Polite Dissent

Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty is a trade paperback published by DC Comics and 2000 AD that reprints the first several years of the Nikolai Dante stories from the British comics magazine 200 AD.

Set in the year 2666 A.D., the book takes place in the new Imperial Russia. Alternately grim and decadent, the Empire is ruled with an iron hand by Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror. His greatest rivals, the Romanovs, are no less blood-thirsty than the Tsar, and no more ethical. Thrown headfirst into this mix of intrigue is Nikolai Dante, the quintessential scoundrel, rogue and ladies man. He has always managed to stay one step away from the law, until now…

Captured after an ill-timed liaison with an Imperial Seductress, Nikolai is brought in chains before the Tsar. Unexpectedly, Nikolai is not executed on the spot, but instead awarded a commission in the elite Raven Corps. The true reason for this change of fortune is revealed when he is sent on a mission to explore a spaceship that crashed into the Baltic Sea — a ship that just happens to belong to the Romanovs. This ship is carrying the Romanov’s secret weapon, a mysterious technology known as a weapon crest. The crest can only work for a member of the Romanov line. It turns out that Nikolai is the illegitimate offspring of some Romanov somewhere, and the weapon crest bonds to his skin. This turn of events places him squarely between the Tsar and his new “family,” the Romanovs — a place he definitely does not want to be.

There are five full-length adventures in the book, and several shorter ones. I summed up the first adventure already (but rest assured, the book does a much better job). Other full length stories include Nikolai’s mission to the war-torn fiefdom Rudinshtein, his month-long party at the Hotel Yalta, a visit to the Imperial Palace (where he is challenged to a duel on four separate occasions, and did I mention the talking gorillas?), and an escort mission to the prison planet Samovar where he learns some of the truth behind his crest. There are also several shorter stories interspersed between the main ones, usually dealing with failed or otherwise-memorable liaisons.

In addition to Nikolai, the series is populated with many other memorable characters. There is the Tsar and his beautiful and dangerous daughter Jena. There is the unfortunate Arbatov family, who always seem to end up on the wrong side of disputes involving Nikolai. There are the Rasputins, a clan of bearded men and women who base their lives on the infamous “mad monk” Rasputin. Of course there are the Romanovs, including Nikolai’s father and “siblings” — each more depraved than the last. Then there are the talking gorillas — or did I mention them already?

The stories are written by Robbie Morrison and the majority of the art is by Simon Fraser. Other artists include Charlie Adlard, Harry Flint and Spaceboy. The price tag is bit hefty at $19.95, but these stories are otherwise hard for Americans to obtain. If you enjoy swashbuckling space opera, particularly humorous stories involving the occasional R-rated activity, then I can’t recommend this book highly enough.