Help from Nikolai Dante fans...

[matty_ae]

1. Did the Great Game ever come out with this cover? (or was it just used for publicity)
2. Anyone read the Dante novels? Are they as much fun/canon?
3. Anyone get a set of graphic novels where the spines match up?

[IndigoPrime]

That's just a publicity cover. And I don't think there are fully matching spines for this set, because the first couple of books came out during the DC/Rebellion deal.

[Colin YNWA]

I gave the novels a go in a nice cheap compilation but wasn't too impressed, though I know they have fans.

As for whether they are Cannon as with all this sort of thing - they are if you want them to be.

[maryanddavid]

I recall really enjoying the novels at the time, IIRC Mr. Bishop nailed Dante's character. I dont think they interfere with the comic, so could be considered canon.

[radiator]

Yep, that was a placeholder cover and was never used.

There are two* versions of books 1-3, the contents are the same** but the cover and designs are different

Books 1 and 2 have the old DC spines, the rest of the series have the 'rainbow' spines and cover design from the classic Rebellion trades and the republished, retitled versions of books 1-3 (from 2014) have an entirely different design again. I'm still holding out hope that the whole thing will one day be published in five giant hardbacks (each one covering each distinct act of the story) with matching designs, but am not holding my breath for it.

Book 1 was originally published as The Romanov Dynasty and was republished later as Too Cool To Kill (both times by Rebellion)





Book 2 was published as The Great Game in two different editions, DC/Rebellion and Rebellion





Book 3 was originally published as The Courtship of Jena Makarov (DC/Rebellion), and republished as Love and War (Rebellion)





*Technically three if you include the really old Hamlyn edition of The Romanov Dynasty, which is in the large format and only collects the first handful of stories drawn by Simon Fraser.

**though I believe the more recent Rebellion editions omit a few recap/caption boxes, the sort of thing that wouldn't bother me in most 2000ad series, but bugs me a bit in Dante where they aren't extraneous and are woven into the story.

[matty_ae]

Thanks all. Really helpful.
And for the record some of these Dante books are getting really expensive/hard to find.