Rolling Thunder series from Antartic Press,

[1st Border Red Devil]

I recently ordered the old Antartic Press Robotech comics #4,5 & 6 (gonna get #7 soon) and recieved them today.

I have to say that despite the number of continuity flaws in this old series (at least the Rolling Thunder story by Fred Perry) it is superior in many ways to the newer Wildstorm Love and War series. It is actually the only real SC based comic series that has ever come out. The older Cyberpirates had the goofy, hackneyed SC vs RDF as its backdrop so it doesnt count (and The Malcontent Uprisings series goes without saying....its NOT an SC series).

Pros:

- Dana has a kick ass line: "If I'm going to Hell....I ain't going alone!"

- We actually get to see mecha from Southern Cross in action in such a way as to not paint them as morons, thugs, crooks or general wastes of human life.

- Dana still has her trademark hair and headpiece (Im sorry...but Tommy Yune's Dana looked like Jan Morris).

- They are still wearing SC uniforms and there are some people with SC body armor as well. They have been updated to more 'camouflage' friendly color schemes...which is good.

- They have the mecha colored in realistic patterns (one of the few negative things I can really say about the Tv series)

- Salamander Battloids (also in the more realistic color schemes) get in on the action...even if they all get scragged.

- A new drop-ship! (kinda reminescent in some ways of the REF Horizon).

- The pre-production Hovertank from This is Animation Special #10: The Southern Cross makes its very FIRST appearance (alot of us thought it appeared first in Love and War #1).

- A new version of the VF-8 Logan is seen...my guess is that it would be a VE-variant 2-form VTOL.

- Khane is an interesting...if somewhat arrogant and maybe narcissitic....character. He's a good villain and is better than the typical 2-dimensional thugs that pass as Robotech comic villains.

- The Masters are able to tap into the newer supply of Invid Flowers to produce protoculture. The source is called tainted.

- The Bioroids have a dark green/dark blue coloration scheme (which was nice). You can still tell, generally, what model type is what by how the mecha is shaped. I guess this would be a Low Viz coloration.

- The artwork was great. Fred Perry did a fantastic job! (woot)

-A smattering of military lingo is a nice addition that spices up what could have been bland dialogue and added a level of authenticity.

Cons:

- The ranks are kinda fragged up if you ask me. Dana is now a Major (unlikely) and Sean is only a Lieutenant . I personally feel that he would have been promoted back up to Captain by the end of the War and given his own brand new hovertank squad. Dante is also a Lt.....which I can't see. He is a good second...so probably a promotion to at least Staff Sergeant. Marie Crystal is now a Colonel and in command of a small section of North America (under United Earth Command I would guess). I can see her being a Major...maybe. The UEF may have been hurt badly...but not completely wiped out.

- The drop ship is being escorted by fighters that, I kid you not, look like the old first season enemy ships from Buck Rogers. They aren't any kind of fighter used by the Tactical Air Force at all in the series. A pair of Sylphide or Chimera's would have been a MUCH better choice.

- The 15th ATAC is still only Dana, Bowie (shouldnt he be off with Musica?), Dante, Sean and Louie. Now..while these are the members that survived the 2nd Robotech War (poor Eddie, Simon, Pvt. Doppler, Pvt. Rhoade and Pvt. Jordan are the only other named members of the 15th..and they all bought the farm during the series). While Im sure there were some manpower issues...this is prior to the Invid invasion and the Army of the Southern Cross should be able to muster at least a decent sized reserve to fill out its depleted ranks.

- A bashed together HWR-Monster with MBR-Spartan and SDR-Phalanx parts makes an appearance (BIG MOE). Sorry...the thing couldnt even move if it wanted to and the need for a Macross-era junk pile was unnecessary. Another mecha or mechas could have taken its place. A flight of Ajax (CLUSTER BOMB DEATH!) or maybe just a Helios Recon Plane could have done similar jobs.

All in all...I have enjoyed this series. It does have flaws...but then again I have yet to see a Robotech comic that didnt. Im still waiting to read Issue #7 (Rolling Thunder #4) which concludes the story arc. Too bad that nothing else like this has been done since. Fred Perry did an excellent job and anyone who likes Southern Cross should try and find these issues. If Fred happens to come to these boards (or if anyone talks to him regularly) tell him that he has made at least 1 Southern Crossie VERY happy!

(edit: corrected a typo, sorry! )

Edited March 10, 2004 by 1st Border Red Devil

[Cyclone]

*blinks*

You only just learned about these?

I am far too much of a fanboy, I bought these when they came out

Cyc

[Black Valkyrie]

Rolling Thunder ?! isn`t it that old action/spy arcade game by NAMCO on the NES and it`s sequel on Sega Genesis

[trueblueeyes]

Rolling Thunder ?! isn`t it that old action/spy arcade game by NAMCO on the NES and it`s sequel on Sega Genesis

Don't be silly! Everyone knows it is really an old G.I. Joe toy! Sheesh, you kids remember nothing do you?!?

............

Kidding aside, I actually wouldn't mind reading these myself. Not a huge RT fan anymore but I have a new respect for SC after seeing it in the original form on DVD. And since we are unlikely to see any new material, I'll guess I will have to take more any way I can get it and sorry but I don't fancy the version seen in the new comics....so maybe these older ones are worth looking up. Thanks for the info!

And a question for BRD and others who might know:

Is there anywhere to get a listing of art books and magazines that were devoted

to SC? I have the TIA: SC book and wouldn't mind having more material...

Thanks,

Melissa

[1st Border Red Devil]

Is there anywhere to get a listing of art books and magazines that were devoted to SC? I have the TIA: SC book and wouldn't mind having more material...

Rob Morgenstern's EXCELLENT Super Dimensional Cavalry: Southern Cross website

Rob has listed all of them that I know of. Ive got a copy of TIAS #10 myself and it came in quite handy recently when I was combing the series for stuff. Ive held in my hands the Tatsunoko Pro Super Data File....but decided not to buy it. I want to find a copy of the Magazine for Anime and Hobby Fans - Southern Cross (Seichi, PLEAZ!).

Just click on the Production Items link and it will show a tab for Books/Magazines.

There are 2 pages that were scanned by Zor_Master for us over at the RDF HQ Message Board that shows the proper battloids and armor for each of the special units within the Tactical Corps' force structure (plus all the Bioroids and a type of transport/fighter that none of us can identify as of yet). I did post them here before...but its not too much trouble to track the thread down so here they are again:

Page 1 of the Battloids

Page 2

(thanks to Zor_Master for posting them and rtsurfer for hosting them)

I am far too much of a fanboy, I bought these when they came out

Heh....I had the first issue for a long time. I had never read the other two (and Im missing the last one) until now. Damned comic stores !

Edited March 10, 2004 by 1st Border Red Devil

[F-ZeroOne]

Rolling Thunder ?! isn`t it that old action/spy arcade game by NAMCO on the NES and it`s sequel on Sega Genesis

If you want to go Across the Tube... A Rolling Nucleus Smashed the Neuron.

Er... don't mind me, brains somewhere else...

[Black Valkyrie]

Sheesh, you kids remember nothing do you?!?

I`m older than you think

[Black Valkyrie]

Rolling Thunder ?! isn`t it that old action/spy arcade game by NAMCO on the NES and it`s sequel on  Sega Genesis   

If you want to go Across the Tube... A Rolling Nucleus Smashed the Neuron.

Er... don't mind me, brains somewhere else...

[Bloodcat]

Yeah, I really liked that particular bit in the AP RT comics. Actually I think it was the only AP RT story I actually enjoyed.

If you are a McKinneyist (I am anyhow) there is a good explanation why the 15th was so low on personnel. Between the war itself and the final battle that released the flowers, the 15th were in some of the most dangerous fights of the war. And there wouldn't be many replacements possible, especially since Monument City was basically Robotech's answer to WW2 Stalingrad mixed in with Night of the Living Dead.

Nobody was actually alive or capable of bringing them back to strength...

[1st Border Red Devil]

Nobody was actually alive or capable of bringing them back to strength...

While I agree that the United Earth Command (and its headquarters) was smashed when Monument City went up in flames....its still a single Unified Command. It would be equivalent to the loss of CentCom for the US. It would hurt...ALOT.....but there would still be other Unified Commands as well as reserves left to refill the ranks and the next class of graduates from either the United Earth Forces Military Academy, Robotech Military Academy or the older national military academies.

I realise that alot of the member states of the UEG would be reluctant to pony up their reserves for the UEF.....seeing as how they would want to protect their own sovereignty....but there would still be SOME. The UEF had to be an organization that numbered in the millions at the start of the war that could grow to several 10s of millions by the end.

Were there alot of dead UEF soldiers by the end....hell yes. The UEF had to engage in attritional warfare to win as opposed to maneuver warfare (though it could be argued that they engaged in both during the course of the war as shown in the number of times they engaged in special operations).

Anyway....this was just one of the few things I felt was wrong about an otherwise spectacular comic.