Amiculus: A Secret History: Vol. 1: Roma Aeterna (Graphic Novel) Review

“Did Rome fall…or was it pushed?”

It is the fall of Rome, re-imagined, in this action packed comic book series. The Amiculus trilogy takes a little known figure from history – Romulus Augustulus – and brings his story to the forefront of the action. Little is known of Romulus. At a very young twelve years of age, he was made emperor of the Western Roman Empire through the designs of his powerful father. When said father was unexpectedly defeated by a former ally, Romulus quietly turned over the throne and slunk off to live out his days in exile.

That is virtually all that is known about Romulus – but when you think about it, his had to be a fascinating story. How did he feel about holding the responsibilities of the throne at such a young age? What was it that led to his father’s downfall? And what did he do with the many years left in his life? Since we don’t really know – and history provides little clues – it is left to the imagination. In Amiculus, the author takes those few tidbits of history and uses them to spin a yarn of intrigue, violence, and betrayal that is quite gripping – especially to history buffs.

In Amiculus, known history and imagined history are melded together seamlessly in a way that makes it difficult to tell the two apart. These long dead characters from history come to life in illustrations and text that really capture the imagination. The story actually begins sixty years after Romulus has given up his throne. Western Rome again is in the midst of the war, and the conquerors have brought with them a driven historian who is determined to find out what really happened to Romulus. A secret history written by Romulus Augustus himself will fill in the gaps with tales of deception and betrayal, violence  and greed, and much more.

Because Roma Aeterna is just the first volume in what will be a trilogy, readers are left wondering in the final pages of the book – in fact, you have more questions at the end than at the beginning. That being said, it is a rather gripping story that history buffs in particular will enjoy. The illustrations are top notch, and work well with the text to really immerse readers in the unique storyline.