The New Nationals

 by Vauseman

JcRo7m8v-AI Otto Cate & Brian Skeel - Heartless

Synopsis
When Anton Resnik -- the West's most famed superhero -- bites the dust, a near-frenzy ensues and his daughter Ruby struggles with the pressure of following in his footsteps. Derek -- Anton's self-proclaimed superfan -- is arguably as devastated as she is. Amidst the tragedy, they manage to strike up a friendship -- a pairing that acts as the catalyst for a new group of heroes ready to shake up the nation.

Timeline
Story begins in the year 2215, over two centuries after the Russo-American War escalated into full-scale nuclear war in 2000.

Read more.

Chapters
VOLUME 01 Volume one follows protagonist Ruby -- the daughter of superhuman and famed hero, Anton -- in the wake of her father's death, over a decade after the disbandment of his group, The Nationals. With sudden courage and a sense of obligation, she steps up for a city in need. As her mission gains traction, others join her -- Derek, a new friend and Anton's superfan; Renegade and Inferno, two vigilantes gaining fame around Portland; Heath, her father's old partner; and Sam, an unpredictable and peculiar man searching for purpose. Their assembly is unmistakably reminiscent of the group that dominated the country years ago, rallying Portland to declare: in with the new.

Characters
For a visual list of characters, click here.

For a visual list of recurring characters, click here. Volume 01=

Main Cast

Ruby Rose as Ruby Resnik

Daniel Sunjata as Derek Dawson

Shane West as Vic Sweeney

Iwan Rheon as Samwell Snow

Colton Haynes as Roy Starling

Faran Tahir as Heath Lari

Yaya DaCosta as Asha Hayes

Jesse L. Martin as Thayer Owens

Supporting Cast

Antonia Thomas as CeCe Dawson

Missy Peregrym as Zoey Donovan

Maggie Q as Veronica Tran

Zoey Deutch as Thea Starling

Skylan Brooks as Eddie Turner

Hosea Chanchez as Marcus

with Robert John Burke as Anton Resnik

and Tilda Swinton as Wyn Redgrave

Themes
The story's most prominent theme is identity -- its importance and how one forms a solid sense of self. The superhero narrative is a sufficient platform to demonstrate how characters' personal stories and characteristics -- regarding self-expression, orientation, purpose, religion, gender, and nationalism -- contrast with their hidden lives as heroes.

Family is the story's secondary theme, exploring what constitutes family and the main characters' struggles of losing, obtaining, or searching for family. Familial history plays a significant part in developing several characters, especially the three leads.

The story's tertiary theme is purpose, how one's ambitions (or lack thereof) drive their choices, and how the search for meaning can be more complicated than anticipated.

Posters
All heroes are represented in two versions of the character poster seen below. Version #2 exposes each hero's name and alias. An unedited version can be viewed here.

Author's Notes

 * this is currently my main story
 * the other two are Paradise Lost and City of Angels, which i work on whenever the heck i feel like it
 * tbh sorry everyone that read that huge first chapter
 * yes there are undead
 * this story is way more lighthearted than stuff i've written before
 * but its still kinda dark because i cant help it im a whore for drama
 * inspirations include Dredd, Fallout, and Arrow.
 * yes i realize some of my hero names have been used before but blame Marvel and DC for taking like every fucking name ever