Pax Romana [Paperback]

Jonathan Hickman (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2009

In 2045, as Islam has overrun Europe and the West openly shuns monotheism, the Vatican funded, CERN Laboratories 'discover' that time travel is possible. The Pope orders the creation of a private army, and led by a few handpicked Cardinals and the finest graduates of selected war colleges, they travel back in time to 312AD - the reign of the first Christian Emperor, Constantine. Upon arrival, conflicting agendas, ideological differences, and personal greed see grand plans unravel. Pax Romana is the tale of 5,000 men sent on an impossible mission to change the past and save the future. At the end of the world, will they succeed, or will they fail? This politically driven sci-fi epic comes from the creator of the hit Nightly News! Collects the entire Pax Romana series with never-before-seen back matter!

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582408734
• ISBN-13: 978-1582408736
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Image Comics
  • #53 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Science Fiction

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Provacative & Interesting Read, Disappointingly Short, September 3, 2009

By 

Rawim (Palmdale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pax Romana (Paperback)

I took up this graphic novel at the recommendation of Blair Butler. And I am happy to report I was not disappointed. The pages contain an original story, compelling artwork, and a tale filled with interesting characters. My only complaint was that I found it painfully short. I finished it in a few hours and I was left desperately wanting more. But in the grand scheme of things, I suppose that is a good thing. Better to be left wanting more at the end of the story then to be sick of it and just want it to be over.

Most likely you already know the basics of the story, in the future the Catholic Church funds research and discovers time travel and decides to send a force of people back in time to right the wrongs of the church and other. Hilarious high jinks and frivolity ensue....okay not really, but we do get an interesting at an alternate history and how the human condition shapes the destiny of man. In between wonderfully composed panels you have the occasional page or two of written transcript that is used to reveal characters motivations and feelings in long form, but fear not, for even that read is quite fascinating.

So if you are look for a remarkable story that will get you thinking and you don't mind a concise (If not short) telling of that story then I believe you will thoroughly enjoy this book, as did I. After this introduction to Jonathan Hickman I plan to read his other works very soon.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Potential, But Too Short and Sweet, September 19, 2009

By 

Craig D. Kussmaul "cdkussmaul" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pax Romana (Paperback)

Hickman's latest work taps into time-travel and an alternative history of the world. Unfortunately, the Rawim and Tyler reviews are completely right: it's just too short. The story is well paced until the Fourth Chapter when events and people accelerate too quickly; its as if the book "jumped" to the end and dismissed the previous three chapters. If this was (or is) the opening salvo to an epic saga, then Hickman is on the path to greatness. The closing timeline suggests a larger story with more installments, but this is mere speculation. However, if "Pax Romana" is strictly a "one-and-done" book, then Hickman has thoroughly disappointed a burgeoning fan base.

While the earlier The Nightly News intentionally used a hodgepodge of vague characters to keep the reader off-balance, Hickman reverses this tread with a handful of pseudo-protagonists and each has the potential for a well-defined story arc. There are no obvious "good guys", just fallible individuals who take the reins of past history. The groundwork is there for Fabian Rossi and Holy Roman Empire, Manon Karembeu and the Refuge of Briton, or Emmanuel Mfede and the Kingdom of Africa to explore their portions of this alternative world in their own books. Now, we can only hope Hickman will deliver future stories in the Pax Universe.

Don't get me wrong - I still enjoyed "Pax Romana" for Hickman's layout and artistic style. I believe the general audience will crave more simply because I want more. It's a solid story premise, but ends too abruptly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence in Words and Picture, September 27, 2010

By 

Julian C. Chambliss "bibliophile" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pax Romana (Paperback)

Jonathan Hickman is making a splash at Marvel Comics with his complex and interweaving story lines in Secret Warriors, Fantastic Four and S.H.E.I.L.D. I would recommend anyone to pick up any of those titles, but you can't ignore Hickman's independent work through Image Comics. I think Hickman is a visual innovator and provocative writer who takes fantastic ideas and makes them work for the reader. I have read Nightly News and Transhuman and I even tracked down his Top Cow pilot season entry--The Core. I was impressed by all of them, so I went looking for Pax Romana. It did not disappoint. One word of warning, reading anything from Hickman requires you to pay attention. It is dense with language, references, and original layout using black and white, negative space, and flashes of color. It is well worth the read however, because the premise is so fantastic you can't help but be a little impressed. If you are interested in a comic creator who looks to maximize what the comic page can do, then you should check out Hickman.