Jeez, Travis, I know Rome wasn't burned in a day, but could you speed things up with this book? It's like I've been waiting for a thousand years or something!
The Roman calendar: just as user-friendly as the Roman numeral and the abacus.
"Wait-wait-wait...'urgh, gurgle, ack?' What kind of last words are those? Cassius, make sure Bill Shakespeare does a rewrite on those in 1600 years..."
| Happy Ides, Amiculi! C'mon, you know I couldn't go without posting on March 15th, right? However, don't despair. This isn't just a space-filler: I have news, too! I'm excited to report that the preview Amiculus: Ex Libris Amiculi has been sent to the printer! If all goes well, if I've set my bleeds properly and sorted out my RGBs from my CMYKs, we should have printed copy on our hands in plenty of time for SPACE! In other fun news, I'm also investigating distribution prospects for the comic. Nothing is remotely close to being set in stone at the moment, but Amiculus could end up having a presence on Amazon and digitally at Comixology.com. Stay tuned! And now, here's a special IDES OF MARCH ROMAN DEBAUCHERY FUN FACT!First let's start with the name. What the heck is an "ides?" Well, the Romans didn't distinguish individual days from each other the same way we do. There were three distinct days in each month: the kalends or 1st day of the month (from which we get calendar), the nones (usually the 5th or 7th day of the month) and the ides (the 13th or 15th day of the month). All other dates were identified by how much they preceded these three days. (March 22, for example, would be identified as "the tenth day before the kalends of April.") Now let's proceed to what actually happened on the Ides of March. Everyone knows the basics: Julius Caesar stabbed by senators, Brutus delivering "the unkindest cut of all," Julius's famous last words to him ("Et tu, Brute?") then falling down dead and collapsing the Roman Republic underneath him. But how accurate was that? These details are largely known from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (1599), but Shakespeare was known for taking dramatic license with history, and Caesar's actual last words are in dispute. The Roman historian Suetonius claims that his last words were in Greek: "καὶ σὺ τέκνον," translated as "you too, young man," "you too, child," or "you too, my child," from which the theory has since sprung that Brutus was Caesar's son. The historian Plutarch claimed he said nothing, but only pulled his toga over his head before he died. What is certain is that, whatever his last words were or weren't, they were definitely not "Pizza Pizza." |
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Procopius demonstrates the Amiculus method of lettering: in barely-intelligible Greek by the light of a pile of flaming corpses. Truly, a lost art.
Happy March, Amiculi! The next few posts will be shorter status updates proceeding to the debut of Amiculus at SPACE. In this one, I'm pleased to announce that lettering for the preview volume has been completed! No creative elements now remain between this book and its upcoming limited print run.  Official Cover, Amiculus Preview. If you haven't had the opportunity to peruse the SPACE website, there's a brief synopsis of the Amiculus preview there as a premiere comic. Check it out, and while you're there, familiarize yourself with a few of the other great books on display there, by creators ranging from neophytes to seasoned pros. It's a fantastic indy print expo, with some real gems of art and storytelling.
Salvete!
So...when does the light-show begin? Soon, Amiculi, soon.
"Historian...does the name 'Amiculus' mean anything to you?"
And so it goes. Amiculi, we are very close to the completion of this preview. Just a few more pages, with panels like the one you see above, and it will be ready. Speaking of panels, let me introduce you to some of the generous folks who volunteered their likenesses as inspiration for several supporting characters in this epic so far. (To those scheduled to appear who are not yet mentioned, don't worry! Your appearances are coming!) Also worth mentioning, especially in the context of a new Kickstarter to come (hint hint) is that Amiculus is a cast of thousands, so there are many opportunities for models yet undiscovered to represent characters yet undrawn! So here, they are, in order of appearance:
Happy New Year, Amiculi! As promised, here is a sneak preview of the first two pages of Amiculus: A Secret History, dialogue and all. (Tip of the hat to Frank Cvetkovic for his help!) This is the epic, sweeping opening of the saga, the overture setting the tone. Hopefully, my words and Giancarlo's images offer an exciting taste of things to come. 
 Procopius reflects as he awaits the arrival of New Year's 2014. As that is a 1,476-year wait for him, hopefully he also brought a book. As we stand on the precipice of another Annus Novus, it is customary to reflect, Janus-like, on both the past and the future. If you are writing a Roman history graphic novel, it is also customary to cram in enough superfluous Latin words, classical references and flowery language as one can to sound pithy and learned to one's readers. Now that I've met my quota on the latter, I'll expound on the former.
Twenty Thirteen has been the biggest year yet for the development of Amiculus in its six-and-a-half(!) year history. After moving beyond the writing and polishing stages with the script (which, admittedly, mainly took that long because I procrastinate), the project has taken leaps and bounds in its movement toward realization, with tons of great new art and an impending partial publication on the horizon. Even though my first stab at crowd-funding didn't achieve all desired results, it was a very promising start, teaching me some valuable lessons about building an audience and providing the first concrete evidence that there is an audience out there for the work I am doing. Additionally, I learned Rome wasn't burned in a day. It takes time, dedication, and most importantly, a ton of help to sack and despoil all of western civilization, and I made lots of allies in the push toward that goal this year. Apart from my fantastic production team (Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Flavia Caracuzzo, Frank Cvetkovic, Pamela Kame) there were my Kickstarter supporters (you know who you are, Amiculi), and my lovely yet long-suffering wife, Becky, who accepted the role of my unpaid editor and unofficial shrink with grace and aplomb, as opposed to the ball-peen hammer to my temple that I (perhaps) deserved. There were also my many friends and colleagues in the Columbus, Ohio art and theater communities, without whose aid and guidance I would still be agonizing over draft thirty-seven of the script and no closer to the preview volume now so tantalizingly near to fruition. Speaking of that volume, lettering has begun! Very soon, you will see story grace those fantastic pages Giancarlo has inked and Flavia has colored! I look forward to showing you those, and more, a short distance into the New Year. Felix Sit Annus Novus!
This week, I thought it would be fun to show new panels alongside the models from history that inspired them:
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AuthorTravis Horseman is a writer, actor, and an incurable graphic novel junkie. His love of comic books, theater and classical history have largely driven the course of his life, and he is doing his darnedest to unite them in Amiculus: A Secret History. Archives
December 2021
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