2000 AD #1851

Prog 1851 of 2000 AD puts Aquila front and center — a fierce, bald warrior advancing sword-in-hand through the stone-paved streets of ancient Rome, cloak billowing and jaw set with grim purpose, while crowds of citizens look on from the colonnaded buildings around him. Patrick Goddard's cover art frames the scene beautifully, with an ominous golden light erupting skyward behind a distant temple, hinting at something far beyond ordinary conflict. The tagline "Aquila has come for the souls of Rome" sets an appropriately epic tone for this 2013 British anthology institution.