Customer Reviews

Age of Bronze, Vol. 3: Betrayal, Part 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Artist and author Eric Shanower retells the story of the Trojan War in his unique graphic novel series "The Age Of Bronze". Shanower's opus is laid out incorporating the perspectives of both the Greeks and the Trojans. His artwork is visually detailed. His attention to accuracy in historical detail and minutia is truly impressive. His ability to make these historic characters speak in a modern linguistic style but still remain absolutely believable to the reader is the mark of a master storyteller. Complex, definitive, and memorable, Shanower is able to perfectly capture the basic drives, emotions, ambitions, loves, obsessions, jealousies, hardships, and human frailties of all the men and women, from bit players to center stage stars of one of the most popular sagas in all of human literature. As informed and informative as it is engaging and entertaining, "Age Of Bronze: Betrayal, Part One" is the first hardcover volume in this outstanding series and is enthusiastically recommended for school and community library collections, as well as the personal reading lists of history buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in this ancient history and the enduring recognizability of the human condition.

This volume as good as the first two. I will continue to purchase the future volumes as they become available. Keep them coming Eric.

Age of Bronze is probably one of the best things to ever hit the comics market. The sheer amount of work Shanower puts into this book shines through in his characters, artwork, and story. This book takes a long time to absorb. Each panel is worthy of study and scrutiny and pulls the reader into the era of ancient Troy and Greece. In Volume 3, we don't get quite as much action as seen previously, but we get an intense look in to how these people lived and the true reasoning and politics behind what could have caused the Trojan War. Throughout all that, Shanower still manages to keep the myth of the woman who launched a thousand ships in tact. Shanower may cause some controversy with some of his interpretations of certain characters, but no one can fault his level of detail and research. These are books to treasure always.

In this third volume of Eric Shanower's majestic comicbook adaptation of the Trojan War epic, the armies of Troy and Achea are girding themselves for battle, and although a prophecy has told them it will be a ten-year war, no one knows yet just how gruesome and difficult it will ultimately become.

Anyone who has read the original epic as part of a Western Civ class will recognize the detail-heavy, oddly actionless tone of this particular volume -- the classic, mythic stories of Ajax, Hector and Achilles are largely absent here (although they are each part of the giant cast of characters). The main event is a peace delegation that does to Troy, with Paris and Helen mocking the heartbroken Menelaus, and Odysseus promising a rain of destruction upon Troy as a result. He was right, but we'll have to wait until the next few volumes to see it happen. Despite the relative tedium in this particular volume, Shanower does an amazing job bringing this ancient history to life, and making these dozens of dimly remembered, half-mythical characters stand out as real human beings, filled with a mix of nobility and venality.

Once again, any student tackling this material should be overjoyed to come across this adaptation -- it can do wonders to cut through the often obscure, often repetitive, sometimes tedious prose of original text, in its various translations. You can really "get" what's going on with the story in this version. Plus, he draws a pretty dishy Helen. Recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This book is the third in a series by author and illustrator Eric Shanower. This series combines the Classic stories surrounding the Trojan War with modern archaeology, and uses a graphic novel format to bring those ancient stories to life. Everyone is here: Ajax, Paris, Odysseus, Menelaus, and (of course) the radiant Helen. This book begins with the Greek fleet's attack on the island of Tenedos, and follows through the Greek embassy sent to demand satisfaction from Troy.

This is a wonderful graphic novel, one that really brings the old stories to life, and puts them together to form a complete and logical whole. I really liked the way the author used our present knowledge of ancient architecture and clothing to make the stories seem so realistic.

Now, I don't recommend this graphic novel for younger or more sensitive readers. If you are familiar with the Classical stories, you know that such topics as rape, incest, and homosexuality are an integral part of the story. As such, any book that deals with these stories *must* deal with these topics.

But, even with that in mind, I must say that this is an excellent book. If you are a fan of the ancient Greek and Roman stories, and would like to see them in a modern format, then this is the book for you. I am very glad that I read this book, and can't wait for the next one to come out!

Was just reading Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature where Auberech discusses how characters remain static in Greek epics because their personalities are presented at the beginning and their only role thereafter consists in reinforcing that personality. One of the adjustments in reading these epic tales is the ways in which the characters work like notes in a song rather than fleshed out personalities. Achilles is selfish but loves Patroclus. Agamemnon is foolish. Odysseus is wily. These are the ways the characters are presented and these character types need to be maintained throughout.

However, writing about the Trojan War in a modern perspective takes a special skill since as 21st century readers, we expect some moral ambiguity, posturing and contradictory actions. So Achilles and Odysseus can go through changes as they adapt to their surroundings. Even if these are the illusion of changes, they still must fool us. Achilles can be head strong but not as head strong as he becomes once the story begins.

The heart of this volume is the character of Helen trying to figure out if she loves Paris enough to risk an entire city. Paris and Helen are both some of the most horrible characters in the history of Western literature and making them sympathetic is a hard job for even someone of Shanower's talent. She is also the kind of beauty who enjoys the attention even as she fails to realize that it's a fluke instead of her due. Paris and Helen make up a spoiled pair of lovers who posture and expect others to respect them even as they barely admit that they are round.

Besides that, the artwork is tight and nervous. You can feel the tension throughout the storyline as every character wants to make the right decision but is led inextricably toward the conflict that would destroy both their civilizations.

Never did I think this series could be so good. I would put Age of Bronze with the very best comics ever made...Watchmen, Dark Knight, Sandman, it really is that good. I hope it gets the attention and recognition it deserves.

This is one of a series of illustrated books of the circumstances around the Trojan War. The research behind the story and the illustrations is first rate. The presentation is entertaining and gripping.

This is the third book in Eric Shanower's projected seven volume series about the Trojan War. It is very well written and beautifully illustrated. A very dramatic story which fans of mythology will enjoy.