Grand Theft Fortune. Roman Edition: Circus Maximus #1 Review

By Daniel Schwartz
Reviewer | Pastrami Nation

Publisher: Mad Cave
Writer: Mark Sable
Artist: Giorgio Pontrelli

When selecting comics to review, I look for titles and synopses that capture my interest. Let me tell you, a revenge and heist story set in Ancient Rome definitely piqued my interest.

Issue 1 begins with our primary antagonist, a slave named Sergius, being maimed by the future Emperor Nero. After a time jump, Sergious, now sporting a stylish eye patch, is shown to be planning a major heist of the Roman national treasure. Along with his co-conspirators, he has everything in place to pull off this major robbery, until his getaway driver considers backing out. As the heist gets underway, Sergious’ escape runs into two serious problems. The first problem is that the getaway driver is having second thoughts. The other, more pressing issue is that Nero has just started the infamous fire that will burn portions of Rome to the ground! How will Sergious and his crew escape the chaos without their driver and the city in flames around them? We’ll have to wait until issue 2 to find out.

Writer Mark Sable crafts a fascinating heist story in the unlikeliest of settings, which adds an extra level of intrigue. In the first few pages, readers are introduced to Sergius and quickly learn why he harbors a personal grudge against Rome and Nero. Sable wastes no time establishing the why and how behind this brazen robbery and brings readers right into the plot. Many writers use issue 1 to simply set the story up. I really appreciate Mark Sable throwing us right into the action. Giorgio Pontrelli also adds stunning artwork to this action-packed ancient tale. His style fits perfectly with the setting and gives the feel of a 1960s sword-and-sandals movie.

Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Pastrami Nations.