Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships

by Eric Shanower

Paper Book, 2001

Status

Available

Call number

741.5/973

Publication

Orange, CA : Image, c2001-

Description

"Drawn from the myths and legends of centuries, A thousand ships presents a new for the twenty-first century the complete prelude to the Trojan war- each sensual touch, every savage blow, the smiles and tear, the lust and betrayal, the entire tapestry of drama and action."-cover.

Media reviews

Comics Worth Reading

Eric Shanower is a highly-accomplished craftsman, and he brings to the series exactly what’s required, ranging from detailed facial expressions and body language in quiet, mood-driven scenes to large gestures and overwhelming emotion in rowdy, crowded comedy interludes. The layouts are simple and

easy to follow, allowing the detail-packed panels to be read clearly. This is a true comic book: both the words and pictures are essential to the story, and they combine to create something greater than the sum of their parts.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member Donogh

I had read some pretty amazing things about this treatment of the Trojan War, so when Forbidden Planet had the first collection "A Thousand Ships" in, I just had to pick it up.
I studied (ok, maybe "studies" is too strong a word) Homer in university, and despite the great reviews (and because of the

Hollywood mangling of the Iliad recently) I was a bit nervous about this -
How would the writer treat the causes of the war?
How would the sarcrifice of Agamemnon's daughter be approached?
Would the gods be treated with the kind of omniguity (if I can create a word) the Greeks thought of them in?
How would the artist deal with Helen? [I thought that the actress in the film would have had trouble launching a street fight outside a bar on O'Connell St. on a Friday night, never mind a thousand ships!]
Would the writer make any critical examination of the causes of the war?
Would the wealth of back-story and climax of the story (which Homer just did not need to deal with) be covered?

Well after the brief lunch-time reading (about 2 issues worth I guess) I can look forward to the rest of the saga without any discomfort

When I first picked up the book, I noticed that it's pen and ink line art, with no colour and no tones. All of the shading is done by cross hatching. Not a problem usually (although it's not the style guaranteed to get the four-colour Marvel fans on-board!) but with the natural style he's using with a wealth of details, each page could turn into a static of confusion.
Not so; the artist manages to get clarity in each panel and in each page, and characters are definitely Greek, features and clothes-wise, but still all look individual and discernable.

Highly recommended

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7 more

LibraryThing member cmcvittie

This is the first of Shanower's seven volume telling of Homer's epic poem about the Trojan War. He's incorporated other mythical elements into the story, but readers can expect the full story with some alignments in mythology to allow for plot coherence. The illustrations are black/white drawings

in the strong style of historical comic books and the text is simple and clear. The energy of the first book will draw readers into further volumes and is a good introduction for those unfamiliar with classic Greek mythology or are looking for a more current way of investigating these myths and history. Unfortunately for educators, this graphic novel also contains explicit sexuality and may not be a good match for middle school readers.

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LibraryThing member ritaer

Newly colorized version of first volume.

LibraryThing member TimothyBurke

Does it make me too much of a comics geek (greek?) to say that these are comparable to the Iliad in many ways? In fact, if you want a telling of the Trojan War that's powerfully conscious of the history, as scholarly as any classicist's monograph, this is the place to go. Vivid, engaging, and

erudite.

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LibraryThing member ginnyday

This is a charming addition to the "epic cycle"!

LibraryThing member elenchus

I'm familiar with many Greek and Roman myths, but for the most part can't keep track of them. I recall a scenario or perhaps a personality, but can't recall names, or whether it's the Greek or Roman version, or where it fits in the larger story from which it came. Similarly, I hadn't realised that

the story of the Trojan War is not told, in full, in the Iliad, something that Shanower aims to remedy with Age of Bronze.

So it's fascinating how Shanower skillfully weaves many recognisable myths into an integrated whole, without it seeming complicated for the sake of showing off or because he lacks a guiding perspective. According to his afterword in the version I read, he loves the challenge given the contradictions and lacunae in the various source material, and set for himself the goal of inventing very little on his own. (Whether borrowing from someone else who invented something whole cloth is any better, remains an open question, but I do admire the challenge and parameters Shanower set for himself.)

The art is quite good, though I don't always recognise various characters (the glossary provided in the back runs to 150 or more, all mentioned though not necessarily all depicted). At the same time, I suspect he avoided using easy "tells" like a scar or a type of hat, whatever. Sometimes people look similar, it soon comes clear in context, just as it does in everyday living.

I thought it fun that in the section in which King Priam relates "his" version of events concerning the abduction of his sister Hesione by Herakles, and Priam's own humiliation, the style became hyper cartoon-like. I took it as a hint that things might not be so straightforward, but without distracting from the story itself. There are various subtle touches such as that, the story and the art are well-crafted and complement each other.

Based on this volume, I'll not only read but purchase the remaining six.

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LibraryThing member questbird

An ambitious and promising attempt to depict the entire story of the Trojan War in graphic novel format. I like the way it collates all of the sources for this mighty tale -- not just Homer's 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey'. So the tale begins with Paris waking from a dream in which he had chosen the fairest

of the three goddesses; his choice heralds the great war to come. The graphical style is black and white, highly realistic. This high level of realism is based on much historical and archaeological research, but it is exactly this realism -- including removing the Gods from overt presence in the tale -- which slightly diminished my enjoyment of this book. Removing the Gods seems a particularly modern take on the tale though Shanower is not the first to have done so. The literary research is very good though. I look forward to reading the next installments.

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LibraryThing member macoram

An epic comic about the trojan war made by a skillful artist and storyteller. Based on the homeric texts and all the latest archaeological data of the period Shanower creates an accurate and vivid world with a well paced charming and inspiring narrative which captures the reader and makes him

anxious for more. Certified to interest and entertain even the most picky history lover.

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