In the year of the Tsar 2666 AD, Imperial Russia once again entered a time of troubles. The rule of Vladimir the conqueror, Tsar of all the Russias, had been unopposed for centuries. Now it was being challenged by the house of Romanov, the most powerful imperial dynasty beside the Tsars own.Warfare on such a scale had not been contemplated since the last revolution, from which the Mafiya clans rose to power. On the ashes of that conflict, they founded a new empire based upon the underworld principles of the ancient Vorovskoi Mir- the Thieves world.In such a world, a single man could rise to prominence if he was a fool and an adventurer, a gambling man whose only stake was his life. Of course, this could only happen if he survived long enough and didn’t get his throat slit in the boudoir of some lady of dubious morals first…Nikolai Dante is the eponymous hero of a comics series published in the weekly British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. Created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser, Dante first appeared in 1997. Fraser was the primary artist for the first three years of the series, with support from artists such as Charlie Adlard, Henry Flint, Chris Weston and Andy Clarke. From 2000 the majority of the stories were painted by John Burns, until Fraser returned to the character in October 2006, when the two artists began to alternate on different stories. The current stories as of early 2012 have been confirmed by Word Of God as the last arc of the series, The current Story called Sympathy for the Devil is its last.Set in the twenty-seventh century after a resurgent Imperial Russia has seized absolute control of both the entire Earth and an interstellar domain, the series follows Dante, a swashbuckling young thief and ladies' man, as he discovers he is an illegitimate scion of the Romanov Dynasty, aristocratic rivals to the Tsar, Vladimir the Conqueror of the House of Makarov.
Badass Normal: A fair few, but notably Dante himself after he is stripped of his crest by Dimitri Romanov.
Berserk Button: For Nikolai, when Konstantine mentions that he started the war. Plus when the Tsar nukes Amerika off the map after Nikolai promised to save the city
Big Bad: For the longest time it was the Tsar now It appears to be Dimitri/Arkady followed by his son, Konstantin Romanov and possibly now full circle to the Tsar.
The series' major antagonists have always been Dmitri Romanov of House Romanov and Vladimir Makarov of House Makarov with Konstantin Romanov, Sir Richard Hawksmoore and The Kraken being the Big Bads of their respective storylines.
Child by Rape: After Katarina tries to steal some treasure from Dmitri that she had already stolen for him, he feels that he "has to break her." Nikolai is the result of this. When told that he wasn't conceived out of love, he tries to cut Dmitri's head off.
Combat Pragmatist: Nikolai is frequently described as the dirtiest fighter in the empire.
Cyborg: The Romanovs all have cybernetic implants giving them various abilities. Nikolai's gives him cyber blades, computer hacking abilities and a limited Healing Factor.
Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the series Nikolai promised that he would raise an army of thieves and whores to crush the Tsar. Something which happened in the series nearly 13 years later.
The Dragon: Count Pyre starts out as Lord Protector until Dante kills him during the war. Konstantin is appointed Lord Protector in his place. Elizabeth Hawksmoores becomes Arkady /Dmitri's dragon later on.
High Altitude Interrogation: In "The Great Game," when a spy suggests to Jena Makarov the existence of a superweapon that the Makarov Dynasty does not know about as a means of raising his "bargaining power," Jena responds by hanging the spy over a high balcony by his nostrils and demanding he tell her everything he knows about the weapon or be dropped. The spy is killed by intervening assassination droids shortly after he begins spilling the beans.
Hive Mind: The Kraken becomes this when Akita Sagawa uses his DNA to create an army of clone ninjas.
Hollywood Acid: Nastasia Romanov's weapons crest allows her to produce this.
Hollywood Tactics: Tactics have apparently regressed to nineteenth century levels. Dmitri lampshades this, stating that there was a time when the rules of warfare were changed to be more humane and how pointless that was.
Impossibly Cool Weapon: Dante's Huntsman 5000 rifle. Coded to his gene print, has internally created ammo and adapts to fire the optimum ammunition to eliminate its target. Should anybody else attempt to fire it, the round will seek out and kill them.
Inter-Class Romance: Galya is a poor peasant girl, while Viktor is a member of the aristocratic Romanov family. Dmitri doesn't take it well.
Kill the Poor: Nikolai once encountered a countess heavily based on the legends of Elizabeth Bathory who insists that the blood she bathes in is "happily donated" by young women in return for tax exemptions. After Nikolai uncovers a secret lair belonging to the countess in which dozens of young women are being held in captivity and bled for all their worth, it turns out that these particular women are all unemployed and, therefore, couldn't pay any taxes so they get drained wholesale.
Klingon Promotion: The title of Tsar Of All The Russias seems to be passed over through revolution many, many times. Nikolai invokes this trope in Rudinshtein in order to save its people.
Valentine Romanov becomes one when he unveils his plan. He decides that years of playing cloak and dagger have finally caught up with him and he decides to be hammyFor the Lulz.
Magnificent Bastard: Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror, Countessa De Wynter and Dmitri Romanov. Nikolai is shaping up to be one. He even lampshades this at one point when he cons the Countessa. His response to being called a bastard: "The biggest in the empire."
Phrase Catcher: Nikolai. Damn you, Dante! Damn you to Hell!
The Pig Pen: Spatchcock. To the point that when he's attacked by a vampire, his poor hygiene saves his life due to his blood "tasting like piss". and yet he gets a happy ending as he flies off in the sunset with Flintlock's Sister
The Plan: Lulu's manipulation of the Cadre Infernale
Russian Roulette: Nikolai and Vlad play in the finale. Vlad loses.
Sharing a Body: Dmitri passes his weapons crest and consciousness over to Arkady. Whilst Dmitri is very much in control, Arkady is still in there and Dmitri does indulge him in some of his fantasies, such as his crush on Jena.
The Silent Bob: Viktor Romanov. The longest Silent Bob in history, completing the trope just 6 episodes before the end of the saga. The only other noises he makes are belches and screeches when he activates his Crest and becomes a huge Romanov Eagle.
Slap-Slap-Kiss: The essence of Nikolai and Jena's relationship.
That Man Is Dead: Viktor Romanov taking the name Viktor Dante, after Dmitri/Arkady kills his wife Galya. Also Nikolai, after civil war breaks out and he sides against the ruling house of Makarov, taking the name Romanov. Forced on Nikolai by his mother Katarina, when she finds him a broken man, having been de-crested by Dmitri/Arkady; powerless to stop the head of the Romanovs taking Jena Makarov as his own, Nikolai loses himself in the bottom of a bottle, losing all motivation to fight for what he believes in. She refers to him as Nikolai Romanov, disowning him as a son; this turns out to be the kick up the jacksy he needs.
They Would Cut You Up: Upon receiving his powers from the Romanov Crest, Nikolai is reluctant to return to the Tsar Makarov for fear that the Tsar's scientists and researchers would do exactly this in order to develop a similar crest of their own.
Valentine gets the prototype crest, so only gets blades without the Healing Factor. See Body Horror.
Dmitri gets the most powerful crest of all, being able to override all of the other crests.
Wretched Hive: Rudinshtein starts off as this, being the poorest city in the empire. New Moscow later becomes one with the Kremlin having being converted into a casino.
You Have Failed Me: The Arbatovs are usually on the receiving end of this. Of particular note is the one Nikolai humiliates in the first story, as the Tsar skins him alive.
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