Take Julius Caesar add vampires and mix both with a murder mystery and you get Ides of Blood #1.  This new six issue limited series from Wildstorm, written by Stuart C. Paul and art by Christian Duce is fantastic.

The year is 44 B.C. Julius Caesar has conquered Transylvania, and vampyres are Rome’s new slave class. But when rich mortals start turning up dead with fang marks on their necks, Valens, a vampyre slave-turned-Roman soldier, plunges into the blood-soaked underworld of Rome to capture the Pluto’s Kiss Killer. If he can prove himself, he’ll earn rank and riches beyond what anyone this side of the Tiber has ever seen! But if he fails, he just might find himself on top of the pile of bodies!

Don’t miss this crimson-red, 6-issue thriller that mixes the undead intrigue of True Blood with the brutal Roman action and political drama of Spartacus from newcomers Stuart C. Paul and Christian Duce!

I really enjoyed the first issue as we’re shown a world where Caesar has conquered Transylvania and now is the proud owner of a vampire sub-class of citizens.  Along with a murder mystery we also contend with a love story between the lead investigator and Caesar’s niece.

The story is pretty creative, I loved the writing and the art is fantastic.  I’m sure this is a comic you’ll overlook on the shelf, I know I would, but that’d be a disservice to yourself.  It’s really good and if you like Gladiator or True Blood there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this new series.  Pick it up, trust me.

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