Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #2
Valiant Entertainment 2018
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Robert Gill
Coloured by Jose Villarrubia
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Using this understanding of cause and effect, human psychology, and the subconscious, Antonius now works in Rome, using his deductive skills to solve cases as the world’s first detective. These abilities are now being put to the test, as Emperor Nero has dispatched Antonius to recover three Roman standards – objects symbolizing the power of the Roman Empire –lost in battle deep in the Germanic forest of Tottenwald. Aided by the gladiatrix Achillia, Antonius must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of these lost relics, or risk the end of Nero’s reign and the glory of Rome…
This really is one of my favourite franchises nowadays. The mad Emperor Nero who is portrayed as seriously unhinged and has not even a remote clue what a Detectioner is or what he does but because of his backing and success thus far he’s an integral instrument to be used. So to see coming into his own, slowly but surely, and believe in himself more with each arc has utterly delightful. Which brings us up to this one. As Nero cries for the lost Eagles to be returned he’s given Achillia to assist him, she’s been promised her freedom if successful, which gives us a better look at what Antonius can do with his thought process.
Peter does such a magnificent job with the way this book is structured. The ebb & flow created here is spectacular and the interplay between the characters and how everything that occurs manages to help move the book forward. Leaving Greece behind the pair arrive in Alexandria where they are in for a rude awakening. Ramses Twelve flaunts himself and that Egypt will one day free themselves of Roman Rule and it be he who does it for he is descended from a God. I can’t find much information on Ramses XII but let’s just go with it because really it’s what he represents that is important to the story here.
I love how Peter brings us characterisation and uses that to fuel the story and to give us those peeks into the characters we might not get elsewhere. That doesn’t just apply to our main characters either no it applies to everyone we meet and that’s pretty amazing to me. Nero too, as crazy and unhinged as he is, he’s one of the most fun characters in this franchise and may not be as accurate, we’ll never know for sure, but it certainly makes appreciate him more.
I am enamoured with the interior artwork here. The attention to detail is simply amazing to see and it doesn’t matter what it is apparently what it is or where it is in the panel everything gets the same amount of attention. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off an amazing eye for storytelling. I do wish backgrounds were in every panel because what we see when they are utilised is utterly sensational. Heck even the extreme violence of difference in how bodies are, Egyptian or Roman colouring for example, it all just has this eye to it that really works.
Personally that everyone thinks Antonius should be looking for the Eagles in Germany but is instead in Alexandria makes people nervous or angry. I enjoy that aspect of it I mean the world has never seen a detective before, one who can ascertain things from body language or speech patterns not to mention a scene itself. The Shadow may know and the Dark Knight may fight but Antonius is in a league that only Sherlock might appreciate.
Valiant Entertainment 2018
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Robert Gill
Coloured by Jose Villarrubia
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Using this understanding of cause and effect, human psychology, and the subconscious, Antonius now works in Rome, using his deductive skills to solve cases as the world’s first detective. These abilities are now being put to the test, as Emperor Nero has dispatched Antonius to recover three Roman standards – objects symbolizing the power of the Roman Empire –lost in battle deep in the Germanic forest of Tottenwald. Aided by the gladiatrix Achillia, Antonius must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of these lost relics, or risk the end of Nero’s reign and the glory of Rome…
This really is one of my favourite franchises nowadays. The mad Emperor Nero who is portrayed as seriously unhinged and has not even a remote clue what a Detectioner is or what he does but because of his backing and success thus far he’s an integral instrument to be used. So to see coming into his own, slowly but surely, and believe in himself more with each arc has utterly delightful. Which brings us up to this one. As Nero cries for the lost Eagles to be returned he’s given Achillia to assist him, she’s been promised her freedom if successful, which gives us a better look at what Antonius can do with his thought process.
Peter does such a magnificent job with the way this book is structured. The ebb & flow created here is spectacular and the interplay between the characters and how everything that occurs manages to help move the book forward. Leaving Greece behind the pair arrive in Alexandria where they are in for a rude awakening. Ramses Twelve flaunts himself and that Egypt will one day free themselves of Roman Rule and it be he who does it for he is descended from a God. I can’t find much information on Ramses XII but let’s just go with it because really it’s what he represents that is important to the story here.
I love how Peter brings us characterisation and uses that to fuel the story and to give us those peeks into the characters we might not get elsewhere. That doesn’t just apply to our main characters either no it applies to everyone we meet and that’s pretty amazing to me. Nero too, as crazy and unhinged as he is, he’s one of the most fun characters in this franchise and may not be as accurate, we’ll never know for sure, but it certainly makes appreciate him more.
I am enamoured with the interior artwork here. The attention to detail is simply amazing to see and it doesn’t matter what it is apparently what it is or where it is in the panel everything gets the same amount of attention. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off an amazing eye for storytelling. I do wish backgrounds were in every panel because what we see when they are utilised is utterly sensational. Heck even the extreme violence of difference in how bodies are, Egyptian or Roman colouring for example, it all just has this eye to it that really works.
Personally that everyone thinks Antonius should be looking for the Eagles in Germany but is instead in Alexandria makes people nervous or angry. I enjoy that aspect of it I mean the world has never seen a detective before, one who can ascertain things from body language or speech patterns not to mention a scene itself. The Shadow may know and the Dark Knight may fight but Antonius is in a league that only Sherlock might appreciate.
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