Tag: Frank Miller

For the better part of a decade, Frank Miller has been talking about a graphic novel on terrorism called “Holy Terror,” but it was only this week that he could say the one sentence everyone was waiting to hear. “I’m done,” Miller said. “It was eight years in the making, but I’m done.” The 120-page book will hit the shelves right after the 1oth anniversary of 9/11 and Miller — the 54-year-old creator of “”The Dark Knight Returns,” “”300” and “Sin City“ – promises that the tale and imagery will be “pretty rough,” which is saying something given his history of scorching political rhetoric and ultra-violent artwork. For many followers of Miller’s career, though, the biggest shock of “Holy Terror” is the fact that it’s actually reaching stores. Miller is arguably the most important comic book artist of the last three decades  but ...

I sent a note to Frank Miller asking if he had a moment to draw a holiday greeting for Hero Complex readers. I wasn’t sure what to expect. A “Sin City” Santa? A “Xerxes” Xmas? Here’s what I got back: “Christmas 2010,” Frank Miller – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED: Miller returns to “300″ without apology Zack Snyder: “Xerxes” script underway ESSAY: An Iranian-American wrestles with”300′s” message Miller searches for “The Spirit” of Eisner Miller: Imagine Sly in “Dark Knight Returns” Miller drops “terrible, glorious” F-bombs

As reported at Hero Complex, Frank Miller is well underway with “Xerxes,”  a follow-up to the graphic novel “300,” and filmmaker Zack Snyder is also laboring on a screen adaptation that would take moviegoers back to the battlefields of antiquity shown in the 2007 surprise Warner Bros. hit. That first film touched off international debate: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bitterly denounced it, and the Iranian Academy of the Arts filed a formal complaint through the United Nations that framed the movie as nothing less than an attack on the historical identity of a nation — especially with its portrayal of Xerxes (portrayed by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro) as leering and androgynous and the Persian army as a demonic horde. Now, with a looming companion comics series and probable feature film on the horizon, are we ready for another round of the East-versus-West ...

For years, Frank Miller spoke of a Gotham City graphic novel that would be like no other — for the 120 bone-crunching pages of “Holy Terror, Batman!” Miller — arguably the most important comic book artist of the last 30 years — envisioned a story in which the Caped Crusader went on a blood quest against Al Qaeda. Earlier this week, sitting over coffee at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego, Miller said the elusive project is finally close to completion but that the name and central character have changed and that DC Comics won’t be the publisher. Miller frames all of this as a decision that was driven by the work itself and not dictated by a DC leadership that, according to insiders, has long been leery of the politically charged concept. “It’s almost done; I should be ...

EXCLUSIVE It’s official: Zack Synder, the director of “300,” is going back into battle on the side of the ancient Greeks — and Frank Miller. “We closed the writing deal on ‘Xerxes.’ We started writing about a week ago,” Snyder said, referring to his script work with “300″ collaborator Kurt Johnstad. “So we’re doing it. It’s happening.” Snyder has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. (which is taking his 2011 film “Sucker Punch” down to Comic-Con International in a big way this Saturday) and the presumption is that Snyder will direct this film, but that’s not a done deal yet. “It’s really going to depend on what the studio wants to do and what we do when we finish; I don’t have a directing deal in place but we are writing it, so call it intent,” Snyder said with a chuckle when I visited his ...

Let’s be Frank — there are few investments better than comic-book or fantasy original artwork, especially if the signature on the bottom is Frazetta or Miller. That was proved with two recent sales: Frank Frazetta’s original 1955 artwork for Weird Science-Fantasy No. 29 been sold in a private treaty sale for $380,000 — a price that is reportedly the largest ever paid for a single page of American comic-book artwork — and Frank Miller’s 1982 cover image for Daredevil No. 188 sold for $101,575 on May 21, a somewhat startling number for a piece from the 1980s — it’s the most ever paid for a single-page piece from that decade, by some estimations.  At the center of both sales was Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas. The Miller cover sold at the auction house’s Signature Comics & Comic Art sale (which dropped the gavel on $3.5 million in sales). ...

EXCLUSIVE This is a longer version of my Calendar cover story on Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times. Frank Miller and the filmmakers behind “300“ are looking for a return to the battlefields of antiquity — and, no doubt, to the arenas of pop-culture controversy. Three years ago, the sword-and-sandal adventure “300″ became a surprise sensation with moviegoers — it set box-office records for a March release and became the highest-grossing R-rated film of 2007 — and delivered career breakthroughs for actor Gerard Butler and director Zack Snyder. But the movie, which was based on the comic books written and drawn by Miller, also triggered an unlikely international incident with its portrayal of the Persian leader Xerxes the bloody Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bitterly denounced the film and the Iranian Academy of the Arts filed a formal complaint through the United Nations ...

This is a longer version of my cover story in this upcoming Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. — G.B. There were inscriptions written above the entrance of the Temple of Apollo at the Oracle of Delphi, and the two most famous ones were cautionary words of wisdom: “Know thyself” and “Nothing too much.” Those bits of ancient advice are worth considering as two Hollywood studios hope to launch film franchises that use Greek mythology as the unlikely premise for popcorn entertainment. “These are the stories that began storytelling in many ways,” director Louis Leterrier said a few months ago on the London set of his “Clash of the Titans,” the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures epic that arrives in theaters in March with Sam Worthington as Perseus, Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. “These are ...

Here’s a longer version of my feature on filmmaker Robert Rodriguez from today’s Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. It was not your typical Hollywood creative meeting. Instead of sparkling water and ahi salad, the Four Seasons conference room was provided with Sprite, French fries and a tray of chocolate lollipops. Magic markers and paper were piled up on the table for doodling and with good reason — most of the people in the room weren’t old enough to drive. Clearly, the Rodriguez boys were back in town. “We have our way of doing things and, so far, Hollywood seems pretty happy with it,” said Texas-based filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, who was sitting with two of his sons, Rebel and Racer, both of whom contributed to their father’s newest feature, “Shorts,” which arrives in theaters this weekend. The contributions weren’t ...

This excellent spoof (which I came across on the always-fun Super Punch) is by Timothy Lim and Jean Luc Pham. It’s divided up into Part One and Part Two. Hey, if Frank Miller could give Will Eisner’s beloved characters the “Sin City” treatment, why not Charles M. Schulz? I would also love to see The Yellow Kid go up against Marv someday … – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED “Watchmen,” as reimagined by Charles M. Schulz Frank Miller drops F-bomb in “Batman & Robin,” calls it “terrible and glorious” Berkeley Breathed ends “Opus”: “I’m destroying the village to save it” VIDEO: “Watchmen,” Saturday morning safe