Caesar's Spy

There are certain historic events that I return to in fiction as no matter how many times I have read about them, authors have found new ways of exploring the past. I must have read about Caesar’s rise and fall twenty times or more, but there is room for more retellings. Caesar’s Spy written by Jean-Pierre Pecau and illustrated by Max Von Fafner is not only fresh because it is a graphic novel, but in that it explores Caesar vicariously via his spy chief, Coax. 

Before Caesar became Dictator, he was sent to Western Europe to quell the Germanic Tribes. For eight long years he fought against the worst enemies the Roman Republic had to face, whilst also plotting his return. To aid him, he had vast armies, but also Coax, a Gaul he decided to spare execution and instead employ as a spy. For the next decade or so, Coax and Caesar’s lives became intertwined as they work together for common goals, and sometimes apposing ones. 

You can pick up Spy assuming that it is going to be a visual feast and not much else, but you would be wrong. Visually, Fafner’s work is stunning, and you can see the Conan influence in every rippling bicep and buxom bottom, but the book is much more than just this. Pecau has written a pure historic fiction story and asked Fafner to visualise it. 

Like so many parts of Roman history, the age of Caesar was complex. I know quite a bit about the era and really appreciated Pecau’s commitment to stick to historic accuracy when possible. This did mean some asterixis explaining terms to the reader, but even then, if you are not a student of the period, you will get lost. Parts of the story are complex and wordy, dealing with the triumvirate of powers at the time. I loved it, but I can understand that others will not. 

For those that like simpler things, there is still plenty of action to enjoy. There are battles represented, as well as smaller skirmishes, and ambushes. There is also plenty of flesh on show that reminds you of Conan and makes you worry that the characters must be cold. 

At the centre of the story is not Caesar, but Coax. This is a barbarian’s tale, and it is an interesting one. He has his own motivations, although he is Caesar’s man. He is a brute but also has compassion and loyalty to those few he trusts. His is a story of vengeance, which means there is passion and single-minded focus that keeps him on track, not just for weeks or months, but years. 

As a lover of history, I adored this visual take on the period. It was dark and visceral but also represented a valid exploration of Caeser at the time. It felt well researched and exploring the era from a slightly different viewpoint allowed the reader to see Rome from closer to the ground. The rival gangs, the corrupted city. Fans of simple graphic novels could be overwhelmed by the amount of history found on the pages of Spy, but for fans of the grimmer historic fiction genre and graphic novels, it will be one of the best things that they have read.