Chapter V: XXX
I’m calling this one the second part of the 10th Birthday comic.
Hey, let’s call every comic this month part of the 10th Birthday comic!
If it’s not clear who that is in the final panel, it will be made clear in comic XXXI. Also in the character list, of course.
…and just when you think you might have escaped you see the sh*t dropping towards the fan…
“oh, Hello there…” said the spider to the fly.
Love that guard in the 2nd-last panel Klio
Actually Felix new that he hasn’t escaped when they received the box of goods from the Emperor, including the equites tunic.
All Felix did was accept Titus invitation. Is all forgiven? Very likely not. Does Titus has something in mind? Quite certainly. What it is? We’ll find out soon enough.
Titus is a wily guy…
But he also may be stressed, and desperate, it might soon become apparent.
Thanks–I was somewhere over the weekend where I happened to see a lot of Southern Italian gents for art inspiration. Maybe I’ll bring that fellow back for another speaking role.
Tugging on the spider’s web to see what happens is a carefully calculated move. And then I was going to make some sort of comment about flies and sh*t, but I couldn’t make it not sound vulgar 😀
Thank goodness you put an end to all that dirty language about Felix’s sword and toga folding instructions or this comic would be very interesting indeed. 😉
That sounds like a dare to me.
::scribbles changes to dialogue in the next two comics::
I promise the comic will remain suitable for all ages. At least the next comic 😀
Aww…. 🙁 booooo…..
I’ll only show a modicum of restraint 🙂
Third panel, looks like Irenaeus is doing some last minute adjustments to Felix’s drapery. I wonder what the other guy in that panel is looking at?
Tourists! Always standing in the way gawking at the statues. Amirite?
Oh, yeah. It is quite obvious that he is gawking at the statues and decorations of the palace. After all he never thought he would be visiting it and since he is an artist he probably is taking mental notes about the works there.
“Nice use of shadow… good see-through drapery… interesting composition… those eyes are a little small… pah, I can draw faces better than that!”
Now, if he could only get an imperial patronage, he would be set for life. Perhaps Titus will commission a portrait.
I love how the clerk was surprised that Felix was called to the audience immediately. He was being obnoxious with his “waiting an hour, or two, or three, or perhaps come back next week” comment.
I think he was perhaps as much speculating as surprised. “Hmmm. Fetched by the inner guard? This guy’s either onto something or is in some big-ass trouble…”
It must be much more fun for the clerk to imagine what sort of trouble the visitors are in and take bets on whether they ever come back out. He probably worked there through Nero’s reign.
It looks like Captain Picard is peering out from the third panel. That might change when it’s fully inked but I’m enjoying it. 😀
I spent so long redrawing his fingers that I went ahead and posted it in pencils. I think he’ll still look Picardesque when he’s inked 😀
Well Patrick Stewart did play Sejanus in I, Claudius..
His Sejanus made me want to join him on the dark side.
I was a very impressionable teen when I first saw it.
Am I mistaken or did the Praetorian Guard’s helmet change in his close up panel (the penultimate)?
He’s meant to be a different guy. Originally you could see the other two hovering behind Felix, but I deleted them. I’ll consider putting them back!
Two things,
1: on second look, I love that Felix is “clutching the pearls”!
2: I love reading the comments in this comic almost as much as the comic itself because we always get a little taste of what side characters are thinking/feeling. The painter is checking out the work, the Emperor is a bit tired and desperate, etc. you draw expressions and emotions so well but the comments add a richness to the characters I feel like I would otherwise miss.
I love getting comments (and answering them, too)! It’s my favourite part of having a comic online. I hope I can keep inspiring folks to leave thoughts about the story, art, speculation, etc. etc.!