Well, I am way overdue with updating the wiki (here (http://www.comixpedia.org/index.php/SPQR_Blues) and here (http://cgwiki.comicgenesis.com/index.php/Comic:SPQR_Blues)) with a summary of the chapter, so--yes :)
From the wiki: After a month of recovery, Felix is back on duty as bodyguard for Petronia Iusta, under Mus' watchful eye. He's sticking with the story that the brand on his chest was the result of a brawl with a drunken cattle herder. While worshipping in the Temple of Great Mother Isis, Iusta has a dream that she decides is a prophetic vision: Felix is destined to marry her. Calatoria pressures Stephanus to finalise plans for Iusta to marry Calatoria's cousin, Speudon. Mus' life of sleeping in barns and over bakeshops comes to an end when his sister Elisa convinces him to make peace with their father. Their father needs him to help with the family business, and his first assignment is to collect on accounts in arrears. He settles the first account (with Speudon) with payment partially in gold and the rest in the form of a young slave, Menander, who hitherto has been trained only for a (high-class) brothel. Mus is surprised to discover that his new acquisition also has a "D" branded on his chest, and is even more surprised when Menander explains that he was once imperial property and that the D is Domitian's mark, reserved for his special possessions (and lovers).
Here's a way-too-long summary of the rest of chapter iii that I'll have to boil down for the wiki: Mus' father, not happy with the handful of magic beans--er, the slave his son has brought home, decides to send Mus to Rome to work in the family offices there. Mus convinces him he should stay in town and work on a marriage with Iusta (the first girl he can think of). Stephanus likes Mus--his family is rich. Vitalis is simply planning to buy up an entire city block so Iusta can be an independent businesswoman who doesn't have to worry about marriage at all.
In the middle of the night, Stephanus turns up dead. The physician, Helvius, doesn't rule out the possibility of poison. In his will Stephanus leaves a house to Calatoria, along with any offspring from the slaves she brought into the marriage, but he leaves all his other property and possessions to Iusta, requiring she find a suitable husband within three months to manage the properties. Iusta considers running away up the mountain, but decides she doesn't like the idea of living in a little hill village with no indoor plumbing. Mus puts Menander and Felix together to see if any further information about is forthcoming. Information does come forth: Menander tell Felix that he is the slave who was sent on board Lolla's doomed ship. He was carted off as cargo to be sold, and he thinks it's possible Damon, Lolla's son, was sold into slavery as well. Felix decides it would be a good idea now to go to Rome and kill Domitian. He doesn't have much of a plan beyond that. Mus suggests they put their energy and the network of family sales agents to work in tracking down Damon. Felix changes his plan to sitting in his underwear in the room over Vitalis' tavern getting drunk.
After a few days, Vitalis convinces him it's time to shape up, be a Roman, be a man her daughter can marry, and take a bath. While Mus, Felix, and Menander are at the baths, three suspicious men enter the tavern. By the time Felix returns it's too late: They find Vitalis dead, and this time Helvius is positive it was murder. Felix confronts Speudon first...
And I'm about to lose my internet connection, so I'll let you catch up with the last eight comics starting right here (http://spqrblues.com/d/20070714.html) :)
Oh my, many interesting and ominous developments. What jolly fun! Hmm, did I feel a tremor in the ground? Naww, just my imagination. That ol' volcano hasn't erupted for a hundred years. DRW.
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Date: 2007-08-04 01:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-04 02:11 am (UTC)From the wiki: After a month of recovery, Felix is back on duty as bodyguard for Petronia Iusta, under Mus' watchful eye. He's sticking with the story that the brand on his chest was the result of a brawl with a drunken cattle herder. While worshipping in the Temple of Great Mother Isis, Iusta has a dream that she decides is a prophetic vision: Felix is destined to marry her. Calatoria pressures Stephanus to finalise plans for Iusta to marry Calatoria's cousin, Speudon. Mus' life of sleeping in barns and over bakeshops comes to an end when his sister Elisa convinces him to make peace with their father. Their father needs him to help with the family business, and his first assignment is to collect on accounts in arrears. He settles the first account (with Speudon) with payment partially in gold and the rest in the form of a young slave, Menander, who hitherto has been trained only for a (high-class) brothel. Mus is surprised to discover that his new acquisition also has a "D" branded on his chest, and is even more surprised when Menander explains that he was once imperial property and that the D is Domitian's mark, reserved for his special possessions (and lovers).
Here's a way-too-long summary of the rest of chapter iii that I'll have to boil down for the wiki: Mus' father, not happy with the handful of magic beans--er, the slave his son has brought home, decides to send Mus to Rome to work in the family offices there. Mus convinces him he should stay in town and work on a marriage with Iusta (the first girl he can think of). Stephanus likes Mus--his family is rich. Vitalis is simply planning to buy up an entire city block so Iusta can be an independent businesswoman who doesn't have to worry about marriage at all.
In the middle of the night, Stephanus turns up dead. The physician, Helvius, doesn't rule out the possibility of poison. In his will Stephanus leaves a house to Calatoria, along with any offspring from the slaves she brought into the marriage, but he leaves all his other property and possessions to Iusta, requiring she find a suitable husband within three months to manage the properties. Iusta considers running away up the mountain, but decides she doesn't like the idea of living in a little hill village with no indoor plumbing. Mus puts Menander and Felix together to see if any further information about is forthcoming. Information does come forth: Menander tell Felix that he is the slave who was sent on board Lolla's doomed ship. He was carted off as cargo to be sold, and he thinks it's possible Damon, Lolla's son, was sold into slavery as well. Felix decides it would be a good idea now to go to Rome and kill Domitian. He doesn't have much of a plan beyond that. Mus suggests they put their energy and the network of family sales agents to work in tracking down Damon. Felix changes his plan to sitting in his underwear in the room over Vitalis' tavern getting drunk.
After a few days, Vitalis convinces him it's time to shape up, be a Roman, be a man her daughter can marry, and take a bath. While Mus, Felix, and Menander are at the baths, three suspicious men enter the tavern. By the time Felix returns it's too late: They find Vitalis dead, and this time Helvius is positive it was murder. Felix confronts Speudon first...
And I'm about to lose my internet connection, so I'll let you catch up with the last eight comics starting right here (http://spqrblues.com/d/20070714.html) :)
Oh my!
Date: 2007-08-04 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-04 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-04 09:29 pm (UTC)This was a MOST excellent read. I appreciated all the cool art and fun.
Hair Curling!
Date: 2007-08-07 04:42 am (UTC)