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The Life Eaters (graphic novel)

David Brin & Scott Hampton

Last modified: 2023-12-09 by peter hans van den muijzenberg
Keywords: brin (david) | life eaters (the) | abrahamites | swastika | star: 5 points (white on blue) | ring with star | magen david (white) | fish (white) | crescent (white on green) | crescent: no star |
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Introduction

The Life Eaters is an alternate-history/fantasy graphic novel by David Brin (also the author of The Postman) and Scott Hampton, published in 2003 by Wildstorm. The plot begins in 1958; WWII is still raging, although an Axis victory appears imminent. Flashbacks reveal that in the winter of 1943, the Nazis had succeeded in performing an occult rite by using the death camps as a large-scale human sacrifice to summon the Aesir or Norse gods, who proceed to sideline Hitler, take over Germany, and use their powers to win a decisive victory on D-Day.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Nazi / Axis

US Nazi puppet state

[USA flag]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Between the first and second chapter, North America falls (and most open military resistance ends.) The flag of the unnamed US Nazi puppet state is shown three times: red-white striped (5/4), with a large black swastika overall, and a small blue disc at its center, edged white and charged with a white star. (The second time it is shown mirrored, likely just a flub by the artist.) The third time is in SE Asia, with American troops fighting under German command, where the Nazi-US flag is — in the distance — on the same pole but below what I guess is meant to be a German swastika flag.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Allies

[UN flag]
- un.html images by Željko Heimer and Graham Bartram, 27 December 2003

At one point the protagonist visits a surviving Allied undersea base, where the flags of the Allied nations are on display, with a UN flag predominating.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Abrahamites

The other notable flag/flags shown are those of the Abrahamites, an Allied power in Iraq and Persia, made up of a (cloyingly brotherly) coalition of Jews, Muslims and Christians who have fled the new paganism. They use three swallowtailed pennants (simultaneously):

(all charges white).
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Jews

[Jewish abrahamites flag]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Blue with Magen David.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Christians

[Christian abrahamites flag]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Red with fish. It is noted that the Christians reverted to the fish in consideration of their new partners, who negatively associated the cross with the Crusades.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

The Christian fish is/was an outline as one would draw in the sand in two/three strokes, one long loop eventually crossing itself, with a straight line between the ends forming the tail.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 30 Augustus 2011

However unconventional, the fish in the image is the rendition used in the comic.
Eugene Ipavec, 31 Augustus 2011

Muslim

[Islamic abrahamites flag]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010

Green with crescent.
Eugene Ipavec, 13 November 2010