Frank Miller (comics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the comic book artist and writer. For the newspaper cartoonist, see Frank Miller (newspaper cartoonist). For others, see Frank Miller (disambiguation).
Frank Miller
FrankMillerSanDiego crop.jpg
Miller at Comic-Con 2008.
Born (1957-01-27) January 27, 1957 (age 56)
Olney, Maryland, U.S.
Nationality American
Area(s) Writer, penciller, inker, film director, screenwriter, actor
Notable works Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Daredevil: Born Again, Ronin, 300, Sin City, The Spirit, Give Me Liberty
Awards Numerous

Official website

Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957)[3] is an American writer, artist, and film director best known for his dark comic book stories and graphic novels such as Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and 300. He also directed the film version of The Spirit, shared directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City and produced the film 300.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Miller was born in Olney, Maryland,[4] and raised in Montpelier, Vermont,[4] the fifth of seven children of a nurse mother and a carpenter/electrician father.[5] His family was Irish Catholic.[6]

Career [edit]

Miller's first published work may have been at Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics imprint, on the licensed TV-series comic book The Twilight Zone. Though no published credits appear, he is tentatively credited with the three-page story "Royal Feast" in issue #84 (June 1978), by an unknown writer,[7] and is credited with the five-page "Endless Cloud", also by an unknown writer, in #85 (July 1978).[8] By the time of the latter, however, Miller had his first confirmed credit in writer Wyatt Gwyon's six-page "Deliver Me From D-Day", inked by Danny Bulanadi, in Weird War Tales #64 (June 1978).[9]

One-time Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter recalled Miller going to DC Comics after having broken in with "a small job from Western Publishing, I think. Thus emboldened, he went to DC, and after getting savaged by Joe Orlando, got in to see art director Vinnie Colletta, who recognized talent and arranged for him to get a one-page war-comic job".[10] The Grand Comics Database does not list this job; there may have been a one-page DC story, or Shooter may have misremembered the page count or have been referring to the two-page story, by writer Roger McKenzie, "Slowly, painfully, you dig your way from the cold, choking debris..." in Weird War Tales #68 (Oct. 1978).[11] Other fledgling work at DC included the six-page "The Greatest Story Never Told", by writer Paul Kupperberg, in that same issue, and the five-page "The Edge of History", written by Elliot S. Maggin, in Unknown Soldier #219 (Sept. 1978). His first work for Marvel Comics was penciling the 17-page story "The Master Assassin of Mars, Part 3" in John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18 (Nov. 1978).[12] Miller had a letter he wrote to Marvel as a comics fan published several years earlier, in 1973 (The Cat #3)[13]

At Marvel, Miller would settle in as a regular fill-in and cover artist, working on a variety of titles. One of these jobs was drawing Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #27–28 (Feb.–March 1979), which guest-starred Daredevil. At the time, sales of the Daredevil title were poor; however, Miller saw something in the character he liked and asked editor-in-chief Jim Shooter if he could work on Daredevil's regular title. Shooter agreed and made Miller the new penciller on the title. As Miller recalled in 2008,

When I first showed up in New York, I showed up with a bunch of comics, a bunch of samples, of guys in trench coats and old cars and such. And [comics editors] said, 'Where are the guys in tights?' And I had to learn how to do it. But as soon as a title came along, when [Daredevil signature artist] Gene Colan left Daredevil, I realized it was my secret in to do crime comics with a superhero in them. And so I lobbied for the title and got it".[5]

Daredevil and the early 1980s [edit]

 This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2008)
Miller at the 1982 Comic-Con

Daredevil #158 (May 1979), Miller's debut on that title, was the finale of an ongoing story written by Roger McKenzie and inked by Klaus Janson. Although still conforming to traditional comic book styles, Miller infused this first issue with his own film noir style.[14] After this issue, Miller became one of Marvel's rising stars. Miller sketched the roofs of New York in an attempt to give his Daredevil art an authentic feel not commonly seen in superhero comics at the time. One journalist noted,

"Daredevil's New York, under Frank's run, became darker and more dangerous than the Spider-Man New York he’d seemingly lived in before. New York City itself, particularly Daredevil's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, became as much a character as the shadowy crimefighter; the stories often took place on the rooftop level, with water towers, pipes and chimneys jutting out to create a skyline reminiscent of German Expressionism's dramatic edges and shadows."
—Christopher Irving, [15]

However, sales on Daredevil did not improve, Marvel's management continued to discuss cancellation, and Miller himself asked to be taken off the series, as he disliked McKenzie's scripts.[10] Miller's fortunes changed with the arrival of Denny O'Neil as editor. Realizing Miller's unhappiness with the series, and impressed by a backup story he had written, O'Neil fired McKenzie so that Miller could try writing the series himself.[10][16] With issue #168 (Jan. 1981), Miller took over full duties as writer and penciller. Sales rose so swiftly that Marvel once again began publishing Daredevil monthly rather than bimonthly just three issues after Miller came on as writer.

Issue #168 saw the first appearance of the ninja mercenary Elektra, who despite being Daredevil's love interest would become an assassin-for-hire. Miller later wrote and drew a solo Elektra story in Bizarre Adventures #28 (Oct. 1981).

Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981), Elektra's debut. Cover art by Miller and Klaus Janson.

Unable to handle both writing and penciling Daredevil on the new monthly schedule, Miller began increasingly relying on Janson for the artwork, sending him looser and looser pencils beginning with #173.[17] By issue #185, Miller had virtually relinquished his role as Daredevil's artist, and was providing only rough layouts for Janson to both pencil and ink, allowing him to focus on the writing.[17]

Miller's work on Daredevil was characterized by darker themes and stories. This peaked when in #181 (April 1982) he had the assassin Bullseye kill Elektra, and Daredevil subsequently attempt to kill him. Miller finished his Daredevil run with issue #191 (Feb. 1983); by this time he had transformed a second-tier character into one of Marvel's most popular.

Additionally, Miller drew a short Batman Christmas story, "Wanted: Santa Claus – Dead or Alive", written by Denny O'Neil for DC Special Series #21 (Spring 1980). This was his first professional experience with a character with which, like Daredevil, he would become closely associated.

As penciler and co-plotter, Miller, together with writer Chris Claremont, produced the miniseries Wolverine #1–4 (Sept.-Dec. 1982), inked by Josef Rubinstein and spinning off from the popular X-Men title. Miller used this miniseries to expand on Wolverine's character.[18] The series was a critical success and further cemented Miller's place as an industry star.

His first creator-owned title was DC Comics' six-issue miniseries Ronin (1983–1984). This series shows some of the strongest influences of manga and bande dessinée on Miller's style, both in the artwork and narrative style.[19] In the early 1980s, Miller and Steve Gerber made a proposal to revamp DC's three biggest characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, under a line called "Metropolis" and comics titled "Man of Steel" or "The Man of Steel", "Dark Knight" and "Amazon".[20] However, this proposal was not accepted. In 1985, DC Comics named Miller as one of the honorees in the company's 50th-anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.[21]

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the late 1980s [edit]

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 (Feb. 1986). Cover art by Miller.

In 1986, DC Comics released writer-penciler Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue miniseries printed in what the publisher called "prestige format" — squarebound, rather than stapled; on heavy-stock paper rather than newsprint, and with cardstock rather than glossy-paper covers. It was inked by Klaus Janson and colored by Lynn Varley.

The story tells how Batman retired after the death of the second Robin (Jason Todd), and at age 55 returns to fight crime in a dark and violent future. Miller created a tough, gritty portrayal of Batman, who was often referred to as the "Darknight Detective" in 1970s portrayals. Released the same year as Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' DC miniseries Watchmen, it showcased a new form of more adult-oriented storytelling to both comics fans and a crossover mainstream audience. The Dark Knight Returns influenced the comic-book industry by heralding a new wave of darker characters.[22] The trade paperback collection proved to be a big seller for DC and remains in print 25 years after first being published.

By this time, Miller had returned as the writer of Daredevil. Following his self-contained story "Badlands", penciled by John Buscema, in #219 (June 1985), he co-wrote #226 (Jan. 1986) with departing writer Dennis O'Neil. Then, with artist David Mazzucchelli, he crafted a seven-issue story arc that, like The Dark Knight Returns, similarly redefined and reinvigorated its main character. The storyline, Daredevil: Born Again, in #227–233 (Feb.-Aug. 1986) chronicled the hero's Catholic background, and the destruction and rebirth of his real-life identity, Manhattan attorney Matt Murdock, at the hands of Daredevil's archnemesis, the crime lord Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin.

Miller and artist Bill Sienkiewicz produced the graphic novel Daredevil: Love and War in 1986. Featuring the character of the Kingpin, it indirectly bridges Miller's first run on Daredevil and Born Again by explaining the change in the Kingpin's attitude toward Daredevil. Miller and Sienkiewicz also produced the eight-issue miniseries Elektra: Assassin for Epic Comics. Set outside regular Marvel continuity, it featured a wild tale of cyborgs and ninjas, while expanding further on Elektra's background. Both of these projects were well-received critically. Elektra: Assassin was praised for its bold storytelling, but neither it nor Daredevil: Love and War had the influence or reached as many readers as Dark Knight Returns or Born Again.

Miller's final major story in this period was in Batman issues 404–407 in 1987, another collaboration with Mazzucchelli. Titled Batman: Year One, this was Miller's version of the origin of Batman in which he retconned many details and adapted the story to fit his Dark Knight continuity. Proving to be hugely popular,[23] this was as influential as Miller's previous work and a trade paperback released in 1988 remains in print and is one of DC's best selling books and adapted as an original animated film video in 2011.

Miller had also drawn the covers for the first twelve issues of First Comics English language reprints of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's Lone Wolf and Cub. This helped bring Japanese manga to a wider Western audience.

During this time, Miller (along with Marv Wolfman, Alan Moore and Howard Chaykin) had been in dispute with DC Comics over a proposed ratings system for comics. Disagreeing with what he saw as censorship, Miller refused to do any further work for DC,[14] and he would take his future projects to the independent publisher Dark Horse Comics. From then on Miller would be a major supporter of creator rights and be a major voice against censorship in comics.

The 1990s: Sin City and 300 [edit]

 This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. (October 2007)

After announcing he intended to release his work only via the independent publisher Dark Horse Comics, Miller completed one final project for Epic Comics, the mature-audience imprint of Marvel Comics. Elektra Lives Again was a fully painted graphic novel written and drawn by Miller and colored by longtime partner Lynn Varley. Telling the story of the resurrection of Elektra from the dead and Daredevil's quest to find her, as well as showing Miller's will to experiment with new story-telling techniques.[24]

Marv walking through the rain in the The Hard Goodbye cover by Frank Miller.

1990 saw Miller and artist Geof Darrow start work on Hard Boiled, a three-issue miniseries. The title, a mix of violence and satire, was praised[25] for Darrow's highly detailed art and Miller's writing. At the same time Miller and artist Dave Gibbons produced Give Me Liberty, a four-issue miniseries for Dark Horse. Give Me Liberty was followed by sequel miniseries and specials expanding on the story of protagonist Martha Washington, an African-American woman in modern and near-future southern North America, all of which were written by Miller and drawn by Gibbons.

Miller also wrote the scripts for the science fiction films RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3, about a police cyborg. Neither was critically well received.[26][27] In 2007, Miller stated that "There was a lot of interference in the writing process. It wasn't ideal. After working on the two Robocop movies, I really thought that was it for me in the business of film."[28] Miller would come into contact with the fictional cyborg once more, however, writing the comic-book minieries, RoboCop vs. The Terminator, with art by Walter Simonson. In 2003, Miller's screenplay for RoboCop 2 was adapted by Steven Grant for Avatar Press's Pulsaar imprint. Illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp, the series is called Frank Miller's RoboCop and contains plot elements that were divided between RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3.

In 1991, Miller started work on his first Sin City story. Serialized in Dark Horse Presents #51–62, Miller wrote and drew the story in black and white to emphasize its film noir origins. Proving to be another success, the story was released in a trade paperback. This first Sin City "yarn" was rereleased in 1995 under the name The Hard Goodbye. Sin City proved to be Miller's main project for much of the remainder of the decade, as Miller told more Sin City stories within this noir world of his creation, in the process helping to revitalize the crime comics genre.[29] Sin City proved artistically auspicious for Miller and again brought his work to a wider audience without comics. Miller lived in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s, which influenced Sin City.[30]

Daredevil: Man Without Fear was a five issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 1993. In this Miller and artist John Romita Jr. told Daredevil's origins differently than in the previous comics, and provided additional detail to his beginnings. Miller also returned to superheroes by writing issue #11 of Todd McFarlane's Spawn, as well as the Spawn/Batman crossover for Image Comics.[31]

In 1995, Miller and Darrow collaborated again on Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, published as a two-part miniseries by Dark Horse Comics. In 1999 it became an animated series on Fox Kids. During this period, Miller became one of the founding members of the comic imprint Legend, under which many of his Sin City works were released, via Dark Horse. Also, it was during the 1990s that Miller did cover art for many titles in the Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line.

Written and illustrated by Frank Miller with painted colors by Varley, 300 was a 1998 comic-book miniseries, released as a hardcover collection in 1999, retelling the Battle of Thermopylae and the events leading up to it from the perspective of Leonidas of Sparta. 300 was particularly inspired by the 1962 film The 300 Spartans, a movie that Miller watched as a young boy.[32] In 2007, 300 was adapted by director Zack Snyder into a successful film.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again and the 2000s [edit]

Miller moved back to Hell's Kitchen by 2001 and was creating Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again as the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred about four miles from that neighborhood.[33] His differences with DC Comics put aside, he saw the sequel initially released as a three-issue miniseries, and though it sold well,[citation needed] it received a mixed to negative reception.[citation needed] Miller also returned to writing Batman in 2005, taking on the writing duties of All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, a series set inside of what Miller describes as the "Dark Knight Universe."[34] and drawn by Jim Lee.

Miller has said he opposes naturalism in comic art. In an interview on the documentary Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman,[35] he said, "People are attempting to bring a superficial reality to superheroes which is rather stupid. They work best as the flamboyant fantasies they are. I mean, these are characters that are broad and big. I don't need to see sweat patches under Superman's arms. I want to see him fly."

Miller's previous attitude towards movie adaptations was to change after Robert Rodriguez made a short film based on a story from Miller's Sin City entitled "The Customer is Always Right". Miller was pleased with the result, leading to him and Rodriguez directing a full length film, Sin City using Miller's original comics panels as storyboards. The film was released in the U.S. on April 1, 2005. The film's success brought renewed attention to Miller's Sin City projects. Similarly, a film adaptation of 300, directed solely by Zack Snyder, brought new attention and controversy to Miller's original comic book work. A sequel to the film, based around Miller's second Sin City series, A Dame to Kill For, is in development.[36]

Personal life [edit]

Until their divorce in 2005,[37] Miller was married to colorist Lynn Varley, who colored many of his noted works (from Ronin (1984) through 300 (1998), and the backgrounds to the movie 300 (2007). He has since been romantically linked to New York-based Shakespearean scholar Kimberly Halliburton Cox,[38][39][40] who had a cameo in The Spirit (2008).

In November 2011, Miller posted remarks pertaining to the Occupy Wall Street movement in his blog, calling it "nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists".[41][42] Miller’s comments drew criticism from Alan Moore.[43]

In October 2012, Joanna Gallardo-Mills, who began working for Miller as an executive coordinator in November 2008, filed suit against Miller in Manhattan for discrimination and "mental anguish", stating that Miller's girlfriend, actress Kimberly Cox, created a hostile work environment for Gallardo-Mills in Miler and Cox's Hell's Kitchen living/work space. According to the lawsuit, Cox smeared Gallardo-Mills's work area with feces, destroyed her printer with a hammer, threw phones at her, left a used feminine hygiene pad by her desk, and made comments to her such as, "I can't understand your funky accent. Speak fucking English". Gallardo-Mills says she was ultimately fired in September 2012 for complaining about Cox's behavior.[44]

Critical reaction [edit]

Daredevil: Born Again and The Dark Knight Returns were both critical successes and influential on a new generation of creators. Batman: Year One was met with even greater praise for its gritty style. Works such as Ronin, 300 and Sin City were also very successful. However, fellow comic book writer Alan Moore has described Miller's work from Sin City-onwards as homophobic and misogynistic, despite praising his early Batman and Daredevil work. Moore previously penned a flattering introduction to an early collected edition of The Dark Knight Returns.[45] Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, a sequel to The Dark Knight Returns, received mixed reviews, while All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder in particular consistently received harsh criticism and was hailed as a sign of Miller's creative decline.[46][47][48] Holy Terror has been criticized as anti-Islamic propaganda.[49] In addition, some of Miller's works have been accused of lacking "humanity,"[50] particularly in regard to the abundance of prostitutes portrayed in Sin City.[51] In terms of his film work, Miller's scripts for Robocop 2 and 3 were unsuccessful, while his 2008 film adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit met with largely negative reviews, earning a metascore of 30/100 at the review aggregation site Metacritic.com.[52]

Cameo appearances [edit]

Frank Miller (right) appearing as the illegal drug chemist "Frank" in RoboCop 2 alongside Tom Noonan as "Cain" (left).

Frank Miller has appeared in five films in small roles, dying in each.

  • In RoboCop 2 (1990), he plays "Frank, the chemist" and dies in an explosion in an illegal drug lab.[53]
  • In Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey (1994), he is killed by vampires in front of Marvel Comics' Stan Lee.[54]
  • In Daredevil (2003),[55] he appears as a corpse with a pen in his head, thrown by Bullseye, who steals his motorcycle. The credits list Frank Miller as "Man with Pen in Head".
  • In Sin City (2005), he plays the priest killed by Marv in the confessional.[56]
  • In The Spirit (2008), which was written and directed by Miller, he appears as "Liebowitz", the officer whose head is ripped off by the Octopus and thrown at the Spirit. The name alludes to Jack Liebowitz, a co-founder of what would become DC Comics.[57]

Bibliography [edit]

DC Comics [edit]

Titles published by DC Comics include:

Marvel Comics [edit]

Titles published by Marvel include:

Dark Horse Comics [edit]

Titles published by Dark Horse include:

Other publishers [edit]

Titles published by various American and British publishers include:

Covers only [edit]

Films [edit]

Miller was a producer for the film 300, which was adapted shot for shot into a feature film in 2007. The 2003 film version of Daredevil predominantly use the tone established and stories written by Miller, who had no direct creative input on the film (except for a cameo appearance).

Awards [edit]

Eisner Awards

  • Best Short Story – 1995 "The Babe Wore Red", in Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories (Dark Horse/Legend)
  • Best Finite Series/Limited Series – 1991 Give Me Liberty (Dark Horse), 1995 Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (Dark Horse/Legend), 1996 Sin City: The Big Fat Kill (Dark Horse/Legend), 1999 300 (Dark Horse)
  • Best Graphic Album: New – 1991 Elektra Lives Again (Marvel)
  • Best Graphic Album: Reprint – 1993 Sin City (Dark Horse), 1998 Sin City: That Yellow Bastard (Dark Horse)
  • Best Writer/Artist – 1991 for Elektra Lives Again (Marvel), 1993 for Sin City (Dark Horse), 1999 for 300 (Dark Horse)
  • Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team – 1993 for Sin City (Dark Horse)

Kirby Awards

  • Best Single Issue – 1986 Daredevil #227 "Apocalypse" (Marvel), 1987 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 "The Dark Knight Returns" (DC)
  • Best Graphic Album, 1987 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC)
  • Best Writer/Artist (single or team) – 1986 Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, for Daredevil: Born Again (Marvel)
  • Best Art Team – 1987 Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley, for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC)

Harvey Awards

  • Best Continuing or Limited Series – 1996 Sin City (Dark Horse), 1999 300 (Dark Horse)
  • Best Graphic Album of Original Work – 1998 Sin City: Family Values (Dark Horse)
  • Best Domestic Reprint Project – 1997 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 10th Anniversary Edition (DC)

Cannes Film Festival

  • Palme d'Or – 2005 (nominated) Sin City (Dimension Films)

Scream Awards

References [edit]

  1. ^ The Comic Book Greats Episode 2: Rob Liefeld. 1991. Starbur Home Video.
  2. ^ Creator-Owned Heroes #5 Image Comics. October 2012.
  3. ^ Comics Buyer's Guide #1650; February 2009; Page 107
  4. ^ a b Webster, Andy (July 20, 2008). "Artist-Director Seeks the Spirit of 'The Spirit'". The New York Times. 
  5. ^ a b Lovece, Frank (December 22, 2008). "Spirit guide: Frank Miller adapts Will Eisner's cult comic". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. 
  6. ^ Applebaum, Stephen (December 22, 2008). "Frank Miller interview: It's no sin". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Royal Feast", The Twilight Zone #84 (June 1978) at the Grand Comics Database.
  8. ^ "Endless Cloud", The Twilight Zone #85 (July 1978) at the Grand Comics Database.
  9. ^ "Deliver Me From D-Day", Weird War Tales #64 (June 1978) at the Grand Comics Database
  10. ^ a b c "Interview with Jim Shooter". ManWithoutFear.com. July 1998. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. 
  11. ^ Weird War Tales #68 (Oct. 1978) at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ^ Frank Miller at the Grand Comics Database. NOTE: A different artist named Frank Miller was active in the 1940s. He died December 3, 1949.
  13. ^ "The Cat #3 (April 1973)". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved November 14, 2011. 
  14. ^ a b Flinn, Tom. "Writer's Spotlight: Frank Miller: Comics' Noir Auteur," ICv2: Guide to Graphic Novels #40 (Q1 2007).
  15. ^ Irving, Christopher (December 1, 2010). "Frank Miller Part 1: Dames, Dark Knights, Devils, and Heroes". NYCGraphicNovelists.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  16. ^ "Interview with Dennis O'Neil". ManWithoutFear.com. February 1998. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013. 
  17. ^ a b Cordier, Philippe (April 2007). "Seeing Red: Dissecting Daredevil's Defining Years", Back Issue Magazine Vol. 1, #21, pages 33-60. TwoMorrows Publishing.
  18. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (May 19, 2006). "Wolverine TPB Review He's the best at what he does and so is Frank Miller.". IGN Comics. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  19. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "The comic was an unusual blend of the influences on Miller by French cartoonist Moebius and Japanese Manga comic books." 
  20. ^ Cronin, Brian (April 1, 2010). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #254". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011. 
  21. ^ Marx, Barry, Cavalieri, Joey and Hill, Thomas (w), Petruccio, Steven (a), Marx, Barry (ed). "Frank Miller Experiment in Creative Autonomy" Fifty Who Made DC Great: 50 (1985), DC Comics
  22. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 219 "It is arguably the best Batman story of all time. Written and drawn by Frank Miller (with inspired inking by Klaus Janson and beautiful watercolors by Lynn Varley), Batman: The Dark Knight revolutionized the entire [archetype] of the super hero."
  23. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 227 "Melding Miller's noir sensibilities, realistic characterization, and gritty action with Mazzucchelli's brilliant iconic imagery, "Year One" thrilled readers and critics alike...as well as being one of the influences for the 2005 film Batman Begins.
  24. ^ Irving "Miller works Matt’s narrating captions between the present, the past, and his dream imagery of Elektra, a fragmentation given a voiceover straight out of an old crime book, but with a heavy dose of sensitivity that never veers into the maudlin."
  25. ^ Burgas, Greg (September 17, 2008). "Comics You Should Own – Hard Boiled". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011. "[W]e can see that Miller and Darrow were creating a marvelous satire, one that pulls no punches and lets none of us off the hook, which is what the best satire does. Hard Boiled is a wild and extremely fun ride, but it’s also an insightful examination of a sickness in our society that we don’t like to confront." 
  26. ^ Maslin, Janet (June 22, 1990). "Robocop 2 (1990) Review/Film; New Challenge and Enemy For a Cybernetic Organism". The New York Times. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  27. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 5, 1993). "RoboCop 3". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  28. ^ "Miller: 'Robocop Movies Almost Put Me Off Hollywood'". Contactmusic.com. June 20, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  29. ^ Lindenmuth, Brian (December 14, 2010). "The Fall (and Rise) of the Crime Comic". Mulholland Books. Retrieved November 13, 2011. "As much as 100 Bullets is a cornerstone of the modern crime comic, it did not spring fully formed into the world. The modern crime comic era started a few years earlier with two releases: the high-profile Sin City by Frank Miller and the independent Stray Bullets by David Lapham." 
  30. ^ Brady, Matt. "Frank Miller Spotlight Panel, Part 1", Newsarama, February 20, 2006
  31. ^ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 267: "This prestige one-shot marked Frank Miller's return to Batman, and was labeled as a companion piece to to his classic 1986 work Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. The issue was drawn by Todd McFarlane, one of the most popular artists in comic book history."
  32. ^ Green, Karen (December 3, 2010). "Into the Valley of Death?". comiXology. Retrieved November 25, 2011. "It's like something out of Hollywood, right? Hollywood thought so, too. They made a movie in 1962 called The 300 Spartans, which 5-year-old Frank Miller saw in the theater, and it had a powerful influence on him." 
  33. ^ David Brothers. Sons of DKR: Frank Miller x TCJ, 4thletter, April 6, 2009
  34. ^ "A Quick Miller Minute on All-Star Batman and Robin", Cliff Biggers Newsarama, February 9, 2005
  35. ^ Hillhouse, Jason (writer) (2005) (DVD). Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman. New Wave Entertainment.
  36. ^ Adler, Shawn (May 26, 2007). "Depp, Banderas To Call 'Sin City' Home?". MTV News. 
  37. ^ Davis, Johnny (27 April 2012). "Icon: Frank Miller". GQ. Originally published in the February 2009 issue of British GQ, p. 2
  38. ^ "Comic book creators put their spin on Shakespeare". CBC Books. June 24, 2011
  39. ^ "Shakespearean Scholar (And Frank Miller’s Girlfriend) Blasts KILL SHAKESPEARE". Bleeding Cool. April 12, 2010
  40. ^ "Frank Miller Taken By The Rapture?". Bleeding Cool. May 21, 2011, by Rich Johnston, referencing tweet by Kimberly Cox
  41. ^ "Anarchy I". Frank Miller Ink. November 7, 2011. "'“Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness.'" 
  42. ^ Mann, Ted. "Frank Miller Doesn't Think Much of Occupy Wall Street". 
  43. ^ "The Honest Alan Moore Interview". 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2013. "“[The Occupy movement] is a completely justified howl of moral outrage and it seems to be handled in a very intelligent, non-violent way, which is probably another reason why Frank Miller would be less than pleased with it. I’m sure if it had been a bunch of young, sociopathic vigilantes with Batman make-up on their faces, he’d be more in favour of it.”" 
  44. ^ Schram, Jamie (October 10, 2012). "Ex-staffer sues Dark Knight comic creator, girlfriend for hostile work environment". Daily News.
  45. ^ Flood, Alison (December 6, 2011). "Alan Moore attacks Frank Miller in comic book war of words". The Guardian (London). Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  46. ^ Gatevackes, William (February 10, 2006). "All-Star Batman & Robin #1–3". PopMatters.com. Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  47. ^ Biggers, Cliff. Comic Shop News #1064, November 7, 2007
  48. ^ Robinson, Iann (December 17, 2007). "Review". Crave Online. Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  49. ^ Hernandez, Michael (October 25, 2011). "Holy Terror comic is 'Islamophobic', say critics". The National. Retrieved November 25, 2011. "Miller's mixing of Muslims and Arabs – the book never differentiates – with terrorists highlights Holy Terror's unflattering portrayal of Muslims." 
  50. ^ Scott, A. O. (April 24, 2005). "The Unreal Road From Toontown to 'Sin City'". The New York Times. 
  51. ^ Dargis, Manohla (April 1, 2005). "A Savage and Sexy City of Pulp Fiction Regulars". The New York Times. 
  52. ^ "The Spirit". Metacritic.com. Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  53. ^ Frank Miller's Robocop, www.robocoparchive.com
  54. ^ Lindenmuth, Kevin J. (1998). Making Movies On Your Own: Practical Talk From Independent Filmmakers. McFarland & Company. p. 114. ISBN 0-7864-0517-1. Retrieved November 25, 2011. 
  55. ^ "Frank Miller". Avatar Press. Retrieved November 26, 2011. "Miller's filmography also includes...a handful of film cameos including an appearance in the 2003 film Daredevil." 
  56. ^ "Frank Miller's Sin City" TV Guide.com Retrieved August 21, 2011
  57. ^ "The Annotated Spirit: A Guide to the Movie's In-joke References". Filmjournal.com. December 22, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2010. 
  58. ^ Segura, Alex. "What's Next for Frank Miller and Jim Lee?", DC Universe: The Source, April 2, 2010
  59. ^ Briggs, Caroline (May 19, 2005). "Sin City writer defends violence". BBC. 
  60. ^ "Sin City Sequel in the Works". IGN. May 23, 2005. Retrieved March 4, 2011. 
  61. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (March 29, 2006). "'Sin City' Characters – Even Dead Ones – Returning For Sequel". MTV. Retrieved March 4, 2011. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Frank Miller
Portal icon Biography portal
Portal icon Comics portal
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Frank Miller (comics)


Preceded by
Jim Shooter		 Daredevil writer
1980
(with Roger McKenzie)		 Succeeded by
N/A
Preceded by
Roger McKenzie		 Daredevil writer
1981–1983		 Succeeded by
Dennis O'Neil
Preceded by
Gene Colan		 Daredevil artist
1979–1982		 Succeeded by
Klaus Janson
Preceded by
Dennis O'Neil		 Daredevil writer
1986		 Succeeded by
Ann Nocenti
Frank Miller
Batman comics
Other comics
(written)
Other comics
(written and drawn)
Other comics
(drawn)
Films
Television and
video games
Authority control
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Miller_(comics)&oldid=555519785"