Gladiator Academy

When Sinus decides to commission the Greek artist Columno to sculpt life sized statues of all our gladiators, he is unaware that Cadius has hired the sinister sculptor to use his dark magic against our heroes.

While learning the latest gladiator moves from Rumpus, little Sinus inadvertently finds himself facing a burly, seven foot Barbarian. Deciding to put his new skills to use, Sinus tries to take on the brute. To protect his beloved little brother, Rumpus comes to the rescue, smashing a pillar with his fist which clobbers the Barbarian.

GLADIOLUS, a slightly mad, but likeable scientist, who has been exiled from Rome for his disastrous plant experiments, seeks refuge as an Academy recruit. The new gladiator talks to the plants, not to mention cabbages and rutabagas - and if his new "plant formula" is a success, he will be able to boost plant IQ so that the leafy creatures will obey his every command.

While learning the latest gladiator moves from Rumpus, little Sinus inadvertently finds himself facing a burly, seven foot Barbarian. Deciding to put his new skills to use, Sinus tries to take on the brute. To protect his beloved little brother, Rumpus comes to the rescue, smashing a pillar with his fist which clobbers the Barbarian.

It's Sinus' birthday and all the gladiators are invited, including the newest recruit, Delicatesus, the great gladiator chef, in charge of the banquet.

It's Sinus birthday, and Rumpus still hasn't got a gift for him. On the street, he spots Puppeticus, a puppeteer and toy seller, and asks if he has anything very special for his brother. Puppeticus shows him the latest model of Trojan warrior: a sad faced, natural sized wooden gladiator riding a wooden horse.

After being taunted by her fellow recruits and told by Fracas that she's not acting like a lady, Arena becomes convinced that the gladiator men are taking women for granted. To fight back, she recruits and trains her own girl gladiator act, "Arena and the Amazons," and then, challenges the men to a contest.

Just as our gladiators are about to begin a performance, an armada of ships full of Roman and Greek tourists shows up on the coast. Gladis tells Sinus what this means: Emperor Gluteus Maximus, sick of looking at the overpopulated streets of Rome, decided to turn Cornucopia into a regular tourist trap.

While taking his recruits on a wilderness hike, Hocus finds a huge Hydra Egg and brings it back to the Academy to hatch it. When the egg cracks, Hocus asks Inertia to cook "whatever hydras eat". The creature loves Inertia's food so much that in a few hours' time, it has grown to a quite respectable size.

Our gladiators are devastated. False rumors invented by Gluteus have been spread by the journalists in Rome, and now everybody believes that Fracas is married to an ugly woman and has three stinking kids, that Hocus beats up the animals, that Rumpus hates children and that Arena is a man disguised.

A retired gladiator appears in Cornucopia claiming that he and Deviatus Septum signed a contract which said that the youngest son of Deviatus would marry the gladiator's daughter.

Cadius brings a gift from Emperor Gluteus for the Academy: a beautiful unicorn. After suffering his bad temper, they decide that Hocus should take care of him and train him for the Games. The unicorn seems to be angry and refuses to talk to him or to the rest of animals.

While Cadius is visiting Rome, the Emperor explains that rumor has spread that a kid rules Cornucopia. He is so ashamed that he intends to have Cornucopia removed from his Empire once and for all! And to do the job he has built a fleet of gigantic towing ships powered by thousands of strong-armed, slave rowers.

Since he cannot have the best gladiator games in the Empire, Gluteus decides to ban them, and sends an Inspector to Cornucopia to enforce the new law. Without their favorite entertainment, Cornucopians become bored and depressed.

Sinus and Co. realize that the Café and the streets of Cornucopia are suddenly crowded. Also, all kinds of thefts are starting to be denounced for the first time in the island, even gladiator helmets and weapons start to disappear from the academy each time their owners turn their backs.

Comodus' fake slaves complain that, as long as Ludicrus works for free, their boss will never grant them fair working conditions. They want Cadius to free him, but he explains that it is impossible, for he is a present from Gluteus, a reward for his gladiatorial merits. Comodus' false slaves do not believe him and secretly pour a truth-serum in his fruit juice.

While playing tennis at Mount Olympus, the small meteorite Romulus and Remus are using as a tennisball flies all the way down to the Earth, and lands in Cornucopia in the form of a strange looking asteroid that destroys half the Coliseum.

During a gladiator training session on a beach, Metalvitus once again is torn to pieces and his head is kicked like a football by a recruit. It falls in the sea so Hocus rapidly dives to fetch it. When he comes ashore, he tells the gladiators that Neptune has picked it up with his trident, and won't give it back.

After once again bashing something she shouldn't with her club, little Minima, our midget Cyclops, begins to think she is out of place at the academy. At the same time, Cadius, sailing back from Rome, is attacked by ten foot tall Cyclops pirates, guided by a shorter and sinister looking Captain who is the only one who speaks human language.

Ever confident, ever vain Fracas loses his very first battle when his over-polished shield reflects sunlight into the eyes of his fellow gladiators, temporarily blinding them and allowing the Emperor's invaders to come up victorious.

The stunningly beautiful manager of a foreign Gladiator team arrives at Cornucopia to organize a combat against Fracas & Co. Gladis realizes that her incredible beauty is enough to melt everybody's reserves, and that the conditions signed are too favorable for the foreign team. Sinus has even agreed to hand over the Academy if they lose.

Chaos reigns at the Gladiator Café. Inertia is ill and the hungry and thirsty guests are protesting about not being attended. Inertia tries to find a temporary substitute, but every girl in town happens to be busy with something right now.

There is no full-grown lion left in the whole Empire, except for one! - After having another argument with the gladiators about him being a lion, not a human being, a sad Fang goes for a walk through the forest and ends up caught by Gluteus' hunters who ship him to Rome to participate in the games.

It takes our gladiator heroes a while to find out why the air in Cornucopia suddenly turned freezing cold. Mars had to take over the weather control while his fellow God (of the weather) went on a holiday, and obviously he doesn't quite know what to do!