Graphic Novels To Die For: Part 2

300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley

The 300 is based more on the Hollywood movie of the same name than exact historical details of the battle at Thermopylae. Nevertheless, it presents a dramatic account of how Leonidas and his Spartans stood against King Xerxes’ massive Persian army. Miller’s composition and execution of many large panels is striking throughout. While Varley’s colour palette of golds, greys and reds is ideally-suited to the bleak and bloodthirsty events being portrayed.

300

Politics, corruption, pride and the ‘Spartan’ way of life are all part of the mix. As a result of the writing and images, 300 achieves a lot more in 88 wide format pages than either the original film or the recent remake based on the graphic novel.

Civil War by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines

Marvel decided to use a civil war between superheroes to try to revitalise many of their most famous characters. The Civil War setting focuses on the aftermath of an explosion caused when a group of young mutants try to take on a team of violent mutants while making a reality TV show. Hundreds of innocent victims are killed in the explosion and the US government decides it’s time to require all superheroes/ mutants to register with the government.

Civil War (Marvel Comics)

Tension between the government, superheroes who are willing to be registered, and superheroes who resist registration, turns into a bitter war. The war goes on to involve many of Marvel’s major characters in a whole series of Civil War titles. Many of these are very well drawn and explore different sides and aspects of the conflict. They would probably not have been as successful as they have been if the first book had merely been good rather than exceptional.

The Ultimate X-Men by Marc Millar, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Art Thibert and Richard Isanove

The Ultimate X-Men series was intended to mirror the success of the Ultimate Spiderman series, with a fresh take on the original comics and consistent use of large panels. The X-Men were a good choice, as the mix of mutant v’s mutant, layers of conspiracy, Special Ops, telepathy and several strong characters gives the writer and artist plenty to work with. The results are impressive throughout, with stunning artwork, well-structured storylines and a remarkably effective colour palette full of pastels. Worth buying for the colouring alone!

Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1

The ‘look and feel’ of the Ultimate X-Men is responsible for what is probably the most ‘comic book’ or ‘graphic’ of the many superhero movies produced in recent years. The first X-Men movie stuck to the standard glossy superhero format and completely missed the point. X2 did much better, offering a closer look at the conspiracies and dilemmas that are central to the original material.