Age of Reptiles is a comic series 'written' (you'll see why later) and illustrated by Ricardo Delgado, and published by Dark Horse. It follows the lives of dinosaurs in prehistoric times.
The series consists of three miniseries:
- Tribal Warfare, in which a pack of Deinonychus feud with a group of Tyrannosaurus.
- The Hunt, following an Allosaurus as it is hunted by a small pack of Ceratosaurus.
- The Journey, following a huge herd of dinosaurs as they migrate to warmer lands.
The strangest aspect of Age of Reptiles is that it uses no sounds. The dinosaurs do not talk, nor are there written sound effects or narration. It stands on the art alone.
Tropes used in Age of Reptiles include:
- Anachronism Stew: Tribal Warfare has some species meeting that would have been separated by several million years.
- Misplaced Wildlife: Tribal Warfare contains many species that would never have met each other in real life, owing to barriers of geography or time.
- Phlegmings
- Science Marches On: Delgado's raptors generally lack feathers, though some of the Deinonychus have some.
- Silence Is Golden
- Stock Dinosaurs: Variously averted and played straight. The dinosaurs are never identified in-story, though.
- Xenofiction