Cover by Nelson Blake II.
Today I’ll be reviewing “Romulus” Issue 2 by Bryan Hill and Nelson Blake II.
We pick up from last issue with Ashlar, our heroine, bringing Nicholas Franklin, PhD, to a diner, having saved him from one of the Hunters of the Ancient Order of Romulus. He actually seems to be taking the revelations about the ancient society that stretches back as far as at least the nascent eras of Rome rather well, though given he was just attacked by a “masked sociopath” and watched her fight him to the death, it’s pretty hard to say anything about his way of looking at life is correct. She brings up her own methods, which are admittedly not exactly efficient. In essence, she tracks the Hunters who are going after targets in an attempt to stop them from killing said targets. However, by taking that kind of approach leads to a rather high probability of ending up at the target too late.
Ashlar is understandably reluctant (to say the least) about having Nicholas follow her, and wants to get him off the grid for his own safety. He seems adamant about staying with her, but she notes that “[that] combination of curiosity and courage you have? It’s adrenaline. It’ll wear off.” As the professional assassin, she would know. As if to prove her point, she stops him in the middle of his speech about how “every war needs a genius,” taking the time to yank out a loose tooth that had been knocked around during her last skirmish. As she notes, he is not safe with her any more than by being off the grid and on the run. After all, she can’t account for every single scenario, and will likely miss something that will get him killed. Still, her lack of trust does not seem to be exclusive to him, and seems to have been learned since the death of her mother, her last “partner.”
Her comment on her lack of a reaction to the pain of removing the tooth is one I intend to keep in mind. “I put the pain behind a door. I leave it closed.” It’s a technique I think could be interesting for heroes and heroines in other stories, but comics and other visual media seem to make the method of showing this kind of approach much easier.
Nicholas does have some legitimate points on how to improve her techniques, ones I hope she keeps in mind. For instance, increasing impact reduction on her, in his words, “sexy leather jacket” can make damage to her torso less likely, at least in close combat situations. His idea of losing her sword, which she seems to hold with some sentimental value given it was named after her mother, seems valid, but could also be an issue. Not due to the loss of a sentimental weapon, but rather due to the fact that a spring-loaded mechanism that he is suggesting could get jammed, or blocked. It’s possibly not too bad of an issue, but the fact that it is one at all could present a reason for Ashlar to say no. Perhaps instead of replacing the sword, adding a ballistic knife projector under her arm? That way she can keep the best of both worlds, but I admit it may be too cumbersome to carry.
From here, we are brought one of the primary newly introduced characters of this issue, Sozo, the first look we have seen in this series at genuine psychic powers, rather than extremely in-depth training or pharmaceuticals. She reaches into Ashlar’s mind rather painfully, trying to get her to meet in person. The way that the art projects this ability is impressive, to say the least. E have Sozo’s eye over about a quarter of a page, Ashlar’s entire head shown smaller beside it as if to show lessened power by comparison. In Ashlar’s imagination, we see a “castle” and butterflies, Sozo’s own motif, as well as a pack of four grey wolves that represent Ashlar herself. Tranquility being imposed upon the wild, feral beast that Ashlar can appear to be, one who operates best in a pack, a group.
Sozo’s meeting with her superior, this “Killian,” is disturbing, but in a very likely intentional way. First and foremost, the name “Killian” doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, but then again, it was the name of a non-villain in Warren Ellis’ “Iron Man: Extremis,” the inspiration for 2013’s “Iron Man 3.” The more unnerving part is not even the lighting of the scene in which the meeting takes place, but the words chosen. “Light is truth. And truth is light.” On the whole, the organization she works for seems just as cult-like as the Ancient Order of Romulus, leaving to question what exactly they want: control of their own?
Next up, we have a scene in London with billionaire Reagan Strauss, a spokesperson for World Economic Trust who is a follower of Romulus. Her words overlay a fight scene that comes up in Malibu, California, with Ashlar and her companions against another antagonist, but the wording is rather perfect for the scene itself. The idea of a girl’s strength and working to keep it maintained by support seems to follow along with Ashlar’s conflict over accepting help in this issue. According to the brief time she is seen at the end of the issue, the antagonist mentioned later in this review reports to her, and she wanted for him to complete his mission, not necessarily to kill Ashlar. From the sounds of things, she actually preferred that he not kill Ashlar.
When the duo meets Sozo at her Malibu home, she reveals herself as a member of the Illuminati. It’s hard to be surprised that such a famous conspiracy would be involved in this story, but the more interesting thing for me is the fact that a known conspiracy is still being used alongside a newly created one for this series. I admit, I have some doubts over the intentions of the Illuminati, though they do seem to be relatively recently developed, having begun in Bavaria in 1798 rather than the eras of the ancient Rome. According to Sozo, they “protect human potential,” but how exactly do they do that? Do they have a goal in mind going forward? Taking the comparison I had in mind with Assassin’s Creed further, while the control-based ideology of Romulus is similar to the Templars, the Illuminati seem closer to the Assassin Brotherhood. Interestingly, Ashlar doesn’t seem to believe that the Illuminati still exist, thinking them two hundred years gone.
I found the fact that Sozo, a pop star, is a member of the Illuminati to be rather amusing when Nicholas commented on how he is a fan of her work. This difference from the aforementioned Reagan is a refreshing take, considering it means that there are people in positions of power within the world’s structure for both Romulus and the Illuminati.
Furthermore, we hear more about what kind of powers Sozo has. She describes it as sharing her feelings,“ and seems to work especially well when she looks someone in the eyes. According to Ashlar, the feeling is like “a star collaps[ing] inside [her],” and also connects to certain memories, such as the only time Ashlar ever heard Axis laugh. From the sounds of things, Sozo met Axis at least once, and she worked with the Illuminati. The connection of Axis seems to lead toward a definite comparison between Sozo and Ashlar. Both of them seem to have only one name. Both of them have an animal associated with them, albeit one of them is more peaceful than the other. Sozo was found as a child, whereas Ashlar was literally born into her order. On the whole, they are both very alone, but Ashlar seems moreso, as she does not have the luxury of having others to fall back on so far as she knows.
Suddenly comes the assault of the other important character introduced in this issue: Achilles, Hunter of Wolves. He talks in the same monotone speech pattern as the previous hunter, but seems to be specifically geared to fight Ashlar herself, hence his self-identification as her “shadow.” In his words, “[the] only way you can destroy your shadow is to lie down,” a clever way of saying that the only way that Ashlar can stop him is to give up. The combat this time is in the cover of a smokescreen put in place by a group of smoke grenades thrown by Achilles. He actually uses an automatic rifle, but Ashlar does manage to disarm him and attempt to use it against him. Unlike Ashlar herself, Achilles came with upgraded weaponry, including the ability to detonate his rifle if it got into enemy hands. By using this clever mechanic in his armor, Achilles manages to knock Ashlar out of the fight, kidnapping Nicholas as the prior Hunter had attempted before. The fight on the whole is much more concise, showing how tricky the Hunters can be rather than just Ashlar’s combat ability.
She doesn’t even try to stand until the smokescreen falls, until she breathes “more air than blood.” She actually seems ashamed that he let her live, since it means that every breath she takes from then on she owes to his mercy.
This sequence of events leads Ashlar to a decision. Unlike her mother, she isn’t perfect. She does need help. She has no choice: she has to join the Illuminati.
I can’t wait until the next issue, coming December 28.