Name Conventions?

[Mikhail Dragoslav]

Hello Rangers. I've seen you on the forums for RH Junior's comics and saw the link to your comic. I've just read it and really like it.

I was intrigued by the historical connotations in your comic, like the mentioning of planets and governments for various peoples and faiths, like the Mansions of Islam, Eretz Israel, and the Sikh Republic as well as the mention of the Temple of Ankor-Vat in Cambodia. Not to mention the names of the security forces, Mossad and Djinn.

I'm curious, Avra Bat-Sheva Romanoff of the Mossad is obviously Israeli--the name would've given it away even if you hadn't mentioned the name of her organization or her homeworld--but Tewfik Nasraheen isn't so easy for me to place. I can't tell from his name alone, but Turan is a name associated with Turkish mythology and is a name for a pan-Turkish state and Djinn is a spirit in Islamic and pre-Islamic beliefs. Is Tefiwk and the Djinn Security Service from a Turkish planet? Just want to know.

I was particular intrigued by the names you choose for the first Rangers story; Jodl-Peng, Beria-Liu, and Oswald-Chang.

Unless I'm very much mistaken, you named them after several of histories more deplorable figures, correct?

Alfred Jodl was the name of Hitler's Chief of Operations Staff and rightfully hanged as a war criminal at the Nuremburg Trials.

Lavrenty Beria was head of the NKVD (precurser to the KGB) during Joseph Stalin's rule and was every bit as foul as his occupation would suggest.

The only Oswald I could think of was Oswald Mosley, a British fascist leader. No more really need be said.

I just would like to know if I got it right, or if I made a wrong assumption.

Great comic!

[Rangers]

Hi, Mikhail! Glad you're enjoying the comic.

You're spot on with the first two. Oswald-Chang was named for Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot President Kennedy. Someone once thought he was named for Disney's character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but he's not been so lucky.

The convention for the Leporids is to use an historic last name as the cognomen, and a Chinese name as the family. Thus Orwell-Ta's father is Aurilius-Ta (He was originally Julius-Ta). The girls then take on the father's cognomen, as in ancient Rome, which is why Levi-Han's daughter is Levia. Orwell's sisters (however many he has) would all be named Aurilia.

I'm going to save my musings on Turan and other planets for now, because I have to get to work.

Lanin

[Rangers]

This seems like a good time to put in the record that my upcoming mention of The City of All Faiths is a nod to Dr. Ayman Kandeel, creator of AK Comics (http://www.akcomics.com).