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134-668: Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book artist, comic book writer, and screenwriter known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil , for which he created the character Elektra , and subsequent Daredevil: Born Again , The Dark Knight Returns , Batman: Year One , Sin City , and 300 . Miller is noted for combining film noir and manga influences in his comic art creations. He said: "I realized when I started Sin City that I found American and English comics be too wordy, too constipated, and Japanese comics to be too empty. So I
268-435: A garbage man a 'sanitation engineer' - and second because a 'graphic novel' is in fact the very thing it is ashamed to admit: a comic book, rather than a comic pamphlet or comic magazine". Writer Neil Gaiman , responding to a claim that he does not write comic books but graphic novels, said the commenter "meant it as a compliment, I suppose. But all of a sudden I felt like someone who'd been informed that she wasn't actually
402-438: A trade paperback ( Pocket Books , March 1978), which described itself as "the first graphic novel". Issues of the comic had described themselves as "graphic prose", or simply as a novel. Similarly, Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species by writer Don McGregor and artist Paul Gulacy ( Eclipse Books , August 1978) — the first graphic novel sold in the newly created " direct market " of United States comic-book shops —
536-419: 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
670-429: A $ 25 million defamation and economic interference lawsuit against Miller and fellow producer Silenn Thomas. L'Heureux alleged the pair had repeatedly made, "false, misleading and defamatory statements" about L'Heureux's ownership of the developmental rights of Sin City and Hard Boiled to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison and other Skydance executives and prevented the creation of a film adaptation of Hard Boiled and
804-474: A 2006 film adaptation of 300 , directed by Zack Snyder , brought new attention to Miller's original comic book work. A sequel to the 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 in theaters on August 22, 2014. In July 2011, while at San Diego Comic-Con promoting his upcoming graphic novel Holy Terror , in which
938-532: A TV series based on Sin City . Miller's attorney Allen Grodsky denied the allegation stating, "The claims asserted in Mr. L'Heureux's lawsuit are baseless, and we will be aggressively defending this lawsuit." Miller was married to colorist Lynn Varley from 1986 to 2005. She colored many of his most acclaimed works (from Ronin in 1984 through 300 in 1998) and the backgrounds to the 2006 movie 300 . Miller has been romantically linked to Kimberly Halliburton Cox, who had
1072-447: A UK best-seller list. Outside North America, Eisner's A Contract with God and Spiegelman's Maus led to the popularization of the expression "graphic novel" as well. Until then, most European countries used neutral, descriptive terminology that referred to the form of the medium, not the contents or the publishing form. In Francophone Europe for example, the expression bandes dessinées — which literally translates as "drawn strips" –
1206-526: A cameo in The Spirit (2008). In response to claims that his comics are conservative , Miller said, "I'm not a conservative. I'm a libertarian ." Miller is a recovering alcoholic, and states that he used alcohol heavily in his early career to free him from inhibitions and increase his creative output. Although still conforming to traditional comic book styles, Miller infused his first issue of Daredevil with his own film noir style. Miller sketched
1340-430: A category in book stores in 2001. The term is not strictly defined, though Merriam-Webster 's dictionary definition is "a fictional story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book ". Collections of comic books that do not form a continuous story, anthologies or collections of loosely related pieces, and even non-fiction are stocked by libraries and bookstores as graphic novels (similar to
1474-560: A collection of Frank Miller's four-part comic-book series featuring an older Batman faced with the problems of a dystopian future; and Watchmen (1986-1987), a collection of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons ' 12-issue limited series in which Moore notes he "set out to explore, amongst other things, the dynamics of power in a post-Hiroshima world". These works and others were reviewed in newspapers and magazines, leading to increased coverage. Sales of graphic novels increased, with Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , for example, lasting 40 weeks on
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#17327762410111608-508: 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. 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
1742-425: A dark and violent future. Miller created a tough, gritty Batman, referring to him as "The Dark Knight" based upon his being called the "Darknight Detective" in some 1970s portrayals, although the nickname "Dark Knight" for Batman dates back to 1940. 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
1876-473: A decade.) Steven Grant had a brief run before the book was set adrift with a succession of fill-in issues which ran through late 1994, when former Amazing Spider-Man writer Tom DeFalco took over. By this time, all the Spider-books were being affected by the controversial " Clone Saga " that culminated with Spectacular Spider-Man #226 (July 1995), and Fingeroth convinced DeFalco that the series needed
2010-452: A doubly talented artist might not arise and create a comic strip novel masterpiece". Gil Kane and Archie Goodwin's Blackmark (1971), a science fiction / sword-and-sorcery paperback published by Bantam Books , did not use the term originally; the back-cover blurb of the 30th-anniversary edition ( ISBN 978-1-56097-456-7 ) calls it, retroactively, the first American graphic novel. The Academy of Comic Book Arts presented Kane with
2144-404: A flattering introduction to an early collected edition of The Dark Knight Returns , and the two have remained friends. Moore has praised Miller's realistic use of minimal dialogue in fight scenes, which "move very fast, flowing from image to image with the speed of a real-life conflict, unimpeded by the reader having to stop to read a lot of accompanying text". Miller's graphic novel Holy Terror
2278-411: 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 North America, all of which were written by Miller and drawn by Gibbons. Miller wrote the scripts for the science fiction films RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 , about a police cyborg . Neither
2412-409: A hooker; that in fact she was a lady of the evening". Responding to writer Douglas Wolk 's quip that the difference between a graphic novel and a comic book is "the binding", Bone creator Jeff Smith said: "I kind of like that answer. Because 'graphic novel' ... I don't like that name. It's trying too hard. It is a comic book. But there is a difference. And the difference is, a graphic novel
2546-513: A legend of comic books. However, later material such as Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again received mixed reviews. In particular, All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder was widely considered a sign of Miller's creative decline. Fellow comic book writer Alan Moore has described Miller's work from Sin City -onward as homophobic and misogynistic , despite praising his early Batman and Daredevil material. Moore previously penned
2680-572: A major part in the character's youth: Stick , leader of the ninja clan the Chaste , who had been Murdock's sensei after he was blinded and a rival clan called the Hand . 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 he
2814-406: A major voice against censorship in comics. 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
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#17327762410112948-464: A novice comic-book writer shouldn't be handling the adventures of Marvel's flagship character". Former series writer Gerry Conway, who additionally wrote Web of Spider-Man from 1988 to 1990, returned to Spectacular , after which he left both books to become a story editor on the TV series Father Dowling Mysteries . Conway stated in 1991 that "I understand the character a lot better now than I did when I
3082-554: A one-page war-comic job." The Grand Comics Database does not list this job; there may have been a one-page DC story, or Shooter may have misremembered the page count or have been referring to the two-page story, by writer Roger McKenzie , as "Slowly, painfully, you dig your way from the cold, choking debris" in Weird War Tales #68 (October 1978). Other fledgling work at DC included the six-page "The Greatest Story Never Told", by writer Paul Kupperberg , in that same issue, and
3216-407: A pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, fed by Woodstock -era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness." He said of the movement, "Wake up, pond scum. America is at war against a ruthless enemy. Maybe, between bouts of self-pity and all the other tasty tidbits of narcissism you've been served up in your sheltered, comfy little worlds, you've heard terms like al-Qaeda and Islamicism ." Miller's statement
3350-719: A painted cover and the interior was in color as well. Lee, Romita and Mooney again collaborated on its single story, "The Goblin Lives!", featuring the Green Goblin . A next-issue box at the end promoted the planned contents of the unrealized issue #3, "The Mystery of the TV Terror". A version of the Goblin story, trimmed by 18 pages, was reprinted in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #9 (1973), and portions of
3484-455: A painted, color cover by men's adventure -magazine artist Harry Rosenbaum, in acrylic paint on illustration board, over layouts by The Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr. The 52-page black-and-white Spider-Man story, "Lo, This Monster!", was by writer Stan Lee , penciler Romita Sr. and inker Jim Mooney . A 10-page origin story, "In The Beginning!", was by Lee, penciler Larry Lieber and inker Bill Everett . The feature story
3618-424: A perfect time to retire terms like "graphic novel" and "sequential art", which piggyback on the language of other, wholly separate mediums. What's more, both terms have their roots in the need to dissemble and justify, thus both exude a sense of desperation, a gnawing hunger to be accepted. Author Daniel Raeburn wrote: "I snicker at the neologism first for its insecure pretension - the literary equivalent of calling
3752-515: A periodical titled Graphic Story Magazine in the fall of 1967. The Sinister House of Secret Love #2 (Jan. 1972), one of DC Comics ' line of extra-length, 48-page comics, specifically used the phrase "a graphic novel of Gothic terror" on its cover. The term "graphic novel" began to grow in popularity months after it appeared on the cover of the trade paperback edition (though not the hardcover edition) of Will Eisner 's A Contract with God (October 1978). This collection of short stories
3886-539: A psychic link with insects and arachnids. This comic also included the sequel to " Sins Past ", " Sins Remembered ", in which Peter went to Paris to meet Sarah Stacy and resolved the issues between them. Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures was a title published by Panini Comics in the United Kingdom from November 1995 to September 2005, although the Adventures portion of the title was often dropped from
4020-555: A regular writer to help guide the crossover story. This story revealed (though it was later reversed) that the Spider-Man who had appeared in the previous 20 years of comics was a clone of the real Spider-Man. This tied into a publishing gap after #229 (Oct. 1995), when the title was temporarily replaced by The Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1–2 (Nov.–Dec. 1995), featuring the "original" Peter Parker. The series picked up again with #230 (Jan. 1996). Initially newcomer Todd Dezago wrote
4154-420: A revival of the medieval woodcut tradition, with Belgian Frans Masereel cited as "the undisputed king" of this revival. His works include Passionate Journey (1919). American Lynd Ward also worked in this tradition, publishing Gods' Man , in 1929 and going on to publish more during the 1930s. Other prototypical examples from this period include American Milt Gross 's He Done Her Wrong (1930),
Frank Miller - Misplaced Pages Continue
4288-411: 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 (February–August 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 nemesis, the crime lord Wilson Fisk, also known as
4422-482: A similar format. Columnist and comic-book writer Steven Grant also argues that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 's Doctor Strange story in Strange Tales #130–146, although published serially from 1965 to 1966, is "the first American graphic novel". Similarly, critic Jason Sacks referred to the 13-issue "Panther's Rage"—comics' first-known titled, self-contained, multi-issue story arc—that ran from 1973 to 1975 in
4556-482: A special 1971 Shazam Award for what it called "his paperback comics novel". Whatever the nomenclature, Blackmark is a 119-page story of comic-book art, with captions and word balloons , published in a traditional book format. European creators were also experimenting with the longer narrative in comics form. In the United Kingdom, Raymond Briggs was producing works such as Father Christmas (1972) and The Snowman (1978), which he himself described as being from
4690-605: A story drawn by Fred Hembeck . Al Milgrom took over scripting as well as art on the title with issue #90 (May 1984) and worked on it through issue #100 (March 1985). Milgrom imbued the book with a more whimsical tone, for example, pitting Spider-Man against the Spot, a supervillain who was so ridiculous that he gave Spider-Man fits of laughter. Jim Owsley , then-editor of the Spider-Man books, disapproved of this approach and had Milgrom replaced as writer by newcomer Peter David in 1985. David and artist Rich Buckler , said Owsley, had
4824-840: 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 considers the Argentinian comic book artist Alberto Breccia as one of his personal mentors, even declaring that (regarding modernity in comics), "It all started with Breccia". In that same regard, Miller's work in Sin City has been analyzed by South American writers and artists –as well as European critics like Yexus – as being based or inspired in Breccia's groundbreaking style, especially regarding
4958-558: A team-up with Doctor Strange while the 1981 Annual showcased a meeting with the Punisher . As penciller 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
5092-435: 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 took his future projects to the independent publisher Dark Horse Comics . From then on Miller was a major supporter of creator rights and became
5226-525: A wider audience without comics. Miller lived in Los Angeles , California in the 1990s, which influenced Sin City . He later lived in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City , which was also an influence. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear was a five issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 1993. In this story, Miller and artist John Romita Jr. told Daredevil's origins differently from in
5360-555: A winter 1983 interview as the issue he is most proud of; 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 Dennis O'Neil for DC Special Series #21 (Spring 1980). This was his first professional experience with a character with which, like Daredevil, he became closely associated. At Marvel, O'Neil and Miller collaborated on two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual . The 1980 Annual featured
5494-574: A wordless comic published as a hardcover book, and Une semaine de bonté (1934), a novel in sequential images composed of collage by the surrealist painter Max Ernst . Similarly, Charlotte Salomon 's Life? or Theater? (composed 1941–43) combines images, narrative, and captions. The 1940s saw the launching of Classics Illustrated , a comic-book series that primarily adapted notable, public domain novels into standalone comic books for young readers. Citizen 13660 , an illustrated, novel length retelling of Japanese internment during World War II ,
Frank Miller - Misplaced Pages Continue
5628-774: A year after A Contract with God though written and drawn in the early 1970s—was labeled a "graphic novel" on the cover of Marvel Comics' black-and-white comics magazine Marvel Preview #17 (Winter 1979), where Blackmark: The Mind Demons premiered: its 117-page contents remained intact, but its panel-layout reconfigured to fit 62 pages. Following this, Marvel from 1982 to 1988 published the Marvel Graphic Novel line of 10" × 7" trade paperbacks—although numbering them like comic books, from #1 ( Jim Starlin 's The Death of Captain Marvel ) to #35 ( Dennis O'Neil , Mike Kaluta , and Russ Heath 's Hitler's Astrologer , starring
5762-473: Is a novel in the sense that there is a beginning, a middle and an end". The Times writer Giles Coren said: "To call them graphic novels is to presume that the novel is in some way 'higher' than the karmicbwurk (comic book), and that only by being thought of as a sort of novel can it be understood as an art form". Some alternative cartoonists have coined their own terms for extended comics narratives. The cover of Daniel Clowes ' Ice Haven (2001) refers to
5896-630: Is credited with the five-page "Endless Cloud", also by an unknown writer, in the following issue (July 1978). By the time of the latter, Miller had his first confirmed credit in writer Wyatt Gwyon's six-page "Deliver Me From D-Day", inked by Danny Bulanadi, in Weird War Tales #64 (June 1978). Former 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
6030-471: Is one of the best storytellers and a wonderful collaborator. I loved that run." During this period, Spider-Man editor Danny Fingeroth would hold conferences in New York with all the Spider-Man creative staff, allowing them to brainstorm ideas and discuss future storylines. DeMatteis left the book in mid-1993 to write The Amazing Spider-Man (succeeding David Michelinie who wrote Amazing for over half
6164-412: Is that 'graphic novel' just came to mean 'expensive comic book' and so what you'd get is people like DC Comics or Marvel Comics—because 'graphic novels' were getting some attention, they'd stick six issues of whatever worthless piece of crap they happened to be publishing lately under a glossy cover and call it The She-Hulk Graphic Novel ..." Glen Weldon, author and cultural critic, writes: It's
6298-500: Is used, while the terms stripverhaal ("strip story") and tegneserie ("drawn series") are used by the Dutch/Flemish and Scandinavians respectively. European comics studies scholars have observed that Americans originally used graphic novel for everything that deviated from their standard, 32-page comic book format, meaning that all larger-sized, longer Franco-Belgian comic albums , regardless of their contents, fell under
6432-578: The Black Panther series in Marvel's Jungle Action as "Marvel's first graphic novel". Meanwhile, in continental Europe, the tradition of collecting serials of popular strips such as The Adventures of Tintin or Asterix led to long-form narratives published initially as serials. In January 1968, Vida del Che was published in Argentina, a graphic novel written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and drawn by Alberto Breccia . The book told
6566-522: The Kingpin . After completing the "Born Again" arc, Frank Miller intended to produce a two-part story with artist Walt Simonson but it was never completed and remains unpublished. 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
6700-450: 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. 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 ,
6834-601: The "TV Terror" costume were reused for the costume of the Prowler . Both issues of the magazine were reprinted in their entirety (albeit reduced to comic size) in the collection Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #7 ( ISBN 0-7851-1636-2 ), then again in Marvel Epic Collections: The Amazing Spider-Man #4 in 2019. The first issue was reprinted again in 2002 as The Spectacular Spider-Man Facsimile , exactly as it
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#17327762410116968-587: The "bottomless abyss of strip cartooning", although they, along with such other Briggs works as the more mature When the Wind Blows (1982), have been re-marketed as graphic novels in the wake of the term's popularity. Briggs noted, however, that he did not like that term too much. In 1976, the term "graphic novel" appeared in print to describe three separate works: The following year, Terry Nantier , who had spent his teenage years living in Paris, returned to
7102-592: The 128-page digest by pseudonymous writer "Drake Waller" ( Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller ), penciler Matt Baker and inker Ray Osrin proved successful enough to lead to an unrelated second picture novel, The Case of the Winking Buddha by pulp novelist Manning Lee Stokes and illustrator Charles Raab. In the same year, Gold Medal Books released Mansion of Evil by Joseph Millard. Presaging Will Eisner's multiple-story graphic novel A Contract with God (1978), cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman wrote and drew
7236-508: The Boy Robot , published as a two-part miniseries by Dark Horse. In 1999, it became an animated series on Fox Kids . Written and illustrated by 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
7370-751: The King Arthur legend from the point of view of the Lady of the Lake in October 2019. In December 2019, DC released Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child , the fifth series in The Dark Knight Returns universe to mixed reviews. It is written by Miller with artwork by Rafael Grampa. In July 2020, Netflix released a 10-episode series based on Cursed with Miller and Wheeler serving as both creators and executive producers. On April 28, 2022, it
7504-503: The Rise of Alexander , which marked his first work as both writer and artist comics creation since Holy Terror . In 2017 Miller announced he was writing a Superman: Year One project with artwork by John Romita Jr. The three-issue series was released by DC Black Label from June to October 2019 and received mixed reviews. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing published his and author Tom Wheeler 's young-adult novel Cursed , about
7638-494: The Spectacular Spider-Man #131 and 132. With issue #134 (Jan. 1988), the "Peter Parker" part of the title was removed and the series became simply The Spectacular Spider-Man . The logo changed from a distinctive design to using the same design as that of The Amazing Spider-Man and the 1968 Spectacular Spider-Man magazine; this logo did not change until issue #218 (Nov. 1994). The logo of Web of Spider-Man
7772-509: The Spectacular Spider-Man #64 (March 1982), and included a story arc which took place from issues #73–79 (Dec. 1982 – June 1983), in which Doctor Octopus and the Owl competed for control of the New York underworld, Octopus almost destroys New York with a nuclear device and the Black Cat is critically injured. Issue #86 (January 1984) was part of the "Assistant Editors Month" event and featured
7906-637: The United States and formed Flying Buttress Publications , later to incorporate as NBM Publishing ( Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine ), and published Racket Rumba , a 50-page spoof of the noir - detective genre, written and drawn by the single-name French artist Loro. Nantier followed this with Enki Bilal 's The Call of the Stars . The company marketed these works as "graphic albums". The first six issues of writer-artist Jack Katz 's 1974 Comics and Comix Co. series The First Kingdom were collected as
8040-469: The United States, typically distinct from the term comic book , which is generally used for comics periodicals and trade paperbacks . Fan historian Richard Kyle coined the term graphic novel in an essay in the November 1964 issue of the comics fanzine Capa-Alpha . The term gained popularity in the comics community after the publication of Will Eisner 's A Contract with God (1978) and
8174-411: The artist and remained until the series ended, but there was no regular writer for the last half-year with Glenn Greenberg , Roger Stern, John Byrne and Howard Mackie all contributing during this time. The final issue was #263 (Nov. 1998). Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 2) titled without the definite article "The", is a 27-issue monthly series published from September 2003 to June 2005. Each issue
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#17327762410118308-471: The artists. Issue one was the top-selling comic of November 2015, moving an estimated 440,234 copies. In 2016, Miller and Azzarello also co-wrote the graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade with art by John Romita Jr. and Peter Steigerwald. From April to August 2018, Dark Horse Comics published monthly Miller's five-issue miniseries sequel to 300 , Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and
8442-407: The backlog catalogs of Casterman and Les Humanoïdes Associés . Some in the comics community have objected to the term graphic novel on the grounds that it is unnecessary, or that its usage has been corrupted by commercial interests. Watchmen writer Alan Moore believes: It's a marketing term... that I never had any sympathy with. The term 'comic' does just as well for me ... The problem
8576-458: The book as "a comic-strip novel", with Clowes having noted that he "never saw anything wrong with the comic book". The cover of Craig Thompson 's Blankets calls it "an illustrated novel". The Spectacular Spider-Man The Spectacular Spider-Man is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics . Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, The Amazing Spider-Man , Marvel felt
8710-460: 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 critically well received. Elektra: Assassin was praised for its bold storytelling, but neither it nor Daredevil: Love and War had
8844-484: The character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to launch a short-lived magazine, the first to bear the Spectacular name. In 1972, Marvel more successfully launched a second Spider-Man ongoing series, Marvel Team-Up , in which he was paired with other Marvel heroes. A third monthly ongoing series, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man , debuted in 1976. The Spectacular Spider-Man
8978-472: The cover page. It featured a mix of reprinted American material, as well as originally produced British material, including a guest appearance from Captain Britain . Spectacular was aimed at a younger audience than Panini's other Spider-Man reprint title Astonishing Spider-Man , and was loosely based on the continuity of the 1990s animated series . Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (vol. 3)
9112-442: The dark world of Frank Miller's graphic novel to vivid life." His 2008 adaptation of The Spirit received generally negative reviews. Graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form work of sequential art . The term graphic novel is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and industry professionals. It is, at least in
9246-462: The end of the 19th century (including such later Franco-Belgian comics series as The Adventures of Tintin in the 1930s). As the exact definition of the graphic novel is debated, the origins of the form are open to interpretation. The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck is the oldest recognized American example of comics used to this end. It originated as the 1828 publication Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois by Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer , and
9380-629: The film 300 , and directing the film adaptation of The Spirit . Sin City earned a Palme d'Or nomination. Miller was born in Olney, Maryland , on January 27, 1957, and raised in Montpelier, Vermont , the fifth of seven children of a nurse mother and a carpenter/electrician father. His family was Irish Catholic . Miller grew up a comics fan; a letter he wrote to Marvel Comics was published in The Cat #3 (April 1973). His first published work
9514-699: The film screened in Cinemark theaters across the U.S for one day only. 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 former girlfriend, Kimberly Cox, created a hostile work environment for Gallardo-Mills in Miller and Cox's Hell's Kitchen living and work space. In July 2020, producer Stephen L'Heureux, who worked on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For , filed
9648-518: The first full appearance of the ninja mercenary Elektra —who became a popular character and star in a 2005 motion picture—although her first cover appearance was four months earlier on Miller's cover of The Comics Journal #58. Miller later wrote and drew a solo Elektra story in Bizarre Adventures #28 (Oct. 1981). He added a martial arts aspect to Daredevil's fighting skills, and introduced previously unseen characters who had played
9782-517: The first to use it. These included the Time magazine website in 2003, which said in its correction: "Eisner acknowledges that the term 'graphic novel' had been coined prior to his book. But, he says, 'I had not known at the time that someone had used that term before'. Nor does he take credit for creating the first graphic book". One of the earliest contemporaneous applications of the term post-Eisner came in 1979, when Blackmark 's sequel—published
9916-638: The five-page "The Edge of History", written by Elliot S. Maggin , in Unknown Soldier #219 (September 1978). His first work for Marvel Comics was penciling the 17-page story "The Master Assassin of Mars, Part 3" in John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18 (November 1978). At Marvel, Miller settled 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 (February–March 1979), which guest-starred Daredevil . At
10050-450: The four-story mass-market paperback Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book ( Ballantine Books #338K), published in 1959. By the late 1960s, American comic book creators were becoming more adventurous with the form. Gil Kane and Archie Goodwin self-published a 40-page, magazine -format comics novel, His Name Is... Savage (Adventure House Press) in 1968—the same year Marvel Comics published two issues of The Spectacular Spider-Man in
10184-558: The heading. Writer-artist Bryan Talbot claims that the first collection of his The Adventures of Luther Arkwright , published by Proutt in 1982, was the first British graphic novel. American comic critics have occasionally referred to European graphic novels as "Euro-comics", and attempts were made in the late 1980s to cross-fertilize the American market with these works. American publishers Catalan Communications and NBM Publishing released translated titles, predominantly from
10318-475: The idea of a "drawn novel" in a letter to the newspaper Le Figaro and started work on a 360-page wordless book (which was never published). In the United States, there is a long tradition of reissuing previously published comic strips in book form. In 1897, the Hearst Syndicate published such a collection of The Yellow Kid by Richard Outcault and it quickly became a best seller. The 1920s saw
10452-471: 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
10586-449: The latter's chiaroscuros and strong use of stark black-and-white technique. Daredevil: Born Again and The Dark Knight Returns were both critical successes and influential on subsequent generations of creators to the point of being considered classics of the medium. Batman: Year One was also met with praise for its gritty style, while comics including Ronin , 300 and Sin City were also successful, cementing Miller's place as
10720-622: The manner in which dramatic stories are included in "comic" books). The term is also sometimes used to distinguish between works created as standalone stories, in contrast to collections or compilations of a story arc from a comic book series published in book form. In continental Europe, both original book-length stories such as The Ballad of the Salty Sea (1967) by Hugo Pratt or La rivolta dei racchi (1967) by Guido Buzzelli , and collections of comics have been commonly published in hardcover volumes, often called albums , since
10854-409: 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
10988-464: The one Annual , were illustrated by guest artists; Kubert's final issue as artist was #307, excluding covers. Zdarsky left the series with issue #310. The series ended with issue #313, the final three issues being a tie-in to the Spider-Geddon crossover event written by Sean Ryan. The Spectacular Spider-Men is a currently ongoing series that was published beginning March 2024. The series
11122-515: The previous comics, and they 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 1994, 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 Comics . In 1995, Miller and Darrow collaborated again on Big Guy and Rusty
11256-669: The protagonist hero fights Al-Qaeda terrorists, Miller made a remark about Islamic terrorism and Islam , saying, "I was raised Catholic and I could tell you a lot about the Spanish Inquisition , but the mysteries of the Catholic Church elude me. And I could tell you a lot about Al-Qaeda, but the mysteries of Islam elude me too." In November 2011, Miller posted remarks pertaining to the Occupy Wall Street movement on his blog, calling it "nothing but
11390-662: The radio and pulp fiction character the Shadow , and released in hardcover). Marvel commissioned original graphic novels from such creators as John Byrne , J. M. DeMatteis , Steve Gerber , graphic-novel pioneer McGregor, Frank Miller , Bill Sienkiewicz , Walt Simonson , Charles Vess , and Bernie Wrightson . While most of these starred Marvel superheroes , others, such as Rick Veitch 's Heartburst featured original SF/fantasy characters; others still, such as John J. Muth 's Dracula , featured adaptations of literary stories or characters; and one, Sam Glanzman 's A Sailor's Story ,
11524-502: The return of the Harry Osborn version of the Green Goblin . As written by DeMatteis, Harry sank further into insanity and gained the same super-strength possessed by his father , battling Spider-Man again in #189 (June 1992), before being killed in #200 (May 1993). In an undated 2000s interview, DeMatteis said, "I really loved the two years on Spectacular Spider-Man that I wrote with Sal Buscema drawing. Talk about underrated! Sal
11658-476: 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 commented: 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
11792-456: The scripts for DeFalco's plots, since DeFalco was already writing two other series and wanted to groom DeZago to be the long-term writer on Spectacular Spider-Man . Todd Dezago then wrote for a year before DeMatteis returned through May 1998. DeMatteis later commented, "We did some nice stories, like the one about Flash Thompson 's childhood. But, in general, I don't hold that last run...very dear to my heart." Luke Ross succeeded Sal Buscema as
11926-496: The sequel initially released as a three-issue miniseries, 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 & Robin, the Boy Wonder , a series set inside of what Miller describes as the "Dark Knight Universe," and drawn by Jim Lee . All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder also received largely negative reviews. Miller's previous attitude towards movie adaptations
12060-779: The series "focusing on stories with a serious, 'grown-up' tone and more complex themes". The most notable story arc of the David/Buckler era is " The Death of Jean DeWolff " (#107–110 (Oct. 1985–Jan. 1986)), in which Spider-Man's ally, NYC Police Captain Jean DeWolff – a supporting character in the Spider-Man comics since 1976 – is murdered by the vigilante/serial killer the Sin-Eater . This multi-part story guest-starred Daredevil . The storyline " Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt " by writer J.M. DeMatteis and artists Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod crossed over into Peter Parker,
12194-523: The series to wrap up unresolved plot elements from The Champions comic book series and concluded his first run with a crossover with Fantastic Four #218 (May 1980). In a notable two-part story scripted by Mantlo and published in The Spectacular Spider-Man #39-40 (February-March 1980), Spider-Man was temporarily transformed into "The Spider-Lizard," a rampaging creature akin to Spider-Man's recurring foe The Lizard . Mantlo
12328-434: The series was the cover for Doctor Strange #46 (April 1981). Other commitments prevented him from working on the series. 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 1986, DC Comics released
12462-481: The series' run, Buscema drew over 100 issues, making him by far the series' most frequent contributor. After his story arc "Return of the Sin-Eater" (#134–136 (Jan.–March 1988)), Peter David was removed as writer. Editor Owsley said editor-in-chief Jim Shooter "disliked Peter's work intensely". David, in a 2005 interview, believed, "I was fired off Spider-Man because it was felt at the upper editorial level that
12596-661: 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 Miller had written, O'Neil moved McKenzie to another project so that Miller could try writing the series himself. Miller and O'Neil maintained a friendly working relationship throughout his run on the series. 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 became its writer. Issue #168 saw
12730-518: 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. Ronin shows some of the strongest influences of manga and bande dessinée on Miller's style, both in the artwork and narrative style. Sin City was drawn in black and white to emphasize its film noir origins. Miller has said he opposes naturalism in comic art: "People are attempting to bring
12864-399: The start of the Marvel Graphic Novel line (1982) and became familiar to the public in the late 1980s after the commercial successes of the first volume of Art Spiegelman 's Maus in 1986, the collected editions of Frank Miller 's The Dark Knight Returns in 1986 and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons ' Watchmen in 1987. The Book Industry Study Group began using graphic novel as
12998-586: The stories focused more on Parker's campus life as an undergraduate student/teacher's assistant at Empire State University and giving more attention to his colleagues than to the more long-running supporting characters in Amazing . Mantlo's first run on the title featured frequent appearances by the White Tiger , Marvel's first Hispanic superhero, and the first appearance of the supervillain Carrion . He used
13132-521: The story of Che Guevara in comics form, but the military dictatorship confiscated the books and destroyed them. It was later re-released in corrected versions. By 1969, the author John Updike , who had entertained ideas of becoming a cartoonist in his youth, addressed the Bristol Literary Society, on " the death of the novel ". Updike offered examples of new areas of exploration for novelists, declaring he saw "no intrinsic reason why
13266-647: The term "graphic novel" in Capa-Alpha #2 (November 1964), a newsletter published by the Comic Amateur Press Alliance, and again in an article in Bill Spicer 's magazine Fantasy Illustrated #5 (Spring 1966). Kyle, inspired by European and East Asian graphic albums (especially Japanese manga ), used the label to designate comics of an artistically "serious" sort. Following this, Spicer, with Kyle's acknowledgment, edited and published
13400-460: The time, sales of the Daredevil title were poor but Miller saw potential in "a blind protagonist in a purely visual medium", as he recalled in 2000. Miller went to writer and staffer Jo Duffy (a mentor-figure whom he called his "guardian angel" at Marvel) and she passed on his interest to editor-in-chief Jim Shooter to get Miller work on Daredevil's regular title. Shooter agreed and made Miller
13534-569: The title until mid-1978. After Buscema's departure, a succession of artists (including Mike Zeck , Jim Mooney , Ed Hannigan , Marie Severin and Greg LaRocque ) penciled the series for approximately five years. Frank Miller , who would later become the artist on Daredevil , first drew the character in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #27. Scripting initially alternated between Conway and Archie Goodwin until mid-1977, when Bill Mantlo took over. During this era of Spectacular ,
13668-482: The two separate titles and strengthen the continuity between them. Throughout their run, Conway and Buscema collaborated using the Marvel method , occasionally working out details of the plot over the phone. J. M. DeMatteis became the regular writer in mid-1991, injecting a grim, psychological tone into the series. DeMatteis began his run with the story arc "The Child Within" (#178–184 (July 1991–Jan. 1992)), featuring
13802-474: The writer–penciller 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
13936-581: Was DC Comics' six-issue miniseries Ronin (1983–1984). In 1985, DC Comics named Miller as one of the honorees in the company's 50th-anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great . Miller was involved in a few unpublished projects in the early 1980s. A house advertisement for Doctor Strange appeared in Marvel Comics cover-dated February 1981. It stated "Watch for the new adventures of Earth's Sorcerer Supreme—as mystically conjured by Roger Stern and Frank Miller!". Miller's only contribution to
14070-469: Was a mature, complex work focusing on the lives of ordinary people in the real world based on Eisner's own experiences. One scholar used graphic novels to introduce the concept of graphiation, the theory that the entire personality of an artist is visible through his or her visual representation of a certain character, setting, event, or object in a novel, and can work as a means to examine and analyze drawing style. Even though Eisner's A Contract with God
14204-403: Was a true-life, World War II naval tale. Cartoonist Art Spiegelman 's Pulitzer Prize -winning Maus (1986), helped establish both the term and the concept of graphic novels in the minds of the mainstream public. Two DC Comics book reprints of self-contained miniseries did likewise, though they were not originally published as graphic novels: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986),
14338-530: Was accused of being anti-Islamic . Miller later said that he regretted Holy Terror , saying, "I don't want to wipe out chapters of my own biography. But I'm not capable of that book again." Miller's film adaptation of Sin City was well received by audiences and critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 254 reviews, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Visually groundbreaking and terrifically violent, Sin City brings
14472-471: 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, it proved to be another success, and the story was released in
14606-415: Was also changed in 1988 to match that of The Amazing Spider-Man , prompting Owsley to later reflect, "Suddenly, the three books that I had worked for years to give unique identities to were homogenized into a blur of Spider Sameness: same logo style, same basic look, indistinguishable from one another." Sal Buscema returned as the regular artist, staying with the title from early 1988 to late 1996; throughout
14740-408: Was as influential as Miller's previous work. A trade paperback released in 1988 remains in print, and is one of DC's best selling books. The story was adapted as an original animated film video in 2011. Miller illustrated 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
14874-462: Was at Western Publishing 's Gold Key Comics imprint , received at the recommendation of comics artist Neal Adams , to whom a fledgling Miller, after moving to New York City, had shown samples and received much critique and occasional informal lessons. Though no published credits appear, he is tentatively credited with the three-page story "Royal Feast" in the licensed TV series comic book The Twilight Zone #84 (June 1978), by an unknown writer, and
15008-475: Was attempting to do a hybrid." Miller has received every major comic book industry award, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame. Miller's feature film work includes writing the scripts for the 1990s science fiction films RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 , sharing directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For , producing
15142-416: Was by this time the regular writer, so Stan saw it as an opportunity to launch a second Spider-Man title, which was something he'd wanted to do for a while. ... the full, original title was "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man." The notion was we'd focus more on the supporting characters and Peter's social life, but before we could really develop that I left Marvel again, not long after that. Buscema drew
15276-493: Was called a "graphic album" by the author in interviews, though the publisher dubbed it a "comic novel" on its credits page. "Graphic album" was also the term used the following year by Gene Day for his hardcover short-story collection Future Day ( Flying Buttress Press ). Another early graphic novel, though it carried no self-description, was The Silver Surfer ( Simon & Schuster/Fireside Books , August 1978), by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee and Jack Kirby . Significantly, this
15410-440: 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 came into contact with the fictional cyborg once more, writing the comic-book miniseries RoboCop Versus The Terminator , with art by Walter Simonson . In 2003, Miller's screenplay for RoboCop 2
15544-674: Was criticised by fellow comic writer Alan Moore . In a 2018 interview, Miller backed away from his comments saying that he "wasn't thinking clearly" when he made them and alluded to a very dark time in his life during which they were made. On July 10, 2015, at San Diego Comic-Con, Miller was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame. From 2015 to 2017, DC released a nine-issue, bimonthly sequel to The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again , titled The Dark Knight III: The Master Race . Miller co-wrote it with Brian Azzarello , and Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson were
15678-666: Was first published in English translation in 1841 by London's Tilt & Bogue, which used an 1833 Paris pirate edition. The first American edition was published in 1842 by Wilson & Company in New York City using the original printing plates from the 1841 edition. Another early predecessor is Journey to the Gold Diggins by Jeremiah Saddlebags by brothers J. A. D. and D. F. Read, inspired by The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck . In 1894, Caran d'Ache broached
15812-572: Was focusing its efforts on the Ronin sequel and Pandora , a fantasy adventure series produced together with The Kubert School that Miller described as "look[ing] like a children's book, but it's also a dark fairytale". The documentary film Frank Miller: American Genius premiered on June 6, 2024, at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. The event featured a live introduction with Miller, moderated by author Neil Gaiman. On June 10,
15946-469: Was initially a two-issue magazine published by Marvel in 1968, as an experiment in entering the black-and-white comic-magazine market successfully pioneered by Warren Publishing and others. It sold for 35 cents when standard comic books cost 12 cents and Annual s and Giant s 25 cents. It represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication aside from the original series' summer Annual s , begun in 1964. The first issue ( cover-dated July 1968) featured
16080-407: Was launched by writer/editor Gerry Conway and artist Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito . Conway explained the concept and origin of the series: [ Spectacular Spider-Man ] was in response to the fact that I had a deal to script several ongoing [series] for Marvel at the time. Stan [Lee] wanted me back on Spider-Man, in particular, but I didn't want to take Amazing Spider-Man from Len Wein , who
16214-453: Was my secret in to do crime comics with a superhero in them. And so I lobbied for the title and got it. 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 . After this issue, Miller became one of Marvel's rising stars. However, sales on Daredevil did not improve, Marvel's management continued to discuss cancellation, and Miller himself almost quit
16348-430: Was nineteen. And one of the nice things about the Marvel characters is that you can keep them fresh by changing them just a bit." His 1988–1991 run on Spectacular included such story arcs as the "Lobo Brothers Gang War", and the conflict between Daily Bugle editor Joe Robertson and his former friend, the albino criminal Tombstone . He used his joint duty as Web of Spider-Man writer to tie together storylines in
16482-432: Was originally presented. Titled Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man on its December 1976 debut, and shortened to simply The Spectacular Spider-Man with #134 (Jan. 1988), this was the second Amazing Spider-Man monthly comic-book spin-off series, after Marvel Team-Up , which also featured Spider-Man. The monthly title ran 264 issues (including a #−1 issue) and 14 Annual s until November 1998. The series
16616-527: Was particularly inspired by the 1962 film The 300 Spartans , a movie that Miller watched as a young boy. He was one of the artists on the Superman and Batman: World's Funnest one-shot written by Evan Dorkin published in 2000. 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 four miles from that neighborhood. His differences with DC Comics put aside, he saw
16750-459: Was providing only rough layouts for Janson to both pencil and ink, allowing Miller 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 (February 1983), which he cited in
16884-531: Was published by a traditional book publisher and distributed through bookstores, as was cartoonist Jules Feiffer 's Tantrum ( Alfred A. Knopf , 1979) described on its dust jacket as a "novel-in-pictures". Hyperbolic descriptions of longer comic books as "novels" appear on covers as early as the 1940s. Early issues of DC Comics ' All-Flash , for example, described their contents as "novel-length stories" and "full-length four chapter novels". In its earliest known citation, comic-book reviewer Richard Kyle used
17018-446: Was published from June 2017 to December 2018. After the first six issues, the series reverted to legacy numbering with issue #297 as part of the line-wide Marvel Legacy relaunch. The series' original creative team had Chip Zdarsky as writer, with Adam Kubert providing the artwork. Notable recurring characters included Teresa Durand, J. Jonah Jameson , Johnny Storm , and original character Rebecca London. Various issues, as well as
17152-425: Was published in 1946. In 1947, Fawcett Comics published Comics Novel #1: "Anarcho, Dictator of Death", a 52-page comic dedicated to one story. In 1950, St. John Publications produced the digest-sized , adult-oriented "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust , a film noir -influenced slice of steeltown life starring a scheming, manipulative redhead named Rust. Touted as "an original full-length novel" on its cover,
17286-432: Was published in 1978 by a smaller company, Baronet Press, it took Eisner over a year to find a publishing house that would allow his work to reach the mass market. In its introduction, Eisner cited Lynd Ward's 1930s woodcuts as an inspiration. The critical and commercial success of A Contract with God helped to establish the term "graphic novel" in common usage, and many sources have incorrectly credited Eisner with being
17420-504: Was reported that Miller was launching an American comic book publishing company titled Frank Miller Presents ( FMP ). Miller will act as the company's president and editor-in-chief, working alongside Dan DiDio as publisher and chief operating officer Silenn Thomas. FMP expects to produce between two and four titles per year, with Miller's initial contributions to include Sin City 1858 and Ronin Book Two . As of November 2023, FMP
17554-693: Was reprinted in color, with some small alterations and bridging material by Gerry Conway , in The Amazing Spider-Man #116–118 (Jan.–March 1973) as "Suddenly...the Smasher!", "The Deadly Designs of the Disruptor!", and "Countdown to Chaos!" (with additional inking by Tony Mortellaro on the latter two). These versions were themselves reprinted in Marvel Tales #95–97 (Sept.-Oct. 1978). The second and final issue (Nov. 1968) also sported
17688-426: Was succeeded by Roger Stern , who wrote The Spectacular Spider-Man from #43 (June 1980) to 61 (December 1981). When Stern departed to write for The Amazing Spider-Man , Mantlo returned to scripting Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man ; Mantlo's second tenure at the title lasted until April 1984. Mantlo's second run introduced the superhero duo Cloak and Dagger , created by Mantlo and Hannigan in Peter Parker,
17822-448: 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,
17956-495: Was written by Paul Jenkins (except #23–26, by Samm Barnes ). The book's primary pencillers were Humberto Ramos and Mark Buckingham . The comic included the storyline Spider-Man: Disassembled in which Spider-Man met a new enemy called the Queen who wanted him as her mate. Her kiss caused him to slowly mutate into a giant spider who metamorphosed into human form with enhanced strength and agility, along with organic webbing and
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