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In 1996 an unidentified cause triggered a series of cataclysmic geological upheavals, which by 2020 had made the surface uninhabitable and driven the small handful of surviving humans into vast underground bunker cities. After more than 500 years below ground, mankind emerged to discover a second moon in the sky, and a world that had mysteriously recovered; life not only flourished once more, but long extinct species from throughout all the ages of the planet now shared the world. With humanity no longer the dominant species and technology scarce, a new age has dawned: the Xenozoic Age.
Mechanic
Jack Tenrec lives in the City in the Sea (a partially submerged New York
City), where he seeks to prevent his tribe repeating the same ecological
mistakes that he believes triggered the original cataclysm, with the assistance
of scientist and ambassador of neighbouring Wassoon, Hannah Dundee.
Created by Mark Schultz, Xenozoic Tales first appeared as a preview in Kitchen Sink's anthology Death Rattle #8 in December 1986. In February 1987 Xenozoic Tales #1 was published, lasting 14 issues until it ended in October 1996. In July 1989 Kitchen Sink published a TPB under the name Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, reprinting #1 through 4 and Death Rattle #8, plus some extras such as a map and timeline for the Xenozoic world. It was followed by Dinosaur Shaman (#5-8) and Time in Overdrive (#9-12; #13 and 14 were not reprinted). The Cadillacs and Dinosaurs name was then used by Marvel's Epic Comics when they reprinted the early stories in colour, starting in November 1990. Also in 1990, GDW (Games Designer Workshop) published Cadillacs & Dinosaurs: the Roleplaying Game.
In 1992 Capcom released an arcade beat-'em-up game based on the series, and on 18th September 1993 a short lived cartoon by Nelvanna Studios was launched, lasting a single season. Starting in February 1994, before the original series had ended and tying in with the cartoon airing, Topps published 9 issues of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, featuring new stories written by comics industry veteran Roy Thomas. Rocket Science Games released a Sega game, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm, late in 1994. There were also action figures which tied in with the cartoon produced by Tyco, as well as trading cards. Since then Dark Horse has published two TPBs reprinting the original series (I'm uncertain if the Death Rattle story is included, but the previously uncollected Xenozoic Tales #13 and 14 are), but there's been nothing new from the Xenozoic world. Late in 2010 Flesk Publishing released a collected edition gathering all the existing stories, titled simply Xenozoic.
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