Amazon.com: An emperor amasses an army of hundreds of thousands, drawn from two continents, to invade a third continent and conquer a tiny, divided nation. Only a few hundred warriors stand against them. Yet the tiny nation is saved. It sounds like the plot of a preposterous fantasy novel. It is historical fact. In 481-480 B.C., King Xerxes of Persia raised forces in Asia and Africa and invaded Greece with an army so huge that it "drank rivers dry." Then they entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae and encountered 300 determined soldiers from Sparta....
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
Product Description: 300 is a story of war and defiance as only Frank Miller can tell. Featuring the watercolor talents of painter Lynn Varley, 300 marks the first collaboration for these two creators since 1990's Elektra Lives Again. The five-part series is collected into a beautiful, 88-page hardcover volume, with each two-page spread from the comic presented as it was originally intended - as a single undivided page, greatly enhancing the graphic and narrative power of this immortal tale of heroic sacrifice. Make sure to check out the online preview of 300 here. And watch for news of this soon to be made major motion picture.
"Into hell's mouth we march..." Although the differences are sometimes difficult to articulate, there really IS a distinction between a comic and a graphic novel. Frank Miller's 300 falls squarely in the former category. As in all comics (here's one of those differences), the plot is simple and the message is straightforward. Miller is intent on depicting and applauding the heroics of military sacrifice exemplified in the stand of Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, the "hot gateway." His narrative and dialogue are minimalistic and punch home a few key words: "honor," "justice," "law," "strength," "courage." So far as I can tell, there are only three women in the entire story--Leonidas' wife, an oracle, and a slave girl in the market place--and their presence is fleeting and inessential. The story is relentlessly masculine and a glorification of the masculine art of war.
Morally disconcerting as the butchery depicted by Frank Miller is, there really is something stirring about his re-telling of the Themopylae story. Clearly both the story of courageous sacrifice and his rendering of it touch deep responsive chords. Miller's artwork is superb, impressionistic and subtle at times, hard-lined and deliberately brutal at others. The observant eye can discover visual tricks--drawn connotations, as it were--that enhance the story. Just one marvelous example: at one point, Leonidas consults the ephors, corrupt priests of the "old gods" who demand gold for their advice. The ephors keep young maidens as oracles, and the clear implication is that they sexually abuse them. In painting the maiden oracle, Miller has scattered fingerprints across her body--actual ones, from the looks of them--which are so skillfully worked into the overall composition that one doesn't immediately see them for what they are. Brilliant!
Highly recommended.
Great entertainment... I bought this book because I really liked the movie. I bought it for the entertainment value, and not the historical lesson. I think that in this day and age, if you are looking to Hollywood for a historical lesson, you are totally wasting your time and money. Real history rarely makes good entertainment. The artwork and coloring is off the charts as far as detail. The movie and the book are almost identical. The movie had a few scenes in it that weren't in the book, but they probably did that so they could have a full length movie. The book isn't really that long. It takes about 45 minutes to read cover to cover. The dialog in the book and the movie are nearly identical as well. I am very happy with my purchase and will definetly buy more of Frank Miller's work.
You Have to Know What You're Getting Into I've read reviews in here of people complaining that the graphic novel isn't representative of the movie. Of course not! The graphic novel came first! Anyone intersted in Frank Miller artwork would love adding this to their collection.
300 This is one of the best comics I have ever read, it is very awesome, and possibly even better than the movie.
Very pleased customer I am very happy with this product, arrived SUPER fast and was as promised, doesn't get much better!
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