Andraste #1 is out now digitally from Honor Vincent on ComiXology. On top of that, there is also a Kickstarter going for issues #1-3 in print.
Call it Peace
Aithne reflects on her first meeting with the Roman general Suetonius as she makes a difficult decision to set off a series of events that will lead her people into a bloody war.
In ancient Britain, a mother and her daughters wage war against the Imperial Roman machine in defense of their country, their future, and each other.
Series synopsis
To the Romans, Britannia is an unconquerable land of giants and danger at the edge of the world. Determined to break the decades-old stalemate and finally make the wild island into a Roman colony, General Suetonius plans a
campaign to bring the tribes of Britannia to heel.
Prasutagus and Boudicca are co-rulers of the Iceni tribe, and do their best to maintain their traditions and culture peacefully in the face of Romanization. Prasutagus favors closer ties with the Romans, but Boudicca distrusts them, and wants to maintain a distance from them. Their children cope with their changing world in different ways. Gwyn is a gifted scholar who develops the power to venture into the three Otherworlds and bring the dead to life. She’s initiated into the Druidic order, and grapples with the morality of using her newfound power. Her twin sister, Aithne, pursues their mother’s path of becoming a warrior, while their older brother, Aidan, wants a peaceful life as he tries to start a family in their town, Venta Icenorum.
Rome’s violations touch off a war that destroys most of their legions in Britannia and awakens the dangers resting behind the island’s gateways to the Otherworld. While Boudicca and Aithne rally 40,000 warriors to their cause, Gwyn comes to terms with her own powers over the dead, and must decide whether the path to peace involves helping her family, or working against them.
Andraste is a story about what war and disaster do to families and individuals, no matter the century or nation. In this story the Romans are not a monolith of bad bogeyman, though. Anchoring the story are the Celts and the spirits of their Otherworld like Old Shuck, an interdimensional mastiff, and Macha, mouthless goddess of death. But we also hear from Roman legionaries, historians, a procurator, middle-class Roman women, a sculpture model, early Christians, and a vestal virgin.
The team
Honor Vincent (writer, publisher) is a Brooklyn-based writer who has been reading comic books since her dad realized they’d be a good transition from picture books to chapter books.
Abel Cicero (pencils and inks) is a comic artist from Spain. His work includes Nancy in Hell (Amigo Comics), covers for M.A.S.K. (IDW), and Zomben (Titan 1 Studios).
DC Alonso (colorist) is a colorist and comic art instructor living in Spain. DC’s work has appeared in books for Heavy Metal, Dark Horse, Disney, Lion Forge, IDW, and Aftershock.
Micah Myers (letterer) is a writer and comic book letterer based in Virginia. His lettering has appeared in comics published by Image, Dark Horse, Heavy Metal, Devil’s Due, many others.
Ariel Colon (cover) is a New York City-based painter who works in watercolor and airbrush.
Yusuf Turgut (variant cover) is a comics artist based in Turkey.
