Peter Milligan Talks Britannia: We Who Are About To Die

A Killer Idea

♦Peter Milligan is a British comic writer with one of the most distinctive voices in comics. Best known perhaps for his work at Vertigo on books like Shade The Changing Man, Enigma and Girl, in recent years he has spread his wings and his newest creation, Roman detective Antonius, has found a home at Valiant. The second series of Britannia featuring him is has just started this week and so Tripwire’s editor-in-chief spoke to Milligan recently about the new series, why Rome still holds a fascination for readers and what we can expect in We Who Are About To Die. Photo: JOEL MEADOWS…

TW: The first series was set in Britain whereas the second seems to have moved the action to Rome itself. What was the motivation for moving it to the Italian capital?

PETER MILLIGAN: Though the first series was set mainly in Britannia – for obvious reasons, I myself live in Britannia! – there was always a strong sense of Rome, a sense of it being the centre – the omphalos if you like – of this vast empire. But I wanted to explore another side of Rome, one that you could really get by focusing the story firmly in the big city.

TW: Ancient Rome is a subject that has been so well mined in fiction for centuries. What is your unique take on the subject that marks it out as something fresh and new?

PM: Making Antonius A “detectioner” someone who – through his interaction with the vestal virgins – has a different way of looking at the world than many of his contemporaries. It’s this, coupled with an element of the supernatural, that makes it unlike anything you would read in I, Claudius – a book I loved when I was a teenager, and probably the seed that was planted that eventually grew into Britannia.

TW: For Britannia, is there ongoing research involved in the series?

PM: Well, yes. Partly because it’s so much fun (I’m a big fan of Mary Beard) but also to add that touch of verisimilitude to the story. That said, you have to choose when to use your research.   For example, most people would probably have addressed the Emperor Nero as Caesar. I though that would be really bloody confusing for anyone not paying enough attention (wait, is this Nero or Caesar?) so mostly he’s called Nero, or something like it.

TW: What is the fascination for both creators and readers about Ancient Rome many centuries after its heyday? 

PM: I think because in many ways it is still with us. Its physical remains, its roads, its ideas.   A lot of it also feels so modern, some of the ideas, desires etc. We recognise it. At the same time it’s not called ANCIENT Rome for nothing. Even as you might be recognising elements of this world you’re likely to suddenly come up against something that takes you back—their attitude towards slavery, for instance. Our hero in this story – Antonius Axia – has a slave, though he’s offered him his freedom). What is interesting about Romans and slaves is that – unlike in later times- it wasn’t racist, it wasn’t based on some fucked up notion of racial superiority.   A slave in Ancient Rome almost certainly had a better chance of being freed (and taking his part in society) than a black slave in antebellum USA.

TW: How important was it for you to keep the same artist you had on the first series?

PM: Very important, for two reasons. One, for the continuity of the characters and the world that we’d created in series one. And Two, because Juan is so bloody good, and really gets this story.

TW: How closely do you work with artist Juan Jose Ryp?

PM: We don’t talk really, but there are visual ideas thrown around, though mainly I just write the script and Juan does his magic.

TW: What can you tell us about We Who Are About To Die?

PM: As you might be able to infer from the title, some of this story takes place in and around the gladiatorial arena. And we follow a very special gladiator called Achillia. Coupled with this, a curse seems to have settled on Rome, a curse that is targeting scions of the elite, and bringing some old gods back to life.

TW: It is another miniseries rather than a longer run. Is it the fact that it is only four issues that forces you to be more focused as a writer that appeals to you?

PM: Yes, and I like this format. Shortish punchy stories that are really focused.

TW: What is the one most intriguing fact you have discovered about Ancient Rome during your research for the series?

PM: That would probably have to do with the Vestal Virgins. It was the unusual power they had in a firmly patriarchal society. And some of their functions. For instance, certain contracts or wills were kept by them either physically or orally. Because they were beyond reproach, their word could not be doubted . This was an awful lot of power, albeit a kind of soft power.

TW: Are there plans for you and Ryp to team up for another adventure after this one?

PM: I certainly hope so. I already have a number of ideas that I’m working on. More news soon!

Britannia: We Who Are About To Die#1 is out now from all good comic shops, published by Valiant. Here’s a preview of it

Britannia Pete Milligan www.tripwiremagazine.co.uk