The Roman Industrial Revolution that could have been
This is a proof-of-concept comic book that asks: What if knowledge from 2025 reached Rome and kicked off an industrial revolution? The story follows two voices: - Ulysses, a present-day archaeologist who finds a glowing slate in the dig site. - Marcus, an educated household slave in 79 AD who replies on that slate. Why I’m posting: I’d love narrative feedback. – Does the story make sense? – Are Ulysses and Marcus believable? – Which directions would you explore next (politics, tech, moral fallout)? What’s live today - First issue, 25 rough pages. - No paywall; just a PDF. Next steps Regular…
In plain words
This is a proof-of-concept comic book exploring a speculative scenario where modern knowledge reaches ancient Rome through a mysterious connection between Ulysses, a contemporary archaeologist, and Marcus, an educated slave in 79 AD. The two communicate via a glowing slate, setting in motion an alternate industrial revolution. The creator has released the first 25-page issue as a free PDF and is seeking narrative feedback on character believability, story coherence, and potential directions involving politics, technology, and moral consequences. Future releases are planned toward an 8–10 issue collection, with revisions informed by reader input.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
This is a proof-of-concept comic book that asks: What if knowledge from 2025 reached Rome and kicked off an industrial revolution? The story follows two voices: - Ulysses, a present-day archaeologist who finds a glowing slate in the dig site. - Marcus, an educated household slave in 79 AD who replies on that slate. Why I’m posting: I’d love narrative feedback. – Does the story make sense? – Are Ulysses and Marcus believable? – Which directions would you explore next (politics, tech, moral fallout)? What’s live today - First issue, 25 rough pages. - No paywall; just a PDF. Next steps Regular releases toward a 8 or 10 issues collection. I’ll revise based on your critiques and wild speculations. Grateful for any thoughts on pacing, historical plausibility, or character depth. Thanks for reading!
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