Britannia

The elevator pitch for Britannia says it all: it’s ‘Gladiator’ meets ‘Sleepy Hollow’. This 4 issue miniseries from Valiant introduces Antonius Axa, a Roman Centurion living under the rule of Emperor Nero circa 60 A.D. Without giving too much away, Antonius goes through some misadventures that expose him to the ‘sacred’ texts of the Vestal Virgins, and from the knowledge that he gains, Antonius becomes a deductive investigator, centuries before behavioral psychology is invented. As such, the world’s first detective is dispatched from Rome to the British Isles to investigate some gruesome killings amongst a Roman Garrison…

The artist is Juan Jose Ryp, who has traditionally worked on hyper-violent contemporary thrillers and sci-fi. As you can see from the b+w sample above, his ultra-detailed linework and texturing applies just as well to this historical horror setting. If anything, his style has matured, and he handles the many expository scenes just as well as the action.

The writer is British veteran Peter Milligan, and he lays out a very well researched and carefully plotted arc for Antonius. The only problem is that very few of the supporting characters get the space to be fully fleshed out, and at only 4-issues, the story is over just as it was hitting it’s stride. Depending on your tastes, you may wish there had been an extra couple of issues of breathing space, or you may be pleasantly refreshed that this nippy series does not outstay it’s welcome.

Given the above; it’s not too surprising to see that a sequel mini-series is already in the works (see interview here).