Salvete, Amiculi!
Happy Kalends of Junius to you! June takes its name from the Roman goddess Juno. Or, alternately, it comes from the word iuniores, meaning “youths,” in contrast to the preceding month of Maius (May), whose name comes from maiores, meaning “elders.”
Happy Kalends of Junius to you! June takes its name from the Roman goddess Juno. Or, alternately, it comes from the word iuniores, meaning “youths,” in contrast to the preceding month of Maius (May), whose name comes from maiores, meaning “elders.”
June is also the next big month of shows for Amiculus! As mentioned, Amiculus will be traveling to Huntington, WV for its Tri-State Comic Con on June 4, which I understand is a pretty significant affair. Later in the month, we’ll be heading to Louisville, KY for the equally wild two-day Derby City Comic Con on June 25-26! Hope to see you there!
And now, once again, it is time for your favorite Amiculus feature and mine:
ROMAN DEBAUCHERY FUN FACTS (EXTRA):
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ROMULUS AUGUSTUS?
After Romulus Augustus (or Augustulus) was deposed as Roman emperor, what happened to him? The histories agree that he was exiled to Campania, the region around Naples, to live out the rest of his days in the Villa of Lucullus (now the site of the Castel Dell’Ovo in the Gulf of Naples). After that, his fate becomes a mystery. The Order of St. Severinus moved in and made the place a monastery sometime around 488, suggesting to some historians that Romulus was dead by this time; however, a letter from the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great in 507 to a “Romulus” suggests that he might have still been alive at that late date.
Fortunately, where history fails us, popular entertainment is always ready to fill in the gaps! There have been a number of attempts to tie Romulus in with Arthurian legend, if only marginally in some cases. The Marvel Comics villain Tyrannus, first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #5 in 1963, was a Roman sorcerer/scientist originally sporting the name “Romulus Augustulus” who tried to conquer Britain and was defeated and exiled by Merlin, although his connection with the historical Romulus only goes as far as the name.
The 2007 film The Last Legion (adapted from Valerio Massimo Manfredi’s 2002 novel of the same name) goes further. In similar fashion to 2004’s King Arthur, which mashes up late Roman history with the Knights of the Round Table with decidedly mixed results, The Last Legion proposes that Romulus fled to Britain after being deposed to become Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur, also with decidedly mixed results. (Interesting note: Romulus’s look in Amiculus is actually based on actor Thomas Sangster, who portrayed Romulus in The Last Legion.)
Fortunately, where history fails us, popular entertainment is always ready to fill in the gaps! There have been a number of attempts to tie Romulus in with Arthurian legend, if only marginally in some cases. The Marvel Comics villain Tyrannus, first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #5 in 1963, was a Roman sorcerer/scientist originally sporting the name “Romulus Augustulus” who tried to conquer Britain and was defeated and exiled by Merlin, although his connection with the historical Romulus only goes as far as the name.
The 2007 film The Last Legion (adapted from Valerio Massimo Manfredi’s 2002 novel of the same name) goes further. In similar fashion to 2004’s King Arthur, which mashes up late Roman history with the Knights of the Round Table with decidedly mixed results, The Last Legion proposes that Romulus fled to Britain after being deposed to become Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur, also with decidedly mixed results. (Interesting note: Romulus’s look in Amiculus is actually based on actor Thomas Sangster, who portrayed Romulus in The Last Legion.)
Okay, to be fair, there is a certain (significant) level of speculation to these fun “facts,” but the mystery is what makes it fun, right?
In upcoming news: I will be announcing the actual launch date of the Amiculus: Volume III Kickstarter, and will be releasing updates and new fun facts throughout the summer via an e-newsletter I will be launching very soon!
More to come…
More to come…
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