The Last Battle Going American

Readers of The Last Battle by Image Comics are in for a little bit of a disappointment: Caesar dies at the end. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it and maybe writer Tito Faraci and illustrator Dan Brereton maybe have some tricks up their sleeves that ends in Caesar NOT dying.

"The 'peplum' or 'sword and sandals' genre was very popular in Italy, mostly in the seventies," said Faraci. "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 is set in 52 BCE Gaul as Caesar's forces are laying siege to the barbarian stronghold of Alesia. The rebel Cammius, who once fought for Rome, leads a second barbarian army to attack the Legions of Rome from behind. Caius Rodius is dispatched to bring back the rebel's head, all the while wondering whether the Roman “road of stone and blood” is a path he still wants to follow.

The Last Battle, an 80-page full-color graphic novel of intense historic war fiction for $7.99, will be on sale in stores December 21, and will be available for order in the upcoming November issue of Previews.

Full press release after the jump.

THE LAST BATTLE REACHES AMERICA'S SHORES
Image Comics Introduces Faraci & Brereton's Historic War Fiction Comic

Berkeley, CA – 15 September 2011 – This December, THE LAST BATTLE will arrive in the form of a gritty story of Caesar's war against the barbarian armies of Gaul. Writer Tito Faraci (Diabolik, Spider-Man: The Secret of Glass, Daredevil and Captain America) and artist Dan Brereton (NOCTURNALS, The Punisher, God-Sized Thor, Red Sonja,Thrillkiller) created this complete and unflinching tale of one of the unsung heros of Caesar's Legions.

THE LAST BATTLE has been translated in many languages, and found great success in Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil and more, but has not yet been available in English. Image Comics is now proud to introduce THE LAST BATTLE to American readers.

"The 'peplum' or 'sword and sandals' genre was very popular in Italy, mostly in the seventies," said Faraci. "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, set in 52 BCE Gaul, begins as Caesar’s forces lay siege to the barbarian stronghold of Alesia in a battle which would forever change history; while the rebel Cammius, who once fought for Rome, leads a second barbarian army to attack the combined Legions of Rome from behind. Caesar dispatches his favorite general, Caius Rodius, to track through the untamed countryside, and bring back the rebel’s head. Who better to hunt Cammius, than the man who taught him the very skills he now uses to defy Rome? Tasked by a power-hungry leader he no longer trusts, to murder the man he raised as a son, Rodius questions whether the Roman “road of stone and blood” is a path he still wants to follow.

THE LAST BATTLE, an 80-page full-color graphic novel of intense historic war fiction for $7.99, will be on sale in stores December 21, and will be available for order in the upcoming November issue of Previews.

ABOUT TITO FARACI
Tito Faraci is one of the most important Italian comics writers and an international success as well. After his beginning with the Walt Disney Company, he wrote for comics series like DYLAN DOG and DIABOLIK. Nowadays he writes TEX (a title selling hundreds of thousands of copies each month in Italy, and also published in many other countries). He has also written two stories for Marvel appearing in Europe: SPIDER-MAN and a DARE-DEVIL AND CAPTAIN AMERICA TEAM-UP.

ABOUT DAN BRERETON
Dan Brereton is an award-winning creator known for his lurid and sensational painted illustrations, depictions of monsters and dark material in the crime, fantasy and horror genres, and THE LAST BATTLE marks his first foray into a truly period story. Ranging from comics and publishing to gaming, film and TV work. Past clients include Disney TV Animation, CBS, Blizzard, Hasbro and Rob Zombie. He is also a writer and created such titles as NOCTURNALS and GIANTKILLER. He also co-created THE PSYCHO with James Hudnall. Past comics projects also include LEGENDS OF THE WORLD’S FINEST, THRILLKILLER, IMMORTAL IRON-FIST, THE PUNISHER, ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, RED SONJA and VAMPIRELLA. Recently Image Comics released a hardcover retrospective monograph of over 2 decades of his work, entitled DANIEL BRERETON: THE GODDESS & THE MONSTER. For more information about Brereton and his work, visit www.nocturnals.com.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.