Breccia, Alberto - Mort Cinder, Battle of Thermopylae, episode 6, page 1 (1964)
Artist: Alberto Breccia (All)
6 Comments - 334 Views - 5 Likes
Artwork Details
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DescriptionI've provided some background information on Mort Cinder, Alberto Breccia & Hector German Oesterheld's graphic storytelling triumph in the 'Charlie's Mother' description in this same gallery.This story needs little description, given the fame of this historical event. Ezra and Mort discuss it while concluding that an urn depicting the battle is a forgery. Mort knows that because, of course, he was there. The histories of this battle were not being written until 30+ years after the event by the Greek historian Herodotus, so much of what happened, numbers on both sides, etc., are as much legend as anything – and all the legendary numbers (300 Spartans vs. 2 million Persians) are here in this story. However, this story puts a man in the center of the battle and attempts to provide a window into the reality of being a participant in it (a hallmark of Mort Cinder stories). Mort tells Ezra he was the Spartan soldier Dieneces, who fought under the Spartan King, Leonidas. Dieneces is the historical legend who, when told that when Persian archers fired their volleys, the arrows blocked out the sun, remarked ironically: ‘That’s good news; we’ll be fighting in the shade.’ That legendary attribution aside, this is another Mort Cinder story of standing up against great power and authority – and Breccia uses every visual tool at his disposal to make sure the reader is immersed in the filthy, sweaty, and brutal realities of hand-to-hand combat at that time. We follow the journey of Dieneces (Mort) and his friend, Alpheus, to the battle’s bitter end. Along the way, Mort introduces us to the many men he has fought with before this battle and recounts their histories together before their final day. ‘How different everything seems when you look at it with dying eyes’ encapsulates the perspective from which Oosterheld and Breccia weave their story. It’s the last Mort Cinder story, and the saga's capstone is the last line - ‘So much death hurts, but a Spartan never complains.’ If you pay close attention in the first panel, you may notice Breccia's fingerprints being used to frame the face! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Boris B 
Member Since 2012
1 - Posted on 7/1/2024
Nice page from a classic story. If I'm not mistaken this story was inspiration for Frank Miller 300
Chris K.
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 7/1/2024
Boris B wrote:
Nice page from a classic story. If I'm not mistaken this story was inspiration for Frank Miller 300
Hey Boris - my understanding is that Frank Miller was inspired by a film he saw at the age of six, 'The 300 Spartans'. If so, that movie pre-dates Breccia & Oesterheld's take on the Battle of Thermopylae by about two years.
DC's Showcase
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 7/3/2024
Chris K. wrote:
Hey Boris - my understanding is that Frank Miller was inspired by a film he saw at the age of six, 'The 300 Spartans'. If so, that movie pre-dates Breccia & Oesterheld's take on the Battle of Thermopylae by about two years.
I am pretty sure that both Miller and Bill S are on record somewhere citing Breccia and other Europeans as inspirations on their artistic revolutions, though I can't cite the source offhand. To my eye, Sin City owes a debt to Breccia's use of chiaroscuro in various works. Anyway, great page and big congrats!!
GAB R
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 7/2/2024
Amazing display of chiaroscuros here. Fantastic piece from a famed MC episode.
paul bogdanowski
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 7/3/2024
Love that episode. One of the best. A story about friendship and freedom. Congratulations! A treasure.
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