The Red Star is Sci-Fi/Fantasy comic based in a country highly analogous culturally and geographically to the Soviet Union of the latter half of the twentieth century. "The United Republics of the Red Star" occupies a similar place on the world map as the real life U.S.S.R.. Their enemy at the beginning of the book, Al'Istaan, occupies the same area as Afghanistan. The military uniforms are similar, many of the character names are Russian in origin, and some of the mystical elements have their roots in Russian lore.
The military forces of the U.R.R.S. have fully incorporated magic into their arsenal of weapons, providing power sources, energy beams of massive power, shields, and teleportational gates among other effects. Sorcerers, called "Warkasters", have their own corps within the command structure, though they are usually integrated with either aircraft or infantry troops when going into battle. Spells, called "protocols", are "kast" with extreme military precision.
The source of this magical energy has been revealed to be P.H.E. "Post Human Energy", the energy generated by the enslaved souls of all humans that have died before. The crew of the Skyfurnace R.S.S. Konstantinov have mutinied and gone into the spirit realm in order to lay siege to the fortress of the "Imprisoned Afterlife".
Despite it being one continuous story, The Red Star is in its third "Book" or incarnation. The first nine issues (2000), plus intermediary stories, were published by Image comics. For the second volume (2003), the first three issues were published by Archangel Studios in conjuction with CGE/CrossGen Comics. The last two issues of volume two as well as the third book/volume (2006), Sword of Lies, are published by Archangel Studios alone.
