Sin City/Batman Comic Artist Frank Miller Gets It Right On The War On Terror
We need more people saying things like this.
Miller’s sentiments may come as a surprise to some seeing as how Miller is a member in long standing of the almost monolithically liberal and anti-war Hollywood crowd, but this isn’t the first time he’s made statements like this. Miller has had the iconic Batman battling al Qaeda in past comics, and he’s also penned a comic called 300 about the famous Battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartans and hundreds of thousands (or even millions, depending on which historical account you buy in to) of Persian soldiers from the east.
Does the idea of free citizens of western (Greek) city states fighting against hordes of tyrants from the middle east sound sort of familiar? Maybe sort of like citizens of free western nations fighting against hordes of Islamic zealots from the east? The comparison isn’t perfect, but the Battle of Thermopylae is a significant early example of how effective citizens from a free (relative to the time) western society fighting for their freedom can be against the soldiers of tyrants. Miller, by dint of his comic about the heroic stand of the Spartans, clearly appreciates that, which in turn explains his views on the war against Islamic extremism.
By the way, Miller’s 300 comic has been made into a movie of the same title which is set to be released this March. Neither the comic nor, I expect, the movie are all that faithful to historical facts but the general themes of the battle as well as its historical significance seem to be left in tact. I wasn’t much of a fan of the film adaptation of Miller’s Sin City, but I’ve got to say that I’m excited about 300.
