|
Nikolai Dante
''Nikolai Dante'' is a comic book series published in the weekly British science fiction anthology '' 2000 AD'' from March 1997 until July 2012. History ''Nikolai Dante'' was created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser. The lead character, Dante, first appeared in 1997 in Prog 1035, and he made his final appearance in 2012 in Prog 1791. Fraser was the primary artist for the first three years of the series, with support from artists including 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. Morrison is now working on a spin-off series set in the same universe. Plot In the 27th century after a resurgent Imperial Russia has seized control of Earth and an interstellar domain, Dante, a swashbuckling young thief and ladies' man, discovers he is an illegitimate scion of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2000 AD (comics)
''2000 AD'' is a weekly British science fiction-oriented British comics, comic magazine. As a comics anthology it serialises stories in each issue (known as "progs") and was first published by IPC Media, IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. Since 2000 it has been published by Rebellion Developments. ''2000 AD'' is most noted for its ''Judge Dredd'' stories, and has been contributed to by a number of artists and writers who became renowned in the field internationally, such as Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Grant Morrison, Brian Bolland, Mike McMahon (comics), Mike McMahon, John Wagner, Alan Grant (writer), Alan Grant and Garth Ennis. Other series in ''2000 AD'' include ''Rogue Trooper'', ''Sláine (comics), Sláine'', ''Strontium Dog'', ''ABC Warriors'', ''Nemesis the Warlock'' and ''Nikolai Dante''. History ''2000 AD'' was initially published by IPC Magazines. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary, which was sold to Robert Maxwell in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a nuclear reaction, reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nuclei, nuclei/neutrons, neutron by-products. The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption of energy. This difference in mass arises as a result of the difference in nuclear binding energy between the atomic nuclei before and after the fusion reaction. Nuclear fusion is the process that powers all active stars, via many Stellar nucleosynthesis, reaction pathways. Fusion processes require an extremely large Lawson criterion, triple product of temperature, density, and confinement time. These conditions occur only in Stellar core, stellar cores, advanced Nuclear weapon design, nuclear weapons, and are approached in List of fusion experiments, fusion power experiments. A nuclear fusion process that produces atomic nuclei lighter than nickel-62 is generally exothermic, due t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rasputin (song)
"Rasputin" is a song by German-based pop and Eurodisco group Boney M. It was released in August 1978 as the second single from their third studio album '' Nightflight to Venus'' (1978). Written by the group's creator Frank Farian, along with George Reyam and Fred Jay, it is a song about Grigori Rasputin, a friend and advisor of Tsar Nicholas II and his family during the early 20th century. The song describes Rasputin as a playboy, mystical healer, and political manipulator. The song has been very highly reviewed among critics since its release, mainly due to the catchy rhythm and upbeat tempo. Composition The core of the song tells of Rasputin's rise to prominence in the court of Nicholas II, referencing the hope held by Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna that Grigori Rasputin would heal her hemophiliac son, Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, and as such his appointment as Alexei's personal healer. Rasputin gained tremendous influence from this position, particularly with Alexandra. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boney M
Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter and singer. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the band's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with different members. The band sold over 100 million records during their commercial heyday, and are known for hits including "Daddy Cool (Boney M. song), Daddy Cool", "Ma Baker", "Belfast (Boney M. song), Belfast", "Sunny (Bobby Hebb song)#Boney M. version, Sunny", "Rasputin (song), Rasputin", "Rivers of Babylon", "Brown Girl in the Ring (song), Brown Girl in the Ring", "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday", "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord, Mary's Boy Chil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trade Paperback (comics)
In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually presenting either a complete miniseries, a story arc from a single title, or a series of stories with an arc or common theme. A trade paperback may reproduce the stories either at the same size in which they were originally presented (in comic book format), in a smaller " digest-sized" format, or a larger-than-original hardcover. This article applies to both paperback and hardcover collections. In the comics industry, the term "trade paperback market" may refer to the market for any collection, regardless of its actual cover. A trade paperback differs from a graphic novel in that a graphic novel is usually original material. It is also different from the publishing term '' trade paperback'', which is a book with a flexible cardstock cover that is larger than the standard mass market paperback format. Histo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stainless Steel Rat
James Bolivar diGriz, alias "Slippery Jim" and "The Stainless Steel Rat", is a fictional character and a series of comic science fiction novels written by Harry Harrison. Description James Bolivar diGriz goes by many aliases, including "Slippery Jim" and "The Stainless Steel Rat". He is a futuristic con man, thief, and all-round rascal. He is charming and quick-witted. He is also a master of disguise and martial arts, an accomplished bank robber, a criminal mastermind, an expert on breaking and entering, and (perhaps most usefully) a skilled liar. Master of self-rationalization, the Rat frequently justifies his crimes by arguing that he is providing society with entertainment; and besides which, he only steals from institutions that he believes have insurance coverage and so will be able to recoup their losses. He displays a strong sense of morality, albeit in a much more restricted sense than is traditional. For example, diGriz will steal without compunction, but deplores ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psionics
In American science fiction of the 1950s and '60s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as extrasensory perception, telepathy and psychokinesis. The term is a blend word of ''psi'' (in the sense of "psychic phenomena") and the -' from ''electronics''. The word "psionics" began as, and always remained, a term of art within the science fiction community and—despite the promotional efforts of editor John W. Campbell, Jr.—it never achieved general currency, even among academic parapsychologists. In the years after the term was coined in 1951, it became increasingly evident that no scientific evidence supports the existence of "psionic" abilities. Etymology In 1942, two authors—biologist Bertold Wiesner and psychologist Robert Thouless—had introduced the term "psi" (from ψ ''psi,'' 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet) to parapsychology in an a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Britannia
The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great Britain, and the Roman province of Britain during the Roman Empire. The Roman Britannia was typically depicted reclining or seated, with not a trident but a spear and shield, appearing on Roman coins of the 2nd century AD. The classical allegory was revived in the early modern period. On coins of the pound sterling issued by Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Britannia appears with her shield bearing the Union Flag. To symbolise the Royal Navy's victories, Britannia's spear became the trident in 1797, and a helmet was added to the coinage in 1825. By the 1st century BC, Britannia had replaced Albion as the prevalent Latin name for the island of Great Britain. After the Roman conquest of Britain, Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yakuza'' is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization. The yakuza are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as '' yubitsume'', or amputation of the left little finger. Members are often portrayed as males with heavily tattooed bodies and wearing '' fundoshi'', sometimes with a kimono or, in more recent years, a Western-style "sharp" suit covering them. At their height, the yakuza maintained a large presence in the Japanese media, and they also operated internationally. In 1963, the number of yakuza members and quasi-members reached a peak of 184,100. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skoptsy
The Skoptsy (, ; ) were a cult within the larger Spiritual Christianity movement in the Russian Empire. They were best known for practising emasculation of men, the mastectomy and female genital mutilation of women in accordance with their teachings against sexual lust. The descriptive term "Skoptsy" was coined by the Russian Orthodox Church. The sect emerged in the late 18th century. It reached the peak of its popularity in the early 20th century but was essentially wiped out by the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Beliefs and practices Skoptsy is a plural of ''skopets'', at the time the Russian term for "castrate" (in contemporary Russian, the term has become restricted to referring to the sect, in its generic meaning replaced by the loanwords ''yévnukh'' е́внух, i.e. eunuch, and ''kastrat'' кастрат). The Skoptsy referred to themselves as the "White Doves" (). Their aim was to perfect the individual by eradicating original sin, which they believed had com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gulag
The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of running the forced labor camps from the 1930s to the early 1950s during Joseph Stalin's rule, but in English literature the term is popularly used for the system of forced labor throughout the Soviet era. The abbreviation GULAG (ГУЛАГ) stands for "Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й" (Main Directorate of Correctional Labour Camps), but the full official name of the agency #Etymology, changed several times. The Gulag is recognized as a major instrument of political repression in the Soviet Union. The camps housed both ordinary criminals and political prisoners, a large number of whom were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas or other instruments of extra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penal Military Unit
A penal military unit, also known as a penal formation, disciplinary unit, or just penal unit (usually named for their formation and size, such as ''penal battalion'' for battalions, ''penal regiment'' for regiments, ''penal company'' for companies, etc.), is a military formation consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may consist of military prisoners convicted under military law, civilian prisoners convicted in civilian courts, prisoners of war who have chosen to side with their captors, or a combination of these groups. Service in penal military units is generally considered a form of punishment, discipline, or penal labour, used in lieu of, or offered as an alternative to, imprisonment or capital punishment. Penal units have historically been used as disposable cannon fodder, treated poorly or with little regard and used in compromising or dangerous situations (commonly suicide missions such as demining or forlorn hope advance parties), a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
