Caligula #3

Written by David Lapham
Art by German Nobile

I guess the pertinent question here is, are the people at Avatar just doing this book for shock value, or is there a purpose?  We are halfway into this series, and while I'm enjoying it, I'm not sure yet.

On the one hand, there are aspects to this comic like the cover shown here - a satire of The Last Supper, with the crazy Roman Emperor at the head of the table.  Then we have the talking horse who deflowers our main character (thankfully off-panel), and the blood, gore, and sex fests that fill most of the pages.  Pure shock, right?

But then, on the other hand, there is the balance that Lapham is bringing to what is really a revenge story wrapped up in a demonic horror tale set in Ancient Rome.  When Caligula comes under the attack of a group looking to kill him, we get more of a glimmer of what kind of creature he really is.  We also learn something interesting about the horse...

I'm definitely enjoying this comic, but I do find it very bizarre and unpredictable.  Of course, more comics should be unpredictable; it would be a nice change.