#romulus comic

[dailyindiecomics]

Romulus #4

[gregellner]

Cover by Nelson Blake II.

Today I’ll be reviewing “Romulus” issue 3 by Bryan Hill and Nelson Blake II, published by Image Comics.

We open following the capture of Nicholas Franklin, Ph.D. by Achilles of the Ancient Order of Romulus. He is apparently in some kind of cell, in an orange jumpsuit. The way the dialogue is written around the page, it appears that Reagan Strauss, the Romulus agent from the previous issue, has been talking to him in an attempt to get him to work for her group. Given his irritated expression, her attempts don’t appear to be working.

Meanwhile, Ashlar and Sozo are on a plane, following the former’s agreement to work with the Illuminati to fight against Romulus. Sozo’s reaction to Ashlar’s obvious, unrelenting anger surprised me. “I’m not telling you to quiet your anger. I’m asking you to keep it. Keep it and learn what you can do with it.” This methodology is not unlike that of the Assassin Brotherhood, as I have mentioned before. Channeling emotion, rather than eliminating it, seems to be a better way to deal with less-than-cooperative members. This kind of behavior seems to run contrary to another organization in another media franchise: the Jedi of the Star Wars franchise, who look down upon outbursts of emotion to the point of eventually leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire by accident (best seen in “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”).

Furthermore, I was amused by the words chosen by Sozo when describing what Ashlar is thinking, likely to the point of using her exact words, swears and all. Her wording makes me wonder if she is simply repeating Ashlar’s thoughts word-for-word, or if she is showing a more human side to herself that has a bit more vulgarity to it. For instance, she used the word “kinda” rather than splitting it into “kind of” when discussing Ashlar’s thought process, unlike her earlier, more refined and proper wording. Her words continue to be slightly less refined during the rest of the issue, such as using “yup,” rather than “yes,” making me believe that she is a lot less emotionless and more human than she came across as in the previous issue.

Eventually, the plane lands on a snowy plain on the southeast coast of Greenland, which serves as Ashlar’s location for the remainder of the issue. There appears to be a kind of encampment set up, including brick chimneys, tents, a large campfire, and an outhouse.

The training sessions with Caliban, Sozo’s apparent mentor (named for one of the main antagonists of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”), make for the action-based part of this issue, and also serve to show us the elements of Ashlar’s combat style that need work. Her desire to push back at anything that pushes her will never work, both in a fight and in her planning. Instead, Caliban’s tutelage shows her that she needs to think about other options, such as using speed to overcome strength. Her teachings are actually somewhat similar to those of Batman of DC Comics fame. While she is forced to accept her anger and how it stems from her fear, she also realizes that she needed to reach that acceptance in order to move forward and learn not to be as scared. Only through this method would she begin to think of things bigger than herself, to learn to trust others to help her rather than be afraid of their failures and deaths. Caliban himself says it best: “You need to make friends with death. And grief. And guilt. Because they will all come to know you well.” I am unclear as to whether Ashlar is willing to admit to help from the forces of the Illuminati rather than only their training, but regardless she seems willing to go after Nicholas at the earliest opportunity, given her internalized guilt in response to his capture.

At Reagan’s base of operations in an unknown location, she talks to Achilles, who is shaping up to be a possible archenemy to Ashlar, punishing himself for not eliminating Ashlar by holding his hand over an open flame until told he can stop by Reagan. The two of them discuss the Illuminati, and it appears that the group used to be a part of the Ancient Order of Romulus itself. However, around the time of the Age of Revolution that took place between 1774 and 1848, the Illuminati broke off, more interested in revolution than order. They seem to have been involved in, if not responsible for, at least the American and French Revolutions. According to Achilles, “they are the weed in the garden of nations. The rot of culture.”

Achilles’ goal does not appear to be the execution of Ashlar after all. Instead, he seems to be intended to break her down until there is nothing left, so that Romulus can rebuild her once more. How this technique could possibly work when they have hunted her down to the point of being their last Wolf, let alone the fact that they have already murdered her mother, is unclear, but I assume that they know what they are doing.

Reagan’s next talk is with Nicholas. He seems to be less than cooperative for the obvious reason of his kidnapping and discussions with Ashlar. He is calm, yet somewhat vulgar, to the point of sticking up a middle finger at his apparent captor. She does not exactly instill confidence either, given she admits that she wants to create “the most powerful bomb in the history of civilization” by using pure fusion, with his nuclear physics expertise. Still, their conversation touches on a few nerves, including how his race and monetary situation (in her rather inelegant words, the fact that he is “brown and poor”) leave people less likely to give him the benefit of the doubt in terms of his prospects as a potential employee. She offers him money and likely fame, both attempts to appeal to his ambition in their own ways, and I remain unsure as to whether or not he is going to take these offers and make the explosive device, or whatever other kind of bomb is intended. Still, the way that she brings up these “disadvantages” (in her own words) leaves me wondering if there is really a true “evil” side to Romulus, or if the conflict remains order versus chaos only, with each organization having its moments of beneficial attitude such as her compassion, muddying the waters of the secret war somewhat.

One part of the talk made me chuckle. Nicholas finds the need to make sure that werewolves are, or are not, real when comparing them to the idea of pure fusion. In his own words, he is “trying to keep [his] mind open” to the possibilities of the supernatural. Considering that he realized that the Illuminati are real, as are psychics, it’s hard to blame him for thinking other myths are also possibly true. Reagan’s comment in response, how she’s never seen a werewolf as a way of joking around with him, leads me to believe she has something of a sense of humor, albeit one that is rarely shown.

On another note, I have to wonder if she means a literal bomb. Such a device does not seem to be the type that would be very useful to a covert organization such as the Ancient Order of Romulus, and appears to be far too dangerous and public. Perhaps they mean a more metaphorical bomb, such as a revelation of some kind to the world?

In Nicholas’ ruined apartment in downtown Los Angeles, Sozo has arrived, and is trying to find him. The window where Ashlar crashed in during the first issue is still broken, and there is trash lying around on the ground. All together, this leaves me thinking that nobody has come by since then. Sozo’s attempt to locate someone seems to be through a mixture of a kind of non-touch psychometry to connect to the individual through their possessions, and her own singing, especially her song lyrics “I have your body, but I want more.” For some reason, she seems to have not only extreme difficulties finding him, but seems to cry out in pain and even shed tears of her own in the process. Is something blocking her, is the location hard to find, or does she just normally have issues such as this? The answer remains somewhat unclear for the time being.

On the whole, this issue shows me why I like this series so much. I can’t wait until the next issue, coming January 25.

[gregellner]

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.

[gregellner]

Cover by Nelson Blake II.

The comic is the first issue of “Romulus,” written by Bryan Hill, with Nelson Blake II on art and Troy Peteri on lettering, published by the Top Cow Productions wing of Image Comics. The issue title is “Chapter One: Last of the Wolves.”

Since I heard about what this is like at New York Comic Con yesterday, I thought I would look into it.

First, before anything, I would like to go into what I heard about the author at the “Image Comics: Storytelling” panel on Saturday, October 8. He says that he has extensive experience with combat, including black belt level in at least one form of martial arts (the identify of which sadly escapes me at the moment). As such, his approach to combat is akin to a kind of rhythm: getting into step with the opponent, anticipating their moves, reacting as if the combatants were to some degree the same person.  As he says, each moment of combat has weight: the feeling of missing a blow by inches, of hitting someone, of being hit by someone. The idea of a combat scene is to feel the entirety of it, immerse oneself in it so that the reader is as out of breath as the person who won. This definitely follows through the issue, the idea of winning by inches, not by inevitable defeat of the enemy purely on the basis of someone being a protagonist. Even someone winning the battle, regardless of how far into said battle, is liable to pant while speaking in encroaching exhaustion, enhancing drugs or not. To quote the narration at one point in this issue, “[her] lungs burn and the air tastes of copper. [She] kill[s] them all, so [she] get[s] to live.” These are not the words of a killing machine without any ability to feel fatigue. They are those of an actual human being who is forced to kill, even if it is for work.

Also, before I go into the entire thing, I want to bring up something I noticed about the lettering. Depending on the situation, the font changes. Letters are thicker in most speech bubbles connected directly to a person, as opposed to the thinner lettering of our protagonist’s internal monologue in rectangles. The words of the antagonist of this issue are in white on a black background, a dehumanizing tactic I recognize from reading the tale of the “Court of Owls” in the New 52’s Batman and related issues, emphasizing the inhuman nature of the killers. In one case, when words are especially important, they are instead bereft of a dialogue box altogether, instead put onto a colored background of some sort, giving them extra emphasis. Lastly, certain people, such as the sole person in the issue with a speaking role who is not a member of the eponymous Ancient Order of Romulus, have different coloration to their dialogue boxes when they are not on panel yet, structured in the more obvious color of green with the inclusion of quotation marks within the box itself. The combination allows the reader to be aware that not only is someone speaking off panel, but that they are very likely someone very different than anyone else seen thus far. All in all, I give Troy Peteri (and whoever else was involved in these decisions) very high regard for these many differences in how the words of the comic are presented.

Now then, I will start with the first scene, or rather scenes. We open with our as-of-yet unnamed protagonist telling how she was raised by the Ancient Order of Romulus. Only women are inducted as what seems to be called “Wolves,” the assassins for the order itself, so evidently only women are allowed to live. It is unclear how the order continues, but perhaps the men who impregnate the women are not told of the order itself.

Regardless, the protagonist was marked for the path of a Wolf at ten years old, taught the “seven spheres of perfection” to make an effective assassin: force, war, fury, speed, grace, pain, and death. Not all of these are explicitly described, but I can get the basic idea, each of which I will describe as they come up.

The first we see of the actual brutal nature of the series is in the very second page, where our protagonist is in a room filled with at least six men, all of whom she has killed with what appear to be hand scythes. She does not appear to have a scratch on her, but they all have been killed, in at least one cases seemingly decapitated. The room itself goes to show just how merciless combat can truly be in this series. A wooden door is busted down, outward. A table is knocked over. A goblet of some kind is on the ground, seemingly knocked off of a shelf. One man’s body is slumped against a wall, a splatter of blood where his head likely collided with it, and blood smeared down the wall where he likely slumped over in the first place. Just because there is grace in combat does not mean that it is any less deadly, and this one page shows that no matter what connotations a reader may have about a lady at war, the women in this series are in no way dainty.

Our protagonist does not actually earn a name for herself until she is sixteen years old, at which time she becomes a Wolf of the Ancient Order of Romulus. That name is Ashlar, daughter of Axis. I admit, I was a bit alarmed at the name of her mother, but perhaps that was partially the point, showing the amoral nature of the Order itself, or even its timelessness in how it was in effect far earlier than that term had the negative connotations that came with it in the mid twentieth century onward.

Only upon giving her new name does Ashlar identify what the Ancient Order of Romulus actually is. It is an ancient order that in truth I actually draw some internal comparisons against the Assassins or even the Templars from the Assassin’s Creed franchise (one that I personally enjoy very much).  From the way she describes the Order, it has been in effect since the time of Romulus and Remus themselves, having their hands in such eras as the Roman Republic and Empire, the medieval eras, World War II, and the modern day. The Order appears to be a cult of some sort, treating the she-wolf that allowed Romulus and Remus to suckle her as their one true god that in doing so saved mankind, and the Wolves themselves as her fangs, the beasts of the Order. Through assassination and likely other methods, the Order is, as Ashlar explains, “the hands that turn the world,” acting as the “history behind history.”

Axis and Ashlar (also known as Ash) have an interesting relationship. It seems to be built on a kind of tough love, with Axis being hard on her daughter to help her be a better fighter, but also compassionate toward her. Axis seems to be everything Ash wanted to be, more effective and efficient. Furthermore, Axis seems to be the sole moral force in Ash’s life, telling her that the Order does not act on the idea of justice, only control. Whether this was caused by the order to kill a ten-year-old boy (which Axis carried out to save her then seventeen-year-old daughter from it, and subsequently buried him) or earlier is unknown, but she does seem to be rather upset by her position in world affairs, acting as nothing but a weapon for control rather than helping preserve what peace they can. As such, she screamed and cried after the burial, believing Ash falsely to have not heard.

I do not know if the Order of Romulus sought to destroy the Wolves because of Axis’ morality, or for another reason, but Axis gives her own analysis, with the dialogue not even using speech bubbles in order to give greater emphasis to the words. The Wolves cannot be built, owned, or sold. Theirs is a way of spirit over mind, mind over body. They present a more philosophical, gradual, natural way of forging assassins. Therefore, in the name of what appears to be a mixture of profit and a need for greater control, the Ancient Order of Romulus made what Ash calls the Hunters. These Hunters are not trained from birth, but rather given enhancement pills that increase their strength while also enslaving them to the Order itself. This new kind of killer sought out and destroyed most of the Order before Ash had even turned eighteen, down to their temple, books, and babies. From there, by the time Axis and Ash were the only two Wolves left, the Order was taking control of pharmaceuticals, politicians, and economic pragmatists.

By eighteen, though Ash was very much afraid of the possibility of being hunted down like so many of her sisters of the Order, Axis gave her their mission, in broad, likely impossible terms. “[They] have to save five billion lives.” This phrase seems to follow Ash going forward, but I have to wonder what they mean to do with the more than one billion others. Are those all of those under Romulus’ sway? Just the Order itself? It is unclear, but likely will be explained later.

With Axis’ death when her daughter is nineteen, the latter forced to run from the attack helicopter in Afghanistan to escape, Ashlar is left all alone. As the lone Wolf, she seems to take on the motif very well, to the point of the artist actually replacing her with a white-furred wolf in some scenes. This death weighs on her as something she felt she could avoid, to the point that, by twenty-two years of age, she has forged a short sword with the mark of the Ancient Order of Romulus (or, judging from the helmets of the Hunters having another one, the old symbol) on the blade that she has named “Axis” in memory of her mother.

Finally, the issue catches up to the modern day, in Los Angeles. Judging from the fact that Ashlar does not identify her age again, I assume she is still twenty-two. For reasons likely to be revealed in later issues, Ashlar has sought out Nicholas Franklin, PhD, master in physics, chemistry, and engineering who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at age seventeen. Due to his intent to make machines to purify water in third world countries rather than weapons for Romulus’ puppet companies, the Order decided to either assassinate or kidnap him, sending a Hunter to do the job. He is in for a rude awakening. In the words of Ash, “[W]e don’t learn truth. We’re thrown against it. And when we land – we shatter.”

Judging from the talk the Hunter gives, the ideology of Romulus has completely shifted. Rather than worshipping their wolf god for her part in helping mankind to survive, the Hunter says that his god is the wolf that “renders the weak from the strong,” effectively the act of bullying rather than protecting or nurturing.

Ash’s fight to save Nicholas is extremely visceral, working in elements of the aforementioned seven spheres of perfection, each of which I will emphasize as I identify them, all within this one paragraph for maximum effect of the speed of the entire scene. She kicks her way into the room through a window, shouting for him to get down. This act of speed is followed up by a mistake in having too little of said speed, with Ash’s disorientation from landing leading her to, while cutting the Hunter’s gun in half, miss him, allowing him to react and dodge. His retaliatory punches sends her careening across the room and breaking straight through a desk, forcing her to feel and adjust to what she calls white-yellow pain as a back molar is sent flying. From there, she identifies what she needs as her anger, her fury, to give her the strength to fight back as the Hunter continues his offense. Her speed, while enough to dodge a punch, is not enough for the kick that comes after it, causing even more pain, which compounded upon when she forces her right hand into the way of a knife thrust that goes straight through her palm and out the back of her hand rather than have it hit her head. This last blow, while enough to get the Hunter to realize that he is in fact stronger than her and in doing so make him feel he can gloat about her being a “scared little puppy,” is enough to get Ash to move faster, to tap into yet another of the spheres in exercising her grace under pressure combined with the renewed fury at the wound he inflicted on her hand. As her internal monologue says, she is the wolf, whereas he is a bull, heedlessly charging her way for a finishing blow. With her naturally-learned precision, she “[finds] the adrenaline, [tells] what muscles to make strong, what movements to make fast.” While the Hunter has been mastered by the drugs he puts into his body, Ash shows her mastery of her body, learned through a lifetime of intense training. Jumping over his charge with what appears to be the peak of agility, Ash drives his own knife, yanked from her palm, into his right shoulder, jerked into the bone and artery. As the art shows above the blow, the animal motifs of the wolf fighting the bull is in full swing, both of them degraded to some kind of animal in the heat of combat, only becoming human again once it ends. Only in death does the brutality end, much as the list of the seven spheres of perfection ends with the same term.

After the battle, the Hunter is dying a slow death, his pharmaceuticals actually being more of a detriment than a benefit as they keep him from dying quickly. Still, true to his training and perhaps even brainwashing, he speaks the words he seems to have been taught to say as a prayer before death, ones that Ashlar instinctually finishes for him due to her own training for almost all of her life. “From Romulus we come, to Romulus we return.” While she wants to know if he is the Hunter who killed her mother, she does not get a response. Still, she does not grant him the mercy of a quick death, merely leaving him on the ground to bleed out slowly.

Nicholas’s talk with Ash after the brief interrogation is actually somewhat humorous, at least so far as what he calls her, “Miss Jedi-Ninja Lady.” It’s kind of hard to argue that’s pretty much what she was acting like, especially with the acrobatic finishing move. She shows a kind side to herself in their talk, one of the first to someone else outside of the internal monologues. After telling Nicholas that neither she nor the Hunter was going to kill him, she offers to buy tea for them both to talk about the mission her mother gave her, internally apologizing to giving him such a heavy burden: one to help her save “five billion lives.”

Unusual for comics I review (unless one includes the fake advertisements after “Lazarus” issues), this one has postscript sections, four in all.

First, we have a letter from Axis, who calls herself Mater Lupus (Mother Wolf), to her daughter Ashlar. In the letter, she implores her daughter to continue the fight, apologizing for what she had left for her offspring to fight. She also mentions the reason for Ashlar’s name, that she is “the strongest stone, the base of the temple of truth.” For reference, the word ashlar also refers to finely worked masonry.  I do have to wonder when she wrote this letter. Was it while dying of blood loss, as seems to be the case from how blots of blood are all over its two pages? This seems unlikely, however, considering they are not merely written, but rather typed out as if on a typewriter, and that the pages are scattered on what appears to be a wooden desk background.  Is she not dead after all? Or was this some kind of will left just in case of her death?

Second, we have a letter from John F. Kennedy to his brother, Attorney General Robert “Bobby” Kennedy on November 21, 1963, the day before the president’s assassination. He seemed to have become partially aware of the machinations that the reader would be aware are those of the Ancient Order of Romulus, and felt that, after his return from Dallas (which never occurred) he would have to personally interview the people he felt may be involved. Furthermore, he instructed his brother Bobby that under no circumstances could Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson nor FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover be made aware of the inquiries. As he says, before the investigation could be a matter of policy, he felt it should remain within the Kennedy family. Given the timing of the letter, it is highly likely that the Ancient Order of Romulus was involved in the assassination the next day.

The third postscript is very disturbing. The entire page is covered in a single Latin sentence, repeated over and over on a typewriter. “Homo Homini Lupus Est.” The sentence translates to “Man is (a) Wolf to Man.” The entire page is covered in what appears to be two bloody handprints that are smeared somewhat, indicating that either the writer had been driven completely insane and indulged in self-harm, or the hands are of someone else that the person had killed. Both seem plausible, considering the yellow post-it note seemingly written and attached to the page, which reads, “Why did she say this?” The “she” in this situation is very clearly a member of Romulus, but judging from the age of the paper, which has marks of black around it akin to many old pages, whatever happened is in no way recent. Though I speculate that the authoress was a Wolf, I cannot be certain.

Last comes a simple page that shows the Seven Spheres, also seemingly typed out on a typewriter with the exception of the Romulus symbol on the same page. The spheres, which are ordered exactly as Ash told them, are placed vertically, with Force at the top and Death at the bottom. Are these supposed to be the order of how they work akin to a mathematical order of operations? A pyramid of survival in order of what is important? I assume it will be explained further later.

All in all, this issue was extremely exhilarating. I can’t wait for the next installment, coming November 30.