300

I saw the movie when it came out, and for years I've felt like I've had to read the graphic novel. The movie was just oozing with so much style I had to see where it all came from. The source, while good, somehow seemed to be missing much of the impact that the adaptation had.

To start with the good, the writing is almost line-for-line the same as the movie in all the most memorable parts, and generally much improved during the lulls between battle. Getting some more of Dilios telling stories to bump up morale adds a lot to the unease that Leonidas feels about their chances; he knows he's sending these boys to their deaths, and he's fine with it, but he also has to convince them to be fine with it as the days go on.

There are also some absolutely amazing full page pieces that perfectly capture the glory of the Spartans and the fear of the Persians. Miller's work has all the details where they're needed and none where they're not needed, which creates a brilliant stark contrast that pops exactly the important stuff off the page. Really fantastic when it works, but there are quite a few panels (especially in the first chapter) where it really doesn't work. There's a scene where Stelios stumbles and is being punished then saved by Leonidas, and nearly every panel of the exchange confused the heck out of me.

I would also say that while the writing is brilliant on a line-by-line basis, the overall structure of the story is a bit too sparse and short for my liking. While it didn't need as much added as the movie did, it could have used some extra focus on some of the battles and stories instead of cramming an entire afternoon or evening into a page. There's a lot of emotion crammed into a very small space in many parts of the book, and while it's incredible that Miller manages this the panels could often use some more space to breath.

Honestly, when I need a 300 fix I'll probably stick to the movie. It just hits that satisfying mix of style and glory beautifully, while the graphic novel hits it at times and misses it at others. Regardless, I'd say it's worth the read; it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a lot of fantastic stuff in this package.

First, let's start with the visual element. The visual element in this graphic novel is excellent. Great art and color. You can see why this work won the awards it did. The book is a nice, large, oversized book. The story? Well, Frank Miller does take some artistic liberties here and there, but it is still a compelling story. If you are reading this after seeing the movie, you will notice that they added a lot to the movie. The whole plot of Leonidas' wife in the town and the back plotting of the council while the king was at war is not found here. However, it is very clear the movie took the visuals of the book as much as possible. I also think it may encourage some readers to seek out histories of this battle. Overall, I think this is a good example of Miller's work and Varney's coloring adds nicely to the work.