Ungoliantschilde

Wolverine #1 cover art by John Buscema (1988)

This iconic piece sold for $600,000 in the September 2024 Heritage Comic & Comic Art Signature Auction!

Wow. Corner box art by Klaus Janson.

The Prelims

Klaus’s corner box art

The House-Ad

a commissioned recreation

…and the published cover.

1981's Daredevil Vol.1 #177 cover by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.

Gene Colan and Klaus Janson Jemm, Son of Saturn #7 page 5 splash (1985) Source

Colors by Tom Ziuko

1988's Wolverine Vol.2 #2 cover by John Buscema & Klaus Janson.

HouseAd, Covers, the Reprint Cover, and some Interior Artwork from Gambit, Vol. 1 by Lee Weeks, with interior Inks by Klaus Janson, Letters by Richard Starkings, Colors by Steve Buccellato, and Scripts by Howard Mackie.

happy birthday Frank Miller!

January 27th - he’s 67 years old. possibly the most influential cartoonist in the superhero comics medium of the latter 20th century. It’s the 1960s Marvel Bullpen (mostly Jack and Ditko, with a healthy dose of Buscema, Romita, and Wally Wood), and then Frank Miller. That’s what permeates the public perception of comics.

The Zack Snyder DC movies were heavily influenced by Frank Miller. That warehouse fight from BvS was a love letter to Frank Miller. Sin City and 300 were almost shot for shot adaptations of the source material.

Daredevil on Netflix was basically an adaptation of Frank Miller’s work on the character. The upcoming reboot is named after his acclaimed run on the title.

Batman. Wow. Look, the Adam West show is campy, but you don’t understand how popular it was. That was a big deal in its day. Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neil made Batman more serious in the 1970s. Frank Miller made Batman relevant in the 1980s. The Batman of the last 50 years is Frank Miller’s interpretation of the Dennis O’Neil/Neal Adams revamp. The movies are all Frank Miller. Tim Burton directly mentioned DKR as the primary influence.

Happy birthday to (arguably) the best living creator in comics history.

People argue and many make Frank Miller as a bad, evil thing in comics. As something that is only wrong and right-wing nutjob that hates women and minorities and and. The guy whose work along with Moore & Gibbons Watchmen " ruined" comics with their "edgyness". Yeah the guy who revived Daredevil, who created strong female Elektra when it was not a Thing, then a strong black female Martha Washington ( when that was not a Thing. Very much Not A Thing) Who brought manga and european comics to mainstream.

He saved Batman from the utter unforgivable bullshit of adam west &co. He brought back crime comics almost just by himself with Sin City.

Any single one of those would be enough for a place in annals of comics but Frank Miller also always fought for creators rights because he listened to Jack Kirby and Neal Adams. But because of 300 and especially Holy Terror he must be worst racist ever, right? No, he is not. And not even because he voiced criticism towards Occupy movement but let's forget this was mainly due to sexual assault cases and rapes within Occupy movement which Miller objected.

Frank Miller is an old grumpy white man who has a temper but he is also someone who suffered violent muggings in the seventies, who has always supported creators rights and while in todays perspective is tad too protective yet supportive of women.

All bonuses in my book. He is not racist in my view ( I read HP Lovecraft, who was racist in his own Time the 1930s. Great horror writer but undoubtably had loads of problematic views) and has been labeled as an islamophobe too (Miller lived in NYC during 9/11 and Occupy. I watched those over the ocean and I still felt affected even through it was not my home city. When there was knife attack terror strike here I understood better. Still hate that nazis and racists here try to hijack the occasion to their ends. ) But true, as an atheist I view all religiions with suspicion as violent bigoted dangers to kids and adults alike until proven otherwise on individual basis. If you have religiion it restricts you, no one else. If you think it gives you right to fuck around others trust me you will find out.

I view most Frank Miller haters with same contempt I have for those attacking female creators or attacking woke creators or attacking POC or attacking creators are LGBTQ. Way past 99,9% of these haters have done fuck all to benefit in any way comics or the world.

Frank Miller is 67 and looks way older. In my view he has done way more to comics and fandom, more good than ever said. He is no saint. There are no saints or gods. Just people trying to do their best and arguably, Frank Miller has done way more good for way more people and arts than most.

Well put.

Frank Miller’s voice in comics is exactly that. His voice. And it is singularly distinctive and recognizable from a mile away. Love his work or not, there’s only one Frank Miller.

And his contributions and impact on the medium are absolutes. You simply cannot work in American comics without dealing with Frank Miller’s influence. He’s the most significant creator of the last 50 years, regardless of our opinions of his political views or opinions in general.

Raise a glass to Frank.

He has made us all collectively better.

I went to the Big Island for my honeymoon.

On the flight home, a stewardess saw my shirt and asked me what it was. Made me smile so big. The idea that a head sketch of Batman is just pure artwork to the uninitiated. I smiled and stretched it out flat. She asked. “Is that Batman?” I grinned and nodded. She responded, “Oh, that’s really cool!”

That’s Frank Miller’s impact on pop culture in a nutshell.