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Summary
Summary
The epic tale of the original marathon runner.
It was a turning point in ancient history.
It inspires men to greatness.
It was the foundation of one of the greatest and most prevailing global peace efforts of the 20th century.
It was the greatest feat--and the tragic death--of a man whose legacy will never be forgotten.
In 490BC, an Athenian messenger named Eucles ran 153 miles from Sparta to Athens, and in so doing preserved ancient Greek civilization from subjugation to the Persian Empire.
This graphic novel from screenwriter Boaz Yakin and artist Joe Infurnari tells his story.
"A must-read." - Comic Book Daily
Author Notes
Boaz Yakin is an American screenwriter and film director based in New York City. Yakin studied filmmaking at New York City College and New York University. He has written and/or directed many major Hollywood movies such as The Punisher, The Rookie, A Price Above Rubies, and Remember The Titans.
Joe Infurnari is an acclaimed comics writer and illustrator living in Brooklyn. His work has been recognized with multiple Eisner nominations, numerous publications, and membership in the prestigious web comics collective, Act-i-vate. He is the illustrator of First Second's "Mush!"
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-As a young boy, Eucles wins a foot race and is granted Athenian citizenship, but because he did this at the cost of the pride of King Hippias, his parents are executed. Years later, the king, now exiled, is using the might of the Persian army to try and conquer Athens. Eucles must swallow his desire for personal vengeance and race to deliver communications between Athens, Sparta, and the battlefield of Marathon. Historical accounts of the run between Sparta and Marathon vary significantly, and Yakin has been free with interpretation. He establishes motivation for Eucles, making him singularly inspirational and instrumental in not just delivery of information, but in turning the tide of the Battle of Marathon itself. This has the effect of making the events very personal, and therefore imbued with dramatic tension. Also, it helps provide a lens to focus the action, which is necessary as the cast is sprawling and the narrative is nonlinear. The characters are given nicely varied names, helping somewhat with sorely needed identification, as armor and intensity help make a morass of who is whom. The artwork is drawn in a sketchy, energetic style, a kinetic messiness that helps underscore the blood, dirt, and movement. Spot color gives the main action a parchment glow, and a cool gray helps indicate flashbacks. Interestingly complex for a story about a series of runs, and aesthetically compelling, this story will grip readers, who will fight through its occasional muddles along with its protagonist.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This graphic novel opens with the first triumph of the legendary Greek courier (in this case renamed Eucles) over the tyrant king Hippias' own son, the death of his parents at Hippias' hands, and the tyrant's exile a decade later. With that bit of backstory nimbly taken care of in the first few pages, the tale jump-cuts ahead to the day before the legendary battle, the Persian army ready to land at Greek shores, with Hippias at its side. If this is familiar to readers (or viewers) of 300, it should be, since the setup is essentially the same. But Yakim and Infurnari take a distinctly different angle, casting the Persians as worthy opponents for the Greeks to engage in battle. The focus is on strategy, which allows heroics to come out of the characters' wits and will, rather than displays of rippling muscle. However, this focus on character is damaged by a sketchlike visual aesthetic that renders the characters' faces looking nearly identical. This is frustrating early in the book, when the action focuses more heavily on the efforts of the army than on Eucles. As the book progresses, and Eucles takes center stage, the book rights itself, and by the end, it is easy to feel oneself racing alongside him toward Athens. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Retold in Expressionistic blurs of action, this account of the battle of Marathon chronicles at once a glorious win for the underdogs and an awe-inspiring personal achievement. Cruel Hippias, former king of Athens, is on his way back with a huge army of Persians to reclaim the throne and crush Athenian democracy. As the city's squabbling and much smaller forces hustle to meet the invaders, Eucles, Athens' best runner, is charged to race the 153 miles to Sparta in hopes of finding an ally. Battling heat, sun, bandits and pursuing enemy troops, Eucles makes the trek, then makes it in reverse with the dismaying news that the Spartans will not be coming in time. He joins the savage fight and then runs 26 more miles over rugged mountains to Athens--dying on arrival but not before both announcing the victory and warning of an impending surprise attack by sea. Using sepia washes to indicate present time and black and white for flashbacks, Infurnari fills patchwork panels with glimpses of rugged faces, slashing swords and jumbles of martial action with "KLAK" "CHK!" sound effects. Yakin draws from ancient historical and legendary sources but adds invented incidents to round out Eucles' character and elevated dialogue to heighten the epic atmosphere: "The gods have laid a feast both bitter and sweet before me." Among the most historically and culturally significant battles ever fought, Marathon gets righteous due--and so does its greatest hero. (Graphic historical fiction. 12-15)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The broad strokes of the story about the Greek runner whose exploits gave us the punishing 26.2-mile race are well known: a guy runs a great distance to let Athens know that the invading Persian army has been defeated, then dies. But the deeper story, as presented by Yakin and Infurnari, is far more involved. The feats of the runner, Eucles, are bookended by two Athenian wars. In the first, the Spartan army helps force the tyrannical King Hippias into exile. Years later, Hippias returns at the head of Darius' Persian army to reclaim Athens, now a democracy. Desperate for more military clout, Athens sends Eucles to run to Sparta for aid, a mere 150 miles away, and back again. But that insane feat of endurance is only the beginning. He returns to the battlefield on the shores of Marathon, where the massively outnumbered Athenians repel the Persians back onto their ships, which promptly set sail for unguarded Athens. Guess who gets to run and warn them? Pure, unfiltered action in graphic-novel form doesn't come any more grueling. Bloody sword clashes and breathless chase sequences match each other beat for beat in Infurnari's chiseled artwork, which has a harsh, rough-hewn quality to it, as if weathered and battered by time itself. But you can also learn a thing or two here about the small island of democracy that was Athens and the tenuous politics of ancient Greek city-states, upon which so much lore is based. A finely tempered forge of heroism and exhaustion, history and adrenaline.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist