On sale in December from Image Comics is The Last Battle, an 80-page graphic novella by Tito Faraci (Diabolik, Tex, Spider-Man: The Secret of Glass) and painter Dan Brereton of Nocturnals fame. The epic story is set in midst of the Gallic Wars, during Caesar's campaign against Gaul (encompassing Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, parts of Italy and other areas of Western Europe), where the legendary conquerer dispatches a trusted warrior to take out a traitor who's joined forces with a barbarian army in opposition to Rome. Unfortunately, Caesar's General is having second thoughts about his leader, and his mission is made more difficult by the fact that his prey is none other than a man he trained as a warrior and raised as a son.

Already a popular comic in Italy, Germany, Spain and Brazil, The Last Battle is only now being made available in English. You can check out story pages as well as exclusive (and beautiful) behind-the-scenes artwork by Dan Brereton after the cut.


"The 'peplum' or 'sword and sandals' genre was very popular in Italy, mostly in the seventies," said Faraci in an Image press release. "As a child my imagination was formed by the gladiators, centurions, slaves, rebels and charming maidservants of those films. As a student, I studied, learning how the ancient world truly was... and found it fascinating. In The Last Battle, I tried to transmit the 'peplum' emotions of my youth with a correct, trustworthy historical approach."

"This project required me to be as well-versed in Roman and Celtic history as I could be to create the visual authenticity required for Tito's script," Brereton explained. "An added layer of truth in Tito's script spurred my research and made the story that much more exciting to illustrate for me, and I believe readers will become as immersed in this ancient world as I was painting it."

The Last Battle goes on sale December 21 from Image Comics. It can be pre-ordered now from finer comics shops.