300: Frank Miller, Lynn Varley: 8601400559048: Amazon.com: Books

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300 Hardcover – December 15, 1999

by Frank Miller (Author), Lynn Varley (Author)

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The armies of Persia—a vast horde greater than any the world has ever known—are poised to crush Greece, an island of reason and freedom in a sea of madness and tyranny. Standing between Greece and this tidal wave of destruction are a tiny detachment of but three hundred warriors. Frank Miller's epic retelling of history's supreme moment of battlefield valor is finally collected in its intended format—each two-page spread from the original comics is presented as a single undivided page.

Print length

88 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dark Horse Books
Publication date

December 15, 1999
Dimensions

13.06 x 0.48 x 10.11 inches
ISBN-10

1569714029
ISBN-13

978-1569714027
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

From Publishers Weekly

The Battle of Thermopylae ranks as one of the ancient world's most important events, where Spartan King Leonidas and his 300-man bodyguard met the massive army of Emperor Xerxes of Persia, who intended to add Greece to his empire. To no one's surprise, the Spartans were destroyed. While the battle bought the Greeks enough time to defeat the mighty Persians, it was more important for the metaphor it created: occasionally one has to lose to win. This is clearly the inspiration behind Miller's attempt to place this epic tale in the context of a graphic novel. A renowned comics artist and writer known for hard-boiled stories of almost operatic intensity and stylishly overwrought violence, Miller (Sin City) injects his own brand of graphic sensationalism into this ancient tale of national survival. Miller clearly isn't as interested in being a historian as he is in telling a story, but his portrayal of the ancient world is compelling. His drawings of the bearded Leonidas are pensive and starkly imperial. The Persian King Xerxes is represented as majestically African, his body covered in a gaudy and bejeweled network of meticulously rendered chains and bracelets. Form and content are ideally wedded: Miller's writing is stark, his drawings moody and dramatic, and intensified by Varley's grimly appropriate palette of earth and blood. The reader can see and feel the harshness of both the Grecian landscape and Sparta's battle-worshipping culture, as Miller presents the complex historical moment facing the 300. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Horse Books; Gph edition (December 15, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 88 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1569714029
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1569714027
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.92 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.06 x 0.48 x 10.11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #82,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #153 in Historical & Biographical Fiction Graphic Novels
- #357 in Dark Horse Comics & Graphic Novels
- #795 in Media Tie-In Graphic Novels

Customer Reviews:
952 ratings

About the authors

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Frank Miller
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Frank Miller is one of the seminal creative talents who sparked the current gigantic sub-industry of motion pictures featuring comic book- initiated product. A sub-industry which had become a super-industry. This most profitable aspect of this millennium’s film production, now producing an annual flow of box office profits in the Billions of dollars, was launched when Frank Miller’s graphic novel re-take on the classic comic book hero, Batman, resulted in an entertainment industry-wide reconsideration of the genre in the deeper and darker vision Miller brought to it.
Miller re-defined the presentation of comic book characters and heroic fiction with his grand-daddy of graphic novels, “The Dark Knight.” This revolutionary work
not only kicked off the series of Batman films based on his redefinition, but a craze for such material that has thrown dozens of such heroes into multiple film franchise heaven. Certainly chief among these has been Miller’s uniquely classical take on superheroic narrative, “300,” and his “Sin City” books, each of which entered motion pictures with historic successes, and each now in Miller's creative phase of achieving its highly-anticipated sequel. Miller’s co-direction of “Sin City” has made him one of the hottest
directors… as well as a guiding creative force…for the new genre. Or one might say “super genre.”
Miller's latest graphic novel, Holy Terror, is his first original graphic novel in ten years. Join The Fixer, a brand new, hard-edged hero as he battles terror in the inaugural release from Legendary Comics.
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Lynn Varley
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Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
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Customer reviews

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Top reviews from the United States

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Just like the 70's movie "the Warriors"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 29, 2006

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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. And then there is the little detail in which the editorial review is wrong....there was nothing goofy about the "homophobic attitude in an openly gay society" that is protrayed most notably with Leonidas' use of the term "boy lovers" as a term of derision against the Athenians as that practice was looked down on in Sparta. The difference between the use of the word "lover" between Athens and Sparta is that in Athens and the other Greek City-States the use of the word was literal. In Sparta, their concept of a "lover" is the concept that is still in practice by our own Armed Forces, except we call it a mentor: a more senior officer or NCO who acts as a companion and friend to a junior in order to guide his training and professional development.

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.

6 people found this helpful

Ryan Douglas Lee

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 17, 2022

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The movie is one of the closest shot by shot recreations of a graphic novel I have seen and I love it. Even though that is the case, the graphic novel is superior in all ways.

If you read any graphic novel, read this…

Amazon Customer

Don't wait for the movie!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2022

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Well researched, well illustrated tale of ancient Greek derring-do during perhaps the greatest single battle on land in all of the history of western civilization. It's a little shy on textual complexity, but made up with incredibly brilliant and revealing illustrations that fulfill and complete this utterly astounding event in pre-Roman military civilization that yielded such enduring imitation of the Spartan military method that continues in the finest militaries across the planet today. A must read! Entertaining and certainly so informative no matter what the length of attention span of the reader.

One person found this helpful

Frank Miller deserves a seat in Olympus as the god of sequential art

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2007

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As a collection of the original comics, 300 is much better read in one sitting than reading the individual comics on a monthly schedule (which is what I did eight years ago). This book first achieved phenomenal success after its release as a single graphic novel (or hardcover trade, or whatever, I'm not going to argue terminology here) simply because after one issue you become so restless you just have to read the next one. That's why I enjoyed it much more in its current format; collecting the issues was a chore because Miller makes it so compulsively readable and the interim between issues killed me. The art is breathtaking, the writing appropriate, and the coloring by Liz Varley is brilliantly done. A lot of criticism has been directed toward this hardcover, chief among these being the fact that it is not historically accurate and that it is an excercise in racism while simultaneously objectifying women. Since I loved this comic, I respectfully disagree with all these arguments. Just look at the characterization of the Spartan Queen, done in only a handful of panels, which show that Miller did devote time and thought to what kind of people Spartan women were to survive in such a warlike society. This book is about soldiers, above all else, and during that time soldiers were men who protected their families at the cost of their own lives. The slave-oracle of the Ephors is a device Miller uses to highlight the lecherous and corrupt natures of these so-called holy men, but it is not intended to objectify women (and I meant no offense by calling the girl a 'device.') Miller definitely did not plan to espouse any racist views either; he simply conceived a cosmopolitan Persian army consisting of dozens of conquered nations and hundreds of tribes as a disorganized force unable to match the dicipline of the Spartans who received identical training in war. Authorial intent is what we must consider when reading 300 which uses Greece in 480 B.C as its setting, so it is not meant to comment on current issues in society, but issues that, according to historical speculation, were common at the time. I enjoyed this book because I was looking for a beautifully-drawn, action packed read, and this is exactly what I found. Recommended to all Frank Miller fans and artists starting out in the comics medium.

10 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 12, 2022

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It was shipped fast and was wrapped and packed with care. Literally like brand new! Glad I chose this seller. I am very happy. Goes great with my neca collectors King Leonidas. Thanks!!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 20, 2022

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A quick read. Good fun. Nothing amazing but fun nonetheless. I would recommend this to anyone entering the graphic novel scene.

Top reviews from other countries

S P Mead

a first rate graphic novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 12, 2016

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I bought this item after having seen the film adaptation (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and I think it's a terrific graphic novel. It depicts the story of the Battle of Thermopylae (480BC), between a few hundred Spartans - led by King Leonidas - and the mighty Persian army, commanded by King Xerxes. The style is hyperbolic - yet glorious! It's a highly violent adventure, in which a few highly trained warriors (fighting for the freedom of Greece) take on a gigantic army of poorly trained slaves (as well as the Persian elite forces, known as 'the Immortals'). While the Spartans lost this battle, they ensure that the foundations are laid for the ultimate winning of the war ...

Frank Miller tells this story brilliantly, and the artwork by Lynn Varley is excellent (with each illustration spread over a double page). This was originally published as a 5 issue comic book mini-series in 1998. It's here presented as a single graphic novel, in hardback. It's unfortunate that you don't get any sort of introduction, nor any concept art. But it is a wonderful book - intended for adults. If you enjoyed the film, you'll probably like this graphic novel.

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10 people found this helpful

J. McDonald

300.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 28, 2019

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Although I had been a fan of Frank Miller's work through his legendary Batman, Daredevil and Sin City graphic outings, I wasn't aware of this until the film version came out.

Gerard Butler's shouty performance as King Leonidas aside, it's a good film, but this fine graphic novel was the basis for it and it's nothing short of a masterpiece in modern storytelling of an age-old military action.
Many of us would have learned of this in school from rather dusty text books; a few may have seen the equally dusty B movie from 1962; Miller's piece gives a visually dynamic and succinct spin to the Battle of Thermopylae for a modern readership.
The movie, more than the graphic novel opened a can of worms politically; it may not be completely historically accurate, but it's a masterful example of the power a well-realised graphic novel can have in relaying a hoary old tale and breathing life into an event that is otherwise the preserve of militarists and historians.

A brilliant piece of work worth tracking down if you've seen the film or have an interest in learning how to use the medium of the graphic novel with imagination and creativity.

One person found this helpful

dmcnabb

Beautiful Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 25, 2014

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I purchased this book for my husband as a gift. My husband loves the film 300. We normally watch it at least once a month. I think that visually 300 is beautiful and the story is a very simple but detailed story about King Leonidas and his 300 spartans. This book is very much like a comic book in terms of layout and illustrations. The illustrations, I feel are very detailed and more detailed than your average comic book. The closest I've seen in comics in terms of illustration is in The Walking Dead, but even that I feel is not as detailed as this book is. The big is a bit bigger than A4, more long than it is tall, and it is pretty much exactly as the film goes. There are certain scenes in the film that are exactly as they are in this book. If you love 300, its a different little thing to have. If you love comics this would go well in a comic collection. I wouldn't recommend having it within easy reach of young children - my 6 year old opened the book and closed it pretty quickly! It is very graphic, but so is the film!

3 people found this helpful

I. Watson

Remember the Spartans

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2013

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This is an excellent graphic novel about the last stand of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors who held back the Persian armies of Xerxes at Thermopylae. Zack Snyder's powerful movie, 300, faithfully follows this graphic treatment of the story. I bought the Kindle edition of the book and using the Kindle app on a full size tablet, such as the iPad, brings the graphics to life in full colour, where each panel can be expanded to see the gory detail. The battle in 480BC proved to be a turning point in the history of Western civilisation. Ten years previously the Athenians had defeated the Persians at Marathon and following Thermopylae the Greeks defeated them again on sea at Salamis and then on land at Plataea to remove the threat hanging over their country. Thermopylae is an inspiring tale of courage and sacrifice against overwhelming odds, and, although the geography has changed and the sea has receded from the pass, the coastal road travelling north from Athens still passes the monument which recalls their heroic deeds - "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here, obedient to Spartan law, we lie."

3 people found this helpful

Scott Baker

there is a good deal of poetic license

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 7, 2018

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The film pays such close homage to the graphic novel; this is a real gem. Having read Plutarch's On Sparta, there is a good deal of poetic license, stories from other Spartans and kings being attributed to Leonidas and the 300 to flesh out the tale, but in essence the graphic novel is quite faithful to the known facts. Thermopylae means Hot Gates in case you didn't know! Also I believe the illustrator and writer (Varley and Miller) were husband and wife at the time of creation. That's a nice thing to create from a marriage! I'm rambling. I love this book, buy it.

2 people found this helpful

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