Authors/Artists: Frank Miller

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Frank Miller
Born: January 27, 1957
Olney, Maryland, U.S.









One of the all time great creators of comic books both as a writer and as an artist Frank Miller is the kind of guy that begs to be talked about in capital-letter word-long sentences ("DO. NOT. MESS. WITH. HIM." etc). With a brutal style and canny feeling for how to make the biggest impact with just-the-right phrase and just-the-right picture (not to mention his expert use of repetition) - he has revolutionised the graphic novel several times over and pushed it's limits into strange, terrifying and also very very cool places. Ninja time-travellers to the future? Check Ronin. Demon dinosaurs on the rampage? Check The Big Guy and Rusty The Boy Robot. Batman out of retirement back to take down the bad guys one last time? Check the seminal and very excellent Dark Knight Returns which is basically responsible (along with Watchmen) for everything ever and is awesome all the way from it's art, use of panels, take on classic Batman baddies and brooding apocalyptic overtones (not to mention the expert use of repetition). Yes - he is a little bit wild and crazy and his political views do seem a little extreme and his attitide to women a little prehistoric: but with his larger than life characters (always super-heroic square-jawed, barrel-chested adonises) and titanic plots (always full of yummy pulpy empty-headed goodness) he knows how to make a reader's blood flow faster and heart pound hard. His artwork is always eye-popping and gorgeous: even when (especially when) he's depicting the chipped, broken and wrecked. And he's always smart about how to tell a story crammed with dumb, entertaining fun. Not to mention his expert use of repetition.

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Links: Comic Dom Interview, Why Frank Miller is a Fascist Writer, NYC Graphic Interview Part 1 / Part 2, 4thletter Collection of Frank Miller Reviews and Articles, The Comics Reporter 2005 Collection of Frank Miller On-Line: lots of good and interesting links., Tearoom of Despair: It's Always Been Miller Time, The Hurting Article: The Tao of Miller.

Selected works: Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, Elektra: Assassin, Hard Boiled, Sin City, 300, The Big Guy and Rusty The Boy Robot, The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the Twenty-First Century, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Batman: All Star Batman and Robin, Holy Terror.

All comments welcome.