Red Star Volume 1: Battle of Kar Dathras Gate

I was simply blown away by the world that these authors have created for The Red Star series. The mix of Fantasy sorcery with Science Fiction technology is very well done. The art is gorgeous. The characters well rounded and well written. This whole plot has a wonderful sense of the epic that BEGS it to be made into a movie or at least a well funded HBO mini-series. This book is so good that it makes you forget that you are championing a fantasy version of the Soviets. That being said, this book does not promote Communism. It promotes the idea that the Communist dream was once beautiful, but was quickly corrupted. That the average Communist was a sincere person that merely wanted to make the world a better place, but was naive and made a pawn. This novel is about those people on the ground level of war that suffer for the corruption and manipulation of those leaders sitting far away in comfort. By the time this novel opens, The United Republics of the Red Star are in decline due to a horrible defeat in the small desert nation of Alistaan . The bulk of the novels action happens in the memory of Maya Antares, who is visiting the grave of her husband who died in the horrors of the last battle of the Alistaan war. Maya finds she must balance her mourning for her fallen husband and her anger at her corrupt leaders, with the her love for her people and their dreams of Utopia. I can't oversell this book. It's my new obsession.

This book is great. The story is very interesting, as it deals with an epic story of a revolution. There are many parallels to the Soviet Union, and this makes the story somewhat more realistic. The art is fantastic. I have not seen such splendid art in a comic book in such a long time. I definitely would say, "you NEED to read this book."

The best book of it's kind. This puts most " Art Of " books to shame, including Star Wars. Anyone with even a remote interest in sci-fi, fantasy or historical drama will get a lot pleasure from this. 3D rendered skyships and architecture blend with hand-drawn characters and outstanding computer color (by the one and only Snakebite) into a stunning, cinematic presentation. Beyond the beautiful artwork, the story is appealing, literate, and exciting. Printed on oversize glossy sheets with tons of behind-the-scenes art, THIS BOOK IS HUGE. This is the kind of story that would translate perfectly into an animated feature or mini-series; just add animators. It's a safe bet that this book will make a big splash in Europe and Japan, as well as the already established manga markets. America is ravishingly hungry for more from Team Red Star, as nobody else in the world of print is doing work quite like this. Image MUST print more of these if they know what's good for 'em!

THE RED STAR is one of the most ambitious comics published today. The story is an allegorical retelling of the fall of the Soviet Union, set in a science fiction/fantasy setting. This is a story of a noble people betrayed by a leadership that is unworthy of them, a story of love and hope and war and sadness; a story with grace and style, and subtle moments interspersed with scenes of savage devastation.RED STAR would be notable for its story alone, but it blends traditional pencil illustration with the latest in 3D computer imagery to lend a whole new scope and grandeur to the project -- the huge skyfurnaces that dominate the skies convey raw power in every panel, for example. The book is as beautiful to look at as it is to read.This trade paperback collects the first four issues of THE RED STAR, the story of the Battle of Kar Dathra's Gate. It is an oversized book, which makes the art look even better than originally published. There is also considerable supplementary material, including links to online resources, sketchbooks and production info, and interviews with the creators. (Full disclosure: I conducted one of those interviews -- but I was a fan of this book long before then.) This is one of those books that show what a special art form comics are -- you won't want to miss it.