''Brath'' was an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

published by

CrossGen Entertainment Cross Generation Entertainment or CrossGen was an American comic book publisher and entertainment company that operated from 1998 to 2004. The company's assets were acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2004, and designated to Disney Publishing ...

from February

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

to June

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. It ran for 15 issues (including the prequel) before the series had to end due to bankruptcy of CrossGen in 2004. The series was written by

Chuck Dixon Charles Dixon (born April 14, 1954) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher and on the DC Comics characters Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 1990s and early 2000s. Early life D ...

, and penciled by

Andrea Di Vito Andrea Di Vito (born May 28, 1971) is an Italian comic book artist. Biography Di Vito was born in Rome, and showed a love for drawing from an early age. His first published work appeared in the form of two short stories in the Italian magazine ...

. Brath was set in the fictional world of Hann Jin, which has also been seen in other CrossGen titles such as ''

Way of the Rat ''Way of the Rat'' is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment in wuxia sub-genre of martial arts adventure. Written by Chuck Dixon, with artwork by Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder, the series ran for a total of twenty-four i ...

'' and '' The Path''. Dixon and DiVito researched various parts of history when writing ''Brath''. As such, much of Brath's

diegesis Diegesis (; from the Ancient Greek, Greek from , "to narrate") is a style of fictional, fiction storytelling that presents an interior view of a world in which: # Details about the world itself and the experiences of its characters are reveale ...

is akin to films like ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

'' and ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...

''.

Setting

In the world of Hann Jinn, emperor Quintillius Aurelius Galba Rex rules his empire with an iron will. The lands of the empire stretch from the deserts of Bythium to the cold wastes of the Tandar Steppe. His legions march the lands to enforce his will, taxing the citizens beyond their ability to yield, enforcing his glory and the glory of his great capital city. Yet one land and one people remain beyond the grasp of the emperor, the clans of the Urelanders. ''Brath'' tells the story of the Urelanders, brought together in an uneasy alliance by the war chief Brath Mac Garen, in their struggle against the ever-growing empire of the emperor Quintillius Aurelius Galba Rex.

Plot

Brath Mac Garen Bradmanacus, who is the tongue of the empire, united the clans of the Urelanders when the Empire came to conquer the lands of Ure. Marked with the sign of the Stag god, Brath and his army defied the legions of the emperor time and again. The battle of Irisium taught the empire the cunningness of Brath and his clansmen. Upon defeating the legions of Galba, Brath let the prisoners of that battle go free, despite the reluctance of his clansmen, returning the banner of the Eagle of the Thirteenth to its First Century Antonius Casta. Upon returning, Casta is asked why he thought Brath let him and his men go. Casta replies, "Because he knew it was more humiliating to let us live, and we bear witness to his victory".''Brath Prequel'' #0 As the months draw on Brath and the clan of Mac Garen's men conduct lightning raids against the forces of the empire. At the same time Drusus, tribune to General Vala, is attempting to locate Dun Garen, home of Brath Mac Garen. As tension grows between the clans, Brath begins to fear that the alliance may falter. Challenged by A'Dan Mac Dool for the right of leadership, Brath accepts and kills Mac Dool. But the fight between the two sparks the fires of treachery. All the while, when tribesmen argue and legions form, Brath has been dreaming. The advance towards Dun Garen, that Brath has seen in his dreams is now a reality. General Vala and three legions march towards the hills that the Mac Garen's call home. Brath is alerted to the armies amassing ashore, and upon seeing the amassing army with his own eyes, he is greeted by that which he has never seen before. Great beasts with long trunks and huge tusks are being escorted ashore, and Brath fears that with no defense against such creatures, Dun Garen will surely fall.''Brath'' #2

Collected editions

The series has been collected in a number of

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...

: # ''Hammer of Vengeance'' (CrossGen, 160 pages, September 2004, ) # ''Gladiator Triumphant'' (CrossGen, 160 pages, September 2004, )

Setting

Plot

Collected editions

See also

Notes

References

External links