CBR can exclusively announce that Mad Cave is set to launch a new comic series, Circus Maximus, this November, which is about a group of Roman outcasts taking advantage of the Great Fire of Rome to rob the Imperial Treasury in a comic that is a mixture between a epic historical drama like Gladiator or Spartacus and a classic heist movie like Ocean's Eleven or Heat.
Written by Mark Sable (Graveyard of Empires, Miskatonic) and drawn by Giorgio Pontrelli (Dylan Dog, Miskatonic), the series sports a main cover by star artist, Paul Azaceta (who has worked with Sable on the aforementioned Graveyard of Empires, as well as on Grounded), as well as a variant cover by ANOTHER star artist, Francesco Francavilla. It's set to hit comic book stores (and digital stores) on November 5, 2025.
What is the solicitation for Circus Maximus?
Image via Mad Cave Studios
Circus Maximus #1
Writer: Mark Sable
Artist: Giorgio Pontrelli
Rome. 64 AD. The most daring heist in history is being planned by an unlikely crew - a former slave, a Vestal Virgin, a charioteer and a disgraced architect – each with their own personal motives. While Rome is distracted by the chariot racing and gladiatorial games of the Circus Maximus, the crew plans to rob the Imperial treasury under the Temple of Saturn. But when Emperor Nero sets fire to the city, they’ll be lucky to escape his wrath with their lives, let alone the loot.
What does Mark Sable have to say about the project?
Image via Mad Cave Studios
Mark Sable discussed the project, "Many claim to think about the Roman Empire daily, but for the past few years, The Roman Empire has literally been my Roman Empire. Circus Maximus is a true passion project, blending crime and historical fiction in a story I pitched as 'Gladiator meets Heat.' The series centers on Rome’s forgotten and forsaken: the enslaved, the exiled, the silenced, who find each other in the shadows and dare to rewrite history. But as the city teeters on the brink of chaos and Nero fans the flames of his own empire, their fight for freedom turns into something far more explosive.
Sable continued, "Circus Maximus also marks a reunion with artist Giorgio Pontrelli, with whom I collaborated on MISKATONIC and its giant-sized sequel. Aside from being a brilliant artist, Giorgio is a Roman who has lived among the ruins of Ancient Rome his entire life. Paul Azaceta, the first artist I worked with when I started in comics 20 years ago, has also returned to provide the series with some truly epic covers. While I know history buffs like me will appreciate their work, I hope all comics readers will appreciate this blood-soaked story of power, betrayal, and vengeance. Empires rise and fall, but crime is timeless.”
Circus Maximus #1 has an FOC of October 13 for a November 5th release date.
Source: Mad Cave
English (US) · 