Three

According to legend (actually, just Rich Johnston) Kieron Gillen was utterly incensed after reading Frank Miller’s “300” and seeing what a hash it made of actual history.  Granted, I don’t think Miller had any real designs on historical accuracy with that title — it reads like an exercise in mythmaking more than anything else — but if his actions gets one of my favorite writers incensed enough to write his own miniseries as a response then I’m all for it.  So now we have him teaming with Ryan Kelly to give us “Three,” the story of exactly that many slaves of the state trying to escape the wrath of their Spartan masters.  Though the narrative doesn’t offer any real surprises and the axe Gillen is bringing to grind is quite visible at a few points, the story still reads like a solid adventure where attention to historical detail and the writer’s wit are leveraged for entertaining result.

“Three” kicks off with a gripping and disturbing sequence introducing us to the Helots, the slaves of the Spartan state who are meant to serve all.  They’re kept in line through an annual event where war is declared on them and the sons of the upper class kill the strongest Helots to keep the rest of them in line.  We’re then brought to 364 B.C. and introduced to our three protagonists:  Klaros, the crippled warrior, Damar, a strong-willed widow, and Terpander, a smart-alec “City Helot” who likes to write checks with his mouth that he can’t really cash with his ass.  A case in point pops up when a visiting Spartan noble, his son and their entourage take shelter with the three and the other Helots and Terpander, his wine loosened by drink, tells the unfortunate story of the noble’s family history.  The Spartans then massacre the Helots, and only Klaros, Damar and Terpander survive the experience thanks to a certain amount of deceit, cunning and skill.  Now the three travel to Messene where they hope to be free, so long as they make it there ahead of the three-hundred Spartans chasing after them.

So with the setting and characters established, “Three” turns into an old-fashioned chase adventure as its protagonists have to rely on their wits and skills to overcome the challenges that lay before them.  It’s nothing new, but Gillen makes Klaros, Damar and Terpander into sympathetic leads.  The first and third, more than the second, though.  Klaros and Terpander get plenty of backstory and stories to tell, respectively to flesh out their characters.  Damar is firmly in the background supporting them along the way, except that she winds up getting the best reward of all in the end.

As for their Spartan pursuers, they’re not the one-dimensional murderers the story initially makes them out to be.  The three’s lead pursuer and Spartan King, Kleomenes, has to be forced to go after them by the ruling council to avenge their pride more than anything else.  Kleomenes knows that he’s presiding over a kingdom in decline, but he’s helpless and ultimately not clever enough to do anything about it and winds up being railroaded by his fate.  We also have Arminestos, the son of the murdered noble, who is introduced to us as an arrogant little prick, but eventually shows us what real disgrace in Sparta looks like.

The insight we get into Spartan culture does elevate the story as Gillen is skilled enough to mix it into the narrative without bringing it to a grinding halt.  What we learn also feeds back into the actions of the characters so it doesn’t feel like meaningless exposition either.  If only the times the writer brings his ax to grind against Miller’s work were as elegant.  “The 300” are name-checked several times in the story, usually to debunk their mythic status.  We also get to see that number used as overkill in the pursuit of the three which feels like it was done to make them more foolish than anything else.  Then we have Terpander deliver a speech near the end bringing the Helot’s role in “The 300’s” great battle to light where it feels like Gillen is really laying it on.  Thankfully these moments aren’t a constant presence in the narrative and the story survives their occasional intrusion.

Ryan Kelly’s style is very far removed from Miller’s, but his work here is a far better showcase for his talents than the awkwardness displayed in “Star Wars vol. 2.”  Characters look far more natural here, with far more nuance to their expressions and body language, and Kelly captures the look of the era and its architecture quite well.  The man’s action scenes are also dynamic yet easy to follow.  Overall, Kelly’s work is easy to appreciate and filled with plenty of detail for the reader to on subsequent read-throughs.

There are also a host of excellent supplemental materials in this collection as well.  Gillen provides page-by-page commentary at the back as he explains the background of each scene and what was real versus what was “dramatic invention.”  It’s fascinating stuff, as is his conversation with the title’s historical consultant, Prof. Stephen Hodkinson.  We also get the usual mix of variant covers and layouts common to most collections, but it’s refreshing for them to simply be the gravy here instead of the main course.

“Three” will not likely be as popular or influential as the series it sets out to take down a peg or two.  Even if its focus on the era of the decline of Sparta is new, the story it tells is not.  However, it’s still an engaging one thanks to its protagonists and the skill with which it’s executed by Gillen and Kelly.  So if you like your historical fiction with a healthy dose of adventure then I think it’s highly likely that you’ll find this to be a very entertaining read.