Age of Bronze Volume 3: Betrayal Part 1

In this third volume of Eric Shanower's majestic comicbook adaptation of the Trojan War epic, the armies of Troy and Achea are girding themselves for battle, and although a prophecy has told them it will be a ten-year war, no one knows yet just how gruesome and difficult it will ultimately become. Anyone who has read the original epic as part of a Western Civ class will recognize the detail-heavy, oddly actionless tone of this particular volume -- the classic, mythic stories of Ajax, Hector and Achilles are largely absent here (although they are each part of the giant cast of characters). The main event is a peace delegation that does to Troy, with Paris and Helen mocking the heartbroken Menelaus, and Odysseus promising a rain of destruction upon Troy as a result. He was right, but we'll have to wait until the next few volumes to see it happen. Despite the relative tedium in this particular volume, Shanower does an amazing job bringing this ancient history to life, and making these dozens of dimly remembered, half-mythical characters stand out as real human beings, filled with a mix of nobility and venality. Once again, any student tackling this material should be overjoyed to come across this adaptation -- it can do wonders to cut through the often obscure, often repetitive, sometimes tedious prose of original text, in its various translations. You can really "get" what's going on with the story in this version. Plus, he draws a pretty dishy Helen. Recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This is the third book in Eric Shanower's projected seven volume series about the Trojan War. It is very well written and beautifully illustrated. A very dramatic story which fans of mythology will enjoy.

Age of Bronze is probably one of the best things to ever hit the comics market. The sheer amount of work Shanower puts into this book shines through in his characters, artwork, and story. This book takes a long time to absorb. Each panel is worthy of study and scrutiny and pulls the reader into the era of ancient Troy and Greece. In Volume 3, we don't get quite as much action as seen previously, but we get an intense look in to how these people lived and the true reasoning and politics behind what could have caused the Trojan War. Throughout all that, Shanower still manages to keep the myth of the woman who launched a thousand ships in tact. Shanower may cause some controversy with some of his interpretations of certain characters, but no one can fault his level of detail and research. These are books to treasure always.

This is one of a series of illustrated books of the circumstances around the Trojan War. The research behind the story and the illustrations is first rate. The presentation is entertaining and gripping.