It’s (Frank) Miller time in Dallas in June
Word Balloons #1201: Influential creator to make way to Texas this summer
Fan Expo Dallas has announced a top comics headliner for its June show – writer/artist Frank Miller.
The creator behind “The Dark Knight Returns” and “Ronin” is one of comics most acclaimed.
As the direct market began to cater to an older crowd in the late 1970s, Miller helped push the comics in a more mature direction. Miller became the artist of “Daredevil” in 1979 and began to push for a grittier style.
Working with writer Roger McKenzie, Miller's take on "Daredevil" took the book from the brink of cancellation to a profitable title.
Miller became the full writer on Daredevil in 1981 with issue No. 168 (he had previously co-written two stories with McKenzie) and introduced the assassin Elektra (misspelled on the original cover as "Elecktra").
Miller introduced a title with elements of noir and a gritty, street-level feel.
The tragic love story of Daredevil and Elektra moved Daredevil from second-stringer to favorite character for a generation of comic book fans.
Miller returned to Daredevil twice more, writing “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear,” a revised origin story, and “Daredevil: Born Again,” featuring the Daredevil’s showdown with the Kingpin.
Miller also helped provide depth to Marvel’s “Wolverine,” in a story written by Chris Claremont in the character’s first solo miniseries.
Miller shook things up further moving to DC Comics.
His 1983 “Ronin” series showcased a manga influence and a mature storytelling model. But things would get even more seismic in 1986.
Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" tale, along with contemporaries like "Watchmen" and "Maus" helped make the general public realize comics’ tone had shifted when it was released in the mid-1980s.
"Dark Knight" told of a retired Batman, called back into action by a new threat against Gotham City.
Writer-artist Frank Miller examined the psychological mood of Batman and the Joker, and the national feeling of the 1980s. His visual style called from diverse influences, and influenced the next generation in its own way.
Miller's "Dark Knight" and subsequent "Batman: Year One" returned Batman to a dark avenger of the night and were instrumental in creating the vision of Batman that eventually led to Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" film.
Since "Dark Knight," Miller has continued to be one of comics' most respected creators, writing the "Martha Washington" science-fiction series and the "Sin City" crime-noir series, among others.
The comics boom of the 1990s led to strong sales across the board, as Miller experimented with the science-fiction “Martha Washington” (drawn by Dave Gibbons) and “Sin City” (written and drawn by Miller).
Miller’s “Sin City” stories blew comics audiences away in 1991 with their hard-boiled action and innovative visual style. In the first “Sin City,” a tale of revenge and redemption, the brutish yet goodhearted Marv searches for the man who killed Goldie, a hooker who showed him kindness.
“Sin City” helped show the market for crime comics, even ones with disturbing themes. “Sin City” was adapted into a film in 2005. Miller was co-director for “Sin City” and the sequel, “A Dame to Kill For,” and the sole director for Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” film, released in 2008.
Miller returned to the world of the Dark Knight for “The Dark Knight Strikes Again” in 2001-2002 and “Dark Knight III,” with Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson in 2015-2017. Miller also teamed with Jim Lee for the “All-Star Batman and Robin” series.
Miller launched his own publishing line in 2022 alongside former DC Comics publisher Dan Didio. “Ronin Book II,” “Pandora,” and “Ancient Enemies” are among the line’s titles.
The event will be held June 7-9 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, 650 S Griffin St, Dallas, TX.
Info is available by emailing dallastickets@fanexpohq.com or visiting FanExpoDallas.com.
Andy Kubert, Jason Aaron, Art Adams, Steve McNiven, and Sean Gordon Murphy, among several others, are also scheduled guests.
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.