Car Warriors is a four-issue
comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published in 1991 by
Epic ComicsEpic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
. It was followed by a three-volume series of novels set in the same world but featuring different characters.
The series was conceived by Steve Jackson and Sharleen Lambard of
Steve Jackson GamesSteve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
based on the board game
Car WarsCar Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
.
Setting
2038 America after a series of natural and man-made disasters have changed the country. The
Grain Blight destroyed crops causing widespread famine, and wars over dwindling resources culminated in a limited nuclear exchange.
During the dark years, life in America was similar to the post-apocalyptic world of
Mad MaxMad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
and the roads were ruled by heavily armed biker-gangs. In response, average citizens had to arm their cars in self defense, and by the time the country began to recover autoduelling had become the nation's most popular sport (both on the open road and in specially built arenas).
The main character, Chevy Vasquez, lost his parents and sister to a biker gang attack during those dark years, and is now a successful arena autoduellist. He is approached by a wealthy individual who wants to back Vasquez in
The Delorean Run! (think
Cannonball RunCannonball Run may refer to:* Erwin Baker's 1933 NYC to LA drive* Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race, memorializing Erwin Baker's drive.* Films inspired by the race;...
and
Death Race 2000Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...
, but the cars have weapons and armor).
Car Wars
It was intended that each issue of the series have a page giving
Car WarsCar Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
game statistics for new items from the story, but issue three had none, and issue four had two pages.
- Vasquez's $118,825 SUV from The Delorean Run (issue 1)
- Roof Gun, a pintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge.A pintle/gudgeon set is used in many spheres, for example: in sailing to hold the rudder onto the boat; in transportation a pincer-type device clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a...
, used by a family competing against Vasquez (issue 2)
- Swing-Out Roof Mounting
- Suitcase Roof Armor
- Satan's Tears – a street drug with stats for Car Wars and GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
(issue 2)
- Soya-Blimp – a custom airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
(issue 4)
- Custom Envelope
- Exterior Viewscreen
- Broadcast Facility
- Mecha-Shan: The Rolling Tiger – A $125,980 custom car/driver competing against Vasquez. This character also uses equipment from the Autoduel Quarterly article "Cybernetics in Car Wars". (ADQ, Vol. 7, No. 4)
Novels
This three-volume "Car Warriors" series of novels was published by
Tor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
later in the 1990s. While set in the same world as the comic book, they take place later, and feature different characters.
- The Square Deal (1992) by David Drake
David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the premier authors of the military science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...
. ISBN 0-8125-1989-2 &
- Double Jeopardy (1994) by Aaron Allston
Aaron Allston is an American game designer and novelist of many science fiction books, notably Star Wars novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for several role-playing games, several of which served to establish the basis for products and subsequent development of TSR's...
. ISBN 0-8125-3463-8
- Back from Hell (1999) by Mick Farren
Michael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
. ISBN 0-8125-1990-6 &