Frank Miller
300

It would be a crime to have seen the movie and not read the comic from which it was adapted.

"300" by that visionary genius Frank Miller (aided in coloring by Lynn Varley) is a revolutionary work in aesthetics, narrative, themes, and script. I'll skip the purely graphic aspect because the greatness of Frank Miller as an illustrator has been praised extensively, and accolades among critics worldwide can hardly be counted anymore.

The book already presents itself in an unusual and original manner compared to the standards of all other graphic novels: it is horizontal (album style) and of a very large format (about 35 x 25 cm), and the publisher Magic Press must have sweated blood to craft such a peculiar graphic layout and to achieve a print quality like this. Truly unbeatable.

The story is well-known. It narrates the events of a band of Spartans who are determined to resist the Persian invasion at the cost of their lives. In a triumph of epicness, warrior machismo stressed to the extreme, and raw heroism, the brave Leonidas, leading only 300 warriors, will lead his men to die for honor and to defend an ideal of justice nobler than anything else. Something that today seems paradoxical but very likely only 50/60 years ago, ethical aspects and honor had a much more deeply rooted and profound meaning than they do today.

The narrative unfolds through brief dialogues (some memorable and presented exactly the same in the film) and splendid panels brimming with strong, vivid colors (as important as the drawings), which convey the sweat, strength, and rawness of certain scenes, making you feel like you're living them firsthand (thanks also to the grandeur of the drawings presented in these dimensions).

Rarely have such vivid and intense drawings been seen in a comic. Rarely does a comic/narrative manage to transport you completely into a dreamlike and historical dimension, making it feel "real". Rarely have I read a comic as engaging and glorious as this one.

25 euros is not a small amount, but what is money in the face of the archaic beauty of a masterpiece that can be savored page after page and captures us from start to finish without leaving us a shred of respite?!