by Kieron Gillen, Ryan Kelly, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles; Image Comics
300 is a popular comic about Spartans. It pits 300 Spartan warriors, members of the "freeist society in history" against the Persian hordes astride a narrow pass in the battle of Thermopylae. It is a comic about valour, bravery, and the indomitable spirit of Men. It is also founded on a foundation of Bullshit. Three is a comic that exists to examine and demonstrate the hypocrisy, monstrosity, and cowardice of Spartan society and its horrific culture of slavery. Three focuses on three Helots, the enslaved proles of Spartan society, who offend their Spartan masters and are forced to flee before another group of 300 Spartan men. It's a gripping, epic tale portrayed with a historian's attention to detail and poet's flair for the dramatic. Kieron Gillen, as much as I know him best for fairly pop-y, fun, and melodramatic comics is also apparently a keen enthusiast of history able to construct some cracking good period comics. Ryan Kelly, meanwhile, is probably one of the elite dozen artists when it comes to facial expressions and character acting. Throw in wonder-colourist Jordie Bellaire, and this is one really smart, exciting, and brilliant looking comic. Three is a comic for anyone with some fondness for classical antiquity. But it's also a really interesting piece of art in how it comments on and interacts with the comic 300: it is always cool to witness an ongoing discourse. Three, come for the Greek epic story, stay for the subversive and tragic history lesson.
Word count: 248
Post by Michael Bround
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