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.

For three days, the Spartans stood against Xerxes until a betrayal lead to their downfall. This is manly, hot-blooded stuff here. I cannot think of any other artist who could do it justice.

Frank Miller was made for manly, hot-blooded stuff. His art style, used to perfection in "300," is all about strength and weight. The Spartans are carved from the rocky terrain of Greece. Heavy outlines and squared corners add to the effect. The costume designs are symbolic rather than historic, and each heavy cape and bronze sword is used to full effect. Lynn Varley's colors are at the top of her game.

This is a work of art, but it isn't pretty.

Story wise, Miller has done a clever job of adapting this historical event into a reasonably short comic. Along with the necessary bravado and familiar Spartan quotations ("Return with your shields, or on them!"), he has breathed life and an certain sensitivity into Leonidas and Xerxes. This mix of story and art is all that is good about comics.

This edition, in particular, showcases Miller's art and story. The oversized hardcover with high print quality puts the pages in your face. Varley's colors are vibrant. A very worthy purchase.


Heroes of Old Come Alive in the Rousing Tale of the "300"   April 28, 2000
 116 out of 137 found this review helpful

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.


The review of a history teacher   November 14, 2006
 24 out of 25 found this review helpful

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.


Herodotus meets Sin City and gets whacked.   September 22, 2006
 22 out of 45 found this review helpful

I was hoping that Miller would turn his talents from the dark side and we would see how well he could reproduce a Classical Epic. What we get is a blood splattered "300 Lacedaimons in the Hood". The Spartans are presented to be a buch of Homo erotic Rastafarians. The Persians rather than the Noble Middle Eastern Autocrats presented in their Art are drawn by Miller to resemble African American Gangstas with piercings and Skin art everywhere. I was looking for Xerxes to have a grill and whitewalls on his chariot.

If you were into "Sin City", you will love this mishmashed version of the Classical Tale of bravery and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds.


Children's picture books are NOT novels.   January 22, 2007
 22 out of 112 found this review helpful

The emergence of so-called "graphic novels" is puzzling. To me this is a pathetic attempt by half-witted adults to legitimize reading comic books. "No no, I'm not reading a comic book; it's a GRAPHIC NOVEL!" Please! Where is the story here? The true tale of this battle is exceptional. This picture book, however, doesn't convey that or anything else for that matter. In the ten minutes it takes to read this garbage, you get no feeling of the battle's scale or the emotions (desperation, pride, honor, fear) that should be inherent in any telling of this tale. I felt no more connection with the Spartans than I did with the Persians. The characters had no dimension. The dialogue is childish and awkward. Worse still, the art work is lousy. You can't tell what's happening in half the pictures. If you want a grand telling, an ADULT telling of this conflict, read Gates of Fire. But be forewarned, it's filled with lots of pesky words, the kind that make the "writer" of 300 cringe and hide behind his Captain America shield.