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Swords of Rome: The Conquerors
Swords of Rome follows the Emperor Nero as he consolidates his political alliances. It describes him in the first stages of decadance and debauchery that resulted in his fall and the burning of Rome. Readers can see firsthand the corruption and greed of the Roman Senate, along with a more personal story of a gladiator who becomes a threat to Nero and to his power. With dramatic text and memorable illustrations, Swords of Rome brings an extraordinary era alive.
- GenresComics
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
11 people want to read
About the author
Jean Dufaux
470 books85 followersJean Dufaux is a Belgian comic book writer. Beginning his professional career as a journalist for "Ciné-presse", Dufaux started writing comic books in the 1980s. Perhaps his most well-known, and certainly his most long-running, series is Jessica Blandy.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 10, 2022
ACTUALLY TOMES 1+2 "MURENA"
Update:
When I saw the real French editions of these tomes I got VERY angry at ibooks. They erase every phallus (many) and obscure or cover everything female. It totally changes the story by the puritan neutering of dozens of panels.
GROSSLY CENSORED but for mature readers... but not mature enough to handle aureola and nipples. All of the nude breasts were left blank or smeared over by shadow that didn't exist. Offering someone a kiss from the dismembered head of his lover is, of course, within boundaries.
This chronicles the years right before Nero (Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) came to power and many after. You get thrust right into the machinations of his mother, the goddess and most definitive of of all sociopaths, Agrippina. She must erect him to power and all her pawns are in place but you'll labor to find out who's who. This needs a dramatis personae more than anything I've read in memory. There are end-notes that are nice for framing things historically but this is one of those books you'll need to be constantly flipping back pages to put it all together.
I've been spoiled by the awe-inspiring art of the great Francophone practitioners of bandes-dessinees (strip-art) so Philippe Delaby's, in comparison to his contemporaries, isn't very impressive. STILL, it's not bad by any means.
Murena, the title of the entire work that this is only part of, is the name of the "main" character but it'll take awhile to figure that out. He's a great framing devise though- the character you want to root for throughout who is orchestrating most of the events in the periphery.
Then there's the limitlessly-interesting Nubian gladiator!
He was the lone survivor of a full-day's bill of death yet refused to beg for the emperor's mercy which was still necessary to leave the arena alive. Young (Tiberius Claudius Caesar) Britannicus, son of then-reining Claudius, enthusiastically ran in to save him which gained him a desperately-needed, fiercely-loyal friend throughout.
The way things went in the Roman Court those days means I can't tell you much more. I'll wrap up assuring you that it's all plotting and murder from beginning to end and that Dufaux sticks very closely to "known" history.
Update:
When I saw the real French editions of these tomes I got VERY angry at ibooks. They erase every phallus (many) and obscure or cover everything female. It totally changes the story by the puritan neutering of dozens of panels.
GROSSLY CENSORED but for mature readers... but not mature enough to handle aureola and nipples. All of the nude breasts were left blank or smeared over by shadow that didn't exist. Offering someone a kiss from the dismembered head of his lover is, of course, within boundaries.
This chronicles the years right before Nero (Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) came to power and many after. You get thrust right into the machinations of his mother, the goddess and most definitive of of all sociopaths, Agrippina. She must erect him to power and all her pawns are in place but you'll labor to find out who's who. This needs a dramatis personae more than anything I've read in memory. There are end-notes that are nice for framing things historically but this is one of those books you'll need to be constantly flipping back pages to put it all together.
I've been spoiled by the awe-inspiring art of the great Francophone practitioners of bandes-dessinees (strip-art) so Philippe Delaby's, in comparison to his contemporaries, isn't very impressive. STILL, it's not bad by any means.
Murena, the title of the entire work that this is only part of, is the name of the "main" character but it'll take awhile to figure that out. He's a great framing devise though- the character you want to root for throughout who is orchestrating most of the events in the periphery.
Then there's the limitlessly-interesting Nubian gladiator!
He was the lone survivor of a full-day's bill of death yet refused to beg for the emperor's mercy which was still necessary to leave the arena alive. Young (Tiberius Claudius Caesar) Britannicus, son of then-reining Claudius, enthusiastically ran in to save him which gained him a desperately-needed, fiercely-loyal friend throughout.
The way things went in the Roman Court those days means I can't tell you much more. I'll wrap up assuring you that it's all plotting and murder from beginning to end and that Dufaux sticks very closely to "known" history.
Displaying 1 of 1 review