300 Prequel: Xerxes, New Comic Book Series By Frank Miller

by NowPublic Staff | June 2, 2010 at 08:57 am

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Xerxes News Graphic Novel Series From Frank Miller

When the film 300 was released in the spring of 2007 it became an unexpected hit launching the career of director Zack Snyder and muscle bound Gerard Butler who is best know for repeatedly shouting "SPARTA!"

Well, now the creator of 300 the comic book on which the movie was based, has released some artwork for a 300 prequel, titled, Xerxes.

The new Xerxes graphic novel is shaping up to be a controversial subject choice for Frank Miller.

Based on the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., 300 tells the story of a battle between the mighty Persian army led by Xerxes and the heavily outmatched Spartan force that managed to hold off the Persians for 3 days. Xerxes was portrayed as heavily pierced and erratic - think a goth version of Yul Brynner.

Well, that portrayal outraged Iran: outrage about how the ancient Persian culture was portrayed and political outrage from the government.

Javad Shamghadri, cultural adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the United States tries to “humiliate” Iran in order to reverse historical reality and “compensate for its wrongdoings in order to provoke American soldiers and warmongers” against Iran.

Now, Frank Miller is revisiting Xerxes the great Persian leader. This Xerxes series kicks off with the Battle of Marathon, 10 years before the time period of 300. This Xerxes will be a six part comic book series and will portray a more complex Xerxes says Miller.

Yes, I suppose it will be seen as provocative, but really to me he is such a pivotal character and in this story I get to explain him so much more fully," Miller said. "I do my best to crawl inside his head rather than have him be this iconic force that simply commands this huge army.

It is too early to say if Xerxes the comic book will become Xerxes the movie but Zack Snyder has seen the artwork for the comic book and film adaptations of comic books are all the rage so it is very likely.