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''Murena'' is an ongoing Belgian comics series, started in 1997. It is written by Jean Dufaux, and illustrated by Philippe Delaby.

It follows the rise and, presumably, the fall of Emperor UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}. As expected with AncientRome, there are many [[TheConspiracy conspiracies]], [[AristocratsAreEvil assassinations]], GladiatorGames and some {{Fanservice}}, all closely intertwined.

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!!This comic provides examples of:

* AncientRome: The series is set in the early [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Roman Empire]], around 54 AD.
* CleanFoodPoisonedFork: The comic uses the theory that Claudius was poisoned by the feather used to make him vomit up the safe mushrooms that he only ''thought'' was poisoned.
* CrucifiedHeroShot: A bizarre variation: One small panel is of Lucius' head, the panel underneath it has a huge T-shaped crowd of people with two strategically-placed columns representing the nails of the cross.
* DecapitationPresentation:
** Agrippina presents the head of Murena's mother to a dying Claudius because she was his lover.
** Massam decapitates a gladiator Barba decided to spare, throws the head at Barba [[EvilIsPetty just to show him how to finish the job]].
* DepravedBisexual: Massam, though it's in the PrisonRape sense towards men.
* DiabolusExMachina: Lucius has returned to Rome, Nero is ready to forgive him (even after Lucius reveals he could have killed Nero and made it look like an accident)... so of course, Lucius suffers EasyAmnesia after an assassination attempt and is used as bait to lure Nero into a trap. Nero survives thinking Lucius betrayed him.
* DisproportionateRetribution:
** Agrippina punishes one of her maid who accidentally hurt her by ordering the other maids to hold her underwater. By the time she remembers to pull her out, [[BadBoss it's too late and she doesn't even care]].
** When Nero heards that Vestal virgin Rubria hosted his friend turned enemy Murena, [[spoiler:he rapes her. When she dares to complain he allows Massam to take his turn.]]
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: A Roman wrestler fends off an escaped lion during the fire of Rome, but doesn't survive.
* EnemyMine: During the GladiatorGames, Draxius and Bulba briefly ally in order to kill the other two gladiators before pursuing their fight.
* EvilMatriarch: Agrippina, controlling and manipulating her son.
* {{Fanservice}}: Many women appear wearing exactly nothing.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: On multiple occasions, Nero displays [[ForegoneConclusion fascination for the fire]]... [[spoiler:While the burning of Rome does happen, it turns out that Nero isn't involved at all.]]
* FeelingYourHeartbeat: In the third volume, Agrippina goes to see Vespasian, one of Nero's friends, to question him about Nero's plans concerning her. During their conversation, she seduces him by telling him that her mother's heart suffers and takes his hand to put it on her chest to show him before putting it on her cheek. The two then sleep together and Vespanian reveals to Agrippina everything she wanted to know.
* GladiatorGames: A central point. Later {{Chariot Race}}s feature prominently.
* AGodAmI:
** Nero tends to think highly of himself. After he loses a chariot race, a poet survives making fun of this by appealling to this side of him: The gods, being perfect in every way, are always victorious, and find that VictoryIsBoring. Nero, by nearly dying in his chariot's crash was searching for danger, the spice of a mortal life. Nero emphatically agrees, and rips off his toga to show his godly self. Cue the audience parroting "Your beauty is divine, O Caesar!".
** After the fire, Nero decides to build a palace worthy of his divinity by demanding enormous sums from his senators and decapitating those who don't pay up.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade:
** While Nero is still a colossal prick who commits horrible crimes he does have a few PetTheDog moments and is revealed to be innocent of the more heinous crimes he's been accused of (for instance, Britannicus's death is due to epilepsy, and the fire of Rome breaks out when Murena attacks Massam).
** Claudius was actually a {{Sadist}}, but due to the SlidingScaleOfAntagonistVileness, it's downplayed in favor of other villains.
* IronicName: The aforementioned wrestler has a son named [[AndroclesLion Androcles]].
* LousyLoversAreLosers: Agrippina seduces Vespasian (one of her son Nero's friends) into revealing what Nero has planned for her. [[SexyDiscretionShot In the next panel]], she's kicking furniture in a rage, both because of Nero's scheming and because Vespasian couldn't get her off.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane:
** Nero has a few FantasySequence conversations with the god Mercury. Considering they all happen when Nero is alone, it's possibly just [[DreamSue his imagination]].
** Locust in her dying breath correctly predicts that Agrippina will be killed by her son. Given the fact that they are already on bad terms, it's possibly just a lucky guess.
** Poppaea Sabina uses a LovePotion on Nero who then immediatly dumps his lover Acte for her. Given that Poppea is a beautiful FemmeFatale, it's not unlikely that Nero just lost interest in Acte.
* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Locust has more in common with Gollum than any other human in the series. The hunchback who later shows up is similarly deformed.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Murena inadvertently causes the Great Fire of Rome when he accidentally knocks over a lantern during his scuffle with Massem.
* PantheraAwesome: As if he wasn't scary enough already, Massam gets himself a black panther used to further terrify people.
* ParentalIncest: Agrippina is willing to go to ''any'' lengths to keep her son subservient. Though the scene cuts just before anything happens, and Nero doesn't state whether or not he went for it.
* PastVictimShowcase: A rather cruel one, overlapping with RevengeByProxy, when a dying Claudius is ForcedToWatch the severed head of his lover Lollia Paulina, Murena's mother. [[ItAmusedMe It Amused Agrippina]].
* PerfectPoison: Discussed between Locust and Agrippina, in order to kill Claudius safely.
* PetTheDog: Nero, despite being ''very'' unsympathetic, is very affected by the death of his newborn daughter.
* {{Pyromaniac}}: Nero. The historians have several theories about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Rome the Great Fire of Rome]]. Here, it's depicted as the god Mercury appearing to Nero and showing him the sunset coming to set the sea on fire, while also turning him into an EvilRedhead.
* RedRightHand: After his left hand gets injured, Massam builds himself a metal glove, with a long spike on the fist.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: In Locust's lair, there's a statue of the Gorgon {{Medusa}} with creepy snakes in her hair, which becomes a motif.
* SexStartsStoryStops: Out of nowhere, Murena engages a threesome with Claudia and her maid in the rain. What's worse is that happens right after [[spoiler:his friend Barba dies]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: At first, Nero just wanted to make the city of Rome into a better, cleaner center of the universe.
* WhileRomeBurns: A variation from the historical accounts.
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