Frank Miller’s 300

I finished reading Frank Miller’s 300 on Thursday evening. After Alan Moore’s very hefty 400 page-plus Watchmen, 300 was an absolute breeze to read – it could be finished in 1 or 2 sittings very easily.

I suppose any graphic novel is a bit of a come-down after the depth of Watchmen. While 300 is exceptionally beautiful to look at – essentially each panel could be wall-mounted as art – the story is a stripped down and stylised take on the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans (King Leonidas and his personal bodyguard of 300 men) defended Greece against a massive invading force of Persians.

At times the novel seems to be a simplified celebration of machismo. Chapter titles include Courage, Honour, Victory. At other times, Miller seems to let a critique of these qualities seep through – as arrogant as Persian king Xerxes is, the main atrocities and abuses seem to be committed by the Spartans, who spend a great deal of time celebrating their role as ‘defenders of democracy and reason’. Sound vaguely familiar?


It’s also refreshing to discover that for all of 300’s stylisation, as the novel progresses, the reader does begin to empathise with Leonidas (the single, strongly realised character), and share in his concern about the fate of his ‘boys’. You do start to care about these characters, and admire their unshaken bravery.

So 300 is definitely worth a read, although I do have the feeling that Zack Snyder’s film, out in the first quarter of 2007, will actually flesh out and hopefully add some additional layers to the storyline, while remaining utterly faithful visually. The trailers certainly suggest this… as well as the fact that Gerard Butler was born to play Leonidas.


Speaking of 300 – The Movie, some beautiful wallpapers for film are now online here.