Its the year 54 AD. The emperor Claudius rules over the Roman Empire, while planning to have his son, Britannicus, inherit the position when he's gone. However, Claudius' wife, Agrippina has other plans: She would much rather have her own son from a previous marriage, Nero, installed on the throne, so that she can rule the empire through him.
Lucius Murena is a young patrician, whose mother Lollia, secretly happens to be the Emperor's lover. When Agrippina learns of Claudius' and Lollia's relationship, she decided that the latter must be done away with, especially since Claudius is planning to divorce Agrippina and have her and her son sent into exile. Lucius, who is a friend of Nero's, decide to plead with the latter for his mother's life, but will Nero be able to stand up to Agrippina?
The above describes some of the events that occur in the first volume of Murena, a French comic written by Jean Dufaux and drawn by Philippe Delaby. The history of ancient Rome is a topic that has fascinated writers for centuries; from William Shakespeare to Robert Graves and Colleen McCullough and has helped spawn such great works of literature as I, Claudius and The Masters of Rome among others. Murena is just as rich a work as any of the aforementioned master-pieces and is warmly recommended to anyone with an interest in historical fiction.
Jean Dufaux is one of the most prolific writers of European comics today, his work can be a bit hit-or-miss (he wrote the Blake & Mortimer comic The Septimus Wave, which I consider to be the absolute nadir of that classic series). With Murena, however, Dufaux has definitely struck lightning. The comic especially shines when it comes to its cast of characters, each one interesting in their own way. As is perhaps expected, the characters who can be described as good are outnumbered by the bad ones. There is no shortage of villains in this comic, from schemers like Agrippina and Poppaea to brutes like the bloodthirsty gladiator, Massam. In contrast to these evil-doers, stands characters like the Nubian gladiator Balba, who becomes a loyal servant of Britannicus after the latter pleaded for his life.
As for Lucius Murena, the comic may carry his name, but as the story progresses it becomes more and more evident that he's not its main character. No, that honor goes to none other than Nero, who is also the comic's most interesting haracter. When he's first introduced to the reader, Nero comes across as a pretty sympathetic figure; a teenager who wants to make a name for himself as a poet and who doesn't seem to have any real desire to rule. Of course, we all know that this won't last. It doesn't take long for Agrippina to find a way to make her son into her (albeit, reluctant at first) accomplice, what the empress doesn't count on is that Nero is not going to be quite the subservient puppet she intended him to be.
This post have focused quite a bit on Dufaux' story, but one can't talk about Murena without mentioning Philippe Delaby's artwork, which is nothing short of superb. Sadly, Delaby passed away in 2014. He did manage to finish the ninth volume in the series, though Murena has been stuck in limbo since. Perhaps its for the best, any artist who seek to take up Delaby's pen is sure to have their work cut out for them.
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