Comic Book Roman Holiday
A TikTok trend of 2023 featured people asking primarily men in their lives how often they thought about the Roman Empire; many were surprised by the answers, which included multiple times a day. In 2024, director Ridley Scott took moviegoers back to ancient Rome for the film Gladiator II, which has since become the highest-grossing film of star Denzel Washington’s career. Comic-book fans can also take a Roman holiday with recent releases exploring ancient times.
Britannia from Valiant Comics places dark mysteries in an ancient Roman setting. In 65 A.D., Antonius Axia, a former centurion, is sent by Emperor Nero to the wild lands of Britannia to investigate apparently supernatural mysteries. Collected in the December release Valiant Hero Universe Origins: Britannia (OCT241250) are the three miniseries Britannia #1-4, Britannia: We Who Are About to Die #1-4, Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1-4, and the one-shot Britannia: The Great Fire of Rome #1. Peter Milligan is the writer. Artists include Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverine) and Robert Gill (X-Force).
A slightly more grounded take can be found in Conquest: Julius Caesar’s Gallic War graphic novel (DEC241417) from Black Panel Press. The hand-painted watercolor art is by Vincent Pompetti. The book is written by Tarek Ben Yakhlef, an adaptation of Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico, his first-hand account of the military campaign he led to conquer Gaul and expand the Roman Empire, starting around 58 B.C.
A more humourous take on the Gallic situation can be seen in the comics of Asterix and Obelix, Gauls empowered by a magic potion to defend their town from interference from the occupying Romans in around 50 B.C. The series first appeared in 1959. (New edition of Vol. 1: Asterix the Gaul: SEP241940) It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. The 40th volume (JUL238970) was released in 2023 by writer Fabcaro and artist Didier Conrad. More than 393 million volumes have sold in total, making it the best-selling European comic-book series.
The 2023 Image Comics series Dead Romans focuses on Arminius, a Germanic prince raised in Rome, who plans vengeance against the Empire at the battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. Dynamically illustrated by Nick Marinkovich and written by Fred Kennedy, the hardcover collection of the series (SEP230440) is available from Image Comics.
So whether you’re planning a European vacation or just exploring from your own home, these varied comic-book works can give you a feel for the Roman empire of ancient times!
