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Hi!

This is a fantastic project and it is clear you have a lot of enthusiasm for history. I especially like how you tried to get away from the old historiographical view that Rome 'fell' in 476, and I think your efforts will be really good for getting people into this exciting field - my own interest in the empire began when I read about it in the Cartoon History of the Universe! There are still a few simplifications/mistakes though, so I'd encourage people to check out my post here at /r/askhistorians, and if anyone here would like to read a bit more on the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire, these books are excellent introductions for the general reader!

Questions are also welcome, and good luck with your project OP!

Thank you!

Any support is greatly appreciated; I'm an 18 year old headed into my freshman year, and I'm hoping that when my student loan payments start I won't regret the decision to work on this comic rather than getting a traditional summer job, haha. Shameless link to the amazon page.

But really the reason I've poured so many hours into this is because I love history and want to share that love with others. So again, thank you for reading it!

Isn't 'birth of civilzation' but it's certainly amazingly awesome.

Flashman, by George MacDonald Fraser. Best historical fiction I've ever read. 18th Century British soldier who gets to see the major events of the worlds largest empire ever.. Hilarious and very historically fun.

http://www.amazon.com/Conquistador-Hernan-Cortes-Montezuma-Aztecs/dp/055380538X/ref=sr_1_1

I love readings history books. This was the one I enjoyed the most this year.

I remember there being an interesting chapter or two on this subject in Max Hasting's Retribution if you can get your hands on it, it detailed the advances that the Soviet Army made in Manchuria and described the military aspects and the treatment of civilians rather well. It's worth a look.

http://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Battle-1944-45-Max-Hastings/dp/0307263517

In addition to the local spanish sources, I've read Chasteen's Americanos, and found it very good.

Also, Born in Blood & Fire looks promising, but I have not read it.

An easy read with a unique approach is A History of the World in Six Glasses. http://www.amazon.com/History-The-World-Six-Glasses/dp/0802714471

A more established approached is A History of Civilizations. Naturally, the scope of the subject will cause these books to be general histories using a broad brush.
http://www.amazon.com/History-Civilizations-Fernand-Braudel/dp/0140124896/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346819170&sr=1-1&keywords=civilization+history

In this book, the author explains the major role Russia played on Japan's surrender.

http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Enemy-Stalin-Truman-Surrender/dp/0674016939

I would highly recommend Stearns' World Civilizations. It's not easy reading, but it is unique in its comparative and analytical emphasis, rather than a narrative emphasis. It is also very informed by sociology and anthropology. I used this edition http://www.amazon.com/World-Civilizations-Global-Experience-Ap/dp/0131732889/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382833643&sr=1-34

I've been reading this book. Very detailed but lacking sources.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Penguin-History-World/dp/0141030429/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334083648&sr=1-1

I am currently making my way through How Chance and Stupidity Changed History: The Hinge Factor When I first received the book as a gift I thought it would be a wide-ranging look at historical blunders. As it turns out, it is a military history book through and through. I just finished reading about the Battle of Balaclava. The book has some wonderful insights into the underlying hierarchical/social tension that motivated some of the key players in that disastrous and ill advised charge into a cauldron of death.

Welp, it was a crisis in which the whole world was almost obliterated, so it's actually worth spending time learning about. We could all be dead if the Kennedy brothers hadn't been there. JFK was determined not to get everyone killed or to let the crisis escalate to violent conflict. It was that determination IMO that saved the world.

Here's R. Kennedy's Memoir about it, here's the full movie about it, and here's the Wikipedia page about it where you very easily could have found the answer on your own (really, couldn't find it anywhere?), with about 10 minutes of reading and a little bit of critical thought. Next time do your own research, it'll stick in your mind.