In 58 B.C., the Helvetii of Gaul leave their homeland, requesting safe passage through Roman territory. Seizing the opportunity to realize his dream of conquering Celtica, Julius Caesar blocks their passage, launching the Gallic War. Over the next six years, with his famous Tenth Legion of elite imperial soldiers under his command, Caesar will lead the Roman Empire’s last military campaign leading up to the Roman Civil War.
Painted entirely by hand in watercolor, Conquest: Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars is a free adaptation of one of the major works of humanity, Julius Caesar’s “Commentarii de Bello Gallico,” his first-hand account of the military campaign he led to conquer Gaul and expand the Roman Empire. Once his close friend and ally, the Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix is now Caesar’s greatest enemy, and the only thing stopping him from conquering Gaul for Rome.
This free adaptation of The Gallic War is the result of a long artistic collaboration between Vincent Pompetti and Tarek, both great connoisseurs of antiquity. Both authors invite you to discover the unique story of a great moment in history that changed the face of the old world forever.
Graduate of the Sorbonne (University Paris I) in medieval history and art history, Tarek launched "Paris Tonkar" in 1991, the first art book dedicated entirely to urban street art in Paris, which is still considered an important reference for urban art lovers. Since 1999 Tarek has written more than sixty graphic novels with various publishers. His work has won several awards including the Saint-Michel Award for Best Screenplay for his graphic novel Sir Arthur Benton in 2007. Although his time is often balanced between photography, street art, and television, from writing a US TV pilot to exhibiting street art in Montreal, his interest inevitably returns to comics. He regularly attends conferences on comics, history and contemporary art, including the Cold War Symposium at Caen's Memorial in 2007, presenting his own particular insights from his experience in the industry.
Vincent Pompetti is an italian artist born in Liège, Belgium, originally from Pineto and Atri, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. He graduated from the St. Luc Institute of Fine Arts in 1998 with a specialization in graphic novels. Two years later he authored and published his first graphic novel with Glénat called Planète Divine, leading to a collaboration with the scenarist and graffiti specialist Tarek. From that collaboration resulted several significant works including Sir Arthur Benton, and more recently The Gallic Wars and the pirate story, The Malouin. Both artists have invested in the independent publisher Tartamudo, with José Jover, and created the artist association known as Pegasus. Vincent collaborates with the Urban Art Magazine “Paris Tonkar”, and simultaneously develops his career in painting and illustration, having exhibited his art in Switzerland, Canada, Italy, and mainly in France.
