The previous two series, “Britannia” and “Britannia: We Who Are About to Die,” followed the story of the Roman detective, Antonius Axia, who was sent by the Emperor Nero to the Roman colony of Britannia – which was then considered the edge of the known world – to investigate supernatural happenings. In this new, four-issue series, a barbarian horde have overthrown the Romans and taken their valued Eagle relics, and Antonius is tasked once more by the Emperor to retrieve the artifacts, which proves to be anything but a simple.
In the interview, Milligan revealed the series will actually take Antonius to the empire’s eastern frontier in Egypt, and explore “the clash of Roman culture with this even more ancient culture.” He also added the location would exacerbate the sexual tension between Antonius and the gladiator Achillia: “Antonius is not the kind of man – he likes to think – who would take sexual advantage of a woman while she was a slave, while she was not free (i.e. as Achillia is in this story). But will this commendable moral stance withstand the long journey to Egypt and the cloying perfumes, heat, and magic of that exotic land?”
Robert Gill takes over on the series’s art from Juan Jose Ryp. He said, “To be able to draw monsters and demons and Ancient Rome all in one book is such a ridiculously exciting thing for me, but to have all that infused with Peter’s talent for incorporating deeper psychological themes and more complex storytelling just makes the whole thing that much more appealing to work on. This definitely isn’t a superhero book, and that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for right now.” For more artwork, and more thoughts from Milligan and Gill on topics like the other characters (like the Vestal Virgins), head over to Syfy Wire.
“Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome” #1 will be released on July 25.
