Summary
- Dead Romans is a historical fiction comic set during the height of the Roman Empire’s power, written by Fred Kennedy with art by Nick Marinkovich.
- The story revolves around Arminius, a Germanic prince seeking revenge on the Roman Empire for its atrocities.
- The comic explores themes of love, duty, and the consequences of personal and political choices.
Dead Romans is set at the height of the Roman Empire’s power as it conquered lands across the world. The comic focuses on Arminius, a Germanic prince who has sworn revenge on the Roman Empire for butchering his people. Arminius will gather the Germania tribes to ambush his own battalion, hoping to take back the throne for himself and his love, Honoria, who never asked to be queen.
Dead Romans is written by Fred Kennedy with art by Nick Marinkovich. The first five issues of Dead Romans are available now, and Dead Romans issue #6 will be available on August 23 from Image Comics.
FilmmakerFocus spoke with Fred Kennedy about his Image Comics title, Dead Romans, while at San Diego Comic-Con. He revealed how his love of history began and the trick to telling a good historical fiction story. Kennedy also discusses his collaboration with artist Marinkovich to create this iconic imagery for real bloody battles and teases the next six-issue arc.
Fred Kennedy Talks Dead Romans
FilmmakerFocus: How many cons have you been to?
Fred Kennedy: I haven’t done a lot of international cons. When I was doing a lot of small press indie stuff, I would try and go to as many shows as I could. But it’s amazing when you’re like an indie creator from outside of Toronto, people from Chicago aren’t necessarily really interested in what you’re doing. They’re not like, “Oh, this indie guy from Toronto, let’s get all of his historical fantasy books. That’s what we’re here for.” So I did a lot before and then when I had kids, I had to pare down. But now with Dead Romans, with Shadowline and Image, we’ve decided we really need to get out there and travel once again.
You are no stranger to comics, but this may be your biggest. What, aside from your obvious love of history, inspired this specific story?
Fred Kennedy: I grew up in Belgium and moved to Canada when I was 12 and we lived in this village where there were a bunch of Roman ruins and villages nearby. I remember I was in the fourth grade and we went on a field trip to see one and they were like, “Julius Caesar was right here.” I’m like, “I don’t know who that is, but that sounds really important.” So my mom got me some Asterix and Obelix comics and that was really the beginning of my love of history. That is the catalyst for everything that’s happened since, I guess.
My knowledge of Julius Caesar is, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” So, you definitely have a leg up on me.
Fred Kennedy: Well, I’ve watched the series Rome, which is pretty good too. That’s actually an interesting point too. I was interviewing Tini Howard once and we were talking about spoilers and she went on this big rant about how Rome is a story, where you know what’s going to happen, but you’re still in it. And spoilers don’t matter. It’s not what happens, it’s how it happens. And that made me think that something like Dead Romans with the Teutoburg, the variant disaster, all that stuff, you could do a story in it and people will follow along even though they know it’s not going to end very well.
What is the most challenging aspect of that when you’re diving into something that is real, that really happened, but you’re really getting to the nuance of fiction there?
Fred Kennedy: You want to make sure you’re not changing the facts of what happened. But one of the problems can be is that there’s so many versions of how it went down, so many varying numbers depending on who’s writing about it. So the hardest part is just accepting that no matter what, there will always be different perspectives and interpretations.
From the first page, we dive into an epic romance with Honoria, but also encounter the high stakes of the political landscape. It’s a delicate balance that I absolutely love. Let’s talk about the dichotomy of love and duty, not just in the romantic sense, but also in terms of being torn between countries and one’s origins.
In my opinion, the entire essence of the story is captured in that opening scene. It all boils down to two individuals who deeply love each other but failed to communicate their desires effectively because they were so consumed by their own world. In that tent, when it’s just the two of them, it feels like paradise, like everything is perfect. But unfortunately, the real world doesn’t operate that way. There are external forces at play, forces that will change them.
If you pay close attention to the way the shots are framed, there’s a fascinating detail that Nick and I were convinced everyone would notice, but it seems to have slipped under the radar. They’re lying in bed, and then he gets up, gazes out of the tent, and starts discussing how the country itself despises their presence. When he turns back to look at her, his eyes have transformed. They no longer hold that loving, affectionate gaze. Instead, they appear almost predatory, glowing with intensity. He looks at her and declares, “They don’t want us here.” It’s in that moment that you realize this is the person you’ll be encountering throughout the rest of the story.
It’s the only time you witness that lovey-dovey dynamic, and from there on, things take a different turn.Arminius and Honoria’s relationship is filled with flashbacks, showcasing the pain and love she experiences as she slowly realizes that he is a traitor. It breaks her heart because he never communicated his true intentions to her. This highlights the importance of communication in any relationship. If you’re planning on betraying someone, make sure you have an open conversation with your partner. They deserve to know the truth.
Moving on to Honoria’s character evolution, she is a strong and leading woman. In my writing, I fell in love with her and one of my favorite lines I’ve ever written is when she says, “I didn’t have influence. I was influence.” This line perfectly captures her role as an agent, a Frumentarii, who can be seen as both a military scout and a spy/assassin. It’s human nature to become infatuated with things, and sometimes it blinds us to the reality. However, I believe that this love and fantasy is what gives life its worth.
Honoria’s arc is particularly painful because she let her emotions guide her, only to have it backfire. Arminius didn’t intend to hurt her, but as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Once again, communication is key in a relationship. Arminius unknowingly put Honoria in harm’s way because he didn’t think everything through. It displays his emotional immaturity and his failure to see the bigger picture. Not everything will work out just because you want it to. It’s important to take care of all aspects of a situation.
Sorry for the rant, but these aspects of the story really struck a chord with me.
There’s one issue left in this six-issue arc, I think. I read issue #5 at like 3 o’clock in the morning, because it came out yesterday. What can you tease about where this is going to end up? I know you said you had another six-issue arc planned.
Fred Kennedy: We do. It’s funny that you [mention it], because tomorrow I’ve got a meeting to discuss that stuff to see how things go. I feel like I am the stick in the mud in our little creative group because Nick and Allison, our amazing editor, Allison O’Toole, if you ever get a chance to work with her, do it. She’s the best. They’re all like, “It’s going to happen. You just got to believe it’s going to happen.” I want to believe, but I’m Honoria. I’ve been hurt. I have been hurt.
I don’t know if it will [go on]. I would like it to, but I will say that this arc for Dead Romans is huge, sweeping, and epic. I love those 1950s swords and sandals movies, massive sweeping shots. I love all that stuff. This, the second arc, will be much smaller, much more intimate, and its, I think, going to be much more emotionally driven rather than big epic horns blowing battles, thousands of people marching. It’ll be much smaller in its scale with larger consequences. How about that?
I love it. Outside of Dead Romans, do you have any thoughts percolating about where you might take your next comic story? Any other locations you want to travel to?
Fred Kennedy: I don’t want to give away too much, but I’m working on two pitches that I think are pretty strong. There’s so much I want to say, because I’m super stoked about it right now, and I think it’s beautiful and I want to see where it goes. But hopefully, within the next few months, something about that story will get announced.
I will say that it is so completely different than Dead Romans, but it is very character-driven and emotion-driven. There’s a lot of hurt and there’s a lot of feelings, and there’s also a lot of suede and beige. That’s a hint.
About Dead Romans
Arminius, a Germanic prince raised in Rome, has sworn vengeance against the Empire that butchers his people. He wants to make a queen of the woman he loves, Honoria, a fellow slave. Now, fifty thousand Romans will die to give her a throne she never asked for…or wanted.
Dead Romans issues #1-5 are available now and issue #6 will be available on August 23.
