Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War

by Tarek Ben Yakhlef, Vincent Pompetti (Illustrator)

“The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts: one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, and the third a people who in their own language are called ‘Celts,’ but in ours, ‘Gauls.’ They all differ among themselves in respect of language, way of life, and laws....” Thus begins one of the major works of humanity, “The Gallic War,” written by a man who marked our history and subconscious, Julius Caesar.

This free adaptation of The Gallic War is the result of a long artistic collaboration between Vincent Pompetti and Tarek, both great connoisseurs of antiquity. Both authors invite you to discover the unique story of a great moment in history that changed the face of the old world forever.

Genres: History, Graphic Novels, Comics, War, Ancient History, Nonfiction

219 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jefferson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too much narration and exposition -- reads more like a term paper than a historical drama. The artwork is sketchy and inconsistent, often making it difficult to tell which character is which.

[Gauthier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les Commentaires sur la Guerre des Gaules de Jules César représentent une source unique pour nous permettre de découvrir le monde Gaulois et la lutte qui a mené à sa domination par les Romains. Le style de Jules César, ou plutôt les traductions qui en ont été faites, est loin d'être entraînant. Adapter le tout en bandes-dessinées était une idée attrayante pour permettre à ceux qui n'avaient pas encore lu l'oeuvre de César de la découvrir et aux autres de la revisiter. Je dirais que l'objectif est semi atteint: certes l'option de se familiariser avec cette oeuvre à travers un nouveau format est maintenant disponible mais l'effort de vulgarisation ne va pas assez loin pour la rendre plus accessible.

L'adaptation est divisée en 2 tomes réunis ici en une intégrale. Le premier tome se consacre principalement à la conquête des Gaules du point de vue de Jules César lorsque Vercingétorix était un allié tandis que le deuxième adopte la perspective de ce dernier alors qu'il tente de repousser César. Les scènes défilent à une vitesse haletante avec énormément d'évènements qui se déroulent sur peu de vignettes. On a du mal à suivre avec un sentiment de redondance par la similarité des images. On apprécie cependant la reconstitution des costumes et des décors particulièrement soignée. Les Gaulois sont réellement représentés en fonction des connaissances actuelles et on sort des clichés. Pas de casque à ailes ici et ce sont les Gaulois qui portent ces fameux casques que les Romains adopteront plus tard mais qui sont devenus si évocateurs dans leur aspect que tous les films les utilisent pour les légionnaires romains, peu importe la période. De plus, les soldats Gaulois sont lourdement armés, portant armure et grands boucliers. On est loin de l'autre cliché du babare presque nu se battant contre un légionnaire bien équipé. Les auteurs cherchent en fait à démontrer que loin d'être deux mondes cloisonnés et en opposition, les mondes Romains et Gaulois étaient en contact étroit bien avant la Guerre des Gaules. Il faut pourtant noter que ce livre est un rappel brutal que la conquête des Gaules par Jules César fut une entreprise sanglante. Les Gaulois furent massacrés par dizaines de milliers.

Finalement, l'ensemble, quoique fort bien documenté avec de beaux dessins et accompagné d'un long cahier documentaire à la fin, a du mal à nous captiver. Peut-être qu'une seconde lecture est nécessaire pour mieux apprécier cet ouvrage original.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Campaigns of Julius Caesar in graphic novel form. While the artwork is impressive and the attention to detail in the imagery is historically interesting, it is lost on the average reader. This book reads less like a graphic novel and more like an illustrated historical summary with a smidge of imagined characters. If you’re looking for an introduction to Julius Caesar as an historical drama that reads like an adventure, this is not the book for you.

[Kyle Breton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it historically accurate? Largely no. Is the art work beautiful? Definitely yes.

[Kristen Fort · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic novel take on the history of Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul.

I backed this project on Kickstarter, and I am so glad I did. To bring Caesar and the Gauls to life in this format was an excellent. The illustrators consulted not only Julius Caesar's commentaries but modern sources on ancient military as well. The introduction of a few fictitious characters was wise as well, allowing us to imagine these people from 2,000+ years ago.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This handsome hardcover graphic novel is an illustrated account of the Gallic Wars, from approximately 59 B.C. to 51 B.C. These were the years when Julius Caesar established himself by subjugating the various Gallic tribes, even making the first Roman incursions into Germania and Britain.

Historically, the expansion of Rome against the "barbarian" Celts may seem inevitable, but in this account we see that Rome's conquest of Europe was not inevitable; the Gauls outnumbered them and they were not at a technological disadvantage. Their primary disadvantages were Rome's military tactics (and especially engineering), and the fractious nature of the Gallic tribes, who were as likely to fight each other as Rome and constantly switched allegiances. Caesar's primary foe in this volume is his one-time protege, Vercingetorix, leader of the Arverni tribe. Vercingetorix learned Roman tactics from Caesar and applied them to his own army. He manages to lead large armies against Rome and wins a few battles, but the inability of the Gauls to commit and unite is what leads to their ultimate downfall.

Besides literally hundreds of Gallic tribes who are constantly in a state of either revolt or near-revolt, needing to be alternately cajoled, bribed, threatened, or crushed, Ceasar's biggest headache is the Roman Senate. His enemy, Cato, argues for Caesar to be declared a traitor to Rome for his provocations against erstwhile Roman allies, and Caesar is constantly having to balance his military objectives with the political impact back in Rome. His right-hand man, Titus Labienus, will ultimately turn on him and join Senator Pompey, another former Caesar ally, allied to him by marrying his daughter Julia. This alliance breaks when Julia dies. Eventually it will lead to Caesar's crossing the Rubicon, but that is not covered in this book.

There are lots of lots of battles, and historically accurate illustrations of Gallic and Roman soldiers. (The notes in the back have extensive commentary about what Roman soldiers actually wore vs. the popular depiction of uniformly-equipped marching centurions.) It's a lavish volume, and the story and dialog is largely taken from Caesar's own semi-autobiographical account of the Gallic Wars. He wrote Commentary on the Gallic Wars basically to justify his own actions and as personal PR, so much of it should be taken as pro-Caesar propaganda, but most of it seems to match the historical record.

This graphic novel, translated from the French, introduces a few fictitious characters to add some drama to the narrative. One is Eponine, an Aedui spy. Another is a fanatical druid trying to foment rebellion against Rome, and a few fictional Roman generals are also inserted into the story. But for the most part, this reads like an illustrated history; there are no fantastical or wildly ahistorical elements.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I was looking forward to learning a bit more about Caesar/Roman history but what we have here is messy, drier than a bone, very hard to follow, and incredibly confusing. I think I would have needed to have an academic knowledge of the subject to appreciate the book - but then why would I need the graphic novel in the first place?

The plus side is that this is nicely researched from historical and modern sources. But honestly, I had no idea while reading this what was going on. It skipped around everywhere, never really following any one character or place. It seemed every page took us somewhere else - and even then, I had no idea what those people were doing or why. It was extremely poorly explained and yet overly verbose at the same time.

The artwork is muddy and gave me absolutely zero perspective on the battles. I could barely tell the Romans from the Helvetians. Seeing the same battle scene over and over was boring - there was no pay off whatsoever in this being in a graphical format. Worse, often times the author would reference something ominous in the dialogue but then never actually explain it, adding further to the confusion. E.g., one scene I assume was with Octavian and his mother but the only reference as to who they are is when Octavian asks about his Uncle. I don't know why a senator ran to the mother, what he was telling her, or even who the senator was. Fortunately, I remembered that Octavian was a great nephew or I really would have been lost. Good luck telling the faces apart.

Honestly, I gave up half way through. I got nothing out of this - I did not learn more about Caesar, the Gallic wars, or ancient warfare. It was too much of a dreary random-fact laden read yet incredibly confusing mess. It was certainly a wasted translation into a graphic novel format. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Caesar's The Gallic Wars decades ago and spent a lot of time back then going through Roman and Celtic history, including the different tribes, locations, and campaigns. I’ve also watched adaptations like HBO’s Rome—with Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus—and played games such as Rome: Total War, so I came into this graphic novel with enough background to expect that I’d follow along without difficulty.

Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. The narrative is disjointed, and I often found myself unsure of where the events were taking place or which tribe was involved. Even with some general knowledge of the geography of Gaul, I had to stop repeatedly to orient myself. Readers without that background would likely be lost almost immediately.

The book would have benefited from clear maps at the start of each major section—something that situates the reader geographically and historically. Instead, the story moves abruptly from place to place with very little guidance. The appendices and the map at the end are helpful, but they come too late. I honestly recommend reading those first before attempting the story.

As a graphic novel, it’s unusual in its layout and pacing, but I’m not sure it’s effective. The storytelling isn’t coherent enough to carry someone through Caesar’s campaigns without outside research, and even with background knowledge, it can feel like a slog.

Overall, I’d place this book solidly in the middle range. It might work for someone who already knows the Gallic War in detail and wants a visual companion, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a general reader or anyone new to the subject.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique exploration of the Gallic Wars, with particular emphasis on the leadership of Caesar and of his Gallic foe Vercingetorix. The historical narrative starts with Caesar's campaign against the Helvetii in 58 BC, and ends with Vercingetorix's surrender to Caesar in aftermath of the Battle of Alesia of 52 BC. While most people featured in the work are real, there are a few invented characters to support the narrative, such as Eponine, the Aedui spy, and the Druid leader Gutuater. With these few fictional exceptions, the writers used Caesar's Commentaries and more modern histories as sources in crafting this work.

The only criticism I can give this work is that there were a few panels where the art should've been revised, some of the battle scenes and character conversations were a bit confusing to follow because of the art style. Other than that, this was an engaging graphic work on an important section of Roman and wider European history.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ο Γαλατικός Πόλεμος είναι μια ασύλληπτη αφηγηματική καταστροφή, με τραγική επιμέλεια. Οι δημιουργοί ξεπετάνε μάχες και πολέμους μέσα από δισέλιδα βομβαρδίζοντας τον αναγνώστη με άπειρα τοπονύμια και ονόματα θεοάγνωστα, όπου η (επιεικώς μέτρια) επιμέλεια δεν προσπαθεί να βοηθήσει ούτε στο ελάχιστο.

Πρόκειται για μία κακοφτιαγμένη και φρενήρης σύνοψη των πολέμων του Καίσαρα που απευθύνεται ΜΟΝΟ σε ιστορικούς της Αρχαίας Ρώμης, καθώς κανείς άλλος μέσος αναγνώστης δε μπορεί να παρακολουθήσει αυτό τον ορυμαγδό πληροφοριών.

Τα πλούσια extras δεν βοηθάνε, ενώ αποτελούν το 1/3 αυτού του τόμου, καθώς πρόκειται για making of και τους δημιουργούς να κάνουν cosplay τους Λεγεωνάριους.

[Jarod · Rating 2 out of 5]

The water color is hand-painted, and portrays many a historical whoziwhatsit, and the pages will give you a paper cut as you zoom past numerous (numerous) tribes being annihilated by the tide of history. I haven't read Caesar's account (yet), but I discern opportunity for a pseudo/historical epic makeover on the scale of the Persian Expedition, with less hogwash. Water color was perhaps the honorable choice yet I swear I've seen it done better somewhere...and if only it didn't include made-up material for no worthwhile reason.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, of all the kinds of graphic novels, those delivering history really have a hard time trying to win me over, but I didn't take to this. Yes, some of the art looked wonderful – fluid watercolours and yet with more than enough dynamism and heft in the action and motion – but there were certainly more tribes than were good for it.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like reading a dusty text book. It's filled with a gazillion different European tribes and characters as Caesar conquers most of Europe. The art is OK but you can't tell who is who in any of the battles. If you like dry historical footnotes with no maps, this is the comic for you.

[John Majors · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible art. a little hard to follow the story with all the characters and cities and tribes. a map showing the progression would help. love that it is faithful to Caesar's writings.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caesar trounces some Gauls. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Skip it and read an Asterix comic instead.

Received via Edelweiss.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art of this graphic novel speaks for itself and the writing is quite good. Only critique is for any not in the historical know this can be quite hard to follow.

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entre -58 et -50 avant J.C., César déploie son emprise sur la Gaule. Enfin, sur les Gaules plus exactement, puisqu'à l'époque le monde celtique était divisé en plusieurs nations, plus souvent rivales qu’alliées. C’est d’ailleurs en grande partie grâce à ces divisions que le futur empereur romain a pu étendre ses conquêtes territoriales. Pendant les premières années de la guerre, Vercingétorix sera un allié de Rome, avant de prendre la tête des tribus se révoltant contre l’occupant et d’être vaincu à Alésia en -52. Le point de vue de César exprimé dans cette Guerre des Gaules montre à quel point la motivation de ce dernier, d’abord politique, s’est rapidement doublée d’un intérêt économique. On comprend également que si la victoire finale doit à la force brute, à l’équipement moderne et à la discipline de ses légions, elle n’aurait pu être possible sans une exceptionnelle intelligence tactique associée à une véritable vision géopolitique du conflit.
Les auteurs se sont évidemment basés sur le texte original de César tout en s’autorisant quelques libertés « fictionnelles » afin de rendre le récit moins austère. La caution historique est indiscutable, ce qui rend cet album passionnant, notamment d’un point de vue pédagogique. Revers de la médaille, les récitatifs prennent le pas sur les dialogues et rendent certains passages très bavards. De plus le catalogue de noms de tribus et de villes gauloises (sans traduction de leur nom « moderne ») ne permet pas de voir avec clarté les lieux où se déroulent les événements, ce qui a tendance à complexifier la lecture.
Niveau dessin rien à dire, les choix graphiques de Vincent Pompetti permettent une immersion parfaite dans la sauvagerie de l’époque. Et le dossier final incroyablement complet est une lecture des plus enrichissantes pour mieux comprendre, d’une part les intentions des auteurs, et d’autre part leur investissement sans faille pour coller au plus près des connaissances actuelles sur cette période pour le moins troublée de l’antiquité.