Alt★Hero

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Alt★Hero logo (2018)

Alt★Hero or Alt-Hero is an alternative comic series that was launched by Castalia House as a FreeStartr crowd-funded campaign in late 2017. Three comic volumes were initially announced, along with two ebook novels, and various works in other media.[1] All titles are published in English and other languages under the Arkhaven Comics imprint. The series is intended to challenge and eventually replace the comics of DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Titles

Regular Issue #1 of the Alt★Hero series, titled "Crackdown", was released in print on May 30, 2018 to positive reviews.[2]

"Alt★Hero #2: Rebel's Cell",[3] and "Alt★Hero #3: Reprisal"[4] were released in July and August, 2018, through the Arkhaven Direct bookstore, and elsewhere. These titles were also available in limited run "gold logo" editions for $2.99. Issues were released on a regular schedule, with Issue #4 released in September 2018, followed by #5 in December.[5] Alt★Hero #6: "The Dark Hunt" was released in digital formats in late February 2019.[6]

In July 2018, Arkhaven started a spin-off Alt★Hero series, titled "Chuck Dixon's Avalon #1: The Street Rules". Written by renowned comic book writer Chuck Dixon, the first issue featured art by Frank Fosco.[7] The Gold Logo edition of "Chuck Dixon's Avalon #2: Rulebreaker" was sold on Arkhaven Direct for $2.99.[8] "Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #3: The Conscience of the King" was released in digital formats in early February 2019,[9] and in a gold logo print edition at the end of the month. "Chuck Dixon's Avalon #5: Forced Entry" was released in print on January 30, 2020.[10] "Chuck Dixon's Avalon #6: Unforced Error" was released digitally in late March 2020.[11]

In late August 2018, an Indiegogo campaign funded the launch of "Alt★Hero: Q", a 150-page graphic novel in six parts inspired by the QAnon phenomenon, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Hélix Haze.[12][13] However, on October 11, 2018, the successful crowdfunding campaign was shut down retroactively by Indiegogo. The politically progressive company allegedly considered the comic's alt-right plot to be unacceptable. The shutdown was a small part of 2018's online "censorship wars", that had seen the deplatforming of many right-wing content creators. Legal options were being pursued by the publisher, with would-be funders encouraged to join a class action lawsuit. Jon Del Arroz's "The Ember War" Arkhaven Comics campaign continued on Indiegogo.[14] Within weeks, Arkhaven reported they had independently raised the needed money.[15]

Alt★Hero: Q issue #1 "Where We Go One" was released in digital formats in early April 2019, and in print two months later.[16] Alt★Hero: Q issue #2 "Not Dead Enough" was released online in late October 2019,[17] and was reviewed at the "Bounding Into Comics" website.[18]

Arkhaven's first individual superhero series will focus on Shade, who appeared in the first volume of Alt★Hero. It will be written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Cliff Cosmic.[19][20]

In March 2020, a campaign was started to fund an upcoming Alt★Hero RPG using the Ascendant superhero game system.[21]

All Alt★Hero title are available on Arktoons.

Premise

Alt★Hero is set in an alternate universe where the Wehrmacht generals overthrew Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in 1939, and where the first atomic bomb was dropped on the order of Reichskanzler Jodl on Soviet territory in 1944, leading to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1956. In this world, there also exist a small number of advanced humans, called Homo Sapiens Sequens, who comprise some of the heroes and villains of the story. They are hired or drafted for various purposes by national governments, the EU, and the UN; though many choose to remain hidden.

The series has a right-wing or alt-right storyline. It includes political themes and controversies that mainstream comics might reject, to avoid appearing politically incorrect. For example, one scene included an attempted rapist who was also an illegal immigrant. Many -though not all- of the villains are associated with left-wing or large collectivist organizations. There are numerous antiheroes, or otherwise flawed characters. The series was started as a counterbalance to the alleged imposition of left-wing politics, and a larger SJW convergence trend, of mainstream comics.[22]

Characters include Captain Europa, representing authoritarian idealism and progressive "global justice", and the more rogue and right-wing hero Hammer.[23] Captain Europa in particular resembles aspects of Superman as he appeared in the 1986 comic "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller, as well as Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen.

Talent

Vox Day is the primary creator and lead designer of the Alt★Hero world, as well as a contributing author and character developer. Jon Del Arroz is a contributing writer. Chuck Dixon was signed as a writer and character developer in October, 2017. Gerry Kissell was hired as lead artist for one of the titles. Illustrators include Cliff Cosmic and Richard Bonk.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Freestartr page (retrieved Oct 17, 2017) https://freestartr.com/project/althero/
  2. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/05/announcing-alt-hero-1-crackdown-print.html / https://www.amazon.com/Alt-Hero-1-Crackdown-Vox-Day/dp/9527303001/
  3. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/07/alt-hero-2-in-print.html | July 24, 2018.
  4. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/08/on-roll.html | August 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/12/althero-issue-5.html
  6. ↑ February 27, 2019: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/02/althero-6-dark-hunt.html
  7. ↑ July 15th, 2018 ; http://www.castaliahouse.com/arkhaven-new-release-chuck-dixons-avalon-the-street-rules/ ; Castalia House blog post by Nathan
  8. ↑ (Oct 3, 2018) http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/10/chuck-dixons-avalon-2-rulebreaker.html
  9. ↑ February 1, 2019: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/02/chuck-dixons-avalon-3.html
  10. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2020/01/chuck-dixons-avalon-5.html
  11. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2020/03/chuck-dixons-avalon-two-new-issues.html
  12. ↑ Retr. August 30th 2018. Site: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/alt-hero-q#/
  13. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/08/on-day-three-ahq-campaign-is-at-54302.html
  14. ↑ (Oct 11, 2018) https://boundingintocomics.com/2018/10/11/indiegogo-shuts-down-vox-day-and-arkhaven-comics-alt-hero-q-crowdfund-campaign/
  15. ↑ (Nov 5, 2018) https://boundingintocomics.com/2018/11/05/after-indiegogo-shuts-down-alt-hero-q-vox-day-raises-huge-money-in-just-two-days/
  16. ↑ April 10, 2019: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/04/ahq-1-now-available.html | June 2, 2019: http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/06/ahq-1-in-print.html
  17. ↑ Day, Vox | October 26, 2019 | http://voxday.blogspot.com/2019/10/ahq-2-not-dead-enough.html
  18. ↑ October 28, 2019 | https://boundingintocomics.com/2019/10/28/vox-day-announces-chuck-dixons-alt-hero-q-2-now-on-sale/
  19. ↑ (Apr 2, 2020) http://voxday.blogspot.com/2020/04/shade-is-coming.html
  20. ↑ https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/04/02/vox-day-announces-new-alt-hero-spin-off-series-shade-from-writer-chuck-dixon/
  21. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2020/03/last-day-for-ascendant.html | https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/ascendant?ref=user_menu
  22. ↑ Vox Popoli blog entries (retrieved Oct 17, 2017) http://voxday.blogspot.com/search/label/Alt-Hero
  23. ↑ October 22, 2017 | http://www.castaliahouse.com/alt-hero-hammer-vs-captain-europa/
  24. ↑ http://voxday.blogspot.com/2018/08/ahq-halfway-there.html
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