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Writer-artist Frank Miller and colorist Lynn Varley retell the battle of Thermopylae in the exciting and moving graphic novel 300. They focus on King Leonidas, the young foot soldier Stelios, and the storyteller Dilios to highlight the Spartans' awe-inspiring toughness and valor. Miller and Varley's art is terrific, as always; the combat scenes are especially powerful. And Miller's writing is his best in years. Read it.
Do not, however, read 300 expecting a strictly accurate history. The Phocians did not "scatter," as Miller describes. His Spartans are mildly homophobic, which is goofy in such a gay society. Miller doesn't say how many Greeks remained for the climactic battle--you'd think 300 Spartans and maybe a dozen others, when there were between 700 and 1,100 Greeks. Herodotus's Histories does not identify the traitor Ephialtes as ugly and hunchbacked, or even as Spartan. 300 establishes a believable connection between Ephialtes's affliction and behavior, but his monstrous appearance, King Xerxes's effeminacy, and the Persians' inexplicable pierced-GenX-African looks make for an eyebrow-raising choice of villain imagery. Nonetheless, 300 is a brilliant dramatization.
For the full story of the failed invasion, read Herodotus's Histories or, for a concise, graphic-novel retelling, Larry Gonick's great Cartoon History of the Universe: Volumes 1-7, From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great. For a lighthearted look at post-invasion Athens and a very young Alexander the Great, check out William Messner-Loebs and Sam Kieth's witty and gorgeous graphic novels, Epicurus the Sage Vol. I and Vol. II. --Cynthia Ward
| AUTHOR: | Frank Miller, Lynn Varley |
| CATEGORY: | Book |
| MANUFACTURER: | Dark Horse |
| ISBN: | 1569714029 |
| TYPE: | Fiction, General, Graphic Novels - General, Historical - General, History - General History, Fiction, Graphic Novels, General |
| MEDIA: | Hardcover |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
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Customer Reviews of 300
Almost Perfect This sounded like an awesome idea, Frank Miller's graphic genius takes on the tale of the battle at Thermopylae in 480 B.C., when 300 Spartans met the armies of Persia at a small pass and held them long enough for Greece to mobilize. Be warned however, that while Miller has retained the bare bones of the story, he's recast it in his standard good vs. evil method which oversimplifies both sides in the battle. Indeed, the battle is presented as the climax of the Grecian general's destiny rather than part of a long-running struggle. This is a story about the Spartans and the honor, glory, etc. and not a simple history-as-comic. The Persians are portrayed as exotic barbarians seeking to lay waste to advanced civilization and the rule of law. This is a very stylized vision of the Greco-Persian conflict, and Miller's Persians certainly don't bear any resemblance to the historical Persians. At times, the internal logic doesn't really hold up either, as when the Greek king violates the accepted "rules of war" and kills the initial Persian messengers and then go on to wax poetic about the primacy of law. While a bit problematic in that sense, Miller's visuals are awesome as usual--especially in this coffee-table book format. The panels are beautiful, brilliantly colored in dark tones and lots and lots of blood. It'd be neat to see Miller take a stab at some Persian mythology from the Shahnameh (Book of Kings).
Heroes of Old Come Alive in the Rousing Tale of the "300"
When you've conquered the comics medium with gritty, film noirish tales as Frank Miller has done time and time again, what project could you undertake which would simultaneously shock and thrill your audience?
How about a Classics Illustrated-style retelling of a little-known episode in ancient history?
In retrospect, using the comic form to tell the story of Leonidas and his 300 Spartan's stand against Xerxes and his Persian hordes is an absolutely brilliant idea, but for the life of me I do not know how Miller managed to pitch this to the corporate suits and get them to put it out in an oversized hardcover edition to boot. Anyone want a coffee table book filled with blood and gore? Put your hand down, Hannibal Lecter.
"300" is an absolutely stunning recounting of the heroism of the ancient Spartans as they stood and fell before the might of the largest armed force on the planet. Fans of Xenophon and Thucydides will instantly recognize the ancient Greece depicted herein; the furious discipline of the bristling phalanx, the oppressive heat of the campaign, the rhythmic thud of the marching battalions. Leonidas gleams like the hero-kings of old always do in our imagination, noble and cruel. This simple tale of how one man refused to allow the glory of Greece to fade before a barbarous horde is punctuated by breathtaking battle scenes, glorious heroism, and base treachery. This is truly the power of the comic book medium, a power well-remembered by those of us who dropped the melodrama and tissue paper plots of the X-clones long ago.
Bravo, Mr. Miller, and thanks for recalling us to a nobler, bolder, though hardly more savage age. Get this book now, and your coffee table be damned.
Machismo Par Excellance
It never cease to amaze me how awesome Frank Miller is as BOTH artist and storyteller. If you have had the pleasure of enjoying his earlier works, and honestly what comic book aficionado have not, this is a must have.
If you seek a compelling story about unrelenting bravery and honour, this is definately also a book for you. In so many ways, 300 is a refreshing forray into traditional macho virtues and values, something rarely expressed in a sensible way in today's society.
So for all the big boys out there, get 300, kick back in your favourite comfy chair and gush with delight as King Leonidas does the unthinkable at Thermopylæ.