Age Of Bronze Vol. 1: A Thousand Ships

Age of Bronze #1

by Eric Shanower

Daring heroes, breathtaking women, betrayals, love and death--the most spectacular war story ever told: The Trojan War. When a lustful Trojan prince abducts the beautiful Queen Helen of Sparta, Helen`s husband vows to recover her no matter the cost. So begins the Trojan War. From far and wide the ancient kings of Greece bring their ships to join the massive force to pledge their allegiance to High King Agamemnon. Featuring the greatest of the Greek heroes: Achilles, Odysseus, and Herakles, along with a cast of thousands. AGE OF BRONZE: A THOUSAND SHIPS reveals hidden secrets of the characters` pasts, serving up joy and sorrow, leading up to the brink of war, and foreshadowing the terror to come. Age of Bronze will be included in a major international exhibition travelling to three German museums in 2002. The exhibit is centered on the current excavations at Troy and features Age of Bronze in an exhibit devoted to modern interpretations of Troy. Age of Bronze has been nominated for numerous Eisner (The comic industry's Oscar) Awards. Rack it in your mythology and historical fiction sections for even more sales success.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Fiction, Classics, Fantasy

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2001

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the graphic novel of the Trojan War and the Iliad. There are 4 volumes to this series. The story goes up to the point that the armies have assembled and they are heading out for Troy. They even know that it will take 9 years of fighting and on the 10th year they win.

I think most people know the gist of this story and most people have heard of Helen, the Face that launched a thousand ships and Paris, the man who stole her away and started a war.

This story tells things that I either forgot or didn't know. Paris was raised by a sheepherder. He was the son of a King, but there was a terrible prophesy about him and so he was sent away to be killed and the sheepherder couldn't kill him. He raised him and he made his way back to the king to win a tournament.

The other thing I don't remember hearing is that Achilles mother knew he was fated to die young if he fought, so she begged him to go hide on an island of women, dressed as a woman to be safe. He did this. This is some serious drag. He has a baby with one of the daughters of the king. The movie about Achilles with Brad Pitt certainly didn't show that. The whole army has to wait for Achilles to be found. They search 2 years for him.

It sure is a long time to be away from fields and family.

The art is great for this book and alot happens, so it is long and wordy. It's a great way to experience the Trojan War saga really. I do recommend it.

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

I waffle on whether to switch my shelving from "mythologies" to "historical fiction" since Shanower - like Wolfgang Petersen in the execrable "Troy" - removes the divine elements from the tale entirely, which has the unfortunate effect of reducing the entire story to seven seasons (this is volume one of seven) of "The West Wing," a political soap opera. I'm put in mind of Star Wars, which went from the epic opening in episode IV - "It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire." to the limp noodle of episode I - "Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute."

And, while I can accept the physical removal of the gods, Shanower has also removed their spiritual presence. There's no sense of the religious world these characters inhabit. Thus, the famous Judgment of Paris is a dream he has where Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman in the world - Helen of Sparta - and when he has the chance to make that dream come true, he takes it. (On a positive note, the character of Paris - a self-centered, spoiled, willful teen-ager - is powerfully and well represented.)

If you liked "Troy" (and don't worry, I won't hold it against you; many would look askance at my favorite films :-) or enjoy the subgenre of literature that reinterprets myths realistically, then you might enjoy Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships and its brothers. Shanower takes all the conflicting myths that surround the Trojan War and refashions a coherent narrative, and his artwork is stunning. It's nearly impossible to draw a distinctive face for every character in the saga but Shanower manages to make most of them so - Agamemnon has a Simon Legree mustache and beard, Odysseus has male-pattern baldness, Priam's face is particularly distinctive:



It's not perfect - the women tend to all look alike as do the sons of Priam (which may be inadvertent irony reflecting Priam and Hecuba's difficulties in keeping their brood apart) but it's a good effort and careful reading can usually keep everyone seperate.

I'll probably pick up the second volume because I do like the artwork and, while the story hasn't drawn me in (which is, in the end, my chief problem), I am interested in how Shanower demythologizes the tale.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shanower has obviously spent an enormous amount of time researching this, but did he really need to spend 100 pages gathering the troops to send to Troy. It literally takes 3 years of the book for this to happen. I get that he wants to introduce all of the major players, but there are so many that I couldn't keep straight who was who. I know my Greek mythology but in making the characters look authentic in ethnicity and dress, they are really hard to tell apart. I also didn't care how much of the book dealt in visions and prophecy when the gods have been removed from the story. I'll probably give the next volume a try as that's when we should get to the meat of the story. At the end of this, the Greeks are just setting sail for Troy.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Iliad on a lark without knowing much about the text itself and was surprised when the I discovered that the book starts with the war of Troy already begun.

This book sets out to tell the story of how the war got started. It begins with Paris's story and then the capture of Helen, and concluded with the Greeks assembling an army to attack Troy.

There were a few extremely interesting and exciting chapters, but also a few boring ones. I guess its this inconsistency that I disliked.

The art is excellent and seems very authentic, the author included sketches in the book of how he designed the Trojan throne room, and the comic maintains a superb internal consistency concerning 'camera' angels and the physical environment. I actually felt at times like a fly on the wall in history.

The story is also pain-painstakingly crafted. I don't know much about how scholars have created the 'authentic' telling of this story, but the author appeals to the authority of scholars for the creation of this book. Nothing is done just because the author felt the whim to do something... that's probably why the book is at time boring though.

I will be reading subsequent volumes and will probably even check out more works concerning this time period/story that just the two Homer poems I've read. (also, don't think you need to have read Homer to read this book - you could come in fresh)

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like an intriguing and well-written take on an age-old myth, based on a classic premise: ditch the supernatural tell what really could've happened. And I actually think that many of these folks come across as more compelling and three-dimensional when they don't have their gods backing them up (or said gods are just more subtle, who knows).

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)

From the March 1999 edition with a theme of "War Comics":

INTRODUCTION

This month, Dark Horse Comics is going overboard on its Star Wars offerings. With the bucks that will be flying around in May from frenzied Star Warriors, I can't say I blame them. While I will be seeing "The Phantom Menace" along with the rest of the world, I still prefer my war stories a little more down to Earth.

War has always been a rich source of literature. The extreme nature of war allows man to be displayed at his extremes: most noble, most base, most human. A broad spectrum of humanity can be shown making decisions that are tragic, horrible, disgusting, and inspiring -- often all at the same time. While I have never participated-- and hope to never participate-- in any war, I find war stories to be endlessly fascinating for their insight into the people of our world.

THE WINDS OF WAR

AGE OF BRONZE #1-2 (Image Comics)

Sub-titled "The Story of the Trojan War," AGE OF BRONZE is an updated and in-depth presentation of the events described in Homer's classic, "The Iliad." But don't let the classic reference scare you off, 'cuz AGE OF BRONZE is thoroughly modern in its approach and presentation. In fact it's one of the more intriguing comics I've read so far this year.

Estimated as a 50-issue limited series, AGE OF BRONZE is taking its time to establish the characters, the age, and the setting before jumping into the actual war itself. Indeed, in the first two issues, we are merely introduced to Paris, a cocky young punk from the ancient Greek countryside. When the king's men seize his father's valued sacrificial bull to be a prize in a Trojan sporting competition, Paris travels to the big city to win back the beast. His athleticism and attitude quickly catch the eye of the king, and a secret about Paris' past guarantees that he'll be sticking around Troy for awhile.

The pacing is wonderful, but also demonstrates that writer/artist Eric Shanower is in this for the long haul. After the first two issues, as far as the war goes, Kassandra the seer has only begun warning people about a terrible fate for Troy. And Helen, the woman whose face will launch a thousand ships, has only been mentioned in passing. I anticipate the initial skirmishes may not happen until issue ten or twelve at the earliest. As this is a bimonthly comic, that means almost two-years until the bloodshed begins in earnest. If those issues are as good as the first two -- and I'm sure they will be -- the wait will definitely be worthwhile.

Thankfully Shanower has foregone the "thee" and "thou" approach to writing about events from early in man's history. Also avoiding the opposite extreme, Paris' speech is not packed with anachronistic references from the modern day. Shanower has found a perfectly neutral and brisk tone for his dialogue. Also, Shanower is presenting his story with dialogue only. No thought balloons or captions exist to drag the story down. Finally, Shanower is taking the time to introduce each character properly, making them three-dimensional and realistic in their goals and motivations. AGE OF BRONZE is thoroughly readable and getting better with each issue.

And the art! AGE OF BRONZE has the same fine linework Shanower exhibited in his Oz books at First Comics and Dark Horse and his AQUAMAN limited series at DC. Expressive faces, highly-detailed clothing, and fully illustrated backgrounds are trademarks of Shanower. I'm pleased that he was able to translate the attention to detail in his artwork to his writing.

If Shanower and Image can stick with this project for the full eight (!) years, AGE OF BRONZE is sure to be a classic in its own right. I know this book will be a slow starter financially, but the quality story contained within is sure to start a buzz. No witty puns or cute wrap-ups for this one, folks, just a sincere plea. If you want to support a true work of art in its infancy, please place your order for AGE OF BRONZE immediately.

Grade: A-

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this series is for me. I expected something as epic as the Iliad and I found myself presented with a graphic novel that I felt was the opposite of what I expected.

Some perhaps might enjoy a more 'accurate' re-telling of the Trojan war, one filled with politics and a character driven plot in place of any divine intervention that was present in the Iliad. But I couldn't bring myself to like it, despite the fact that those sorts of things are what I normally enjoy.

It certainly didn't help that I didn't enjoy the art style either. Looking back on it, the only characters I could recognize immediately were Patroclus and Menelaus, purely because they were some of the only light-haired characters within the entire book. Everyone else unfortunately suffered from sameface, to the point where I struggled to remember who was speaking and who I should be picking out in a crowd.

As for positives? Like I said, some might enjoy the more 'authentic' re-telling that removes any divine presence. I say that and yet Thetis is still a daughter of the sea so perhaps not all of it was removed.

Would I recommend it? Not really no, not unless you enjoyed the 2004 movie Troy.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written, beautifully drawn comic, built on a mound of scholarship. It shows what the comic form can be.

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

In reading Volume 1 of Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze, it becomes apparent why The Iliad and The Odyssey survived the millennia, while the rest of the epic cycle come down to us only in fragments: it's really, really dull. While the Iliad has themes of glory and revenge, mortality and memory, alongside quite literally epic battle scenes, and the Odyssey is an archetypal story of there-and-back-again, monsters at the edge of the world, loss and recovery, the early scenes from the epic cycle include beauty contests with gods, irrational love affairs, and the politics of idiocy. It is very difficult for most modern adaptations of this story to really capture a good reason why Paris/Alexander should abduct (or elope with, or rape) Helen and get away with it, why Priam and Troy should protect him, and why the Achaeans should all attack Troy. Shanower's version removes the gods - more on which later - but doesn't remove religious obligation, visions, or prophecy. This ties the characters up in events belong their control, which is really the case: Shanower expresses his desire not "to invent, but to tell anew", and thus surrenders himself to teleology - characters do what they do because that's what they do, not for any obvious motive. It's a sequence of events, in order, with generally the same characters. It's not much of a story.

While some of these problems may be with the sources for the story, Shanower's unwillingness to "invent" leaves the story and characters somewhat flat. This flatness is especially obvious in the case of the women in the story, the most obvious examples being three of the most powerful, evocative women from Greek mythology (Medea aside): Helen, Penelope, and Clytemnestra. Helen is introduced when the affair with Paris has already begun and she is running away with him. Apparently this is because Paris has made her realize what passion is, which, judging from the immaturity and idiocy with which Paris has been characterized in the earlier parts of the story, is difficult to believe. We don't even get to see her face until Paris reveals her to his fellow Trojans, thus removing her own agency or identity beyond her beauty. While Helen might not be an obvious character to make fascinating, Clytemnestra comes ready-made in Classical tragedy such as Aeschylus' The Oresteia and Euripides' Elektra as fascinating. Yet all she gets in this volume is shushed by Agamemnon when glimpsed in his bed. Worst of all, Penelope, who is described by the poet of the Odyssey as the equal of her husband, just stands by and watches his scheme to avoid service when she should have been totally in on it. I'm reading A Thousand Ships in a post- The Penelopiad world, so perhaps my expectations for the characterization of Penelope are higher than that of readers when the comic book was originally published. But there is so much scope for creating a human Athena (especially if you're excluding the gods) that it's painful for it to be missed.

It's painfully obvious how much more interesting these women could be, but it doesn't stop there. The minor female characters are usually presented as boy-crazy, only interested in marrying a boy (usually the one that they actually do marry, to ensure that Paris and Helen are the only complication, with the exception of poor Polyxena). As with Helen, it's difficult to see what Oenone sees in Paris, or Deidamia in Achilles. But that's their point, so they do it. the boys, meanwhile, are all young, playful jokers who occasionally break from their care-free attitudes to have sex with one of the girls; meanwhile the men are all scowling, angry men blundering into a war without a point. It's nowhere near as interesting as Euripides' twist on the tale - the war was over Helen, but she was never in Troy.

This flatness is emphasised by the exclusion of the most interesting characters from Greek mythology. It's not an original idea to exclude the gods from the Trojan War, but it is almost invariably a bad one, especially as Achilles' mother is a god, and vital to the plot. Shanower's reasoning also doesn't hold up, in my opinion: "so many are quick to look beyond themselves for answers or to assign blame." The better twenty-first century metaphor would be to present the gods as powerful figures completely ignorant of the suffering and experience of their constituents the mortals who worship them; interested only in their own powers and plans, they create disaster on the lower orders, think themselves blameless, and suffer no consequences. I think the gods in epic are a perfect metaphor for the things we can't control; Dan Simmons's storyline in Ilium and Olympos , where the only solution to the war is to turn both Trojans and Achaeans on the gods who oppress them, is a much better use of this story. Put simply, the gods are more essential to epic than the structure of the story. It may be unbelievable with them, but it's even more so without.

On "believability", it may be clear to anyone who has read my review of The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction by Eric H. Cline, I have strong feelings about the historicity of the Trojan War, especially it's Bronze Age setting. Put simply, I do not think that anything is gained by debating whether or not the Trojan War is based on an historical event, as in the format in which the story comes down to us that historical event is completely unrecoverable. Shanower repeats a lot of the problematic statements which Cline makes in his "Afterword", and indeed Cline is thanked in the acknowledgements. But that being said, I actually enjoyed the Bronze Age anacro-mulch which is the setting of this volume. After all, an amalgamation of different chronological bits is the material culture setting of the epics. Shanower's dismissal of the Classical look is disheartening, especially as Agamemnon is specifically said in the Iliad to have had a Gorgoneion shield which would not have existed before the seventh century; and personally I think the best setting would be an eighth/seventh century style Aegean, but the Bronze Age largely works. I'm not so sure about the Horns of Consecration (a Minoan religious symbol) on the Palace of Nestor, nor Shanower's assertion in the "Afterword" that Agamemnon had a face which could be reconstructed (he didn't, because he's not real). But the look of the volume is quite nice, even if it's not quite any actual period of the Late Bronze Age exactly.

If I were to characterize the problem with Age of Bronze as an idea, I'd say it was entirely Shanower's desire to retell without invention. There are clearly some creative decisions being made, but a reluctance to say anything interesting, to do anything besides tell a story. He wants to make it relevant, it seems, if his reason for excluding the gods is anything to go by, but there's no other evidence of any attempt to actually do that. He's amalgamating the inventions of other people, such as Troilus and Cressida, which was a medieval story, and doesn't really see the disjuncture between being willing to include that, but nothing of his own. It ends up coming across as flavourless. I'd rather have a story which I hated but which crafted these mythological characters into people than this bland reiterating of plot points which I already knew.

[Lulu (the library leopard) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. Interesting, I guess, but I'm never a huge fan of uncolored graphic novels and I also question the decision to not show magic or gods on-page but still have they drive the story like in the original myths. Also, at one point I genuinely could not tell Achilles and Deidameia apart, so, uh…

I will probably pick up the next volume, however, since the action should get going.

[Diz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the Iliad, I really enjoyed reading this realistic take on the war against Troy. This volume covers political maneuvering that takes place before the war starts. I think fans of political intrigue will find this interesting. However, if you're looking for action and combat, there isn't much in this volume.

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of historical/mythological writing I was thrilled to come across a graphic novel based on Troy. Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze is the most real and complete depiction of the Troy I have come across. His story doesn’t have walking talking gods, instead it’s the human side of the story based on past writings and archaeological findings.

His art is Manga style without the colors, relaying on just black and white. The details in the work is amazing, the background is rich with appropriate historical settings, even when he draws a crowd of people, each one has a different face. There are no shortcuts in his illustrations. I have enjoyed his recent issues more then the earlier one, may be they are better printed being newer also I felt they are cleaner, with less use of ink.

Shanower’s attempt at retelling without embellishment is nice and all but at the same time it suffers from being monotonous. By not focusing on any character or heroic deeds, it gets boring at times. Troy is full of amazing characters and events but only enough is invested on them to keep the story moving.

The story is still incomplete, it has taken him 17 years to get out 33 publications. The series art form being similar to a Manga, the same would have been equivalent of 9 months of manga publication.

Still I did enjoy the work a lot and will keep following the series, learned a lot of history which other publication seem to ignore.

Rating is for the whole series published as of now, that is 1 to 33.

[Zach Danielson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skimmed the last third of this because I was losing interest. This is part 1 of a (planned) 7-part project to tell the tale of the Trojan War in graphic form. It's very detailed--clearly a lot of research went into this. My biggest criticism is that it's hard to keep track of who's who and where they are. The black and white art is solid, but the characters look too similar to one another, and there are no captions to indicate where the action takes place, or even when the scene is changing.

I felt like I needed the Cliff Notes. Some may argue this an achievement for graphic novels as a serious form of literature. For me, it seems like a waste of the medium. Because the story itself is so epic and interesting, I'll probably check out the next volume (Age Of Bronze Volume 2: Sacrifice), just to see if it improves on this book.

[Myke Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great comic. Shanower does an excellent job of reimagining the Iliad and the surrounding mythology (Jason and The Argonauts, the Madness of Odysseus, later romances like Troilus and Cressida) as a single, cohesive narrative with engaging characters and an episodic plot that will satisfy fans of TV shows like Game of Thrones or The Tudors.

The comic works especially well for me as a fan of accurate history, as Shanower is so faithful to the archaeological record that the comic is as close to a frame by frame panorama of Mycenaen/Minoan Achaea as you could possibly hope for.

Really engaging, fun and satisfying. I'm on the second trade now.

[Ritinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing deed of one man's will and wit, and how lucky one is to get to read such a (still ongoing) run of sequential art!
[the panels depicting the seduction of Helen by Paris are truly superb]

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the events leading up to the ships leaving for Troy. What you have is the discovery of Paris, the gathering of the army, and so on. Shanower pays very good attention to the threads of the story.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of a gorgeous and wonderful retelling of the Trojan War. The characterizations are rich, the art is stunning and the details are meticulous. The author has clearly done his homework and is more than deserving of all the accolades, nominations and awards he has received for this series. Actually, he deserves more than those he’s already gotten. I simply cannot praise this enough.
While the focus of this volume in on the events that lead up to the beginning of the original world war, Shanower had chosen to remove the gods of Olympus from being physically present. Their involvement is felt in dreams and prophecies, but not in the reality of flesh and blood. While this has advantages and disadvantages, I definitely lean towards seeing the advantages. For me at least, this makes the character’s motivations far more believable and relatable. In any case, this is a brilliant piece of work. Anyone who’s reading The Iliad, should do themselves a favor and read this as well. It will really help in understanding the characters, their relationships and their motivations. Like I said, I cannot praise this enough.
This particular edition is even better, if that’s possible, with addition of color.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4

Thoughts: I like the more realistic approach that Shanower took with this retelling of the Trojan War. It's interesting to see that the Gods and Goddesses aren't actual characters, but more seen as other characters relating their visions or dreams of them. It adds more to the mortals of the stories, we see their desires and actions more realistically.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sing to me, O Muse, that I may inspire someone to pick up this historically accurate retelling of the war of Troy in the form of a graphic novel...actually, I'll just do that myself because this book inspired me enough.

The Greeks as a people are often mythologized and romanticized to the point that they lose some of their teeth. Having dug more and more into the history and culture of ancient Greece I've found, to my delight, that the greeks far more resembled the bearded barbarians who sacked Rome, twice, than the lofty marble statues one might find in a poem by Keats. This is partly the reason why this book is so wonderful.

Eric Shanower could have simply fallen back upon the glorious image of the ancient Greek peoples and filled his pages with Adonis after adonis encountering gods and goddesses. But in fact, this book is far more enjoyable for the way it tries to ground the classic narrative of the Trojan conflict in a realistic human narrative informed by the actual culture, paradigms, and possibilities of humanity. The reader is sure to recognize the characters they know and love (or else the ones they were forced to read in high school, not everybody is a nerd like me), but this story is told in such a way that one feels the real drama and understanding as why this war was fought over in the first place.

This first volume sets up the characters and the beginnings of the war for Troy and ends as the Greek navy sais for Anatolia. And while the attention to historic and anatomical detail is marvelous, more than anything else is the artwork. Shanower illustrates every page with a concern for portraying real people rather than idealized portraits. In this way, the reader is sure to appreciate the Greek protagonists, men like Agamemnon, Odysseus, Achilles, and Menelaus, and real human beings rather than idealized forms in ancient stories.

Age of Bronze is a wonderful book and I cannot wait to continue this series.

[Ulysses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of many subjects that would seem to lend themselves more handily to a totally sweet graphic novelization than the Trojan War... but on the other hand, I also can't think of many subjects that would seem to require more deadly seriousness and skill in their execution. (For example, whenever I so much as remember the existence of the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings film, I shudder. A great work of art, rendered with haste, slovenliness, or insincerity, is a hundred times more painful to witness than even the most execrable Michael Bay schlockbuster.) Fortunately, Shanower smacks this one out of the ballpark, with faithful yet also innovative (as appropriate) incorporation and synthesis of the myriad Trojan War-related myths (the vast majority of which are not canonized in the Iliad), presented with gorgeous visual style. (Shanower's use of shading, in particular, is perfectly suited to the task.) The dialogue seems a bit simplistic, but not disruptively so, and given how great this book is in all other respects, not to mention its uniqueness-- how many other multi-volume literary-grade graphic novelizations of the Trojan War exist?-- I found this shortcoming pretty easy to forgive. (My only other gripe: I wish Shanower had given Odysseus a cooler hairdo.)

The entirety of this first volume is spent presenting the backstories of the various heroes and setting the stage for the conflict, and so as gripping and action-packed as the volume is, it only goes as far as the departure of the Achaean fleet for Troy at the outset of the war. I'm extremely excited to see what volume 2 has in store, as soon as I can get my hands on it, and I hope that Shanower is making good headway on volumes 4-7-- only the first three volumes have been published so far.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second or third time I've read this book. I seriously love everything about the Age of Bronze series thus far. As a fan of greco-roman mythology, I'm loosely versed in several of the stories and characters about the Trojan War, but this comic series makes the entire epic come alive in new ways. Shanower's commitment to historical and archaeological accuracy gives the look of the comic a unique and true feel. Any changes or divergences from source materials I think are permitted since there are so many versions already of these stories, and when they were originally told (Homer was simply the first to write down stories like 'The Iliad' and 'They Odyssey', which were already well-known by oral storytellers), the stories would change with each telling.

Shanower's ambition is not limited to his scope as a writer. The art is equally ambitious, and he meets his goals in that realm too. He never comes halfway or pulls shortcuts on backgrounds, acting, cinematography, or technique. Each character is different from others, and looks the same panel-to-panel. He is a truly great artist. Every now and then, he takes opportunities to change it up stylistically--in this volume, the flashback story of Heracles' abduction of Hesione is a fun change in style, and the memory sequence of Paris' seduction of Helen is an interesting method. One of my favorite moments is how Shanower keeps Helen's face obscured until a big reveal--a truly appropriate move for the most beautiful woman in the world.

I stand by my statement that 'Age of Bronze' is the comic book equivalent to 'Game of Thrones.' It is comparable in intensity, quality, and scope. I often refer back to this series while working on my own comics, and reading and re-reading these books is a delight.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beginning of a gorgeous and wonderful retelling of the Trojan War. The characterizations are rich, the art is stunning and the details are meticulous. The author has clearly done his homework and is more than deserving of all the accolades, nominations and awards he has received for this series. Actually, he deserves more than those he’s already gotten. I simply cannot praise this enough.
While the focus of this volume in on the events that lead up to the beginning of the original world war, Shanower had chosen to remove the gods of Olympus from being physically present. Their involvement is felt in dreams and prophecies, but not in the reality of flesh and blood. While this has advantages and disadvantages, I definitely lean towards seeing the advantages. For me at least, this makes the character’s motivations far more believable and relatable. In any case, this is a brilliant piece of work. Anyone who’s reading The Iliad, should do themselves a favor and read this as well. It will really help in understanding the characters, their relationships and their motivations. Like I said, I cannot praise this enough.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

2017: I was a bit hard on this in 2009, and I no longer want to stand by the second paragraph of that review. This is a worthy and basically well-executed project, and I'm bumping it up to a third star.

2009: Any graphic presentation of historical or pseudo-historical events has to live with comparison of Larry Gonick's amazing "History of the Universe" books, which are a brutal act to follow. Even cutting "A Thousand Ships" some slack on this account, though, it's a bit of a disappointment. The strengths of the graphic format aren't brought to bear, as characters aren't drawn with enough individuality to be able to tell them apart easily. Transitions are often unmarked, making it possible to read through several panels before realizing that there has been an important shift in time and place.

Shanower has chosen to depict the people of the epic as ordinary people, which is a reasonable decision. For my taste, though, it waters down the mythology, stripping it of a lot of its grandeur and humor, and making it just a little bit dull.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shanower strips away the supernatural elements, to present us with a dynamic, exciting but very human take on the ancient epic. I don't mind - the art is really good, and it avoids the idealised image of the ancient Greeek world most popular media tend to give us and the storytelling is well paced. I'd love to see a retelling of the Indian epics that similarly rationalise or minimise supernatural elements, just because such a view is as interesting and valid as any other and could make for an interesting change.

Alberto Manguel's book about the Iliad and the Odyssey achieved the rather unfortunate result of making me feel as if these stories, which I had enjoyed since boyhood, were really the property and obsession of western culture; Shanower's retelling, although this is only volume one, has gone a fair way towards giving them back to me.

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

the first time i read this i recall being deeply impressed with how eric shanower melded the eleventy billion sources there are on the trojan war into a coherent retelling. this time i'm around i'm still impressed but also struck by just how many flop dudes populate this book like dang, paris can't you just leave? leave bro. you are ruining literally EVERYONE'S life, shoo

i know he's not gonna but i had to say it. maybe i'm channeling cassandra

also i'm thinking about how achilles and hector are the heroic figures of the achaeans and trojans respectively except hector's the only one who really manages heroic? every time we cut to achilles i just wanted to pluck him up and send him to a big sisters, big brothers program, this is a teenager who needs someone to teach him how to grow up, not have his worst features indulged in war

3 stars

[Manish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d been waiting to read Shanower’s “Age of Bronze” since ages and finally got around the book a few weeks back. The book is the first of a series in which he’s painstakingly researched literary and archaeological evidence to visually recreate the Greeks during the Trojan war. Here, we have Paris’ discovery by his parents, the reasons for his arrival at Troy and the story of Achilles’s childhood where he’s raised as a girl.

The garments worn by the characters, the landscapes and the domestic scenes make this work a piece of marvel. Three more parts of the series have been released (all during a course of around 17 years I guess). With it being unfinished, I guess this is one wait worth waiting!

Endnote: I watched the first four episodes of Netflix's Troy. Insufferable stuff! Read this book instead

[Marquise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original comment on 1st read, 2014

Another retelling of The Iliad that left me indifferent and somewhat disappointed at how modern the characters feel. Shanower would've used doing a deeper research on the mentality of the epoch.

Update 08/04/2016

Third attempt at this graphic novel retelling of Homer's great epic, and second successful read through to the end. Unfortunately, I ended disliking it worse than the first time. I really can't with Shanower, and after this I'm done with his work. I love "The Iliad," and always will, but I can't say the same about this reinterpretation that managed to make it so boring and banal instead of how Homer deserves for his ascribed tale to be retold: fast-moving and complex and exhilarating and . . . epic!

[Casey Schreiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the Trojan War in meticulously researched and drawn graphic novel form.

If you have even the slightest memory of the Greek epics from high school or college (or just an unhealthy appetite for history) you'll recognize a lot of players and scenes here. The gods are mostly absent from the plot, appearing only in dreams and the occasional vision, which grounds the story in human terms and makes the events all the more impressive.

If you get into this series, you've got to be in it for the long haul - but so far it's definitely worth picking up.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel retelling the story of the Trojan War. I read the Illiad in high school, but I was mostly too detached or stoned to remember most of it. I love the complexity of this story. Shanower doesn't shrink from the immense task of including all the characters and the twists. I can't wait to get Volume II. It's a 200 page graphic novel, and they've only just left for Troy. I highly recommend it.

[Jrobertus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel/history. Shanower is rendering the Iliad in a modern media, and it is a lot of fun. He points out that the Greek classics are internally contradictory and so settling on a coherent story is a fun challenge. The drawing is wonderful, but the dialog is a bit abrupt. However, he can't spend too long developing the plot lines. I enjoyed it a good deal and intend to read the subsequent sections.