# Is "300" by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of 300 by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley (Dark Horse Comics, 1998 (serial) / 1999 (collected)) is identified by: Serial: five-issue oversized limited series, Dark Horse, with the first issue dated May 1998 and the series running monthly through September 1998. The 1998 five-issue series is the serial first appearance; the 1999 oversized landscape hardcover is the first collected book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Serial: five-issue oversized limited series, Dark Horse, with the first issue dated May 1998 and the series running monthly through September 1998
- First collected edition: oversized landscape hardcover, Dark Horse, 1999, ISBN 1-56971-402-8
- , with each original two-page spread presented as a single page
- The first-print collected edition states the first printing
- Correct publisher/imprint: Dark Horse Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frank Miller & Lynn Varley |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Year | 1998 (serial) / 1999 (collected) |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Serial: five-issue oversized limited series, Dark Horse, with the first issue dated May 1998 and the series running monthly through… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Serial: five-issue oversized limited series, Dark Horse, with the first issue dated May 1998 and the series running monthly through September 1998. First collected edition: oversized landscape hardcover, Dark Horse, 1999, ISBN 1-56971-402-8 (9781569714027), with each original two-page spread presented as a single page. The first-print collected edition states the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
The 1998 five-issue series is the serial first appearance; the 1999 oversized landscape hardcover is the first collected book. Distinguish serial from collected; later film tie-in printings from about 2006 to 2007 carry movie art.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Film tie-in and later printings are later. Verify the 1998 and 1999 first printings and the original non-film cover and oversized landscape format.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *300* by Frank Miller & Lynn Varley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/300
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.