At the dawn of the Roman Empire, the armies of Emperor Augustus sweep through Europe, conquering left and right. At the front of it all is Prince Arminius, German-born and Roman-raised. Arminius wants nothing more than to take revenge on the Romans for their attacks on his people and reclaim Germania from them. But there’s a hitch in his plans. He’s determined to make the love of his life, the Roman slave woman Honoria, his queen. But an ambush has left Honoria’s fate ambiguous, and Arminius is determined to find her, whatever the cost.
Written by Fred Kennedy, illustrated by Nick Marinkovich, and lettered by Andrew Thomas, Dead Romans #1 kicks off the first in a six-part miniseries from Image Comics. Equal parts historical epic, war story, and steamy Romeo and Juliet style romance, Dead Romans #1 has the reluctant warrior Arminius risking life, limb, and army to find the woman he loves and give her the title and throne he promised.
Being a historical war drama, Dead Romans #1 has plenty of violence in between the silent moments of contemplation and romantic, sexual tension. There is plenty of bloodshed, with clashing swords, slinging spears, and close combat, all portrayed gracefully by powerhouse artist Nick Marinovich. However, the violence in this issue is surprisingly and artistically understated. There’s an elegant and sumptuous quality to the way the story and its interplay of sex, violence, and human drama are portrayed in the visuals and newcomer Fred Kennedy’s writing. There’s a subtlety to the dialogue and the narrative that, in the hands of lesser writers, would feel overwrought, dramatic, and excessive. Although there are some grandiose boasting, romantic declarations, and adrenaline-fuelled battle cries, Dead Romans #1 is scaled back and grounded in tone.
Dead Romans #1 touts itself as the start of an action-oriented series, and for the most part, it fulfills its promise. However, despite the inciting incident endangering Honoria and a couple of battlefield skirmishes, Dead Romans #1 is less of a roiling boil of battles and brawls and more of a soft simmer. Most of this issue is devoted to establishing the characters, mainly Arminius. This is a smart move on Kennedy’s part, given that this series is to run for only six issues. However, this also tests the reader’s patience since such a short story could have benefited from a more overt, guns-blazing approach. However, from its opening pages, Dead Romans #1 establishes itself as a mature and nuanced take on a genre that can sometimes be too overblown, apocalyptic, and adolescent.
Along with the gritty yet romantic historical setting, the most striking thing about Dead Romans #1 is the art, helmed entirely by artist Nick Marinkovich. Dead Romans #1 has a distinct painterly aesthetic, alive and rich with rough and grainy textures, conveying bleached earth, rustling foliage, rolling thunder, and splattered blood. The lines feel raw, with a hard, angular edge that perfectly suits the Roman aesthetic. Even more impressive is Marinkovich’s use of a limited color palette. Dead Romans #1 is rendered only in the subtlest of earth tones, dark maroons, slate greys, and the occasional flash of gold or bronze. This muted and dusky palette captures the grime, gore, and even the glamor of this historical, war-torn setting in a way that comes across as rich and beautiful.
Although the pacing plods slightly, Dead Romans #1 is a promising start to a historical series that displays a masterful use of tone, subtlety, and nuance in its writing, visuals, and attention to detail.
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