Review of "Trojan War: 2 of 5," Marvel Comics

 Review of

Trojan War: 2 of 5, Marvel Comics

Five out of five stars

Great way to learn the Iliad

 The Trojan War was the subject of the classic work of literature known as The Iliad, and for centuries the city of Troy and the war itself were considered to be myths. However, the best current scholarship indicates that the city of Troy did in fact exist and there may have been such a war in the 12^th or 11^th century B. C. In any case, The Iliad is likely the first epic poem and formed the basis for a great deal of Greek theater. Which is the foundation for much of stage and screen drama since then.

 This comic starts at the time where the Greeks have gathered their ships and are waiting for the weather to change so that they can start their journey to Troy. There is a rude awakening to the actions of the time, for Agamemnon is required to sacrifice his daughter by his own hand in order to appease the weather gods.

 One very telling point of dialog is by Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon. “Agamemnon, you took me first by force, after slaying my former husband Tantalus – and you killed the infant you tore from my breast! Yet, once reconciled, I have been a blameless wife, giving you sons and daughters.” These two events give the reader insight into the reality of the times. Men fought wars for booty and glory rather than loyalty, in most cases the booty was in the form of people sold into slavery.

 This story passes through the first deaths in the confrontation between the Greeks and the citizens of Troy and the Greek sacking of cities allied with Troy. The reader is introduced to the Trojan champion Hector, credited with the killing of the first Greek. It ends with the drowning death of Palamedes under suspicious circumstances.

 The Iliad is the origin of so much of early Greek and subsequent European theater, it should be required reading in order to make the claim of being educated. While this comic and the others in this series are not as good as the real thing, it is close, and you can learn a lot about one of the most powerful and influential stories.