Titan (Graphic Novel Series)

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Titan is series of graphic novels which follows the career of Princeps Ervin Hekate, commander of the mighty Warlord Titan Imperius Dictatio. This series was written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Anthony Williams and Andy Lanning, and originally published in Warhammer Monthly.

History

Titan God Machine. This is the omnibus edition which collects all three books.

Titan God-Machine was the name for the omnibus edition, which collected all three volumes into a new format in 2004. At the 2012 Black Library Weekender, C.Z. Dunn announced that the series would be released in ebook format in March 2013.

Book One: Titan

Titan 2nd edition

Titan is also the title of the first volume of this series. This volume was later re-published with a different cover. 1st edition: ISBN 1-84154-109-5, 2nd edition:

Issue 1: Baptism

Cadet Hekate is thrilled to finally be aboard the Warlord Titan Imperius Dictatio on Balor Secundus. Commanded by the legendary Princeps Ramus Macabee and a veteran bridge-crew the Titan finds an Ork Gargant when suddenly the Princeps dies and Hekate, a mere cadet, is in charge of Imperius Dictatio.

Issue 2: Unto Dust

In the cover of a dust storm in an unnamed city a week later, a Gargant ambushes the Imperius Dictatio before Cadet Hekate fuses it to the sand and destroys it.

Issue 3: Half Life

The Warlord Titan Imperius Dictatio returns to the command depot for repairs where Cadet Hekate struggles with his sympathetic link to the titan after being ordered to leave it. When Orks attack, he seeks to prove himself.

Issue 4: Redemption

The Imperius Dictatio stands as the only functioning resistance. Cadet Hekate leads the Titan against a handful of Ork Dreadnoughts and three Gargants. For his quick action, he is rewarded with military custody for insubordination.

Issue 5: The Parliament of Minds

Within the Hall of Macnines on Balor Secundus, Cadet Hekate pleads Evaluation for his trial before the Magos where other Princeps may plead on his behalf. Gortmun of the Imperius Furioso demands his death, Kraver of the Indomitus Mechanicus suggests he be spared as his inexperience lead his actions, Hortan of the Imperius Infernus suggests his glorious actions assoil him. Ramus Macabee speaks from inside the titan itself that Hekate is it's Princeps and the Imperius Dictatio will accept no other. The Magos formally repremands Hekate but takes no other action. The Titan once more sets off to war.

Book Two: Vivaporius

Titan II: Vivaporius, front cover illustration by Kev Walker.

Titan II: Vivaporius is the second volume of the series. It was published in 2001 and is currently out of print. ISBN 1-84154-144-3

Issue 1: Vivaporius

The Imperius Dictatio rests aboard Battle Barge Fulvius, one of eight in convoy with Hunter Frigates Petrarch and Grobius en route to Vivaporius Alpha Cluster. Princeps Hekate remembers the Imperial victory on Balor Secundus and promises new glory against the Tyranids on Vivaporius.

Issue 2: The Cremation

The Warlord Titan Imperius Dictatio, along with Warlord Titan Regalis Annihilatus and Warhound Titan Vitas Falco, make an orbital disembarkment from the Battle Barge Fulvius only to find the ashes they walk upon are those of the three million Imperial Guardsmen they were sent to relieve. Soon the group is beset by tyranid force including a Hierophant Bio-Titan.

Issue 3: Known Terror

The Imperius Dictatio deafeats a Hierophant, but is damaged in the process.

Issue 4: The Enemy Within

Chief Engineer Dorn finds a Termagant aboard the Imperius Dictatio, and burns it with fire. After, he assesses the damage to learn it had disabled the Titan's spinal arteries.

Issue 5: Helpless

Warhound Titan Vitas Falco and it's Blood Angel detatchment route to aid the disabled Imperius Dictatio but are devoured by Tyranids leaving the Imperius Dictatio the only survivor.

Issue 6: God Death

Two days later, the Tech-Priests of Mars conduct a funerary ceremony at Adeptus Mechanicus Central Command. The Imperius Dictatio is repaired and joins the Warlord Titan Regalis Annihilatus on a revenge strike against the Tyranids. During the strike, the Regalis Annihilatus is captured by Biovore glue.

Issue 7: The Phantom Titans

The Imperius Dictatio hunts for the Regalis Annihilatus for two days before receiving orders to reroute and engage a Saim-Hann Eldar warhost. The spirit of Princeps Ramus Macabee warns Princeps Hekate against fighting the Eldar and encourages diplomacy, successfully hailing the Eldar Farendis within his Phantom Titan.

Issue 8: Friend or Foe

Princeps Hekate parleys with Farendis and learns of a new Tyranid ability to corrupt the mind-link of a Titan as has apparently happened to Princeps Inderon of the Regalis Annihilatus.

Issue 9: Madness Lies

Bestride three Phantom Titans, one headed by Farendis, the Imperius Dictatio engage the Tyranids and withstand a Psychic bombardment finding the Regalis Annihilatus.

Issue 10: The Slow Death of Macabee

The battle with the Regalis Annihilatus results in the destruction of a Phantom Titan and the near destruction of the Imperius Dictatio before it's own Volcano Cannon blast destroys the Tyranid-corrputed Titan and Princeps Inderon.

Princeps Hekate is struck by a Psychic barrage as mind-parasites invade his mind-link and has a vision – within his mindscape he sees the spirit of Princeps Ramus Macabee salute him before turning towards the hive taking a stance like a Warlord Titan and firing munitions from his arms, only to succumb and be taken by the hivemind in Hekate's place. Dawn comes and news arrives to Hekate and Farendis that the Tyranid remnants have fled Vivaporius for deep space.

Book Three: Cold Steel

Titan III: Cold Steel, front cover illustration by Mark Harrison.

Titan III: Cold Steel is the third volume of the series. It was published in 2003 and is currently out of print. ISBN 1-84154-242-3

When a hole is rent into the fabric of reality, Imperius Dictatio and its brother Titans must fight to rid the planet Artemis of the infernal acolytes of Chaos and warp-spawned horrors.

Issue 1: Ground Zer0

Fourty days into the conflict, the Imperius Dictatio walks through the streets of the cities of Artemis and encounters a Chaos Titan.

Issue 2: Ground Zer0

The Imperius Dictatio dispatches the titan within five seconds, much to the celebration of the crew, but Princeps Hekate investigates why newly-aboard tactitian Zygo hesitated to give readings, only then learning that Zygo had made range calculations by hand as the Chaos Titan gave no heat signature and evaded sensors – only realizing their vulnerability as another titan on their rear fires upon them.

Issue 3: Ground Zer0

The Imperius Dictatio reels in surprise but is able to quickly rengage their shields, turning to obliterate their target.

Issue 4: Cold Steel

Battle continues on Artemis as the titan easily dispatches ground troops, when an unexpected Electromagnetic Pulse from a nearby detonation stalls the titan. As the crews scramble to fix the systems, Engineer Dorn's estimate is given: two hours before operation. The forces of Chaos sieze upon the moment and start boarding the cold dead steel of the titan.

Issue 5: Cold Steel

Princeps Hekate and Moderati Voss repel the siege ladders of Chaos in the cockpit, but chaos champions board the titan through its right arm.

Issue 6: Cold Steel

Power is restored to the titan, but the Chaos corrupted crew has snuck their way onto the bridge and are making use of the mind impulse link of the titan itself. Princeps Hekate works with Engineer Dorn links his mind to the titan once more, overwhelming the hijackers and frying their minds with mind link feedback.

Issue 7: Forge of Heaven

Issue 7 is an interstitial which takes place before of the rest of the story of Titan III: Cold Steel.

The Imperius Dictatio is taken to Forge World Gryphonne IV where it undergoes repairs. As she is readied, the fallen titan Laudator Magnificat suddenly awakens and fires upon its fellow titans in a fit of insanity. Princeps Hekate is forced to fire upon a fellow Imperial Titan – demonstrating to the Mechanicus in a violent way that sometimes dead titans need to be left dead to rest.

Issue 8: Cold Steel

Twenty hours after their repair, Princeps Hekate receives encrypted orders to advance to ground zero of the Electromagnetic Pulse, a blast zone where none should have survived. As they advance they are met by nine more titans including Imperius Eradicus, Imperius Belladon, Apocalyptus Credo, Fulcrae and Imperius Brontos. Together the cadre find the gnawed body of the Imperius Excelsior and the titanic Daemon borne from the detonation.

Issue 9: Cold Steel

The Imperius Dictatio is beset by a titanic Daemon which it rebukes with heavy weapons fire, and a conference is called of the assembled Princeps to communicate strategy. Together they advance, but as the Imperius Eradicus is unexpectedly pounced upon by another titanic daemon orders are given to all assembled to fire upon the friendly titan to eradicate the daemon.

Issue 10: Cold Steel

The assembled titans push on into the Warp Storm at the heart of the incursion, and gaze in awe and fear upon the raw warp as they are surrounded by seemingly retreating daemons ushering past them to witness the birth of some even greater monstrosity.

Issue 11: Cold Steel

The newly born Warp-monstrosity dwarfs the size of their titans, a mountain of Chaos upon which the titans unleash their weapons. Tactitian Zygo relays to Hekate that while energy munitions were useless upon its flesh, their solid munitions dealt wore away at the Daemon – but a problem is clear, even expending all munitions among the titans only five percent of the body could be destroyed.

Princeps Hekate relays his realization to the assembled Titans: that as only cold steel can drive the Daemon back they must use their bodies to force it beyond the Warp Breach, sacrificing themselves and their titans to close the breach. Their efforts are successful and Artemis is saved, but no trace of the Imperius Dictatio nor any titan of the battlegroup remained.

Book Four: Titan Omnissiah

Warhammer Monthly 77[8a]

The fourth titan volume is the unpublished, and what remains of the story exists only within the issues included in Warhammer Monthly until the periodical's publication ceased.

Issue 1: Omnissiah

Amund Zygo awakens beyond the Warp in the poisonous jungle of a Death World where a warband of sapient "sub-human" Xenos hunt for prey before they flee a large ogre-like creature.[2]

Issue 2: Omnissiah

Persued by the ogre-like creature, Zygo is saved by the spear of Moderati Voss who reveals he had arrived upon the planet nearly a week prior. Voss shows Zygo the corpse a servitor from the Imperium Dictato, who arrived on the world stripped of the augmetics – concluding that organic components of their titan were being distributed upon the world. The two track the hunting sub-humans and find that Engineer Dorn is caught and being taken away.[3]

Issue 3: Omnissiah

Zygo and Voss free Dorn with little resistence as a Daemon approaches and scares the local sub-humans, and the three flee off a cliff into a nearby body of water. As the party reach shore they find the head of a Titan resting upon a nearby mountain peak – hopeful it is the Imperium Dictato they climb.[4]

Issue 4: Omnissiah

The group discover the head to be from the Titan Imperius Augusta, and Dorn reveals he has been upon the world for a year already. Dorn leads the other two to a Subhuman city, resting within the bodies of two nearly-assembled Titans.[5]

Issue 5: Omnissiah

The group sneak into the Subhuman city, only to be spotted and persued.[6]

Issue 6: Omnissiah

Zygo finds a place to hide while Voss and Dorn are captured, the captives find friends within their prison as Munitions Adept Ganders and other men from titans have been brought together. They learn they are all arriving from different eras but, importantly, that the Sub-humans revere titans as gods. Alone, Zygo finds the Imperium Dictato within the Subhuman temple – intact.[7]

Issue 7: Omnissiah

Zygo appears with small arms found within the Titan and frees the prisoners, ushering all thirty-nine into the temple and towards the Imperium Dictato, in their escape finding the alive but feral Princeps Hekate.[8b]

Issue 8: Omnissiah

Princeps Hekate is freed, but attacks the group and is rendered unconscious as Moderati Voss explains he must have undergone years of withdrawal from separation from his mind-link. Together, persued by the Sub-humans, they flee to the Imperium Dictato.[9]

Issue 9: Omnissiah

Princeps Hekate awakens inside the Titan, eeking out the word "Imperius" in recognition. Together, the crew rush to their stations to bring the Titan to operational capacity. However, they realize new urgency as the Daemon which persued the three crew members earlier enters the temple complex.[10]

Issue 10: Omnissiah

Princeps Hekate is plugged into the 'Imperium Dictato and with his mind-link restored, regains his sanity. The titan is powered up, only 40% operational it is still able to engage and destroy the Daemon. The crew resolve to take the Titan as far as they might.[11]

Trivia

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

Special Issue: Hammer Time!
Warhammer Monthly 63[1]

Volumes

  • Titan 1st edition, front cover illustration by Simon Coleby.

Sources

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