''Damnation Crusade'' is a six-issue comic book
limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
from
Boom! Studios
Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Origins
In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Ho ...
, written by
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...
and
Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''.
Career
Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/ alternate history wor ...
.
Set in the fictional world of
Warhammer 40,000
''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...
, it is a vision of never-ending war. Its storyline follows several different
Space Marines
The space marine, an archetype of military science fiction, is a kind of soldier who operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill multiple roles: ship defence, boarding actions, landing parties, and general-purpose hi ...
of the
Black Templars chapter.
Characters and plot
The series follows several characters in each issue. Dates and places are given in the form of crusade names and battlefields.
Sword Brethren Gerhart, part of Marshal Korneliusz's Company, is followed fighting at the battle of Carrion Gulf, during the Third Year of the Torment Crusade, fighting
Chaos Space Marines
In Games Workshop's '' Warhammer Fantasy'' and ''Warhammer 40,000'' fictional universes, Chaos refers to parasitic entities which live in a different plane of reality known as '' the Warp'' or ''Immaterium'' in ''Warhammer 40,000'' and as the Re ...
. He is seen earlier fighting
Necrons at the Succubae Gates, where his fellow
Space Marines
The space marine, an archetype of military science fiction, is a kind of soldier who operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill multiple roles: ship defence, boarding actions, landing parties, and general-purpose hi ...
fear he has too much
pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
, a
sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
to the Black Templar Space Marines. While declaring his own feats of victory, his brothers try to persuade him that they are merely servants of the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
, and how that they fight only for His glory. He is called away by Marshal Korneliusz, who subtly warns him of his sinning, at which Gerhart sees how he was wrong to act in the way that he was. Gerhart is then shown going to a chapel, meeting with Chaplain Ecastus to ask forgiveness of his vanity and ego, only for the Chaplain to say that Gerhart has none, and only chases battle to praise the Emperor. Later, Gerhart is part of the assault on Magnum Christi, a minor moon on a back-water planet that had been taken over by the forces of
Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements
* Chaos (''Kinnikuman'')
* Chaos (''Sailor Moon'')
* Chaos (''Sesame Park'')
* Chaos (''Warhammer'')
* Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy''
* Cha ...
. The Chaos forces flee, despite having both the troops and the tactical positions to drag out the fight. Gerhart and other fellow Space Marines follow the retreating forces of Chaos, only to find why Chaos had invaded the planet; Two Titans, legendary machines of war, have been found by the forces of Chaos. As his squad mates die one by one in duels with Chaos Astartes and with Brother Skeld's reinforcements en route but delayed, Brother Gerhart makes a final stand.
Brother Tankred is a
Dreadnought
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
. who is awakened by
Techmarine Arnulf to fight on the Eve of the Kasiroth Offensive. The Kasiroth Offensive is a battle against
Tau
Tau (uppercase Τ, lowercase τ, or \boldsymbol\tau; el, ταυ ) is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless dental or alveolar plosive . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 300.
The name in English ...
, where Tankred suffers damage from a Battlesuit, although Tankred makes short work of it soon after. Tankred is next shown awakening before repairs from the previous battle were carried out. As the servitors under Arnulf's command scurry for more chemicals to soothe Tankred back to sleep, Tankred declares he has had enough sleep and wishes to speak to Arnulf of previous battles and times, despite the pain of being repaired.
When Tankred next awakes, it has been over two centuries and Arnulf is dead, replaced by Techmarine Piramus, his Adept. Piramus informs Tankred on the situation, that Tankred is tasked with destroying a Daemon Prince of Chaos that has destroyed countless Imperial Forces sent to destroy it.
Recruit Raclaw, on Kilhaven, has been chosen to join the Black Templars after being forced to fight for his life against fellow kinsmen and an alien tiger-creature called a Carnodon. Victorious, he is chosen to be tutored in the ways of war by Brother Brunner. Raclaw is then shown after going through the rigorous surgical process of becoming a Space Marine. His first test is fighting and killing another recruit whose body reacted violently with the surgical process and is no more than a ravening monster. Raclaw goes on to suffocate it with the very broken chains that kept it secured to a wall. Raclaw is then shown having become a Neophyte, about to be led into battle against
Ork
Ork or ORK may refer to:
* Ork (folklore), a mountain demon of Tyrol folklore
* ''Ork'' (video game), a 1991 game for the Amiga and Atari ST systems
* Ork (''Warhammer 40,000''), a fictional species in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe
* ''Ork!'' ...
s, and survives the battle, causing many casualties against the Greenskin forces after fighting back to back with Brother Cassius. Shortly after, Raclaw and Brunner are part of the Relief of Helespont, where they fight against the forces of the
Eldar. Brunner is killed, ripped in half by a Wraithlord. After the battle, which the Black Templars are victorious, Brother Tove replaces the deceased Brunner as Raclaw's Initiate.
The ending of the six-part story shows Raclaw being elevated to the status of Initiate after six decades of training and taking Brunner's
forename
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
, "Gerhart", as his own. As the ending unfolds, it seems that Raclaw was Brother Gerhart when he was a Neophyte, and after taking serious and mortal wounds while fighting a successful last stand in the Battle of Carrion Gulf on Magnum Christi, Brother Gerhart was in turn placed in Dreadnought armour. Meanwhile, the Dreadnought Tankred is shown fighting the unnamed Daemon Prince and, although badly damaged, he manages to slay the monster. Shortly after the battle, he is shown being tended to by Techmarine Piramus when Brother Tove, whose full name is revealed to be "Tove Skeld", enters the room where Tankred is hoisted for repairs. He tells the Techmarine that Tove was once Tankred's Initiate and later his Brother-in-Arms. Now that it is known that Tankred was once Brother Gerhart of the Sword Brethren, and before that he was Neophyte Raclaw. The story ends with a barely conscious Tankred saying "Tankred endures...", alluding to the idea that the whole plot revolves around one individual rather than three different ones, to which Tove replies, "As do we all, Brother – In the Emperor's Name!".
The
twist ending
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
of the story is due to its
nonlinear
In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many othe ...
storytelling.
See also
*
Warhammer 40,000 comics
''Warhammer 40,000'' comics are Spin-off (media), spin-offs and tie-ins based in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' fictional universe. Over the years these have been published by different sources. Originally appearing in ''Inferno!'' and ''Warhammer Mont ...
*
Blood and Thunder, the next Warhammer 40k series
*
Forge of War
''Forge of War'' is a five-issue American comic book limited series from Boom! Studios, written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton, and set in the low-fantasy world of Warhammer Fantasy.
Plot
The series begins with a battle between the Imperial prov ...
, Warhammer Fantasy comic by the same writing team
References
*
External links
Boom StudiosPreview of issue #1 Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, 19 December 2006
Dan Abnett talks Boom’s “Warhammer 40K” Comic Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, 11 September 2006
Edginton Lifts Off with “Warhammer 40,000” Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, 17 November 2006
Bringing The Warhammer Down: Dan Abnett on ''Warhammer 40K: The Damnation Crusade'' Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS.
History
...
, 22 December 2006
Review of issue #1 Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry.
History Silver Bullet Comicbooks
The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice.
During this ...
Review of the trade paperback Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry.
History Silver Bullet Comicbooks
The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice.
During this ...
{{Warhammer 40,000
2006 comics debuts
Comics by Dan Abnett
Comics by Ian Edginton
Warhammer 40,000 comics