‘Britannia’ Leads This Week’s Best New Comics


Peter Milligan has created some strange comics over the years, but there’s nothing quite as bizarre, or as unique, as Britannia. Mixing noir, Roman history, mythology, and horror, Britannia: We Who Are About To Die (Valiant) is the kind of story that could really only exist as a comic book. It’s too weird, and too tied to personal obsessions, to be anything else.

The basic idea is that Rome’s “detectioner,” Achillia, a former soldier with unusual ties to the Vestal Virgins, explores the mysteries and solves cases for the Emperor. Unfortunately, the Emperor in this case is Nero, and part of the fun Milligan has is detailing just how venal, corrupt, and cowardly one of Rome’s worst emperors really was. Rome’s young nobles are being mysteriously butchered by the gods, and it has something to do with a female gladiator who is close to winning her freedom, but Achillia and Antonius, his faithful slave, quickly find that everyone involved is less interested in solving the case than using the murders to further their own ends.

Milligan’s script is full of nods to history and the complicated nature of Roman mythology and belief, not to mention Roman politics. And Juan Jose Ryp, a Valiant regular, really gets a showcase here. Ryp does everything from turn classical statuary into nightmare fuel to painstakingly depict Rome as it was, and he fills the book with both life and death in equal measure. The Roman gods are not bloodless abstracts; they’re lurid, angry, vengeful entitites in Ryp’s hands, and it gives the book a sense of foreboding. You won’t find a story quite like this anywhere else, and it’s a reminder that comics are more than capes and masks.

Dead Inside #5, Dark Horse

John Arcudi and Tonjic Fejzula wrap up one of the best mystery series we’ve seen in a long time with an ending that not only logically holds up, but is also emotionally satisfying. It’s rare any mystery pulls that off, but this particular miniseries has mixed Arcudi’s taste for unusual settings and workaday reality with Fejzula’s carefully distorted art to make one of the better crime comics we’ve seen in a while.

The Flash #22, DC Comics

The Button, which wraps up with this issue, has worked not because the two creative teams on Batman and The Flash get to play with Alan Moore’s toys, but because they develop a complicated, emotionally satisfying story that you don’t have to be a huge nerd to get a lot out of. Yes, the story has been full of DC lore, in particular hints about the Justice Society and their role (or lack of it) in DC’s current continuity, but ultimately it works because it forces both Batman and the Flash to look at their lives and mistakes and ask whether or not they’ve made the right decisions.

Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The Corpse-Makers #3, Dynamite

Francesco Francavilla has been having a ball playing with Will Eisner’s groundbreaking vigilante, and this issue, in particular, underscores why he’s such a good choice. Francavilla mixes the traditional with the experimental in a host of ways, and in particular, this issue is fascinating just for how he lays out the action without ever resorting to a traditional panel. It’s a rich, dynamic book and if you’re interested in comics as art, a must-buy.

Deadpool Vs. The Punisher #3, Marvel

Fred Van Lente and Pere Perez have way, way too much fun with the Punisher and Deadpool, who, despite the title, are in a sort of team-up. Part of the comedy is just that Van Lente toys with some of the sillier aspects of the Marvel Universe, only to drop a hard, sudden, nasty surprise at the end of an issue. And part of it is Perez’ facility with physical comedy; Perez’s action scenes here are equal parts Die Hard and Looney Tunes.


Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1, Image Comics: The cubist, graffiti-inspired style of Jim Mahfood, not to mention his wacky sense of humor, has been missing from comics for far too long, and it helps carry what’s a somewhat bland concept over the top.

Astro City #44, DC Comics: This is a breather issue, of sorts, as the Astro City team goes full Silver Age with a story of superpowered pets.

Luke Cage #1, Marvel: David F. Walker digs deep in Marvel’s past for Luke’s new solo title.

Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #3, Dynamite: This gritty take on children’s mysteries works not least because it’s faithful to the spirit of the books while growing up just enough to be something else.

The Wild Storm #4, DC Comics: You know what’s great about this comic? The epic griping. Watching supervillains have a bad day and whining about how everything on Earth farts is weirdly entertaining. Oh, and it helps that Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt can deliver an amazing action scene.

This Week’s Best Collections

The Maxx: Maxxed Out Vol. 3, IDW ($30, Softcover): Sam Kieth’s strange, powerful story of a homeless superhero (?) still pushes boundaries, artistically and socially, even today.

Free Country: A Tale Of The Children’s Crusade, DC Comics ($20, Softcover): Neil Gaiman’s take on Peter Pan is finally finished with this reprint and update of the original story.

User, Image Comics ($20, Hardcover): Devin Grayson is often remembered for her run on Nightwing, one often disliked by fans, But it’s easy to forget she got the gig thanks to work like this, a Vertigo series from the ’90s that explored gender fluidity and sexuality, on the internet, back when it was still entirely text. Thankfully this book is getting another chance, and it’s worth a read.

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