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GHM Online Columnist - Steve Higgins |
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| LATEST NEWS .: |
.MAY 2003.
Steve's Column Debuts! |
| COLUMN PICS & LINKS .: |
.300.
by Frank Miller
and Lynn Varley
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Feedback is always appreciated!
E-mail me at vacuumboy9@hotmail.com
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May 30, 2003
"300"
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 $30, 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.
All Content ©2003 Steve Higgins, All Rights Reserved.
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| :. ABOUT STEVE |
Steve Higgins is an English instructor who loves comics so much he offers a class on them in the spring. His wife Sarah hates comics with a passion and wishes Steve would stop spending so much money on them each week.
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| :. ABOUT STEVE ( CONTINUED) |
Favorite Comics: Doom Patrol, Y the Last Man, Alias, Queen and Country, X-Statix, 21 Down, Paradigm
Favorite Movies: The Fisher King, Heavenly Creatures
Favorite Bands: Radiohead, Counting Crows, Weezer
Favorite Writers: Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Russell Banks
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| © 2003 - Gray Haven Magazine & All Authors. |
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