Frank Miller is an American comic book writer, penciler, inker, novelist, film director, screenwriter, and producer. His work is influenced by film noir and Japanese manga. He is best known for comics and graphic novels such as Ronin (1984), Daredevil: Rebirth (1986), The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Batman: Year One, Sin City, and 300 (1998).
Wiki/Biography
Frank Miller was born as “Frank O’Neill Miller” on Sunday, January 27, 1957 (age 63 in 2020) in Olney, Maryland, United States. He grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. He attended Vermont U-32 Middle School and High School. After moving to New York to pursue a career in comics, he was informally mentored by Neal Adams (American cartoonist).
appearance
Height (approximate): 6′ 1″
Eye Color: Brown
Hair color: White
Family and Race
Parents and siblings
Frank Miller was born into an Irish Catholic family. His mother was a nurse and his father was an electrician and carpenter. He had six brothers and sisters, four of whom were older than him and two were younger than him.
Relationship with wife
From 1986 to 2005, he was married to colorist Lynn Varley.
Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
He dated for a time Shakespeare scholar and actor Kimberly Halliburton Cox.
Frank Miller and Kimberly Cox
Profession
Early Works
Frank Miller’s first work was published by Western Publishing’s Gold Key Comics imprint, on the recommendation of American comic book writer Neal Adams, to whom Frank had sent samples of his work. Most of his early work was temporarily credited; a few of the credited works were “The Royal Feast” in the licensed television series comic book The Twilight Zone (June 1978), the author of which is unknown; and “The Endless Cloud” in the next issue (July 1978), also written by an unknown author. By June 1978, he had confirmed his credit on Wyatt Gwynn’s six-page comic “From the Normandy Landing to Me”, which was colored by Danny Bulanadi in “Strange War Stories”.
Frank Miller in Deliver Me From Normandy
Marvel and DC Comics
After leaving Western Publishing, he went to DC Comics, where he was severely criticized by DC director Joe Orlando. Later, he found American cartoonist Vinny Colletta, who recognized Frank’s talent and gave him a job on a one-page war comic. His work appeared in DC Comics’ “Strange War Stories” (1978), “The Greatest Story Never Told” (1978), and “The Unknown Soldier’s Edge of History” (1978).
His Marvel Comics debut was as a penciller for a 17-page story titled “The Super Assassin of Mars, Part 3” in John Carter, Warlord of Mars (1978).
At Marvel, he worked as a regular substitute and cover artist. He did a lot of work there. One of his assignments was to draw “Peter Parker” from The Amazing Spider-Man, which appeared in the comic Daredevil (1979). The sales of Daredevil were poor, and Gene Colan (the American comic artist who was working on Daredevil) left the comic industry. It was at that time that Frank was given the penciling duties for Daredevil, which was written by Roger McKenzie and colored by Klaus Jansen. After that, he became one of Marvel’s rising stars. However, the sales of Daredevil did not improve, and Marvel decided to cancel the sale of the comic. Frank even decided to quit the comic industry because he was not satisfied with McKenzie’s writing, but the new Marvel editor Denny O’Neil saw Frank’s potential and gave Daredevil to him, while McKenzie moved on to another comic. Frank served as the writer and pencil artist of Daredevil, and the sales of the comic rose after that.
He rose to fame with the comics Batman Wants: Santa Claus – Dead or Alive (1980), two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1980 featuring Doctor Strange and 1981 featuring The Punisher), and Wolverine (1982). In 1981, he created the character of Elektra, who appeared in Daredevil and became one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes; he also created a standalone series for the character, which also gained him fame.
His first solo creative work was the manga Ronin (1983-1984).
In 1986, DC Comics published the four-issue mini-series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
He has worked for DC Comics on titles including Batman (1997-2007), The Dark Knight (1986-2019), Superman (1984), Superman & Batman: The Funniest Man in the World (2000), and Orion (2000). He has also written and drawn for many Marvel comics, such as John Carter (1978), Spider-Man (1979-1981), Daredevil (1979-1993), Elektra (1982-1991), Power Man and Iron Fist (1981), Fantastic Four (1982), Wolverine (2009), The Incredible Hulk (1981), and Sensational She-Hulk (1993).
Dark Horse Comics
He later refused to work for DC Comics (after a dispute) and moved his base to the independent publisher Dark Horse Comics. Through Dark Horse Comics, he released Hard Boiled (1990), Give Me Liberty (1990), Sin City (1991), RoboCop vs. the Terminator (1992), Femme Fatales (1994), The Gangster and the Boy Robot Rusty (1995), Big Fat Kills (1996), Family Values (1997), Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings (2002).
Movie
He made his screenwriting debut with the film RoboCop 2 (1990). However, his work was heavily edited as many believed his comics were not suitable for film. He wrote the original screenplay which was adapted into the comic book Frank Miller’s RoboCop by Steven Grant.
He made his directorial debut with Sin City (2005), co-directed with Robert Rodriguez. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or, the Austin Film Critics Circle Award and the Czech Lion.
He made his debut as a producer with the film 300 (2006).
Miller has directed, produced and written The Spirit (2008), Batman: Year One (2011), The Dark Knight Returns (2012 and 2013) and Sin City: Femme Fatales (2014). He has also had cameo appearances in RoboCop 2 (1990), The Vampire Tales (1994), Daredevil (2003), Sin City (2005), The Spirit (2008) and Sin City: Femme Fatales (2014).
Awards and Honors
- DC Comics named him one of the honorees in the company’s 50th anniversary publication, “The Fifty People Who Made DC Great in 1985”
- 2006 Comic-Con Icon Award Scream Award
Kirby Award
- Daredevil #227 “Apocalypse” (Marvel) 1986 Best Single Issue
Frank Miller wins 1986 Kirby Award
- Best Writer/Artist (Individual or Team) – with David Mazzucchelli for Daredevil: Resurgence (Marvel) (1986)
- Best Single Issue: The Dark Knight Returns #1 “The Dark Knight Returns” (DC) 1987
- Best Picture Album of 1987: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC)
- Best Art Team – Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley for The Dark Knight Returns (DC, 1987)
Eisner Award
- Best Writer/Artist, 1991, 19993, and 1999 for Electra Reborn, Sin City (Dark Horse), and 300 (Dark Horse)
Frank Miller wins Eisner Award
- Best Graphic Album: Elektra Lives Again (Marvel), 1991
- Best Limited Series/Limited Series: Give Me Liberty (1991) (Dark Horse Pictures), Sin City: Femme Fatales (1995) (Dark Horse Pictures/Legendary Pictures), Sin City: Massacre (1996) (Dark Horse Pictures/Legendary Pictures), 300 (1999) (Dark Horse Pictures)
- Best Picture Album: 1993 reprint of Sin City (Dark Horse) and 1998 reprint of Sin City: That Yellow Bastard (Dark Horse)
- 1993 Best Artist/Penciler/Inker or Penciler/Inker Team for Sin City (Dark Horse Press)
- Best Short Story of 1995 Sin City: The Babe in Red and Other Stories (Dark Horse/Legendary)
- 2015 Eisner Award Hall of Fame
Harvey Award
- Best TV Series or Limited Series: Sin City (1996) (Dark Horse Pictures) and 300 (1999) (Dark Horse Pictures)
- Best Original Picture Album 1998 Sin City: Family Values (Dark Horse)
- Best Domestic Reprint Project of 1997: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, 10th Anniversary Edition (DC)
Eagle Award
- Most Popular Comic Book Writer of 1983
- Favorite comic book writer: Listed on the American Honor Roll in 1987
- Most Popular Comic Book Writer of 1987
- Favorite comic album: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC) (1987)
- Favorite cover: The American edition of The Dark Knight Returns #1 (DC), 1987
- Favorite comic album: Daredevil: Love and War (1988) (DC TV)
- 2000’s Favorite Black and White Comic Book From Hell and Back (Sin City Love Story) (Dark Horse Publishing)
- Most Popular Comic Writer/Artist in 2002
- 2006 Eisner/Miller (Dark Horse) Favorite Comic Book
- Most Popular Comic Writer/Artist in 2012
British Comic Art Awards
- Best Original Graphic Novel/Short Story 1991: “Elektra Reborn” (Epic Comics)
- Best Writer/Artist 1992
- Best Writer/Artist 1993
- The Best Sin City Graphic Novel Collection of 1993
- Best Writer/Artist 1994
dispute
- In 2012, Joanna Gallardo-Mills, then Miller’s executive coordinator, filed a lawsuit against Miller in Manhattan alleging discrimination and “emotional distress,” saying Miller’s ex-girlfriend, Kimberly Cox, created a hostile work environment for Gallardo in Miller’s work space.
Joanna Gallardo Mills
- In July 2011, he published a graphic novel called Holy Terror, about a hero who fights the transnational extremist Salafist militant group al-Qaeda. In promoting the novel, he commented:
I’m Catholic, and I can tell you a lot about the Spanish Inquisition, but I don’t understand the mysteries of the Catholic Church. I can tell you a lot about Al Qaeda, but I don’t understand the mysteries of Islam.”
His comments sparked huge controversy. On the other hand, the novel itself also received strong opposition, with critics calling it shocking, offensive and vindictive.
- In 2011, he again became the focus of controversy for his comments against the Occupy Wall Street movement. He said,
A bunch of hooligans, thieves and rapists…wake up, pond scum. America is at war with a ruthless enemy. Perhaps, in your sheltered, cozy little world, you’ve heard of terms like al-Qaeda and Islamism because of your self-pity and all the other delicacies of narcissism.”
His comments sparked huge controversy. In a 2018 interview, he clarified that he was not thinking clearly at the time.
- His cartoons have often sparked controversy; Holy Terror has been called anti-Islamic, while Sin City has been called misogynistic and homophobic.
- In 2019, he filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife (Lynn Varley), with whom Frank had worked, alleging that she had stolen valuable sketches of Frank’s work and tried to sell them privately.
sign
Favorite things
- Cartoonists: Will Eisner, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko
- Comic Book: Spirit by Will Eisner
- Novel: Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett
Facts/Trivia
- At the age of fourteen, he discovered Will Eisner’s comic book “Joker” and was deeply inspired to become a cartoonist.
- Miller had previously tried to write a screenplay for a film, but failed and decided not to make another film. However, one day he met filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, who had made a short film based on a story from Miller’s Sin City, called The Customer is Always Right. After watching the short, Miller was delighted and decided to co-direct the feature film Sin City (2005), his directorial debut.
- In 1995, Miller collaborated with American cartoonist Jeff Darrow to create the comic book Rusty the Big Man and the Boy Robot, which was published by Dark Horse Comics in two parts. In 1999, the comic book was adapted into an animated series for Fox Kids. During this period, Miller became one of the founders of the comic book publishing company Legends, and many of Miller’s Sin City works were published through Dark Horse Comics.
- Simon & Schuster published Miller and author Tom Wheeler’s young adult novel Cursed (2019), based on the Arthurian legend from the perspective of the Lady of the Lake. In 2020, Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler created a Netflix series of the same name, starring Devon Terrell and Katherine Langford.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education