Canadian-based Black Panel Press have exuded their tastes for the epic and the grandiose with the handful of books they already have under their belt. Ancient Astronauts and Constellations are hefty, enveloping depictions of the cosmos, of worlds far beyond our own, illuminated by majestic artwork. With Conquest: Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars, artists Tarek and Vincent Pompetti join forces to look in the opposite direction – the past. Specifically, the takeover of Celtic Gaul by the hands of Julius Caesar.
Conquest is adapted from Caesar’s own book, Commentaries on the Gallic War. Although Conquest‘s behind-the-scenes back pages states that Pompetti and Tarek respect the chronology of events laid before in Caesar’s book, the duo also clarify that Conquest liberally fuses together fact and fiction in creating its own perspective of Caesar’s slow-burning capture of Gaul. With art as infinitely striking as Conquest‘s, it almost feels as though it doesn’t matter that the comic isn’t concerned with presenting a 100% objective truth. Conquest boasts a sublime, idiosyncratic style that reads like an elegant tempest.
Pompetti and Tarek unleash their joint artistic prowess in full force, crafting high-octane battles between Romans and Gauls, imposing Roman architecture and lush Gaelic landscapes. The pair are equally able to wrangle piercing emotions from the comic’s various characters, grounding the otherwise breathtaking, operatic sense of scale that Conquest has. Caesar himself commands just about every page he’s in, filling the respective panels with a visual sense of menace and dread.
The artistic muscles that Conquest flexes are a joy to behold, but it comes at a price. Such is the emphasis on how Conquest actually looks, the narrative takes a backseat, and doesn’t feel as cared for as the rest of the book. There’s a rather flat tone at work within the story. It’s unable to shift from a straight-faced, all-encompassing sense of drama. There’s plenty of events that happen in Conquest, with all manners of characters helping, conspiring, or fighting each other, but the one-dimensional tone of the story results in these individual, miniature stories within the comic bleed into each other.
Such a result feels like an unintentional reflection of how Conquest is a comic that’s best seen, rather than read. Even with such narrative shortcomings, it’s a hell of a comic to simply look at. Pompetti and Tarek have produced a visually intoxicating work whose sense of grandeur is difficult not to get swept up in. Conquest ultimately paints a merciless portrait of Caesar, unshakeable in his efforts to bring Gaul under Roman rule. For sheer sense of visual majesty alone, Conquest is a worthy addition to Black Panel Press’ growing catalogue of imposing, visually awesome comics.
You can discover more about Conquest from Black Panel Press. Have you already read the comic? Did you back it on Kickstarter last year? Let us know in the comments section below or send us a Tweet!
