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300 :: 1569714029
Description
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| 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. Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
Reviews
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Author: Guest
Thermopylae is one of my favorite things to teach about in my world history class so this was of particular interest to me.
Miller takes some liberties with history in this book, such as the homophobia of the Spartans and the ethnicity of the Persian emperor. But, he gets the heart of the story correctly. Thermopylae was one of those "turning points in history" battles - not for the events of the 3 days of the battle itself but rather for the time it gave the rest of Greece to prepare (and evacuate, in the case of Athens) and for the inspiration it provided (Think about Texas and the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" and you get the idea).
A more accurate portrayal of the battle in a piece of fiction would be found in Pressfield's "Gates of Fire". However, as a piece of art and as a simple introduction to the Spartans and to the battle, this book is quite good.
As a history teacher I am constantly referring to movies and books that got the story wrong in ancient history (Disney's "Hercules", "Gladiator", "Ben-Hur" to name a few) in order to reinforce a more correct version of history. This book would be an excellent starting point to whet the appetite of a beginning history student. For that reason, I'll go see the movie when it comes out in March.
I give this one an "A" despite the historical errors. That grade comes with the caveat that further reading is recommended.
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Author: Guest
I bought this book because I'm a huge fan of Miller's artwork and style. If you're the same, you'll enjoy the cinematic feel and visceral battles that are influencing the upcoming feature film of the same title. Unfortunately the story's interpretation is far too masculine and juvenile like a 14 year old boy wrote it, much like other books Miller has done. Way too much macho crap. I understand they're soldiers and this is a war book but how tough spartans are doesn't need to be constantly reinforced. I got it the first time. So this made the characters flat to me. I didn't care about anyone. Xerxes turned into the hero by wiping these jerks out.
For me, story is paramount and art comes second. If you're a 14 year old male, you'll think 300 is awesome. Otherwise, so-so.
jon
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Author: Guest
I realy love this graphic novell/comic, The illustrations are beautuful in all ther gory glory, and the story about the brave spartans is quite captivating and inspiering. I still got this baby on my coffe table months after i bought it.
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Author: Guest
I normally am not into graphic novels that much, but this one is truly a great re-telling of one of the most heroic deeds in human history, the stand of Leonidas and his Greeks at Thermopylae. What makes it special is that it is quite a metaphor for this day and age with the current war we find ourselves in and that is what is sometimes referred as the eternal choice of men: to submit to slavery or to resist, a choice as clear today as it was back then.
Now, bear in mind, that all the graphic novel does is that it tells a story. For anyone expecting a strict intrepretation of the exact events from a historical prespective will be quite dissappointed, for it only uses a historical event to tell a story, just like the 70's gang movie "the Warriors" tells the story of Xenophon and his 10,000 Greeks in their famous March to the Sea set in a different time and place. They tell an inspiring story of courage and preserverance in the face of insurmountable odds. There are a few details inaccurate, such as the public standing of the messenger dispatched by Leonidas shortly before the end; Dilios, the messenger in the graphic novel is shown deferred with great respect, telling the story to other Spartans just before the Battle of Platea while two of the actual messengers, Astrodemos and Pantites, were scorned as cowards under comparison to the third messenger, Eurytos, who disobeyed his orders and returned to Thermopylae to die with the rest. But, on the plus side for us history buffs and students of military science and leadership the story does a great job in the telling from the view of Leonidas and insight into his decisions.
Overall, if you want a strict historical intrepetation of Thermopylae, I would advise the reader that he would be a lot better off going to such work as "the Gates of Fire" for a more accurate telling, the Osprey Men at War, Elite, and Essential Histories books for overviews on events and illustrations and recountings of the individual Greek Hoplites and Persian Immortals and soliders, and the Department of the Army's recommended reading list for even better works and accounts. For those who just wish for an inspiring story, you will not be dissappointed.
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Author: Guest
I'm not a johnny come lately to the works of Frank Miller. Many reviewers seem to only be aware of him through Sin City, which in some ways is his least important work. I'm also not a specialist in Greek history, so I'm not concerned whether or not the Greeks really wore mustaches or not.
This is among Millers best work especially in terms of the art, its almost a revolution on top of all of Millers other artistic revolutions of which there must be at least4 ( Daredevil, Dark Knight 1 and 2, Sin City). This is unmistakeably Miller, but still somehow new. The story and especially its message however, leaves much to be desired. Throughout his career Miller has never missed an opportunity to depict black people as either idiots or sadists, white superiority is one of the most predominant,important, and ignored messages running through nealrly all of his works, including this one. His eurocentrism is simply a pandering to his predominatley white male audience, but it also seems to be what he actually beleives.I'm quite sure that Miller looks for, especially black artists of his caliber, doesn't find any and uses this to justify his imagery.
The conclusion of this book is that Greek culture equals freedom, democracy, and progress, and that easter(non-european) culture leads to bondage and despotism. Few readers will challenge him on this since few readers disagree. The lack of commentary on this most insidious and inaccurate of conclusions is a testament to this country's arrogance conceit and absolute lack of historical perspective.
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