Hey Black Powder! I know you probably don’t take requests but my uncle is a marine veteran and he’s starting to get to the age where his mental health is taking a bit of a toll I was wondering if you could include a character called Sather in his honour
Oooh, you used an unattractive straw man and name-calling. How incisive. You're not a good person for not finding violence entertaining. You're just sanctimonious and lack anything but the most superficial understanding of moral principles.
Mercenaries? Cool guns and equipment? Morally grey concepts and situations that characters realistically react and deal with? Very cool, it just needs Revy and it'd be perfect.
Never heard of this series, but I adore the comic art style. The thick and somewhat dirty outlines being accompanied with a color palette of mostly red and black just speaks to my personal tastes. It's like a perfect marriage between grounded realism and militaristic spectacle.
The desaturated style with the emphasis on the bright red highlights, usually the sunglasses really reminds me of how the VOTOMs OVAs would stylize the Red Shoulders Scopedogs as having glowing bright red shoulder pads in flashback scenes
No Step on Snek (Snake) Comes from the old colonial rebellion flag in the 13 colonies that says don’t tread on me. It’s a yellow flag with a boot about to step on a snake. Why is the animal a snake? I have no idea.
@@lillasagna5487 basically means that you want to be left alone from especially the gov and you've got arms to back it up weirdly enough you sometimes see them fly side by side with blue lives matter flags so... idk what it means in modern day US poltiics but everything gets warped there to fit one of the two camps lol so who cares
This feels like a series that will turn into an underrated fan-animation that blows up after guntube catches wind of it. One can hope. Oh fuck, there's a numbered cloth bound hardcover available on the site. Goddamnit, time to spend money. DAMN YOU LOLI
funny enough there is a really good fan animation for BP:RE, the original animator deleted their channel but someone reuploaded an archive of the video back on to RU-vid, just serach for Reticulon "Spall & Splinter"
On the note of how plausible the overall plots are, you can debate on if certain governments would allow PMCs to run around warzones like this, but while *possibly* unrealistic it is still very grounded. Not to mention that if you're a somewhat authoritarian government who can't rely on the loyalty or competence of your own security forces, hiring American private contractors as advisors and private kill teams is well within the realm of possibilities. Another aspect I love is how it shows terrorism not even as pure fanaticism and radicalism, but often intertwined with the criminal underworld and national interests. Such as the involvement of Iran in balkanized Iraq and their threat to the newly-established Kurdistan, with Quds Force and Hezbollah officers often making side deals with ISIS in the comics for monetary gains. I've yet to read the Awbari books but I played the game and I love the worldbuilding, especially with the Ayari network and Shadow Emirate's dealings with the black market and I definitely wanna see more of the Hongbin mercenaries.
Most stuff regarding pmcs in fiction are not accurate to how it is irl. Most pmcs are basically glorified security corps. The legal rules of engagement are incredibly restrictive, basically you can't shoot at someone unless you are feeling the bullets whip past your head. Aside from obvious proxy armies like Blackwater back in the day and Wagner for the past decade, most pmcs just guard stuff like any security company would. Just with bigger guns and the guards are ex-spec ops types.
I cant speak for the AWBARI books, but the ones in syria actually had some pretty acute predications about geopolitics in the middle east. the Islamic State in the comic, if I'm remembering correctly, was pretty emblematic of what ISIS would eventually become back then. I cant speak for everything in the book but I think its safe to say they've done their research.
@@cabnbeeschurgr6440 Yeah tbh that's what I meant by grounded. Unless the local government is desperate enough to run interference on their own, or the client state wants to do that to international journalists, a Western PMC would never get away with that except in exceptional circumstances. Now I think you could easily make the case for Eastern PMCs though, especially since you mentioned Wagner, but afaik they tend to be extensions of their state's security forces and are basically serving national interests rather than being a completely private entity.
@@averymicrowave1713 Correct on Wagner. Aside from that little rebellion with Prigozhin, they have operated as plausible deniability for a lot of Russian interests in Syria and Africa (their Africa branch is called the Africa Corps now, go figure) and they also tend to do a lot of war crimes and claim they are acting independently of the Russian govt. Again while Western pmcs aren't exactly saints either they're more likely to abide by international law and rules of engagement.
@@cabnbeeschurgr6440 for the context of BPRE it's really not that unrealistic. UAE or Qatar did hire American PMC to conduct high risk missions or training of private kill squads years ago and I believe that's how the Syria book took inspiration from. It was called Spear Operations Group or something if i remember right and there were news about it. If you dont limit this thing to Americans, then of course you have Wagner groups whose generally private death squads with heavy weapons.
I’ve met the two guys behind this series multiple times and the passion/love they have for it is amazing. Over the years I’ve bought stuff from them (be it books, patches, shirts, stickers, etc) in the hopes of supporting their dream while getting some really cool things. Couldn’t agree more that I wish they got more attention because they certainly deserve it!
I’ve been supporting these guys since 2010. Have always loved their stuff. Glad so see someone I subscribed too reviewing them that had no affiliation before.
Definitely wouldn’t be remiss if a AA game studio picked this up for a fps title. Challenge call of duty and have a bit more grittier down to earth story then Special Ops dude winning every fight. Play as the new guy for two missions and then by the end of the second, you just get sniped and die. And then you change characters to the guy to your left, watching the newbie die.
BPRE is one of the best graphic novels I’ve had the privilege to support for the past few years. Glad you made this review Loki. The more support they get, the higher quality gear and comics we’ll have.
Black powder, red earth is basically what would’ve happened if call of duty Black ops series mix with rainbow six and add elements of Metal gear solid but without the metal gears.
I served in Iraq as an army medic with the 101st airborne and I love this series. I could honestly see this as a true to form alt history. The military industrial complex, PMCs and insurgents are depicted really well and realistically if they were to progress unchecked
Me: "You're a mercenary. Why do you think we're here?" I do know where the line came from but... with the context of this video, I'd definitely say that to him. :p
Just read the first issue of the Awbari arc on my lunch break at work and loved it. Thanks for bringing the series to my attention, I'm ordering the second book as soon as I finish typing out this comment.
BPRE has been on my radar for awhile, I’ve just been holding off on diving into the table top (my pile of shame is too high), and I wasn’t sold on the graphic novels, but if it’s got your seal of approval, I’ll get the whole series.
Man I hope the normies don't find this series. No offense to the creators and I think the comics are awesome but once normies find anything the tourists are quick to follow
Yeah, I’ve had no interest in Rainbow Six Siege. I wish we had gotten Patriots instead. Ghost Recon hasn’t been the same since they went Far Cry with it. And Conviction basically killed Splinter Cell.
It's nice to see you review a comic (Edit:an non-manga comic). Would love to see you review the punisher max comics especially volume 5 of punisher max some day. To keep it short, Great review bro keep it up.
@@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269 yeah he discussed it towards the end lol but there’s a PC version and an IPad version, I played the latter and it’s basically the only game I have on it. This game has more in common with the tabletop game being turn based using movement grids and action points. You can play a campaign or individual missions, three game types (these also being the whole of the campaign but just given context for the scenarios you’re in) and I think 7 maps to play them on. The interior cells of buildings are kinda lacking, being one of two options, but that’s just to have uniformity with the 7 different maps. It’s great for short term play because the individual missions can be done in a few minutes
@@mattthornhill554 yeah, once I got to the end I saw what what your talking about. Sounds like it could've turned into a thing if they just had a bit more time and money to push on.
@@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269 yeah I actually messaged their account on Instagram a couple months back asking about updating the video game and that’s where they told me about the publisher backing out on supporting the game. Which, kudos for them for reaching out to randoms messaging them, love the quick feedback I got. It really bums me out that these guys just aren’t as known as they are because they clearly care about the content they make and the fans
I'll keep this one on my radar. I've thought about reading some Tom Clancy before, but I'm more into visual media than full novels. If nothing else, I do like military stories, if they're done right, and I'd love to be able to write something like it, albeit not in the same way, if that makes sense. Also, I kind of found the title generic, at first, but realized it does at least make sense. Decent contrast, lets you know what it's about.
Damn, never heard of this series until I watched this video. Now I need to check it out. I haven't read much from Tom Clancy, but I am an avid Vince Flynn reader so I can easily see myself getting into BPRE.
Oh yeah, this. Got the first four volume bundle as a birthday gift from dad back in the 2010's. Totally forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me, i should follow up on this.
To my surprise I had the game wishlisted on Steam & must've forgot it. huh...it looks like something I would love to play especially since I've gotten into a tactical FPS groove lately.
Checking back in to say I bought/read all 6 available issues of the Awbari arc last week and I'm hooked. I haven't bothered with comics in years but BPRE is really scratching an itch. Can't wait for Awbari VII.
I remember there was a cool 4ish minute BPRE fan film a guy made on SFM that was pretty neat but I think the guy nuked his channel. Shame EDIT: It's called "Spall & Splinter" and someone archived it. Looks like there's a bunch of edits with music but the original one had none.
I really need to buy the comics, I’ve played the game and also played a mod for Doorkickers 2 which is a conversion mod that lets you lead the operators of Cold Harbor into various missions along with the theme when its time to get loud called “Compromised”.
While we are on the topic of war, Forever Winter seems to be a game worth keeping your eye on. The premise and world are awesome, I hope the gameplay will be up to snuff.
Sounds like something written by a teenage Cormac McCarthy, the author of grim novels exploring the violent potential behind all human interaction like _No Country for Old Men_ and _The Road_ (both now major motion pictures though, I recommend the books before watching). I'm currently reading through his bloody and breathtakingly dream-spectacled dark Western *_Blood Meridian - or - The Evening Redness in The West_* and your description reminds me of the gruesome horrors unfolding on the pages in front of me. I can see Judge Holden's modern incarnation captaining one of these companies or even accompanying its mercs into Hell.
@@BlackPowderRedEarth He has a way with words. Beyond the blood and brutality, he paints vivid desert landscapes in poetic detail that could make for one hell of a graphic novel or HBO series (done right, like _Chernobyl_ or _True Detective S1)._ To illustrate, a single paragraph from Chapter XIV: *_"They rode for days through the rain and they rode through the rain and hail and rain again. In that gray storm they crossed a flooded plain with the footed shapes of the horses reflected in the water among clouds and mountains and the riders slumped forward and rightly skeptic of the shimmering cities on the distant shore of that sea whereon they trod miraculous. They climbed up through rolling grasslands where small birds shied away chittering down the wind and a buzzard labored up from among bones with wings that went whoop whoop whoop like a child's toy swung on a string and in the long red sunset the sheets of water on the plain below them lay like tide pools of primal blood."_* My only complaints are his lack of specialized punctuation marks like commas(,), semi-colons (;), and em dashes (-) to break rambling sentences; his lack of parentheses ( ( ) ) mid-sentence capitalization to emphasize things and onomatopoeias that're clearly meant to convey non-convsational noise like those bird "whoops"; and his total disuse of quotation marks (") to distinguish things spoken by characters. The writing is superb but, the marking is lacking and makes it harder to read because you have to constantly retread sentences and puzzle out relationships betwixt words, characters, and how they're accentuated. I didn't mind his extensive vocabulary and use of Spanish though; it's challenged me to get a thesaurus, dictionary, and diccionario de Español and it's almost like a linguistic archeological exploration into the past when books were made by men more than mindlessly churned out by corporate committees and witless female/DEI authors promoted for the content of their pants and ethnicity. It's not been easy but, I love _Blood Meridian._
Awbari was a soft reboot, written originally as a mini series for Netflix pre-COVID. We typically recommend new readers start there as it’s our strongest work 🦅
The comic art looks really fucking good especially the coloring for the various combat scenes, hell I would say this would look good as a video game cut scene.🐱
One instalment in a series that I love that still keeps blessing me with insomnia, and alcoholism because it's easier for my brain to process under the influence. It's Jagged Alliance 2, which isn't really goes for a tone, per say, but the tone could be generated by the way you play the game, (forgot to mention) It's a video game from 1999, by a great company, the game is very granular, open ended, non-linear, very deep but plays so intuitive, balanced between tactical/strategy gameplay and outlines of your Merc personalities. Lots of skirmishes that generates full stories in your head, that clicks in an instant once it happens, because unlike XCOM, JA2 is very visceral, that's the Magic of this game. I've played it alot over 23 years and can't say I experience all 95% of its hidden mechanics.
I found this series on the game, i wanna buy the books but i kinda feel something might go wrong if i try to, my parents needing knowledge, information stuff or anything, i am just going safe
