Frank Miller

At 67 years old, Frank Miller has this physical status:

Career

Miller grew up to be a comics fan; a letter he wrote to Marvel Comics was published in The Cat #3 (April 1973). His first published work at the Gold Key Comics imprint of Western Publishing, was at the behest of comics artist Neal Adams, to whom a fledgling Miller, had seen samples and received a lot of criticism after moving to New York City. Though no published credits have appeared, he is tentatively credited with the three-page story "Royal Feast" in the licensed TV series comic book The Twilight Zone #84 (June 1978), written by an unknown author, and with the five-page "Endless Cloud," also by an unknown writer in the following issue (July 1978). Miller had his first confirmed credit in writer Wyatt Gwyon's six-page "Liver Me From D-Day," illustrated by Danny Bulanadi in Weird War Tales #64 (June 1978).

After breaking into "...a small job from Western Publishing, I believe," former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter recalled Miller's move to DC Comics. Having been wounded by Joe Orlando, he came to DC, where he discovered her talent and lined up for him to have a one-page war-comic job." In Weird War Tales #68 (Oct. 1978), the Grand Comics Database does not list this occupation; it may have been a one-page DC story; or the shooter may have misremembered the page number or referred to the two-page story." In Unknown Soldier #219 (Sept. 1978), there were two other fledgling work in Washington, D.C. included the six-page "The Greatest Story Never Told" by writer Paul Kupperberg and the five-page "The Edge of History" by Elliot S. Maggin. In John Carter's first drawing for Marvel Comics, penciling "The Master Assassin of Mars, Part 3" was penciling in "The Master Assassin of Mars, Part 3." (Nov. 1978).

Miller landed at Marvel as a regular fill-in and cover artist, and he's been working on a variety of projects. Drawing Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #27-28 (Feb.–March 1979), which guest-starred Daredevil, was one of these occupations. While Daredevil's sales were poor at the time, Miller saw promise in "a blind protagonist in a purely visual medium," he recalls in 2000. Miller decided to go to writer and staffer Jo Duffy (a mentor figure who created his "guardian angel") and she expressed her dissatisfaction with Darevil's regular title. Miller was made the new penciller on the list by the shooter, who agreed and named him Miller as the new penciller on the team.

As Miller recalled in 2008:

Daredevil #158 (May 1979), Miller's first appearance on the subject, was the conclusion of an ongoing story written by Roger McKenzie and inked by Klaus Janson. Miller became one of Marvel's rising stars after this issue.

However, Daredevil's sales did not improve, Marvel's leadership continued to discuss cancellation, and Miller almost pulled out of the series as he looved McKenzie's scripts. With the arrival of Denny O'Neil as editor, Miller's fortunes changed. O'Neil moved McKenzie to another project after Miller's disappointment with the series and impressed by a backup story, so that Miller might try writing the story by himself. During his tenure on the series, Miller and O'Neil maintained a close working relationship. Miller took over full responsibility as writer and penciller with issue #168 (Jan. 1981). After Miller became the author, Daredevil's sales increased so quickly that Marvel began releasing Daredevil monthly rather than bimonthly.

Elektra, a popular character and actress in a 2005 motion picture, made her first full appearance in issue #168, but Miller's first cover story appeared on Miller's front page was four months before. In Bizarre Adventures #28 (Oct. 1981), Miller later wrote and drew a solo Elektra tale. Daredevil's combat skills were enhanced by him adding a martial arts component to the tale, as well as introducing previously unknown characters who had played a significant part in the character's youth: Stick, the Chaste's leader, had been Murdock's sensei after he was blinded and a rival clan called the Hand.

Miller's mother, who was unable to cope with both writing and penciling Daredevil on the new monthly schedule, began relying on Janson for the illustrations, with him loosening and loosening pencils beginning with #173. Miller had practically abandoned his role as Darevil's artist by issue #185, and he was only offering sketch layouts for Janson, encouraging Miller to concentrate on the writing.

Daredevil's work was characterized by darker themes and stories. When he reached his high point in #81 (April 1982), he had the assassination of Elektra, and Daredevil attempted to murder him later. Miller completed his Daredevil run in issue #191 (Feb. 1983), which he cited in a winter 1983 interview as the subject he is most proud of; by this time, he had turned a second-tier character into one of Marvel's most popular;

In addition, Miller wrote "Wanted: Santa Claus – Dead or Alive" in Dennis O'Neil's DC Special Series #21 (Spring 1980). This was his first professional encounter with a character with whom he became closely associated, as Daredevil. At Marvel, O'Neil and Miller collaborated on two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual. The 1980 Annual featured a team up with Doctor Strange, while the 1981 Annual featured a meeting with the Punisher.

Miller, a penciler and co-plotter, co-created the miniseries Wolverine #1–4 (Sept.-Dec. 1982), which was inked by Josef Rubinstein and spun off from the famous X-Men name. Wolverine's character was expanded on in this miniseries. Miller's place as a business actor was also solidified as a crucial success in the series.

Ronin's first creator-owned title was DC Comics' six-issue miniseries (1983–1984). In 1985, DC Comics named Miller as one of the company's 50th-anniversary issue Fifty Who Made DC Great.

In the early 1980s, Miller was involved in only a few unpublished projects. Doctor Strange's house advertisement appeared on the Marvel Comics cover in February 1981. "Befor the latest adventures of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, as mystically summoned by Roger Stern and Frank Miller," the magazine said. Miller's only contribution to the series was as the front page of Doctor Strange #46 (April 1981). He was unable to participate in the series due to other commitments. Under a line called "Metropolis" and comics titled "Man of Steel," Batman, and Wonder Woman, Miller and Steve Gerber suggested that we reimagine DC's three main characters, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. However, this plan was not accepted.

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

The tale tells how Batman recovered after the death of the second Robin (Jason Todd) and how he fought crime in a grim and violent future. In some 1970s portrayals, Miller created a tough, gritty Batman, referring to him as "The Dark Knight" based on his being referred to as "The Dark Knight," but Batman's nickname "Dark Knight" dates back to 1940. Watchmen, Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' DC miniseries Watchmen, was released in the same year as Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbons' DC miniseries Watchmen, showcasing a new breed of more adult-oriented storytelling to both comics enthusiasts and a crossover audience. The Dark Knight Returns brought a new generation of darker characters to the comic-book market. The trade paperback series was a big hit in Washington, D.C., and is still in print.

Miller had resurfaced as the Daredevil's writer by this time. In #219 (June 1985), he co-wrote #26 (Jan. 1986) with departing writer Dennis O'Neil. He wrote his self-contained story "Badlands," penciled by John Buscema. Then co-created and reinvigorated its main character in a seven-issue story arc, including artist David Mazzucchelli. In #233—233 (Feb.–Aug. 1986), the hero's Catholic roots and rebirth of his real-life identity, as well as the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, chronicled the protagonist's murder and rebirth of his real-life identity, including the crime lord Wilson Fisk. Frank Miller had intended to produce a two-part story with artist Walt Simonson after completing the "Born Again" story, but it was never complete and remains unpublished.

In 1986, Miller and artist Bill Sienkiewicz wrote Daredevil: Love and War. It's also abridged to Miller's first run on Daredevil and Born Again by describing the Kingpin's behavior toward Daredevil. Miller and Sienkiewicz produced the eight-issue miniseries Elektra: The Assassin for Epic Comics. It was a wild tale of cyborgs and ninjas set outside of Marvel continuity, as well as expanding further into Elektra's history. Both of these initiatives were well-received. Elektra: The Assassin was praised for its brave storytelling, but neither Daredevil: Love and War nor Daredevil: The story was not as popular or reached as many readers as Dark Knight Returns or Born Again.

In 1987, Miller's last big story in this period was in Batman issues 404–404, which was another collaboration with Mazzucchelli. This was Miller's version of Batman: Year One, in which he retconned many details and adapted the tale to fit his Dark Knight continuity. This was as influential as Miller's earlier work, proving to be hugely popular. A trade paperback, which was released in 1988, is still in print and is one of DC's best-selling books. In 2011, the tale was adapted as an original animated film video.

Miller also illustrated the pages for 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.

Miller (along with Marv Wolfman, Alan Moore, and Howard Chaykin) was in conflict with DC Comics over a new ratings system for comics at this time. Miller refused to do any more for DC, and instead directed his future ventures to the independent publisher Dark Horse Comics, dissatisfied with what he saw as censorship. Miller was a leading promoter of creator rights from the beginning and became a leading voice against censorship in comics.

Miller completed one last project for Epic Comics, the mature-audience imprint of Marvel Comics, after announcing that he intended to only be published through Dark Horse Comics. Elektra Lives Again was a fully painted graphic novel written and illustrated by Miller, as well as color by Lynn Varley, a longtime companion. In addition to demonstrating Miller's decision to try new story-telling techniques, she told the tale of Elektra from the dead and Daredevil's hunt for her.

Miller and artist Geof Darrow began working on Hard Boiled, a three-issue miniseries. Darrow's intricate artwork and Miller's writing were lauded for the book, which was a mash-up of violence and satire.

Give Me Liberty, a four-issue miniseries for Dark Horse, was produced by Miller and artist Dave Gibbons. Give Me Liberty was followed by a sequel miniseries and specials expanding on Martha Washington's story, an African-American woman in modern and near-future 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, which depict a police cyborg. Both were well-received. Miller wrote in 2007 that "there was a lot of interference in the writing process." It wasn't optimal. "I really thought that this was it for me in film after being on the two Robocop films." Miller began to work with the fictional cyborg, writing the comic-book miniseries RoboCop Versus The Terminator by Walter Simonson, who portrayed the fictional cyborg. Steven Grant's screenplay for RoboCop 2 was adapted for Avatar Press's Pulsaar imprint in 2003. The collection is based on Juan Jose Ryp's illustrations and contains plot elements that were divided between RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3.

Miller began working on his first Sin City story in 1991. It was another success, and it was published in a trade paperback, and it was serialized in Dark Horse Presents #51–62. This first Sin City "yarn" was rereleased in 1995 under the name The Hard Goodbye. Sin City was Miller's main project for the remainder of the decade, as Miller shared more Sin City tales from his creation's noir world, which in turn helped to revive the crime comics genre. Miller's work was also highly anticipated by Sin City, and he took his art to a large audience without comedies. In the 1990s, Miller lived in Los Angeles, California, which influenced Sin City. He later lived in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, which was also a place of influence.

The Man Without Fear, Daredevil, was a five-issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 1993. Miller and artist John Romita Jr. told Darevil's roots in a different way from those previous comics, and they added to his story. Miller also wrote issue #11 of Todd McFarlane's Spawn, as well as the Spawn/Batman crossover for Image Comics.

Miller was one of the founding members of the comic imprint Legend in 1994, under which a number of his Sin City illustrations were published via Dark Horse Comics. Miller and Darrow worked on Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot again in 1995, launching as a two-part miniseries by Dark Horse. On Fox Kids, it became an animated series.

300, written and illustrated by Frank Miller, was a 1998 comic-book miniseries that was released as a hardcover book series, retelling the Battle of Thermopylae and the events leading up to it from the perspective of Leonidas of Sparta. The 300 Spartans, 1962, was especially inspired by Miller's film The 300 Spartans, a film he watched as a child.

He was one of the artists on the Superman and Batman: The World's Funnest one-shot was published in 2000 by Evan Dorkin. By 2001, Miller was back to Hell's Kitchen and creating Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, as the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred just four miles from that neighborhood. He was originally a three-issue miniseries, but despite this success, it did not have a mixed to poor reception. Miller revived writing Batman in 2005, as part of All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, a series set inside Miller's "Dark Knight Universe" and drawn by Jim Lee. The Boy Wonder, which contained all Star Batman & Robin, also received mainly critical feedback.

After Robert Rodriguez made a short film based on a tale from Miller's Sin City entitled "The Customer is Always Right," Miller's attitude towards movie adaptations was to change. Miller was delighted with the result, prompting him and Rodriguez to produce a full length film, Sin City using Miller's original comics panels as storyboards. On April 1, 2005, the film was released in the United States. Miller's Sin City causes have been revived by the film's success. Similarly, a 2006 film adaptation of 300, directed by Zack Snyder, brought new attention to Miller's original comic book work. In theaters on August 22, 2014, a sequel to Miller's second Sin City film, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, based on Miller's second Sin City series and co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, was released.

Miller was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame on July 10, 2015, at the San Diego Comic-Con.

DC's The Dark Knight Strikes Again, a nine-issue, bimonthly sequel to The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again, titled The Master Race from 2015 to 2017. It was written by Brian Azzarello, and Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson were the performers. Issue one was the top-selling comic of November 2015, selling an estimated 440,234 copies. The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade co-wrote by Miller and Azzarello in 2016, as well as artist John Romita Jr. and Peter Steigerwald.

Xerxes, a monthly Miller's five-issue miniseries sequel to 300, Xerxes: The Fall of Darius and the Rise of Alexander, his first work as both author and artist comics creator since Holy Terror.

Miller revealed in 2017 that he was working on a Superman: Year One project with artwork by John Romita Jr. DC Black Label's three-issue collection ran from June to October 2019 and received mixed feedback.

In October 2019, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing published his and author Tom Wheeler's Cursed, about the King Arthur legend from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake.

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child, DC's fifth installment in the Dark Knight Returns universe, received mixed reviews in December 2019. It is written by Miller and Rafael Grampa's artwork.

Netflix unveiled a 10-episode series based on Cursed, with Miller and Wheeler as both creators and executive producers.

Miller, titled Frank Miller Presents, or FMP, was announced on April 28, 2022. Miller will serve as the company's president and editor-in-chief, as well as Dan DiDio as publisher and chief operating officer Silenn Thomas. FMP expects to produce between two and four titles per year, with Miller's first contributions to Sin City 1858 and Ronin Book Two.

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