300 Reviews

• Into the valley of Death, rode the 300

  
  By A2B8GXSCB1R05T on 2002-02-22
  The story of the battle at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae was always a favorite of mine growing up. King Leonidas and his personal guard of 300 Spartans personified courage and individual strength, as they held off the more than 100,000 strong Persian army, lead by Xerxes the Great King. Think about those numbers. 300 against more than 100,000.

  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"

  
  By A2KAVOGWK3BRB7 on 2000-04-28
  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

  
  By A1GARI2JT6EAWA on 2006-11-14
  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.
  
  

• Children's picture books are NOT novels.

  
  By A6RTP933WU3LT on 2007-01-22
  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.
  
  

• Herodotus meets Sin City and gets whacked.

  
  By ASD7LAINVLNHC on 2006-09-22
  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.
  
  
• horrible in every way
  By A2D37EP9KT2E3D on 2007-03-13
  This work is simply wrong in just about every way it possibly be wrong. Miller understands nothing about Greece, Sparta, Persia or any of the history involved. The only historical facts he is interested in is that a militaristic hero-society won a battle against overwhelming numbers.
  
  Sparta was a militaristic society whose basis was brutality and slavery. Miller also somehow managed to not quite catch on to the sexual nature of Sparta.
  
  Miller's Sparta is a perfect society of manly heroic men who fight wars for "freedom". Every man who isn't a spartan is either feminine or a pierced up punk horror image led by a feminine king. And there are of course traitors inside sparta who are religious and feminine.
  
  The dangerous thing about this work is that underlying political message for the present. A strong virtious "warrior" society threatened by Iran (Persia), by trecherous feminine ally countries in the "free" world and feminized/religious traitors at home.
  
  Rather than being a story of heroism, the 300 is Miller pouring out hate on a world that doesn't need any more.
  
  
• Have a brain? Stay away from this mindless garbage.
  By A2GHXGNH048PQ5 on 2007-03-16
  To say that one "reads" anything by Frank Miller is quite a stretch. The amount of meaningful dialogue from this book in particular would fit on the back of a match book cover. And to suggest that this book has anything to do with the actual historical event is even more of a stretch. Miller appears to have done no more than 300 seconds of research about the actual battle before turning it into a "Lord of the Rings" ripoff here.
  Frank Miller is about graphic violcne, most of it mindless at best. He appeals to young boys under 12 who are still wowed by mindless images of blood and gore. He also appeals to those with IQ's under 70.
  If you are looking for reading material with any kind of substance trust me, you won't find it in "300". Save your money and spare your brain cells. They are far too valuable to waste on this garbage.
  
  
• Get your insults ready, because I hate 300.
  By A2YUPA56DIORO6 on 2007-04-17
  If all you want is blood, gore, guts and semi-naked chicks then this is for you. There is little substance in this book. My fear is that some people will view this book as historical fact, and forget that it's only a comic book. There were nearly 4,000 men standing against Persia including the 300, yet they are barely given credit. Leonidas was an old man at Thermopylae; he wasn't a member of the WWE, and if the Spartans were so careless with the phalynx as in this graphic novel, they would have perished in minutes. However, since history makes such a great comic book Miller should do the Revolutionary War next. Only, he can make George Washington a 30 year old with the body of a god, and George won't cross the Deleware in a boat. Instead, Washington and his men will rip off 10,000 British soldies heads and wade across a river of blood. "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?". Well, I'm not. Read "Gates of Fire," instead, it actually has three dimensional characters.
  
  
• Miller achieves the Impossible
  By A1P4L6E9QKXT3N on 2007-04-06
  
  He's taken one of the most glorious stories in human history and dumbed it down BELOW the level of the most moronic Saturday morning cartoon you can find on the tube.
  
  "Historical accuracy" isn't the issue in this particular case. Hollywood screenwriters fashion entire careers around doing violence to history. ART is the issue, which is why I get REALLY pissed off with giddy amateur reviewers breathlessly proclaiming "300" as "One of the great graphic novels of our time".
  
  If ever there was a story that cried out for richness of detail and vivid coloration, it's this one. Instead, we get paint-roller draftsmanship, a color palette lifted from a highway roadkill, and dialog that's about as eloquent as two Neanderthals grunting at each other. (Which is understandable, since that's obviously Miller's target audience.)
  
  Some reviewers have recommended Stephen Pressman's "Gates of Fire" as an antidote to "300". Their intentions are good, but they forget that we're dealing with semi-literate hardship cases who get their history lessons from comic books.
  
  If you would like to see what a REAL graphic novel looks like, check out any of the Alan Moore/Eddie Campbell collaborations.
  
  
  
• A great battle dumbed down to imbecility
  By A1BPRUO5RX49KP on 2006-01-14
  I would like to give it two stars just to balance out the large amount of overly generous ones but as a Conan the Barbarian fantasy this is passable though not in any way especially imaginative.
  
  Most of the people who scored it highly seem to believe this is a reasonably accurate potrayal of the historical events when it is, unfortuantely, an incredibly one-dimensional and lazy simplification of what was one of the greatest and most influential battles of human history.
  
  Don't get me wrong, I love the occassional burst of mindless violence and enjoyed Miller's Sin City books a great deal but when you have a story with so much complexity and depth and you do this with it...
  
  The historical innacuracies are far too many to mention here but let me just say that its main fault is that it totally sells the Spartans short nd gives you no sense of who they were. Here they are simply he-men with an urge for violence when in reality they were the product of one the most complete and thorough training systems to have ever existed, dependent far more on the mental conditioning they received than their physical strength. If you have an interest in the theme then check out Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" which goes into the culture of the Spartans, their military tactics and the actual battle of Thermopylae in far more detail. Of course Pressfield's book also, of neccesity, uses a lot of invention but he does so intelligently; portaying the Spartan culture almost like a close-knit brotherhood of US Marines, down to the slang they use for military procedures, and giving them a philosophy that could believably maintain a society for as long as their's existed.
  
  What a shame it will be if this book ever gets made into a movie rather than Pressfield's far superior work.
  
  
• Despicable.
  By A1UYEW4IBICYHP on 2007-04-21
  
  If Frank Miller needed a few extra bucks to pay the rent, he could have chosen from THOUSANDS of historic episodes depraved enough to meet his standards. Whether from a lack of imagination, or a craving to legitimize his scribblings as "art", he decided instead to desecrate one of the noblest events in human history.
  
  I got suckered into buying this trashy little "graphic novel" by reading the previous reviews written by Miller's drooling, brain-dead fans, momentarily forgetting that adults who regard COMIC BOOKS as literature are the bottom-feeders of our civilization's cultural food-chain.
  
  It's a mistake I won't make again. This is the first piece of garbage that I positively ENJOYED tossing into the incinerator.
  
  Miller got my twenty bucks this time, but I hope that any prospective reader who is unfamiliar with his particular brand of sleaze will think twice before wasting their hard-earned money on this toxic sludge.
  
  
  
  
• One of the great RIPOFFS of our time.
  By A3EA0UWHS92W37 on 2007-04-21
  
  Truth in Advertising: This is NOT a "graphic novel". It's a seventy-page comic book sandwiched between two covers that are actually thicker than the text itself. No bookseller in their right mind would price the softcover version of this book for more than eight bucks, so you're essentially spending an extra ten dollars for two pieces of cardboard.
  
  Adding injury to insult, the seventy pages themselves contain some of the STUPIDEST writing ever to be foisted on an unsuspecting public. The artwork's O.K. (for a comic book), but the dialog, plot inventions and character development are so juvenile that they're embarrassing to read.
  
  I bought this book on the basis of the ridiculously overrated five-star reviews I read here; before that, I had never encountered Frank Miller's work before.
  
  I hope I never encounter it again.
  
  
  
  
• My first and last graphic novel
  By ATYG9GHQ46D4L on 2006-12-31
  I became engrossed in the Battle of Thermopylae 45 years ago as a teenager when I snuck into the drive-in to see Rudolph Mate's classic "300 Spartans." I believe that battle was a defining moment in Western Civilization. Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" has no equal in the telling of the tale, and Ernle Bradford's "Thermopylae: Battle for the West" serves as the perfect companion beyond Herodotus.
  
  Frank Miller's graphic novel is not in the same class. Miller's graphic novel -- a hardbound comic book -- is to Pressfield's novel and Bradford's and Herodotus's histories what a tatoo parlor is to the Louvre. Miller's novel is visual entertainment and provides none of the emotional depth of a well-researched novel.
  
  I watched the "300" trailer with my 23-year-old son. His comment: "Pretty impressive, but is it realistic?" Spot on! Like Miller's comic, it is visually stunning, but Leonidas and Xerxes came across more like the cast of "Dog the Bounty Hunter," not what I have come to thing of when I think of Thermopylae and the sacrifices that surround it.
  
  If you like comic books, you'll probably like this one. If you'd rather watch a good film than play a video game, you'd be far more satisfied with Pressfield's "Gates of Fire."
  
  
• Historically Inaccurate!?!?! THATS NOT THE POINT!!!
  By A2LG2NAL7ASQVI on 2007-03-13
  Unfortunately, most of the negative reviews for Frank Miller's "300" seem to stem from an outrage to the historical inaccuracy within the book. While certain aspects such as specific quotes, names and the basic story arc are in fact true; many details of the historical account have been changed to allow the author the ability to tell this `legend' in a gritty modern pulp manner. The end result is a highly stylized, gripping, fun, and compelling version of this tale - redesigned and told through the mind's eye of one of today's undeniable leaders in the field of graphic story telling. If you want to learn more about the actual event, read a history book! What Miller has done here is simply to have retold the incredible story of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers starring down certain death to defend their home against absolutely impossible odds in a manner that people of our current time and culture can easily understand and become enveloped in. Historical accuracy is not the objective; good story telling is. The artwork is stark and bare and perfectly fits this legendary tale where hope of survival was bleak. It is a quick read, but highly enjoyable... providing that you aren't a pseudo-historian liable of being thrown into a fit because Miller choose to modernize the mythos of ancient Sparta for the benefit of reaching his contemporary audience. Legends evolve as they are passed down through the years so that their lessons may stay relevant. I both applaud Frank Miller's creative adaptation and highly recommend this book to all who can handle a gritty, blood and guts retelling of perhaps the greatest battle man has ever fought.
  
  
• A poor substitute
  By AXQV9EPOC0WQ5 on 2007-03-28
  While beautifully drawn and arguably one of Miller's best works, this book is a prime example of surface over substance. The retellling here of the battle of Thermopylae simply does not do justice to one of history's greatest stories. If you really want to know these warriors--their loves, their fears, their training; if you really want to experience the battle so clearly that dust mixed with day old blood chokes your nostrils; if you want to understand the camraderie and leadership that puts the life of the man who's protected by your shield above your own, read the definitive work on the subject: GATES OF FIRE by Steven Pressfield.
  
  
• Right Concept, Wrong Medium
  By A3NC874R2DSGBJ on 2007-04-13
  
  If you commissioned a San Francisco tattoo artist to line up 300 biker chicks and tattoo his vision of the Battle of Thermopylae across their butts, the finished work would probably look exactly like this grungy little comic book.
  
  
• More diverse stories from Miller
  By A2ZDLKHY2IIRVG on 2003-09-04
  Normally when people think of Frank Miller, they think of his groundbreaking work on characters like Batman and Daredevil in dark tales that broke these characters down and left only the vital core of each's meaning behind. Miller has a penchant for exploring the grim and gritty aspects of a character and the world that character inhabits, and in fact he is equally well known and respected for creating such a world himself in his Sin City.

  Miller applied these same skills a mere five years ago to a type of fiction that seemed ill-suited for such a marriage of genres when he fused his noir style to historical drama in his momentous work 300. Published originally in the summer months of 1998 by Dark Horse as a five-issue miniseries, this story is set in ancient Greece and dramatizes the Battle of Thermopylae, a monumental conflict in which King Leonidas of Sparta led 300 of his personal guards into a mountain pass to defend his country from the invading Persian empire led by Xerxes. Leonidas knew this skirmish would be certain death for himself and his men, yet still he fought on, in the end inspiring the divided nation of Greece with his sacrifice to unite against this common foe and march on to victory.

  Pacifists reading this review might have tuned out already, but anyone thinking of reading this book should be reassured that it is not pro-war. Nor is 300 anti-war really. The case Miller seems to make here is that sometimes, in defense of everything a person holds dear, that person must make difficult choices. Despite my personal feelings against war, I still could see that Leonidas had no other choice but defend his country from invaders, entering into a war that even the staunchest of peaceniks must see as just.

  I also couldn't help but admire his noble sacrifice in the end, and really that's what this story is about, these brave men who were willing to die to save their country. It is a story tinged with tragedy because along the way you learn a great deal about these characters, from Leonidas the king down to Delios the storyteller. Delios is ordered by the king to leave the army before their final stand, so that he might spread word of this event to everyone and inspire them to fight back. As he leaves, the sadness he feels is evident in his beautifully crafted posture and expession, but it is a sadness we feel along with him because of the skill with which Miller has presented this character to us.

  Leonidas too is brilliantly fleshed out. He is a character as hard and tough as Marv or the Dark Knight ever dreamed of being. Yet he also has within him an emotional center we see more than we did in those other aforementioned Miller protagonists. In part we reach out to Leonidas because his personal narration guides us through the story but also we feel for him because we see the emotions that he normally keeps close to his chest in his every word. We learn after some time to read those feelings he keeps hidden behind his Spartan façade, and thereafter every glance he sends out to his men seems tinged with tragic loss.

  The art on 300 is what stands out above all else, however. Even if you disapprove of the themes or find historical inaccuracy in the tale, you cannot help but admire the craftsmanship that went into producing this work of art. Originally the book was published as five monthly issues in which every paired grouping of pages was a two-page spread. Now the book is available only as an oversized hardcover that lays these pages out end to end so that you can fully bask in the glory of the art as you read. The book might seem thin for its price tag, a mere 88 pages for [$$], but its sheer beauty is worth every penny, even if there had been no words in the book at all.

  These splash pages would be nothing without the vibrant colors of Lynn Varley, and it is clear to see why Miller uses her as colorist on every one of his projects. Beyond being his wife and keeping the work in the family, her hues and tones just happen to be radiant in the truest sense of the word. It transcends beyond simple favoritism. Miller appears to have gotten the best colorist around to paint the shades of this world and thus breathe life into it; it just so happens he didn't have to look very far to find her.

  As for the historical accuracy of the work, no it's no Age of Bronze, meticulously researched and documented. But it doesn't have to be; it never claims to be anything beyond a work of historical drama. Sometimes for the sake of that drama, changes must be made. However, it is also evident that Miller feels strongly about this story and took great pains to make it as true as it can be while still being a piece of fiction.

  Many might approach the genre of historical fiction a bit warily, but 300 is a far cry from the stuffy and boring world history texts you tried to avoid reading in high school. It is high art and high drama all rolled into one package which, despite having a high price, is high in magnitude as well.
  
  

• This is Sparta!
  By A275BDURUQHUKC on 2007-03-13
  Being a fan of the Sin City graphic novel collection (and the film) I had to try this graphic novel out after hearing a year or so ago that they were adapting 300 to screen. I was amazed at this work - the storyline, dialogue, and art are amazing. Basically this work has the gritty pulp essence of Sin City, but applied to ancient Greece. After reading this and Miller's Sin City series I will most definitely a life-long fan of his work. The man's a god of comics. I would definitely recommend.
  
  As a side note - the movie is exceptional and captures this novel scene by scene - the similarity is amazing. The film does have some extra scenes that further develop a few of the secondary characters, and I truly enjoyed the additions.
  
  Great graphic novel - check out the film after reading here.
  
  
  
• Batman Meets Herodotus--Batman Wins!
  By A6N4LG9B2JR7E on 2000-01-10
  I was recently given a copy of Miller's comic book, "300", a Graphic Adventure based loosely on the Spartan defense of Thermopylae against the forces of the Shah of Persia, Known to the Greeks as Xerxes. Be forewarned: Do not try to use this comic to try to pass a pop quiz in History Class. Whilst Miller lifted the names and locations from Herodotus, that was about all that he lifted-the rest is about as historical as Baron Munchausen... I will instead say that, Whilst "Three Hundred" is definitely NOT history, it is a pretty good Comic...

  The artwork is what we have come to expect from Miller, and the storyline replays the same old pattern that Miller seems to be stuck in, ABSOLUTE GOOD vs. ABSOLUTE EVIL...a sophomoric attitude,yes, but perhaps approprate for a comic book level of understanding the world. Certainly Miller is no Philosopher or Historian, and I do not think he would or could claim to be either. He can, however, draw a good comic, with lots of action, adventure, and characters whose motivations are not discommoded with a lot of reflection or critical thought processes. Enjoyable reading which does not ask a lot of the Fanboy's brain whilst immersed in the story. (BAD Persians! GOOD Greeks!...)

  Perhaps "Batman" would have been a better protagonist to use with this storyline, some setting in another time and place certainly, with the disclaimer "LOOSELY based on the battle of Thermopylae"...for when a comic book artist aspires to historical scholarship, it is generally history which loses out, as we see in this case.
  
  

• Stranger tell the Lacaedemonians..
  By A1WEPS7G90LN5O on 2005-01-31
  First of all ,let me tell you that I am a Greek.The implication of my nationality is that I tend to be extremely prejudiced,against "foreigners" (that is not a racist remark,ok? :D) writing about my history,and extremely ruthless as a reviewer .
  But THIS!! This is absolutely a work of art AND it does justice on the actual facts that took place then .The battle of Thermopylae (Hot Gates) is one of the most glorious moments of greek history and should be handled with great respect (which,I am loathe to admit,but I have to be honest ,is not a treat of modern greeks towards their heritage) .And Frank Miller did it .This comic is one of the best I ve ever read ,the images vivid,violent,crystal clear and in-your-face .. I cried at the end..I really did .And I never believed that some "foreigner" could make me cry while describing parts of my history .This is a masterpiece .The only thing I am slightly opposed to is the depiction of Efialtes as a mishappen ,crippled being ,but since I dont really know if this was so or not,I cant say anything more.
  My sincere congratulations and deep respect for publishing this work .You took the light of the Spartans example and lighted the souls of every one who read this .Thank you again.
  
  
• Not a good book
  By A30H9EGPVR8P0H on 2007-02-04
  I have a feeling that 300 does not really show things the way that they took place, but I'm willing to look past that, in search of a good story. But this story is just ludicrous - it stacks all the goodness in the world on one side, and then invites us to cheer for the Spartans who represent all the forces of light. The Spartans are manly and defenders of freedom. The Persians are barbarians, easily crushed in battle, and quite inexplicably, Xerxes seems rather, well... I don't even want to start on that.
  
  I don't know how a society that survived on the labor of helots can repeatedly be proclaimed to be the champions of freedom they are made out to be, or what good so much freedom is, if the society has to kill all these children just because they are not good soldier-material.
  
  
• Prejudice masquerading as entertainment
  By A8MCD011WX0X4 on 2007-02-08
  What you will find in this novel, and probably the upcoming movie, is nothing short of perpetuating a growing trend in western entertainment. The blood and guts that so many parents continually profess their distaste for will, of course, be found here. This sort of entertainment is not what I am intending to oppose here. I believe that our system of rating entertainment IS flawed but serves well enough to allow attentive parents the ability to censor their children's viewing habits. HOWEVER the graphic novel bears no rating and therefore no discrimination on the part of the parent is allowed. The prejudices so many fight to rid our society of slip through the cracks in the facade of a comic book. Perhaps the most striking prejudice you will find in this piece of entertainment, aside from the essentialist view of both men and women, is the placement of deformity and effeminacy in direct opposition to honor and glory. Casting the historically downtrodden of our society in such a role does nothing more than cause our society to step back ideologically 50 years. The prejudiced undercurrent of this novel is disgusting.
  
  I give this 2 stars because it serves as a valuable lesson we may all learn from.
  
  
  
  
• What's the point?
  By A1DRAWH40KAU74 on 2007-03-12
  After reading this luke-warm dramatization, one wonders why Frank Miller chose to leave any resemblance of history at all in this tale. Obviously, we're limited in our knowledge of this era, but Miller's laughable inventions add nothing, but only are xenophobic, homophobic, and, worst of all, dreadfully boring.
  
  
• You've seen the movie; now skip the book.
  By A4W0TLCHDB5MB on 2007-03-28
  
  After seeing the movie version of "300", I immediately made a special trip to the bookstore to pick up a copy of the original work. After taking it home and reading it, I immediately made a special trip to the bookstore to get my money back.
  
  It looks like the producers of the movie kept Lynn Varley's somber and brooding color scheme and wisely decided to throw out just about everything else in the book, especially the idiotic dialog.
  
  Save the money you were going to spend on this ridiculously overpriced and overrated comic book, and spend it on the DVD version of the movie instead.
  
  
  
• Thoroughly vile.
  By A2DT0CMSNQP5L7 on 2007-04-19
  
  This is one of the few books offered on this site that will leave an intelligent person feeling positively polluted after reading it.
  
  If Miller wants to spend his meager talents catering to the sizeable market for sleaze and decadence, that's his prerogative. The least that the American reading public can do is to encourage him to keep his grubby, ink-stained hands off of the few remaining shining moments in human history left to us.
  
  A thoroughly vile, mindless, artless little book.
  
  
  
• Bad book. Bad, bad book.
  By A2GBJQ9THOYDAJ on 2007-08-24
  There's been a lot of attention paid to this comic book series since the movie was released based on it, and I have to say I don't know what all the excitement was about. Generally speaking, I like Miller's work, both his writing and his drawing style. But this thing is just silly. Historically, in fact, it's a bad joke. Both the Persians and the Greeks mostly look Moorish, not Aryan at all. And Xerxes (who appears sub-Saharan) is a travesty, with piercings all over his face. The hoplites seem to have no food, no baggage, and no spare weapons, which is unhistorical. Nor was facial hair allowed. Also, hoplites were heavy infantry -- emphasis on "heavy" -- and they most certainly did NOT fight near-naked. The Immortals are pure Hollywood in appearance. The Phocian wall, where the heaviest fighting took place, was NOT built for the occasion but was already a centuries-old old frontier fortification. Not to mention -- where exactly IS the Spartan phalanx? And on and on. . . . Thermopylae is a great subject for a graphic novel, but this treatment of it is just dumb.
  
  
• good stuff
  By A1BHB2OFLNQHGK on 2000-02-07
  Although it is a dramatic retelling of this real battle, you can still tell Mr. Miller did his research,little details in the art and such. The art is dramatic and well done the story is solid and fast paced. This is the type of book that makes you go out to find out more about the subject,which is a positive thing in my opinion.
  
  
• Eye candy without distraction of a meaningful plot
  By ATWGRGVWIM0Q on 2007-02-23
  The product was as expected. Nice artwork and many panels with interesting soundbites. The snippets about King Leonides' childhood were my favorites. The characterization of Xerses as more of an African rather than an Asian did not work for me. A reasonable build-up to the big fight which, is all this graphic novel is about. No other story lines or plot developments. The old movie "300 Spartans", although hokey by today's standards, did try to convey more of the Greek life and Sparta's relations with other city states. Since Miller's 300 did not take 2 hours to read, I am hoping the movie will provide some more nourishment.
  
  
• So bad that it's not worth reviewing.
  By A3SBJQCJVB7N5A on 2007-03-26
  
  I know I'm supposed to write more, but there's nothing else to say...
  
  This book is honestly so bad that it's not worth reviewing.
  
  
  
  
• RIPOFF
  By A2MMFD0IOW5I4Y on 2007-04-04
  A truly awesome telling of this story is "Gates of Fire, an epic novel of the Battle of thermopylae", by Steven Pressfield. A truly awesome book, and the original which was ripped off by Hollywood insider Frank Miller.
  
  

• Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae
• Watchmen
• 300: The Art Of The Film
• V for Vendetta
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns