It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years since Frank Miller's ground-breaking series 300, which told the stirring story of the final stand by a group of Spartans against overwhelming odds.Miller returns to the era with the series titled Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander.
It marks the return of the powerful god-king of the Persians and his attempt at revenge - but it's not going to be an easy road.
This time around his forces encounter Athenians - though they might be forgiven for thinking they were Spartans, given their ferocity against superior odds.
The main complaint against Miller's work these days is that it's not up to his earlier efforts - and that's true enough (none of us are getting younger, after all) - but he's still a powerful storyteller, and his spare, raw style is perfectly suited to this kind of rough-and-tumble fight for life (and an even more important cause).
It's too early in the story to tell if this will match up to 300, but it's a dynamic first step, and I'm anxious to see the next chapters.
If you loved 300 (I did), you're probably going to love this.
Grade: A-
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2 comments:
How's his art? He seems to be sloppier and unfinished to me compared to his earlier works...
-Anon
Anon, it's a bit of a mix - some is outstanding, some pages show the more open, less detailed work he's been doing in recent years. (Perhaps some of the health issues he's reportedly faced in recent years have contributed to that.)
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