic visual style that many have since tried to emulate but have never equalled. Superior story and incredible artwork. The first four issues of tell the story of the war of the state and the Red Fleet / Army against Al'Istaan, told in a retrospective by Maya Antares, who remembers her husband's death in that war. Issue 5, a standalone entitled "A Worker's Tale", tells the story of the Fall of the Red Fleet from the perspective of the Prison Laborers whose grim toil maintains the massive Skyfurnaces, the 1 1/2 mile long air warships of the Red Fleet. The collected issues #1-5 were published as the first Red Star trade paperback (TPB). Subsequent issues #6-9 cover a new story arc, "The Book of Nokgorka", that chronicles the further adventures of Maya and her beloved husband, Marcus Antares. Issue #7.5 titled "Transformation" seamlessly continues the storyline (part three thereof) and may even be considered the actual issue 8. The collected issues #6-9 form the second TPB, simply titled "Nokgorka." The Red Star annual, published November 2002 by Archangel Studios and entitled "Run, Makita, Run" is meant to be a standalone and the story therein takes place before the events featured in issue #6. Although there may have been slight changes in the Red Star Team in the period from issue #1 to #9, the core members were: Christian Goss: Creator, Penciller, Writer; Bradley James Kayl: Writer; A.D. Coulter: 3D Artist; and Snakebite: Color Stylist.

The Red Star is a world much like our own, except that Military Industrial Sorcery has made the armies of the many different nations capable of incredible destruction. Every soldier is a trained sorcerer, armed with weaponry engineered to amplify their power. The dark secret of this world is the source of this godlike power: The Imprisoned Afterlife. The leaders of the world's nations have discovered the secret of containing the souls of the dead and transforming these souls into a new form of energy. Unknown to the majority of humankind, the death of every human being means the imprisonment of another soul, and therefore the birth of another unit of Post Human Energy or PHE. PHE, human souls, are the source unit of Military Industrial Sorcery, as well as the foundation of the true world economy. The spirit world has been transformed into a damnation of mankind's own design. The Heroes of The Red Star have discovered this secret and have taken it upon themselves to descend into the Imprisoned Afterlife, lay siege to its prison fortresses and liberate the souls of their ancestors. Inhabitants of the world of The Red Star also commonly use abilities which we would find quite unusual. From Telepathy to Telekinesis and Teleportation, inhabitants of this sometimes harsh and overpowering realm are well-equiped to deal with its dangers and opportunities. Still, epic power leads to epic dangers, and even the most confident of PHE users often find that they who live by the sword... well, you know the rest. --

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