Comic book legend, Frank Miller, credits Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Steven Spielberg and Jack Kirby for the rise in popularity of comic-book films. Miller got his start at Marvel Comics in the early '80s, making a splash with Daredevil and a Wolverine mini-series, before the career-making endeavor that became DC's The Dark Knight Returns, often considered one of the greatest comic stories ever made. Miller would then move on to other big-name projects, including Sin City, a black-and-white noir anthology series, and 300, which was eventually made into a film by director Zack Snyder. The writer/artist has returned multiple times to tell new tales throughout the years for his most popular characters, particularly Batman and Daredevil.
Miller is no stranger to Hollywood, either, having written the scripts for Robocop 2 and Robocop 3, as well as co-directing the adaptations of his Sin City comics with director Robert Rodriguez. Miller also directed an adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit, which starred Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Gabriel Macht. His most recent page-to-screen project was the short-lived adaptation of Cursed for Netflix, which was canceled after one season.
In a recent interview with The Beard and The Bald Movie Podcast, Miller was asked his thoughts on the comic-book movie genre being the most popular in Hollywood, which wasn't the case when he began his career in comics. Miller went on to explain that he felt it was a natural progression that represented a convergence of both the comic book and film mediums. Miller cites Star Wars as a major influence, as it showed what could be accomplished in making something so extraordinary, while the maturation of films in Hollywood seeped into comics, pushing the boundaries of telling more dramatic tales. Miller also cites the influence of Jack Kirby's New Gods on Star Wars, as well as Spielberg's serialized style for the Indiana Jones films as helping to merge the mediums. Another key point he made was Spielberg bringing back the aliens-on-Earth stories, which have become part and parcel with the comic book genre today. Read Miller's his full quote below:
"I’d say it’s been natural in the convergence of a few things. Let me name a couple of those things. First up, I’ve got to name Star Wars, even though it’s not derived from a comic book. It showed that you can do extraordinary things that broke down all kinds of barriers between comics and movies. You can see the reflections of [Jack] Kirby’s New Gods within it. There obviously was also the Superman movie, which was the out-and-out crossover event.
But, what happened was that comic books started expanding what they were willing to do in terms of dramatic material and so on, just as movies started embracing all the fantastic possibilities. And, pretty soon you saw the comic book conventions start to become media conventions, where Harry Potter was as celebrated as Marvel comics. You also can’t discount Indiana Jones and Spielberg bringing back the aliens-on-Earth kind of stories. It’s been a celebratory time for fantasy and it’s been great to be a part of that. And, I find that each year that goes by I’m sitting in a larger and larger crowd of maniacs like myself and we’re all enjoying each other’s company."
Miller says he has more work on the way, including more for his hit property Sin City, which is set to become a TV show. Sin City is celebrating its 30th Anniversary, and Miller is even branching out with the property to create his first set of NFTs (Non-fungible token) via Gala Games, expanding the property into the new realm of digital art. Miller says it's "a new place to go with a new audience" and that the new medium creates a "desirable" form for the medium.
It wasn't until the early 2000s that comic-book movies really began to take hold, starting with X-Men and Spider-Man and now taking up space on every platform as the go-to genre for audiences. Miller lived through the eras where comic-book films weren't taken seriously or even considered viable in the market, Superman and Batman being the outliers, so it's interesting to hear how a veteran of the craft has viewed the overall transition. Miller's comments certainly align with the progression of both mediums, as comics and movies slowly began to mature and take risks throughout the '80s and '90s, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that influenced and spearheaded the creative flow of content that is so prevalent today. For Miller, the creative ride is still in effect, and audiences of both mediums can anticipate more from the legendary creator.