"300" is a comic book (graphic novel) by the American writer and artist Frank Miller and colorist Lynn Warley . The comic is based on a famous historical event - the Battle of Thermopylae , depicted in a fantastic treatment.
| 300 | |
|---|---|
| 300 | |
 Cover of the full edition 1999 | |
| Story | |
| Publisher | Dark horse comics |
| Format | Limited edition |
| Periodicity | monthly |
| Publication Dates | May - September 1998 |
| Number of issues | five |
| Characters | Leonid , Xerxes , Efialt , Dilius, etc. |
| Creators | |
| Screenwriters | Frank Miller |
| Artists | Frank Miller |
| Paints | Lynn Warley |
| Author | |
Story
Spartan king Leonid with his best warriors goes to war with the Persian army of Xerxes . He decides to stop the Persians in the Thermopylae Gorge. Before the start of the battle, the hunchback Efialt asks Leonid to accept him into his army, but he is refused.
The Spartans and their allies fight two days and two nights. In between battles, Xerxes meets with Leonid and offers him to surrender, in exchange promising power and wealth. Leonid does not agree. Efialt shows the Persians a secret passage in the mountains to attack the Spartans from the rear.
Before the last fight, Leonid orders Dilia, one of his soldiers, to go to Sparta to tell about the battle. On the third day, the Persians surround the Spartans, and Xerxes again invites Leonid to surrender. Leonid again disagrees, and the remaining Spartans are killed.
The comic ends on how Dilius with his squad prepares for a new battle with the Persians - the battle of Plataeus .
History of creation and publication
Comics were created under the influence of the film “ Three hundred Spartans ” ( 1962 ) [1] , which Frank Miller watched as a child. In addition, the author was based on the works of Herodotus [2] . At first, 300 was printed as a series of five monthly issues called Honor, Duty, Glory, Battle, and Victory. The first issue was released in May 1998 . Under one cover, all issues were printed in 1999 [3] .
Criticism
Comic writer and author Alan Moore criticized 300 for historical unreliability. In the Frank Miller comic, the Spartans contemptuously speak of the Athenians as "lovers of boys", meanwhile, Moore emphasizes, it is known that homosexual relations were common among Spartans [4] . The authors of Classics and Comics, George Kovaks and S.V., also spoke about historical unreliability. Marshall, arguing that the real Spartans did not fight half-naked [5] . Miller himself explained that warriors in ancient Greek vases are often depicted naked, and for this reason, in his comic strip, he depicted the Spartans in this way [2] . Emily Fairy wrote that the ancient Persians are depicted as immoral and more reminiscent of ethnic Africans and Arabs [3] .
Browser Aaron Albert wrote that although Miller allows himself a free interpretation of history, “300” is an artistic depiction of real events [6] .
Rewards
The comic received three Eisner awards ( 1999 ): in the nominations "Best Series", "Best Author and Artist" and "Best Colorist".
Screen adaptation and other uses
- In 2007, the film " 300 Spartans " was released by director Zack Snyder [7] .
- In 2007, the computer game 300: March to Glory ( March to Glory ) was released for the PlayStation Portable game console.
Notes
- ↑ Kovacs, Marshall, 2011 , p. 151.
- ↑ 1 2 Kovacs, Marshall, 2011 , p. 160.
- ↑ 1 2 Kovacs, Marshall, 2011 , p. 159.
- ↑ Emmett Furey. Homosexuality in Comics - Part IV
- ↑ Kovacs, Marshall, 2011 , p. ix.
- ↑ Aaron Albert. 300 Comic Book Review
- ↑ Kovacs, Marshall, 2011 , p. 15.
Literature
Kovacs, George. Classics and Comics / George Kovacs, CW Marshall. - Oxford University Press, 2011 .-- 288 p. - ISBN 978-0-19-979236-8 .