300

Average customer rating: 4.0

Gorgeous art work and a classic story
just like the movie
Miller Time
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The battle of 300

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300
Frank Miller , and Lynn Varley
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Product Group: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1569714029

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Book 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.

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

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous art work and a classic story.......2007-06-08

Okay, I'll admit I got this after seeing the movie (which I loved). I've never really gotten into graffic novels but maybe I should since i enjoyed this book so much. The movie really was very faithful to the book's visuals. The artwork is great!

just like the movie.......2007-06-06

if you liked the movie youll LOVE this book. the paintings are great and the story is cool. moves a little slow in parts....

Miller Time.......2007-06-02

Frank Miller never fails to disappoint. This telling of the grand Battle of Thermopalae (I know I mispelled that) is filled with everything that makes his work so great. 300 Spartans against insurmountable odds yet manage to find a victory that resonates throughout all time. Is it silly and over the top? Yes. Is it politically charged and biasd? Yes. Is it equally appicable to current events? Yes. Does it still manage to resonate themes that all humanity should appreciate and embrace? Yes. Is it a form of literature? Hell yes. Miller demonstrates exactly how words and pictures in unison can tell a tale worthy of any homeric epic. Highly recommended.

Amazon is best.......2007-06-02

I'm very happy to the service received by Amazon related to the purchase that I did. The book that I purchased it's shipped on time and without any defects. In my opinion just a little bit expensive the transportation cost.

The battle of 300.......2007-06-01

The legendary Battle of Thermopylae is one of the greatest battles in history, but somehow it seems like an odd choice for a comic book.

But Frank Miller, who was enamoured of the story even as a kid, brought it to vibrant life in the sprawling graphic novel "300," which is all about what caused the battle, and how it ended. With a tightly wound plot and colourful, striking artwork, this is perhaps the most impressive dramatization of this battle... except for the movie based on this book.

A Persian messenger arrives, telling King Leonidas that the god-king Xerxes wants the Spartans to bow to him. Leonidas' response: shove the Persians into a pit. But before he can go to war, he must consult the corrupt priesthood of Ephors and their beautiful Oracle. She predicts that Sparta will fall and the gods forbid war at the approach of the Carneaian festival -- courtesy of a hefty bribe from the Persians.

So Leonidas takes out three hundred of his best men, along with their nervy Arcadian allies, and begin trouncing the Persians. But they are being sabotaged, when he sadly tells hunchbacked outcast Ephialtes that he cannot be a part of the Spartan army because he cannot lift his shield high enough. So the embittered Ephialtes reveals their plan to Xerxes, as Leonides prepares the 300 for their final stand -- a battle that lasted days, and left only one alive.

Not a lot of comic books tackle ancient Grecian culture, and even fewer could bring it to life. But Frank Miller's enthusiasm for the Thermopylae story is what makes it come to life -- he crafts a taut, sparely-written storyline, sprinkled with ethereal moments and some grotesque bad guys.

Miller's art is reminiscent of the "Sin City" series, with grotesque old wrecks, muscular men and the occasional seminaked woman. Even more so, he shows graphic battle scenes, full of shattered bloodied bodies and severed limbs, and even adds in some great variety by introducing Xerxes' Immortals, which are silver-masked uberwarriors. Creepy.

But Miller doesn't neglect the storyline. He explores the maneuvers and problems in detail, and even adds both hatred and pathos for Ephialtes. And when they aren't fighting, he explores the way the soldiers lived and thought -- teasing, telling stories, making fun of the Athenians, and even on their injuries ("It's just an eye. The gods saw fit to grace me with a spare").

And Leonides is one of Miller's greatest characters. He's a tough, potentially vicious king who (as Miller shows us) killed a giant wolf as a kid, but he's also honorable, impressive, and even shows kindness to Ephialtes (who, by Spartan law, should be dead). And Miller gives personality to various other characters, including a clumsy young soldier, the arrogant Xerxes (who has the nastiest body piercings), and the only
Spartan to survive.

"300" is an epic story, full of graphic batles and larger than life characters. This battle may be an unlikely choice for a comic book, but it's also one of the most memorable.

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