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Murena #5-8
Murena Intégrale - Cycle 2 - Le cycle de l'Epouse
« Le cycle de l'épouse », seconde intégrale de la série « Murena » se révèle aussi réussie que la précédente. Composé des volumes cinq à huit, l'ouvrage nous conte la suite des aventures de Lucius Murena et de sa némésis, l'empereur Néron, qui commence déjà peu à peu à basculer dans la folie. Les deux premiers albums sont l'occasion d'introduire de nouveaux protagonistes et de nouvelles menaces, aussi bien des Gaulois révoltés que des membres de la secte de Jésus Christ, tandis que les suivants se concentrent essentiellement sur le célèbre épisode de l'incendie de Rome de 64 après J.-C.
216 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2011
About the author
Jean Dufaux
469 books91 followersJean Dufaux is a Belgian comic book writer. Beginning his professional career as a journalist for "Ciné-presse", Dufaux started writing comic books in the 1980s. Perhaps his most well-known, and certainly his most long-running, series is Jessica Blandy.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 11, 2022
Gran segunda parte. Me gusta mucho el dibujo y el guión.
August 16, 2017
I read the American Kindle version. Good second part to the series. It is really a good historical romp. Characters are developed and the story moves into a nice morality conflict.
October 12, 2026
Murena: Cycle Two: The Wife has a more difficult task than the previous compilation album, because it has to develop the story without losing what made it strong.
Jean Dufaux chooses a more expansive approach here. The first cycle relied heavily on the tensions within the Roman elite , on the manipulations and rivalries between a relatively limited group of characters. Here, the world presented begins to expand. New threats emerge, a thread connected to the Gauls emerges, the beginnings of Christianity become increasingly evident, and events ultimately lead to the Great Fire of Rome.
The second series is more spectacular, but at times less cohesive. In the first installment, even seemingly calmer conversations could be tinged with tension. You constantly felt that behind each gesture, glance, or decision lay some deeper political agenda. Here, Dufaux more frequently jumps between locations, characters, and events. We gain a broader perspective of the era, but we lose some of the claustrophobic tension that so effectively built the previous series.
This doesn't mean the script is weak, quite the opposite. Dufaux still manages to tell the story in a very readable way, with subsequent events having their consequences. I also appreciate that major historical events aren't treated merely as showy decoration. It's particularly interesting how the burning of Rome becomes the nexus around which the fates of various people , not just the most important figures, intertwine.
Certain frictions arise when the script begins to hint too clearly at the reader's intended direction. Nero's fascination with fire and his dreams of a new Rome are an interesting element of his transformation, but the author sometimes plays these cards too openly. Instead of allowing the tension to build naturally, he repeatedly oversuggests the future direction of events.
In terms of character creation, the album looks really good, although I don't consider all the script decisions to be equally successful.
Nero himself is the most compelling character, whose gradual transformation into a paranoid narcissist convinced of his own divinity is the strongest point of this installment. The development of the titular Lucius Murena is also fascinating. He is no longer the crystal-clear, noble youth. Confronted with the cruel reality of ancient Rome, his character takes on darker shades, forcing him to make decisions that blur the line between good and evil.
Unfortunately, while the male cast gains in complexity, the female characters tend to be treated rather one-dimensionally. Poppaea, who takes the place of the overshadowed Agrippina, is portrayed almost exclusively through the prism of ruthless manipulation, cruelty, and lust for power. I found her lacking any nuance that would have made her a more human character, rather than simply the embodiment of palace corruption....
Full review: https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
Jean Dufaux chooses a more expansive approach here. The first cycle relied heavily on the tensions within the Roman elite , on the manipulations and rivalries between a relatively limited group of characters. Here, the world presented begins to expand. New threats emerge, a thread connected to the Gauls emerges, the beginnings of Christianity become increasingly evident, and events ultimately lead to the Great Fire of Rome.
The second series is more spectacular, but at times less cohesive. In the first installment, even seemingly calmer conversations could be tinged with tension. You constantly felt that behind each gesture, glance, or decision lay some deeper political agenda. Here, Dufaux more frequently jumps between locations, characters, and events. We gain a broader perspective of the era, but we lose some of the claustrophobic tension that so effectively built the previous series.
This doesn't mean the script is weak, quite the opposite. Dufaux still manages to tell the story in a very readable way, with subsequent events having their consequences. I also appreciate that major historical events aren't treated merely as showy decoration. It's particularly interesting how the burning of Rome becomes the nexus around which the fates of various people , not just the most important figures, intertwine.
Certain frictions arise when the script begins to hint too clearly at the reader's intended direction. Nero's fascination with fire and his dreams of a new Rome are an interesting element of his transformation, but the author sometimes plays these cards too openly. Instead of allowing the tension to build naturally, he repeatedly oversuggests the future direction of events.
In terms of character creation, the album looks really good, although I don't consider all the script decisions to be equally successful.
Nero himself is the most compelling character, whose gradual transformation into a paranoid narcissist convinced of his own divinity is the strongest point of this installment. The development of the titular Lucius Murena is also fascinating. He is no longer the crystal-clear, noble youth. Confronted with the cruel reality of ancient Rome, his character takes on darker shades, forcing him to make decisions that blur the line between good and evil.
Unfortunately, while the male cast gains in complexity, the female characters tend to be treated rather one-dimensionally. Poppaea, who takes the place of the overshadowed Agrippina, is portrayed almost exclusively through the prism of ruthless manipulation, cruelty, and lust for power. I found her lacking any nuance that would have made her a more human character, rather than simply the embodiment of palace corruption....
Full review: https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
December 19, 2023
‘Cyklus matky’ mě doslova vystřelil ze sandálů. S ‘Cyklem manželky’ mám po prvním přečtení trošku… nechci říct problém, je to stále na pět hvězdiček. Řekněme, že ‘Cyklus matky’ nastavil laťku tak vysoko, že je nepřekonatelná. Jsem zvědavý, jak to budu hodnotit za nějaký čas, až to budu číst znovu.
I druhá kniha s podtitulem Cyklus maželky je pohlcující. Její první část vás ihned vtáhne do děje a přiměje vás hlavní protagonisty milovat i nenávidět. Hodí vás to do 2000 let staré historie a plnými doušky vám to dá ochutnat život římské smetánky za císaře Nerona. Pak se ale vyprávění lehce změní. Místo intrik nastoupí více akce.
Oproti první knize je děj méně sevřený. Už to nejsou jenom intriky v císařském paláci a v domech patricijů. Dějí se zde mnohem větší události, a ty jsou velkolepé, ne že ne. Už zde ale není takové napětí v omezeném okruhu postav. Dojde zde na bitvu v Galii, dojde na požár Říma, ale ty nekonečné intriky a pletichaření z předchozí knihy jsou zde skoro ty tam. Dočkáme se jich zase až na konci knihy.
Postavy z Neronova okolí, které byly v prvním díle odstraněny, zde byly nahrazeny postavami jinými, ale typově naprosto stejnými. V druhé knize dostává větší prostor Lucius Murena a ukazuje se, že ani on, tváří v tvář všem událostem, nedokáže zůstat jenom kladným hrdinou. Je zde ale také spousta odboček k osudům lidí, kteří se v příběhu jen mihli, a kteří pomáhají vykreslit celou tragickou velikost požáru Říma.
Docela mě v této knize rozčilovaly vysvětlující obdélníky, které obsahovaly buďto text vypravěče, dokončení řeči z předchozího panelu, a nebo popis kde jsme, či na jakou osobu se děj zrovna zaměřuje. Občas to bylo nadbytečné a občas se těžko rozlišovalo, o co jde.
Kresba je opět famózní a celostránkové pohledy na Řím vyrážejí dech.
I druhá kniha s podtitulem Cyklus maželky je pohlcující. Její první část vás ihned vtáhne do děje a přiměje vás hlavní protagonisty milovat i nenávidět. Hodí vás to do 2000 let staré historie a plnými doušky vám to dá ochutnat život římské smetánky za císaře Nerona. Pak se ale vyprávění lehce změní. Místo intrik nastoupí více akce.
Oproti první knize je děj méně sevřený. Už to nejsou jenom intriky v císařském paláci a v domech patricijů. Dějí se zde mnohem větší události, a ty jsou velkolepé, ne že ne. Už zde ale není takové napětí v omezeném okruhu postav. Dojde zde na bitvu v Galii, dojde na požár Říma, ale ty nekonečné intriky a pletichaření z předchozí knihy jsou zde skoro ty tam. Dočkáme se jich zase až na konci knihy.
Postavy z Neronova okolí, které byly v prvním díle odstraněny, zde byly nahrazeny postavami jinými, ale typově naprosto stejnými. V druhé knize dostává větší prostor Lucius Murena a ukazuje se, že ani on, tváří v tvář všem událostem, nedokáže zůstat jenom kladným hrdinou. Je zde ale také spousta odboček k osudům lidí, kteří se v příběhu jen mihli, a kteří pomáhají vykreslit celou tragickou velikost požáru Říma.
Docela mě v této knize rozčilovaly vysvětlující obdélníky, které obsahovaly buďto text vypravěče, dokončení řeči z předchozího panelu, a nebo popis kde jsme, či na jakou osobu se děj zrovna zaměřuje. Občas to bylo nadbytečné a občas se těžko rozlišovalo, o co jde.
Kresba je opět famózní a celostránkové pohledy na Řím vyrážejí dech.
August 20, 2024
As a historical narrative about Rome and Nero's reign, this is both exciting and vividly told. The drama intensifies, and the characters become more distinct, including the titular character Murena, although he still remains somewhat less interesting compared to the other more colorful figures. The research seems thorough, with both interiors and exteriors exceptionally well depicted.
August 18, 2020
Druga sveska ciklus žene takodje odlicna! Nove 4 priče. Sve što je rečeno za prvu vazi i za drugu. Ovde je nova priča izmedju Pompeje I Nerona ali takođe Murena igra bitnu ulogu. Puno ljubavi izdaje i ubistava. Zaista svaka stranica je remek delo! Drago mi je da sam pročitao ovaj strip!
July 6, 2020
Imam skoro isti utisak kao i za prvi deo, crtež sjajan a radnja kašljuca pred preambicioznošću autora.
August 24, 2025
The second cycle of Murena elevates everything that worked in the first. The story is sharper, full of intrigue, betrayals, and power struggles, yet remains highly readable without falling into unnecessary exposition.
The artwork continues at the same strong level—clean, expressive, and detailed—bringing both characters and the grandeur of Rome to life.
Characters show development and face meaningful choices, though some arcs remain predictable. Still, the growth is evident compared to the first cycle.
The world and atmosphere are stunning, with the Roman Empire richly portrayed in both setting and mood, especially in the later chapters of this cycle.
Overall, while the themes are familiar and not groundbreaking, the execution is so polished and engaging that it’s hard not to enjoy.
RATING: 4/5
The artwork continues at the same strong level—clean, expressive, and detailed—bringing both characters and the grandeur of Rome to life.
Characters show development and face meaningful choices, though some arcs remain predictable. Still, the growth is evident compared to the first cycle.
The world and atmosphere are stunning, with the Roman Empire richly portrayed in both setting and mood, especially in the later chapters of this cycle.
Overall, while the themes are familiar and not groundbreaking, the execution is so polished and engaging that it’s hard not to enjoy.
RATING: 4/5
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews