Writer: Jean-Pierre Pécau
Artist & Colorist: Max Von Fafner
Translator: Marc Bourbon-Crook
Letterer: Lauren Bowes
Publisher: Titan Comics
Hardcover Price: $24.99
Release Date: September 23, 2025
Davico Sanian and her people are returning home. But before they reach it, Germanic bandits ambush them. Confusion erupts within the melee, as a stranger wades into the fray and slays the attackers. Davico Sanian, the daughter of the Helvetti chieftain, thanks their savior. When Sanian invites the stranger to their village, he comes along. Who is Sanian’s benefactor? And how will he affect her life? Let's grab our swords and maces, leap into Caesar’s Spy Vol 1, and see!
Story
The newcomer calls himself Coax. He is a Gaul who worships Sol Invictus. Irika worries about Sanian’s fascination with the newcomer. His name means Crow, he worships a popular Roman god, and he speaks Latin in his sleep. But like Sanian, the chieftain welcomes Coax warmly and invites the Gaul to live with them.
Coax brings dire news. Those Germanic thugs who attacked Sanian are only a foretaste of the future. The Germanic clans are gathering. By winter’s end, he believes they will invade and wipe out the Helvetii. But Coax has some pull with the Romans. If he speaks to them, perhaps they will agree to let the Helvetii pass through their lands and find a safe place to resettle.
As Jean-Pierre Pécau follows Coax's life, he also provides glimpses of Coax's past. Coax may not have been rich or powerful. Yet despite their awkward introduction, Julius Caesar saw potential in Coax. Caesar didn't have to help the powerless Gaul. But he senses Coax's potential in Caesar's Spy Vol 1. So Caesar made a pact with Coax, and the former slave, gladiator, and pirate swore his loyalty to him.
Julius Caesar saw past differences in wealth and status. He knew how to win the loyalty of his soldiers and maintain an effective fighting force. By discovering what made Coax tick, Caesar found a powerful servant who would do extraordinary things for him. As Cicero tells Pompey at his villa, if Julius Caesar wins, the Republic dies. People like Coax helped him do that.
Art
Sanian’s plaited blonde hair and sculpted body radiate divine beauty. She sleeps in a rough wooden cabin softened by furs. Unlike Irika, who paints her face and twists antlers into a headdress, Sanian seems comfortable in her golden skin. Her smooth features resemble the masks that symbolize the theatre, and doubtless influence her followers.
By contrast, Coax is rough and imperfect. He exudes strength, yet his densely muscled body lacks symmetry and refinement. Coax frames his face with long, wild hair in Caesar's Spy Vol 1. His exuberant mustache is likewise untamed. The Gaul protects his shoulders and forearms, wears an animal’s head on his shoulder, and sports a cape. A gladius and a mace hang from his belt.
As Coax confronts allies, participates in a religious ceremony, investigates conspiracies, meets with famous historical figures, and assists in Caesar's slaughters, Max Von Fafner compares the well-equipped legionnaires with the tribal armies. From slave markets to the gladiatorial ring, sailing vessels and boats crewed by ranks of rowers, Coax’s journeys take him across Roman-controlled lands. Like Samian, Julius Caesar's sculpted features and blonde hair seem too perfect for this world in Caesar's Spy Vol 1. But then, both seek positions of power, while Coax is content to serve.
Lauren Bowes places black uppercase letters in white boxes. Off-camera dialogue inhabits boxes without arrows. The font imbues the dialogue with a hand-written look, while the size varies from small to large in this story about power and vengeance. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
The Romans captured Coax’s parents amid Spartacus’ revolt. The young Gaul watched as the Romans crucified them. Yet Coax eventually partners with Julius Caesar to conquer the Gauls. While serving his leader behind the scenes, Coax makes powerful enemies who will incite civil war. Caesar’s Spy Vol 1 shows how Julius Caesar used people like Coax to navigate the intrigues and shifting alliances that helped the Roman Republic function, until Caesar used military power and popularity to transform it into an empire.
Rating: 9/10
To look inside see my preview of Caesar's Spy Vol 1.
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