Frank Miller

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
Miller at Comic-Con 2008.
Born	(1957-01-27) January 27, 1957 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
http://frankmillerink.com

Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American writer, artist, and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels 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.

Personal life

Miller was born in Olney, Maryland, and raised in Montpelier, Vermont, the fifth of seven children of a nurse mother and a carpenter/electrician father. His family was Irish Catholic. Living in New York City's Hell's Kitchen influenced Miller's material in the 1980s. Miller lived in Los Angeles, California in the 1990s, which influenced Sin City. 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 4 miles from that neighborhood.

Miller was formerly 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)). Miller and Varley divorced in 2005. He has since been romantically linked to New York-based Shakespearean scholar Kimberly Halliburton Cox, who had a cameo in The Spirit (2008).

In November 2011, Miller posted incendiary remarks pertaining to the Occupy Wall Street movement in his personal blog. Miller found the movement to be morally suspect and ignorant of Islamicism. Miller’s comments proved controversial, sparking criticism, including that from fellow comic creators including Alan Moore.

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 fuckking English". Gallardo-Mills says she was ultimately fired in September 2012 for complaining about Cox's behavior.

Career

Setting out to become an artist, Miller received his first published work at Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics imprint, on the licensed TV-series comic book The Twilight Zone drawing the story "Royal Feast" in issue #84 (June 1978), and "Endless Cloud" in #85 (July 1978).

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". The Grand Comics Database does not list the job, which may or may not have been signed; Miller's first listed work is the six-page "Deliver Me From D-Day", by writer Wyatt Gwyon, in Weird War Tales #64 (June 1978). A two-page story, however, written by Roger McKenzie and titled "Slowly, painfully, you dig your way from the cold, choking debris...", appears in Weird War Tales #68 (Oct. 1978). 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). and his first work for Marvel Comics, penciling the 17-page story "The Master Assassin of Mars, Part 3" in John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18 (Nov. 1978). Miller had a letter he wrote to Marvel as a comics fan published several years earlier in 1973 (The Cat #3)

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".

Daredevil and the early 1980s

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. 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,

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. 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. 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 draw 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. 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.

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. 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. 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". 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.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the late 1980s

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. 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, 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, 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

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.

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 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. 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." 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. Sin City proved artistically auspicious for Miller and again brought his work to a wider audience without comics.

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.

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. In 2007, 300 was adapted by director Zack Snyder into a successful film.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again and the 2000s

Miller started the new millennium off with the long awaited sequel to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for DC Comics after Miller had put past differences with DC aside. Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again was initially released as a three issue series, and though it sold well, it received a mixed to negative reception. 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." 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, 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.

Critical reaction

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. 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. Holy Terror has been criticized as anti-Islamic propaganda. In addition, some of Miller's works have been accused of lacking "humanity," particularly in regard to the abundance of prostitutes portrayed in Sin City. 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.

Cameo appearances

File:Frank-Miller-in-Robocop.jpg

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 the drug lab.
• In Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey (1994), he is killed by vampires in front of Marvel Comics' Stan Lee.
• In Daredevil (2003), 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.
• 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.

Bibliography

DC Comics

Titles published by DC Comics include:

• Weird War Tales (a):
  • "Deliver Me from D-Day" (with Wyatt Gwyon, in #64, 1978)
  • "The Greatest Story Never Told" (with Paul Kupperberg, in #68, 1978)
  • "The Day After Doomsday" (with Roger McKenzie, in #68, 1978)
• Unknown Soldier #219: "The Edge of History" (a, with Elliot S. Maggin, 1978)
• Batman:
  • Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Volume 1 (tpb, 192 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0444-9) includes:
    • DC Special Series #21: "Wanted: Santa Claus—Dead or Alive!" (a, with Dennis O'Neil, 1979)
  • Absolute Dark Knight (hc, 512 pages, 2006, ISBN 1-4012-1079-1) collects:
    • Batman: The Dark Knight #1-4 (w/a, 1986)
    • Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1-3 (w/a, 2001)
  • Batman: Year One (hc, 144 pages, 2005, ISBN 1-4012-0690-5; tpb, 2007, ISBN 1-4012-0752-9) collects:
    • Batman #404-407 (w, with David Mazzucchelli, 1987)
  • All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #1-10 (w, with Jim Lee, 2005–2008)
    • Issues #1-9 collected as Volume 1 (hc, 240 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1681-1; tpb, 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2008-8)
    • Dark Knight: Boy Wonder #1-6 (w, with Jim Lee, on hiatus)
• Ronin #1-6 (w/a, 1983) collected as Ronin (tpb, 302 pages, 1987, ISBN 0-446-38674-X; hc, 328 pages, 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1908-X)
• Superman #400: "The Living Legends of Superman" (a, with Elliot S. Maggin, among other artists, 1984)
• Fanboy #5 (a, with Mark Evanier, among other artists, 1999) collected in Fanboy (tpb, 144 pages, 2001, ISBN 1-56389-724-5)
• Superman and Batman: World's Funnest: "Last Imp Standing!" (a, with Evan Dorkin, among other artists, one-shot, 2000)
• Orion #3: "Tales of the New Gods: Nativity" (a, with Walt Simonson, 2000) collected in O: The Gates of Apokolips (tpb, 144 pages, 2001, ISBN 1-56389-778-4)

Marvel Comics

Titles published by Marvel include:

• John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18: "Meanwhile, Back in Helium!" (a, with Chris Claremont, 1978) collected in Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter, Warlord of Mars (tpb, 632 pages, Dark Horse, 2011, ISBN 1-59582-692-0) and John Carter, Warlord of Mars Omnibus (hc, 624 pages, 2012, ISBN 0-7851-5990-8)
• The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man (hc, 208 pages, 2002, ISBN 0-7851-0899-8) collects:
  • The Spectacular Spider-Man #27-28 (a, with Bill Mantlo, 1979)
  • The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #14-15 (a, with Dennis O'Neil, 1980–1981)
  • Marvel Team-Up:
    • "Introducing: Karma!" (w/a, with Chris Claremont, in #100, 1980)
    • "Power Play!" (w, with Herb Trimpe, in Annual #4, 1981)
• Marvel Two-in-One #51: "Full House--Dragons High!" (a, with Peter Gillis, 1979) collected in Essential Marvel Two-in-One Volume 2 (tpb, 568 pages, 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2698-8)
• Daredevil:
  • Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus (hc, 840 pages, 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2343-1) collects:
    • "A Grave Mistake" (a, with Roger McKenzie, in #158, 1979)
    • "Marked for Death" (a, with Roger McKenzie, in #159-161, 1979–1980)
    • "Blind Alley" (a, with Roger McKenzie, in #163, 1980)
    • "Exposé" (a, with Roger McKenzie, in #164, 1980)
    • "Arms of the Octopus" (w/a, with Roger McKenzie, in #165, 1980)
    • "Till Death Do Us Part!" (w/a, with Roger McKenzie, in #166, 1980)
    • "...The Mauler!" (a, with David Michelinie, in #167, 1980)
    • "Elektra" (w/a, in #168, 1981)
    • "Devils" (w/a, in #169, 1980)
    • "Gangwars" (w/a, in #170-172, 1981)
    • "The Assassination of Matt Murdock" (w/a, in #173-175, 1981)
    • "Hunters" (w/a, in #176-177, 1981)
    • "Paper Chase" (w/a, in #178-180, 1982)
    • "Last Hand" (w/a, in #181-182, 1982)
    • "Child's Play" (w/a, with Roger McKenzie, in #183-184, 1982)
    • "Guts & Stilts" (w, with Klaus Janson, in #185-186, 1982)
    • "Widow's Bite" (w, with Klaus Janson, in #187-190, 1982–1983)
    • "Roulette" (w/a, in #191, 1983)
  • Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus Companion (hc, 608 pages, 2008, ISBN 0-7851-2676-7) includes:
    • "Badlands" (w, with John Buscema, in #219, 1985)
    • "Warriors" (w, with Dennis O'Neil and David Mazzucchelli, in #226, 1986)
    • "Born Again" (w, with David Mazzucchelli, in #227-233, 1986)
    • Daredevil: Love and War (w, with Bill Sienkiewicz, graphic novel, tpb, 64 pages, 1986, ISBN 0-87135-172-2)
    • Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1-5 (w, with John Romita, Jr., 1993)
  • Elektra by Frank Miller & Bill Sienkiewicz Omnibus (hc, 384 pages, 2008, ISBN 0-7851-2777-1) collects:
    • "Untitled" (w/a, in Bizarre Adventures #28, 1981)
    • "What If Bullseye Had Not Killed Elektra?" (w/a, in What If? #35, 1982)
    • Elektra: Assassin #1-8 (w, with Bill Sienkiewicz, 1986–1987)
    • Elektra Lives Again (w/a, graphic novel, hc, 80 pages, 1991, ISBN 0-7851-0890-4)
• Marvel Spotlight #8: "Planet Where Time Stood Still!" (a, with Mike W. Barr and Dick Riley, 1980)
• Marvel Preview #23: "Final Warning" (a, with Lynn Graeme, 1980)
• Power Man and Iron Fist #76: "Death Scream of the Warhawk!" (a, with Chris Claremont and Mike W. Barr, 1981)
• Bizarre Adventures #31: "The Philistine" (a, with Dennis O'Neil, 1982)
• Fantastic Four Roast (a, with Fred Hembeck, among other artists, one-shot, 1982)
• What If? #34: "What If Daredevil Were Deaf Instead of Blind?" (w/a, 1982)
• Wolverine #1-4 (a, with Chris Claremont, 1982) collected as Wolverine (hc, 144 pages, 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2572-8; tpb, 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3724-6)
• Incredible Hulk Annual #11: "Unus Unchained" (a, with Mary Jo Duffy, 1981)
• Marvel Fanfare #18: "Home Fires!" (a, with Roger Stern, 1984)
• Sensational She-Hulk #50: "He's Dead?!" (a, with John Byrne, among other artists, 1993)

Dark Horse Comics

Titles published by Dark Horse include:

• The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century (hc, 600 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-59307-654-1) collects:
  • Give Me Liberty #1-4 (w, with Dave Gibbons, 1990–1991) also collected as Give Me Liberty (tpb, 216 pages, 1992, ISBN 0-440-50446-5)
  • Martha Washington Goes to War #1-5 (w, with Dave Gibbons, 1994) also collected as MWGTW (tpb, 144 pages, 1996, ISBN 1-56971-090-2)
  • Happy Birthday, Martha Washington (w, with Dave Gibbons, one-shot, 1995)
  • Martha Washington Stranded in Space (w, with Dave Gibbons, one-shot, 1995)
  • Martha Washington Saves the World #1-3 (w, with Dave Gibbons, 1997–1998) also collected as MWSTW (tpb, 112 pages, 1999, ISBN 1-56971-384-7)
  • Martha Washington Dies: "2095" (w, with Dave Gibbons, one-shot, 2007)
• Hard Boiled #1-3 (w, with Geof Darrow, 1990–1992) collected as Hard Boiled (tpb, 128 pages, 1993, ISBN 1-878574-58-2)
• Sin City (w/a):
  • Sin City (tpb, 208 pages, 1993, ISBN 1-878574-59-0) collects:
    • "Episode 1" (in Dark Horse Presents 5th Anniversary Special, 1991)
    • "Episodes 2-13" (in Dark Horse Presents #51-62, 1991–1992)
  • A Dame to Kill for (tpb, 208 pages, 1994, ISBN 1-878574-59-0) collects:
    • A Dame to Kill for #1-6 (1993–1994)
  • The Big Fat Kill (tpb, 184 pages, 1996, ISBN 1-56971-171-2) collects:
    • The Big Fat Kill #1-5 (1994–1995)
  • That Yellow Bastard (tpb, 240 pages, 1997, ISBN 1-56971-225-5) collects:
    • That Yellow Bastard #1-6 (1996)
  • Family Values (graphic novel, tpb, 128 pages, 1997, ISBN 1-56971-313-8)
  • Booze, Broads, & Bullets (tpb, 160 pages, 1998, ISBN 1-56971-366-9) collects:
    • "Just Another Saturday Night" (in Sin City #1/2, 1997)
    • "Fat Man and Little Boy" (in San Diego Comic Con Comics #4, 1995)
    • "The Customer is Always Right" (in San Diego Comic Con Comics #2, 1992)
    • Silent Night (one-shot, 1995)
    • "And Behind Door Number Three?" (in The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories one-shot, 1994)
    • "Blue Eyes" (in Lost, Lonely, & Lethal one-shot, 1996)
    • "Rats" (in Lost, Lonely, & Lethal one-shot, 1996)
    • "Daddy's Little Girl" (in A Decade of Dark Horse #1, 1996)
    • Sex & Violence (one-shot, 1997)
    • "The Babe Wore Red" (in The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories one-shot, 1994)
  • Hell and Back (tpb, 312 pages, 2001, ISBN 1-56971-481-9) collects:
    • Hell and Back, a Sin City Love Story #1-9 (1999–2000)
• RoboCop vs. The Terminator #1-4 (w, with Walt Simonson, 1992)
• Madman Comics #6-7 (w, with Mike Allred, 1995) collected in Madman Volume 2 (tpb, 456 pages, 2007, ISBN 1-58240-811-4)
• The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot #1-2 (w, with Geof Darrow, 1995) collected as TBG and RtBR (tpb, 80 pages, 1996, ISBN 1-56971-201-8)
• Dark Horse Presents (w/a):
  • "Lance Blastoff!" (in #100-1, 1995)
  • "Lance Blastoff, America's Favourite Hero!" (in #114, 1996)
• 300 #1-5 (w/a, 1998) collected as 300 (hc, 88 pages, 2000, ISBN 1-56971-402-9; tpb, 2002)
• Dark Horse Maverick 2000: "Mercy!" (w/a, anthology one-shot, 2000)
• 9-11 Volume 1: "Untitled" (w/a, graphic novel, tpb, 196 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-56389-881-0)
• Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings: "The End" (w/a, anthology graphic novel, tpb, 96 pages, 2002, ISBN 1-56971-820-2)
• Autobiografix: "Man with Pen in Head" (w/a, anthalogy graphic novel, tpb, 104 pages, 2003, ISBN 1-59307-038-1)
• Usagi Yojimbo #100 (w/a, among others, 2009) collected in UY: Bridge of Tears (hc, 248 pages, 2009, ISBN 1-59582-297-6; tpb, 2009, ISBN 1-59582-298-4)

Other publishers

Titles published by various American and British publishers include:

• Twilight Zone (a, Gold Key Comics):
  • "Mike Royal Feast" (with writer uncredited, in #84, 1978)
  • "Endless Cloud" (with writer uncredited, in #85, 1978)
• Ms. Tree #1-4: "Frank Miller's Famous Detective Pin-Up" (w/a, Eclipse, 1983)
• Strip AIDS U.S.A.: "Robohomophobe!" (w/a, anthology graphic novel, tpb, 140 pages, Last Gasp, 1988, ISBN 0-86719-373-5)
• AARGH! #1: "The Future of Law Enforcement" (w/a, Mad Love, 1988)
• Spawn (w, Image):
  • "Home Story" (with Todd McFarlane, in #11, 1993) collected in Spawn: Dark Discoveries (tpb, 120 pages, 1997, ISBN 1-887279-18-0)
  • Spawn/Batman (with Todd McFarlane, one-shot, 1994)
• Bad Boy (w, with Simon Bisley, Oni Press, one-shot, 1997)
• Holy Terror (w/a, graphic novel, hc, 120 pages, Legendary Comics, 2011, ISBN 1-937278-00-X)

Covers only

• Marvel Premiere #49, 53-54, 58 (Marvel, 1979–1981)
• Marvel Spotlight #2, 5, 7 (Marvel, 1979–1980)
• Uncanny X-Men Annual #3 (Marvel, 1979)
• Marvel Super Special #14 (Marvel, 1979)
• ROM Spaceknight #1, 3, 17-18 (Marvel, 1979–1981)
• The Avengers #193 (Marvel, 1980)
• Captain America #241, 245, 255, Annual #5 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• The Amazing Spider-Man #203, 218-219 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• Marvel Team-Up #95, 99, 102, 106, Annual #3 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• Star Trek #5, 10 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• The Spectacular Spider-Man #46, 48, 50-52, 54-57, 60 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• Spider-Woman #31-32 (Marvel, 1980)
• Power Man and Iron Fist #66, 68, 70-74 (Marvel, 1980–1981)
• Machine Man #19 (Marvel, 1981)
• Doctor Strange #46 (Marvel, 1981)
• Star Wars #47 (Marvel, 1981)
• The Incredible Hulk #258, 261, 264, 268 (Marvel, 1981–1982)
• Micronauts #31 (Marvel, 1981)
• Moon Knight #9, 12, 15, 27 (Marvel, 1981)
• What If? #27 (Marvel, 1981)
• Ghost Rider #59 (Marvel, 1981)
• Amazing Heroes #4, 25, 69 (Fantagraphics Books, 1981–1985)
• Marvel Fanfare #1 (Marvel, 1982)
• World's Finest Comics #285 (DC Comics, 1982)
• Wonder Woman #298 (DC Comics, 1982)
• Spider-Man and Daredevil Special Edition (Marvel, 1984)
• The New Adventures of Superboy #51 (cover, 1984)
• Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 (cover, 1984)
• Destroyer Duck #7 (Eclipse, 1984)
• Superman: The Secret Years #1-4 (DC Comics, 1985)
• 'Mazing Man #12 (DC Comics, 1986)
• Anything Goes! #2 (Fantagraphics Books, 1986)
• Lone Wolf and Cub #1-12 (First Comics, 1987–1988)
• Death Rattle #18 (Kitchen Sink, 1988)
• Eternal Warrior #1 (Valiant, 1992)
• Archer & Armstrong #1 (Valiant, 1992)
• Magnus, Robot Fighter #15 (Valiant, 1992)
• X-O Manowar #7 (Valiant, 1992)
• Shadowman #4 (Valiant, 1992)
• Rai #6 (Valiant, 1992)
• Harbinger #8 (Valiant, 1992)
• Solar, Man of the Atom #12 (Valiant, 1992)
• Comics' Greatest World: Arcadia #1 (Dark Horse, 1993)
• John Byrne's Next Men #17 (Dark Horse, 1993)
• Marvel Age #127 (Marvel, 1993)
• Comics' Greatest World: Vortex #4 (Dark Horse, 1993)
• Zorro #1 (Topps, 1993)
• X: One Shot to the Head #4 (Dark Horse, 1994)
• Medal of Honor #4 (Dark Horse, 1995)
• Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger #1 (Tekno Comix, 1995)
• Prophet #2 (Extreme Studios, 1995)
• X #18-22 (Dark Horse, 1995–1996)
• G.I. Joe #1 (Dark Horse, 1995)
• Batman: Black and White #2 (DC Comics, 1996)
• Dark Horse Presents #115 (Dark Horse, 1996)
• Heavy Metal #183 (HM Communications, 1999)
• Bone #38 (Cartoon Books, 2000)
• Spawn #100 (Image, 2000)
• Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame #1 (DC Comics, 2000)
• Dark Horse Maverick 2001 (Dark Horse, 2001)
• All Star Batman and Robin #1-7 (DC, 2005-2008)
• The Escapists #1 (Dark Horse, 2006)
• Jurassic Park #1 (IDW Publishing, 2010)
• Dark Horse Presents #1 (Dark Horse, 2011)

Movies

• RoboCop 2 Miller's original script was heavily edited through rewrites as it was deemed unfilmable. The original script was adapted in 2003 by Steven Grant into the comics series, Frank Miller's RoboCop.
• RoboCop 3 Miller co-wrote this with the film's director Fred Dekker.
• Batman: Year One (film) This was co-written and was due to be directed by Darren Aronofsky until Warner Bros. cancelled the project opting for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. In 2011 it was finally adapted into an animated film, produced by Bruce Timm, resulting in a direct-to-video DVD and Blu-ray released in October.
• Sin City
• The Spirit Although Miller co-directed Sin City , this is his first solo directing project.
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For In 2005, after Sin City was released, Robert Rodriguez announced plans for a follow-up film that would feature many of the same characters. He planned for the film to be based on A Dame to Kill For. Miller said the film would be a prequel and a sequel with interlinking stories both before and after the first film. Miller, who was writing the screenplay in 2006, had anticipated for production to begin later in the year.

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

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

• The Comic-Con Icon Award – 2006

External links

• Official website
• Frank Miller at Dark Horse Digital
• Frank Miller at Dark Horse Comics
• Frank Miller at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• The Complete Works of Frank Miller
• Frank Miller at IMDb
• Frank Miller at Curlie