Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander

April 1, 2019

Legendary creator Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight; The Master Race), aided by colorist Sinclair (Astro City; Batman), returns to the world of 300 for this companion to that classic series. Opening a few years before the Spartan defeat at the Battle of Thermopylae, the work begins by depicting the Athenian rebellion against the invading Persian Empire. After the Persian leader, King Darius, is killed in battle, Miller shifts focus to the king's son, Xerxes. As years pass, Xerxes expands his empire to include most of the known world, and is renowned as a god walking among mortal men, as is his son and heir following his death. Miller's genius for prose that is at once snappy and gritty remains intact, and his decision to blend carefully rendered depictions of ancient warfare with peculiarly exaggerated figures is effective. But for all his technical achievements, it seems Miller loses patience with his own story halfway through, as the plotline gives way to skimming through history until Alexander the Great finally appears and pledges to build an empire of his own. VERDICT Any new work by Miller is more than welcome, but 300 fans looking for something with a similarly propulsive narrative may be disappointed.

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