300

When the Persian emperor Xerxes marches an army of hundreds of thousands into Greece, Spartan king Leonidas defies his own council and leads a token force of three hundred soldiers to the mountain pass at Thermopylae, betting that a chokepoint can offset impossible odds.

Frank Miller and colorist Lynn Varley render the doomed stand in high-contrast, almost woodcut-like art, favoring myth and spectacle over strict historical accuracy. The result is less a history lesson than an ode to sacrifice and defiance against overwhelming force — the basis for the 2007 film of the same name.