Issue Description

A force of men is assembled, so massive it shakes the earth with its march -- an army, vast beyond imagining, poised to devour tiny Greece, to snuff out the world's one hope for reason and justice. Only three hundred brave souls block its dash. But they are more than men . . . they are Spartans. The first full-color project by Frank Miller for Dark Horse, painted by Lynn Varley (Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns).

300 (1998)

Publisher

Dark Horse Comics

Volume Description

300 is Frank Miller's famous retelling story of the battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas leads a Spartan army of only 300 men into battle against the army of Xerxes I of Persia, a force outnumbering them by thousands to one. The Spartans maintain a stand-still, holding off Xerxes' forces for two full days at a narrow pass known as the Hot Gates before the deformed and treacherous Ephialtes betrays the Spartans to Xerxes. This betrayal leads to the outflanking of the remaining Spartan soldiers, and their inevitable deaths on the third day. The tale ends a year later at the battle of Plataea where a now-united Greek army prepares for the final battle against Xerxes.

This volume would also serve as the inspiration for the 2007 film adaptation (also called 300) directed by Zach Snyder and produced by Frank Miller.

This volume and the resulting movie have been the source of some controversy since their respective releases. Both the comics and the movie have been heavily criticized for their polarizing depiction of the various cultures that make up the Persian army, as well as the various historical inaccuracies. Others have cited how close many of the details of the books were to historical accounts, and that the book was meant for entertainment, not political commentary.

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