Few people have revolutionised comics like Sin City creator Frank Miller. With his dark undertone and love for violence, he has left an impression on the four-panel world that will most likely outlive him. His most successfully (and most meme’d) work in his overflowing archive is the Spartan epic 300. While some fans may not have read the comic, they have surely seen, or at least heard, of the movie, and it seems that Miller is quite done telling their story. Coming this April, Dark Horse comics will be releasing a companion to the 300 comic titled Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander. Whew, now that’s a mouthful!
The story will follow Xerxes, the once great king of Persia as he sets out to avenge the death of his father Darius. As he makes his way down the coast, conquering and creating an empire more powerful than anything in existence, he quickly meets his match on the Greek islands by the name of Alexander the Great. Sharp-eyed readers will remember that Xerxes was the villain in both the movie and the comic and famously took down the 300 army despite losing thousands of men himself. With Xerxes as the title character, it also begs the question: will Xerxes be presented as a sympathetic character or will Alexander be the David to his Goliath?
Frank Miller has also returned to his roots and both draws and writes the comic while the colouring is handled by long-time collaborator Alex Sinclair. Each issue promises a wrap-around full-colour cover and thirty pages of story. When asked about the comic, Miller states:
“300 was an interlude in the great story of the Persian Wars. The battle of 300 represented one episode in a much greater series of wars. This series tells the story of the first great clash of civilisations, the first bloody contest between east and west. The odds vastly favour the Persian forces, but the Greeks have Alexander, the greatest military commander of all time.”
While there’s no word if it’ll be as bloody as the first, it’s almost a given with this industry giant at the helm, so read it with a raincoat on. Make sure to pre-order your copy today!
By Svetlana Fedotov
