Valiant’s historical detective story is back again. Britannia: The Lost Eagles of Rome is back, and so is Roman “detectioner” Antonius Axius. Get ready for a power-mad Emperor, ancient-world demons and monsters, and a set of standards lost somewhere in the Germanic wilds…

Respect the Eagle

The Roman standard – the eagle borne at the front of each Roman legion – was more than just a symbol of the soldiers that carried it… It was a symbol of Rome itself, the ultimate embodiment of the empire’s power…

But now, in the mist-shrouded Germanic forest of Tottenwald, the unthinkable has happened: A rampaging barbarian horde has crushed three of Rome’s most highly skilled detachments in battle… and captured their mighty Roman eagles.

His authority threatened by this all-too-public shame, the mad emperor Nero has dispatched Antonius Axia, the empire’s finest “detectioner” and hero of Britannia, and Achillia, the sword-wielding champion of the gladiatorial arena, to reclaim his stolen relics at any cost.

But what began as a simple mission will soon become a terrifying journey into the dark heart of belief itself as the isolated woodlands of Rome’s enemies reveal unseen dimensions…and the true power of the legion’s lost eagles threatens to consume any who would pursue them…

Third run

This book is the third in a set of mini-series from Valiant. It’s a publisher that’s become well known at this point for short runs on books. You won’t see high numbers any time soon from the company (unless they get into something like Marvel’s “legacy” numbering). But then, while that’s not a trait that I really like to see in a superhero comic, it’s very fitting for Britannia.

The series, while set in the Valiant (superhero) universe, is not in any way a superhero book. It takes place in the ancient Roman Empire for starters. With that, there are no (well, few) of Valiant’s characters about, and the book revels in its time period.

It’s also a series that has very separate tales to tell. While each one does play off of the prior, much like a standard comic, Britannia’s stories seem to be their own animals. At lest, they do so far, and this third entry is seeming much the same.

As we find out, Valiant is very happy to acknowledge all of the above.

“This story certainly builds on and adds to the two stories that have gone before it,” writer Peter Milligan told SyFy Wire. “I wanted to give a greater sense of the sheer scope of the Roman world, the Roman empire. In the first story, we see its northern border, Britain. In the second, we see its home turf. But in LOST EAGLES OF ROME, we expand eastwards, and see how the empire encompassed Egypt, too.”

“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,” artist Robert Gill added. “This definitely isn’t a superhero book, and that’s exactly what I’m in the mood for right now.”

Excited? Then watch for Britannia: The Lost Eagles of Rome #1, on the stands this July the 25th.