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Not quite sure how I feel about the wrap up. Perhaps that's a consequence of reading it in singles over four months rather than a sit with a TPB.

The story takes us pretty much where we thought it would end, with Elissa using the Ulysses herb to cause hallucinations -- although how her mind control worked via voodoo dolls once the subject was far away is never really reconciled.

The climax felt a bit like the end of Chinatown, with a lot of exposition explaining events we could not have known as the reader. It worked for Chinatown because you just spent 90 minutes watching Jack at his finest and who doesn't love that? But here it felt a little flat.

I dunno. Enjoyable overall because it's different than the rest of the Valiant titles. And it's well told with great art. But I'm not wowed in the end. And to be honest, I felt the same way at the end of the first arc.

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue [and Secret Weapons #2, & Rapture #3], please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr126/

Thanks to any who listen in

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I enjoy the world of Britannia and what this second mini did to expand things with Achilla. The ending didn't offer any real surprises or twists but I'm not upset at that. I feel it'll read a bit stronger as a trade, even more so as a Deluxe containing all 8 issues. However, we are likely getting a third mini based on that "They'll be back" teaser statement of save all 3 minis for one Deluxe!!

That art is superb and the historical setting makes this one of my favorite VEI title projects the last two years.

Agreed. It's a solid story throughout once again in this mini, and I'm glad to see Achilla become a new established character in this time period. I wonder if the next mini will move past Nero's time as emperor... if it continues to parallel real history, they're very close to the time he dies.

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I like to draw stuff... http://grendeljd.deviantart.com/

My wife likes to draw stuff too, and she is better than me! [I'm very proud of her]... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sara-Dec ... ref=stream

I kind of fall in the same area as jmatt. So many holes in this one, Voodoo doll not answered, almost a hoaky style of ending.

The ending didn't seem to match the reality of the realm, I mean I would imagine at least a crucifixion resulting in her death would have been the minimal that would have happened, regardless of the Vestal Virgins involvements. She did murder a good amount of people, how would they let her get away with that? Those times were much more brutal, and the story seemed to follow suit. The ending was something contrived in today's world, where we wouldn't want to see a woman's death.

Also, in book two, they failed to explain how the woman saw the face of a God while they were drowning. Got that, it makes sense, but the Vestal Virgins also see it. I was waiting for some type of answer to this, but there was nothing.

Don't know, too many holes. Still, looking forward to the third installment, it should be interesting!

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Moose

+1 It didn't end with a bang, or major cliffhanger, but overall, it was solid. I'm looking forward to the next chapter....

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#StayValiant

As am I, it was enjoyable on the whole.

My ambivalence about the conclusion is a little unfair to Miligan. As a detective story, he did give us enough clues and direction to see what was happening as it unfolded. The reveal for the final issue was simply about Elissa's motivations and backstory... but I suppose that I am giving short shrift to the twist that Craxus knew all along.

I know what's missing: The courtroom moment when Axia, while explaining to Nero, turns and points to Craxus. "But he knew! He knew what was happening and lied to you! He let children die! He almost killed my son!" Nero then has him thrown into a pit of rabid animals on the spot.

That would have been more satisfying. This just kind of ended not with a bang, but a whimper.

+1 pretty much....enjoyed it but felt it fell short a little bit on the ending. I'd still pick up a third instalment though and I definitely applaud VEI's risk taking in this character.

Couple of nit picks...the 'woe is me' piece was shockingly over the top and I know this was kind of meant to be but it was just too much . The change to the Ryan Lee's art was a bit jarring too, I could see he tried to fit in with the Ryp art but it seemed a tad more 'cartoony'. I do like Lee's art but I think when they try and have 2 artists draw the same scenes it very rarely works.

3.75/5

To be honest, I didn't notice that change in art until Chris pointed it out on VCR.

You're not the proof reader for Valiant as well by any chance are you jmatt?

No, that, I note constantly and document meticulously right here.

Yes you do Jmatt and from the number of typos in the books it's a big task! Did you catch the one on page 2 of Rapture #3?

There was a line that implied that Rome was uniquely evil?

I tought I taw a puddy cat (loa)! I did! I did! <--- best Tweety

nailed it!

I loved the first few issues of this arc, but I feel like the art took a major blow on the last issue. Not sure what happened there. Also, for a detective, he didn't do as much detecting as I would have liked and as others have said here- there was no explanation for how the villain did what they were doing, just that they had used some old plant with hallucinogenic properties and a voodoo doll... odd.

Still, one of my favorite new IPs to come out of the last few years. Excited to see where it is headed.

It is something different. Not the best conclusion, but this book did make me look forward to new comic Wednesday (and tracking down back issues).

I know it's a little late but what wrong with the art and everybody complaining about it a little?

Didn't Ryan Lee just do the flashback scene that lasts 2 pages? What's wrong with that?

I think Ryan Lee did a couple of pages that Ryp was supposed to do (look at pages 3 & 4, I believe). His work looks a *little* bit like Ryp's but is slightly off. If I'm not mistaken, Roberto De La Torre did the flashback page art, which I personally really liked.

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Oh... this is genius!

First of all kudos for actually pointing out the difference. I reread the beginning of that issue and it actually makes perfect sense. The beginning of the fight is drawn by Ryp until Apollo whacks Axia's head and back, the following pages are drawn by Lee until Axia states "my mind and vision begins to clear. .... First, use your senses. Gather evidence. Observe." when it's all Ryp again. This is so cool! I love it.

I read this this morning -- wanted to get a trade of Brit I first before getting into it, but I started picking this up monthly and waited.

Overall, I give Britannia credit for trying something new. This is very different than most comics and that's nice to read, and I don't want to discourage Valiant from experimenting like this -- which allowing writers/artists to do that actually makes them compete better with Image.

However, I think it actually went downhill from the first book. One, there's no Britannia at all to this, so the title while maintaining branding, is misleading. And that's a bummer -- I think the most compelling element of the first volume was the druids, the weirdness to that area, the fact that we don't get Britannia of that age explored much at all. I would have as an editor told the writer to go back there and not make a Rome-based mystery, especially if we're keeping that title.

This became generic "dark Rome like Spartacus" fiction in this volume with lots of gore, rape, everyone is evil and dark, and delved into generic woman warrior stronger than all the dudes, which is getting a bit tired as a trope. The coliseum scene where they just kinda magically made all the highly trained legionaries lose it because they offed the leader and then killed all of them... I also didn't buy. This issue #4 did do a little better, however, with the herb and protecting themselves form that so they could see what's really going on in the battle. Best issue of the series, but overall a story that didn't quite work.

I don't want to hate too much, because I think this volume just pacing wise was a little tighter than the one prior, but it also fell flatter because it didn't explore as many interesting concepts either.

The art is of a style I'm very familiar with. It's a darker, grittier bit I like to call "angry faces", was very popular in stuff like Punisher and Preacher in the 90s, and it's a stylistic choice. I'm not much of a fan of that so it turned me off on that level too so this didn't work terribly well for me.

Despite the better pacing, I think this suffered more as a whole. Not the best work in the Valiant catalogue, but I don't regret reading it.

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That's Ryp. He likes to draw people howling and screaming, either in horror, fear, anger, combat, etc etc. I love his stuff... and this seems to be his trademark.

Well, he mentions Britannia a couple of times and it's what defines Axia... to believe in (supernatural) things that nobody else does. Anyhow, the story not actually taking place in Britannia is a little weird to say the least. Perhaps the third arc will take Axia and Achillia back to Britannia?

Yup. Not the only artist to do that either! I worked with one when I was doing some indie comics that did a similar thing.



I am very much hoping for this. Even though I didn't love-love the first, and this I liked less... I still want more of that Druid-ness that intrigued me in the first arc. I'd at least try it out for that.

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Check out my successfully funded indieGoGo, Flying Sparks Comic: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jon-del-arroz-s-flying-sparks-comic-love-adventure/x/7822803: a superhero and villain in love!

They need to flesh out Axia's abilities more. In the first arc, we saw him engulfed in a spell/ritual that supposedly gave him some kind of insight into the nature of people and the connection between cause and effect. I'm willing to bet pretty much everyone from those times and before had some sense of those.

So what makes his so special? I can't really say I've seen it demonstrated in some way that any other person might not be able to. Or have I forgotten something?