Doing justice to the past through the representation of violence: Three and ancient Sparta
How a recent graphic novel tries to give a more complete view of life in the notorious Greek city-state of Sparta.
This contribution to a book on Contexts of Violence in Comics looks at the graphic novel Three by Kieron Gillen. Three blends evidence from ancient sources with the writer’s imagination to create a more complete view of ancient Sparta than other popular culture works, expanding the readers’ knowledge of how Spartans used violent force. By showing the brutal ways the Spartans policed the helots – the workers who farmed the land for them – and even each other, Three uses the familiar ‘adventure comics’ medium to tell a new story and gives a voice to the voiceless.
Contexts of Violence in Comics
30 September 2021
Routledge
I’ve loved working on this fascinating graphic novel, on which my colleague Prof. Stephen Hodkinson worked as historical consultant. I hope to publish more articles on the topic, including on the consultation process and audience-responses. You can read my blog - in English and Greek - about the novel’s use of ancient evidence.
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