If you read this as a faithful graphic retelling of the first bit of The Iliad, you'll be satisfied. I think this book could be a helpful complement for teens reading the epic. It's illustrated in what I've come to think of as "classic comics" style, with vivid colors and not much nuance.

However, this adaptation is, like the classic, focused almost entirely on the male experience. We see the rape of Phthia, complete with tears and screaming, then suddenly she's defending Achilles to her father and begging him not to leave. And then she's gone, because she's served her purpose for the narrative and Pyrrhus can pop up again in a later volume of this series, I assume. The book was originally released in 2001, so I guess it's perhaps a product of its time, but as a female reader on my third telling of The Iliad this year, I'm tired of reading the ways the women were raped and sold and given as property.

After all, the war wasn't fought over a woman. It was fought over the pride of one man and the greed of another.

The book is fine, it's not spectacular, but as a faithful retelling, it's adequate. I don't need to continue with the series. ( )

Volume 1 of an apparently abandoned series
Review of the 2001 Black & White original edition from Image Comics

Writer and artist Eric Shanower showed real ambition with this series which had been forecasted to reach 7 volumes by its conclusion but which appears to have ended with "Age Of Bronze Volume 3B: Betrayal" (2013) while sidetracking into the non-canon subplot of Troilus and Cressida. So unfortunately we never reach the actual Iliad confrontations centring around Hector and Achilles.

There may have been an attempt at a reboot with the release of a colorized edition of Volume 1: A Thousand Ships being issued in 2018, but until now in early 2019 there is no indication of further books beyond Volume 3B at the Image Comics home page: https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/age-of-bronze.

Shanower's ambition was to incorporate all Iliad related subplots and legends but to exclude divine elements (by showing their influence instead through dreams and visions). For that purpose his research is very extensive and his Greek and Troy family trees are the most impressive that I have ever seen. Both of them take up a full 8 & 1/2 by 11 inch pages in the Volume 1 book. It is unfortunate that final 4 Volumes will likely never be seen. ( )

Yay! Comics to feed my current mini-obsession with Achilles and Patroclus and the Trojan war, etc. etc. As you may know, all the gods have been taken out of this retelling, leaving something more historical-fictiony seeming. BUT DID ANY OF IT ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPEN?

i dunno, maybe some of it, a little?

Anyway, I am so grateful to learn a little bit about this era and the epic Trojan war in such an easy-to-digest form. Yeah, Shanower removed the gods but the drama (OMG, such drama! drama I don't think even think a modern TV soap would touch... hmm... except maybe Game of Thrones) still remains. I was reading this thinking, OMG, this should be a TV show, like, right now. I like the art, as well, though I could not tell many of the characters apart because their faces and clothes look the same, which well... if you are trying for realistic historical accuracy might be a little hard to work around, admittedly. ( )

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.

The first of seven projected volumes telling the story of the Trojan War in the form of a graphic novel.

The author is trying very successfully to reconcile all of the different stories about the Trojan War, not only in the ancient sources but also in mediaeval and modern accounts, and archaeological information as well. This first volume takes up to the gathering of the Achaeans' fleet at Aulis. Can't wait to get the second. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

The story jumps storylines without any clear delineation. And if you don't already know the story of the Trojan War, it is not easy to follow. Too much is missing. However, it might spike enough interest for someone to learn more about the full story. But I didn't find it very compelling, or informative. ( )

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. ( )

This is the first volume in Eric Shanower's fantastic retelling of the Trojan War. I have read the first instalments of this series and eagerly await the rest. The artwork is finely detailed and expressive and the dialogue and action move along at a good pace.

Very notable for someone like me is that Shanower stays true to the plots of the ancient stories and, which is also exciting, true to the archaeology of the Bronze Age. For a fuller discussion, see my blog post at: http://mjjhoskin.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/epic-retellings-age-of-bronze/ ( )

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 ( )

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

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. ( )

509

IGN Ultimate Bookshelf Notable

Newly colorized version of first volume. ( )

Reviewed September 4, 2007 on 52n52.blogspot.com. ( )