BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 193: Read the “300” graphic novel

One of my favorite movies is the action film, “300,” which was released in U.S. theaters on March 9, 2007. Those of you who have seen this great movie know that it’s about the famous Battle of Thermopylae, where the Greeks fought the Persian army in 480 BC. What many of you might not know is that the “300” movie is based on a five-issue comic book series written by comic book legend Frank Miller and published by Dark Horse Comics in 1998.

I’ve been a fan of Miller’s since junior high school, and for several years it’s irked me that I hadn’t taken the time to read his “300” graphic novel, which was published in its entirety in trade paperback and hardcover editions after the original run of the series. I officially added “300” to my “bucket list” a year or so ago and finally got around to reading it on Saturday.

One thing that kept me from reading this graphic novel for so long is that the hardcover edition is somewhat expensive. If you pluck it off the shelf at a major bookstore, you’ll see that this 117-page book retails for over $30. However, during the past month I found a copy of it in great shape and paid a grand total of $10.47 for it.

Also, I feel something should be said about the size of this book. While it only contains 117 pages, it is of unusual size and shape. Most graphic novels come in the standard size of about 6-1/2 by 10 inches. However, the “300” hardcover edition is a 10x13-inch rectangle and looks more like a coffee table book. In fact, it won’t fit in a regular-sized mailbox, which is why I had to go pick it up at the local post office.

Another thing that made this graphic novel somewhat different is that it also included a recommended reading list in the back of the book, albeit a short one. Books on that list include “The Histories” by Herodotus, “The Hot Gates” by William Golding, “Thermopylae: The Battle for the West” by Ernle Bradford and “The Western Way of War” by Victor Davis Hanson. I can't remember ever encountering a recommended reading list in any of the other graphic novels that I've read.

This graphic novel is a quick read, and while I didn’t time myself, my feeling is that I read it in less than an hour and a half. I enjoyed it, and was surprised by how closely the movie follows the book. Often, the book is not only usually better than the movie, but there are also usually significant differences between the two. Not so with Frank Miller’s “300," which was a pleasant surprise.

As mentioned, many of you will be familiar with the motion picture adaptation of this graphic novel, and if you like that movie, you may also want to check out its sequel, “300: Rise of an Empire,” which came out in U.S. theaters last March. I’ve heard that this movie was based on another graphic novel by Frank Miller that hasn’t been released yet, so we’ve all got that to look forward to.

In the end, how many of you have read Frank Miller’s “300” graphic novel? What did you think about it? What other graphic novels would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.