Frank Miller has a biography out now called Push The Wall. Miller has been described in various terms that suggest that he is a genius in the field of comic books. He is. There are few comic book creators who legitimately pushed the art form; Kirby, Ditko, Toth, Moore, Moebius for example, but Miller stood on those giant's shoulders and created something unique. As an artist he has become more abstract in his style and as a writer he has, for some, become more controversial. Miller has always been an advocate for free speech within the medium and free speech goes both ways.
Miller's ability to deconstruct the comic book page was what set him apart and his bold use of space on the page aided his story telling, and what stories, from the hard boiled streets of Sin City to ancient Greece, Miller has been able to tell intimate stories on broad canvases
Miller's collaborations are also strong, his work with Geoff Darrow on Hard Boiled and Dave Gibbons on the Martha Washington saga are excellent and ground breaking stories.
The adaptations of his black and white opus Sin City, got it right in a way that not many comic book adaptations achieve and are hugely enjoyable.
They say that the gods have feet of clay and Miller's Achilles heel is his cinematic work. Screenwriter on Robocop 2 and 3 and his directorial debut The Spirit were failures, there's no other way of putting it. As he has gone from Marvel to DC to independent publishers so his style has evolved and become far more fluid, but for many modern Miller art is Marmite and that's easy to see why, but he dipped his toe earlier in his career to dazzling effect.
Following on from his dense graphic novel debut Ronin, Miller's masterpiece is in the upper echelon of comic books that changed the game, and The Dark Knight Returns really is a masterpiece. The Comic book world was left reeling when it was released and it's ripple effect is still felt on the page and on the screen. It's follow up The Dark Knight Strikes Again is different in tone to it's predecessor which is more of a slow build, and is the fastest paced comic book you will ever read. DK2 is to The Dark Knight what T2 is to the Terminator.
There is also a new Frank Miller documentary, Frank Miller American Genius, which is a remarkably good view into Miller's world and is an entertaining and revealing hour and a half. Alongside the release of his book this is a time to reflect on a remarkable career. He still has the desire to create more and experiment on his style. 2026 looks like it really is 'Miller Time'
No comments:
Post a Comment
having said that;