This is how the book goes - we are in the middle of a story told with all the grime of its era, and it's wonderful. When Axia suffers a breakdown from the rescue we get a front-row seat of his intense recovery by the hands of the Vestals. We see how visiting his son sends him spiraling out of control at the nearest pub. We see the brutality of combat and the cavalier nature of sex. Juan Jose Ryp is masterful in encapsulating these scenes, using exquisite detail to convey the characters and environments.

His etheric depiction of Britannia is haunting and leaves the reader feeling as terrified as the soldiers treading on its soil. Hell, the last two pages were terrifying as Ryp creates a moment that will sear itself into the reader's mind. And what else can we possibly say about Jordie Bellaire, who just so happens to color not just provide a provocative aesthetic in this book, but in seemingly all of our favorite current comics? She's a peach and she's wonderful, and if you don't like her I will fight you in your dumb face.

And Peter Milligan is operating with all cylinders firing: he provides just enough information with each character to leave you questioning their motives, wondering what agenda every main character has and how it will further impact this venture into an unknown and ancient culture. We even get general overviews of the Vestals' codex, which helps transform Axia into the ancient world's first detective, but not any real example of what it says or where it came from or why it so thoroughly envelops Axia's attention.

Also, Milligan creates Bran, Axia's friend/employed slave, who plays very well off Antonius' cynicism to give a dry, Alfred-esque humor to their interactions. The comedic timing in Bran scenes are razor-sharp and incredibly enjoyable, and now that Bran has followed his master to Britannia I get to harbor an intense anxiety that Milligan will kill him. Wonderful...