Three #1

Writer - Kieron Gillen

Art - Ryan Kelly, Jordie Bellaire

Image has a long-standing tradition of putting out great creator-owned works.  Kieron Gillen is part of their latest wave of introductory issues with his Spartan tale “Three.”  In this opening installment we get the briefest of introductions to who will be our main cast, the Helot state-slaves and the Euphor and his men.  Moreover, we are given an introduction to a world that hasn’t received much attention since the days of Frank Miller’s “300.”  

We’re introduced to 364 B.C. Sparta, a brutal time to say the least.  This is a time when slaves were property in the truest sense of the word.  GIllen wastes no time in making clear the station in life of the Helots.  I first fell in love with Kieron Gillen’s writing during his “Young Loki” run in Journey Into Mystery (a truly fabulous piece of work that I”ll be revisiting later this month).  This is a complete change of storytelling from Gillen that I was really worried about when I heard his intentions for “Three.”  This is a new creative direction that was a big risk and I believe has paid off.  This is not the cape-writer Gillen, this is the creator Gillen at work.

Some of the best comics and stories I’ve read are when the creator bleeds for the story.  More often that not in recent years one has to turn to creator-owned stories to get that feeling.  Sure, it’s present on some levels in the “Big Two” books, but it’s different when working with your own characters versus characters belonging to the business entity you work for.  Gillen’s relationship with this story is evident between the quality of his work here as well as the way he’s been speaking about it in interviews.  He’s assembled a great team that has put together an impressive debut issue.  

The work Ryan Kelly and Jordie Bellaire do here is wonderful.  We’re shown the drab lifestyle of the Helots and the art captures it well.  The panel layout that becomes heavily used for the latter section of the story adds a pleasant dramatic flair to the narrative.  The colors are what really stand out here, though.  The shifts from daytime to nighttime to indoor fire all feel vibrant but muted at the same time.  The tone that is being set here slides in well with the narrative.

The Verdict…

I’m a sucker for a historical tale.  I’m in for the remainder of this arc.  There’s great cinematic pacing and brutal art that really make this tale shine.  Also, there’s a historical consult on this book.  How many comics can add that credit?