Xerxes Limited Edition Lithograph

Earlier this week, Frank Miller announced quite possibly one of the worst kept secrets (if it was even meant to be a secret): he's working on a sequel to 300. Not an official sequel, but a prequel. The prequel will focus on Xerxes, the Persian warlord who brought Leonidas to his knees and killed the 300 Spartans in a hail of arrowfire. According to an interview with the LA Times, the story will be much grander than 300.

"The story will be the same heft as '300' but it cover a much, much greater span of time -- it's 10 years, not three days," Miller said. "This is a more complex story. The story is so much larger. The Spartans in '300' were being enclosed by the page as the world got smaller. This story has truly vast subjects. The Athenian naval fleet, for instance, is a massive artistic undertaking and it dwarfed by the Persian fleet, which is also shown in this story. The story has elements of espionage, too, and it's a sweeping tale with gods and warriors."

The six part tale will start next year and will come with the requisite awesome Frank Miller art. Like the above Limited Edition Lithograph available from Dark Horse. The signed and numbered lithograph (limited to 100) will be drawn by Miller and colored by Dave Stewart and clock in at a hefty 24" x 36" of fine art. It will be presented on acid-free paper with two special types of coating to enhance golds and background color. There's also a non-limited edition version for $25 if you're not feeling like splurging for the Miller signature. Both are set to hit ship October 31, 2010.