Frank Miller on Marvel and 9/11

[yendi]

Okay, I don't think Frank has a lick of talent left for comics, to be honest (The 300 being the only readable title he's had in the last decade or so). But in his latest interview at Newsarama, he makes a damned good point (and one I've made a few times over here and at Chud, but since I'm not a Comics Bigwig, it's not quite as meaningful):

JP: Fair enough. What about comics is driving you nuts right now?

FM: "Crying fireman" comics. Golly, we all got plenty emotional after 9/11, and a lot of us did some plenty emotional work. But at least we knew when to stop. Now Marvel seems to have turned it into a goddamn cottage industry. Ghoulish. Shameful.

It reminds me of the old saw that every American tragedy winds up turning into a farce.

To repeat something I've already said, I fully expect Bill Jemas to announce that Marvel is the official comic company of 9/11.

Comments

[jathomas.livejournal.com]

Too true! I actually like Sin City, but not really the last two collections. I was talking to someone about what's happened to Miller one night when we were watching my "Comic Book Confidential" laserdisk. I really didn't know what to say about why he's gone the way he has.
He said that he doesn't even think our local comic book store even stocked DKII #3!!!

Yarg..

[mfree.livejournal.com]

It reminds me of the old saw that every American tragedy winds up turning into a farce.

Just ask Mrs. O'Leary, or better yet, her cow...

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Dude! You don't like the Sin City series? At all??

To each his own, I guess, but I think those books are great. Some not as great as others, but "Family Values", "A Dame to Kill For" and the original self-titled series are flat-out excellent.

How come you don't care for them? I'm curious.

cheers,
Phil

[yendi]

I thought the first story was fucking brilliant (okay, so maybe it was technically within the last ten years -- but it's on the outer edge of that number). And I thought the second was pretty good. Then the third and fourth ones came out, and it was clear that Miller had found a very cozy creative rut, and was comfy in it. I didn't see any value to doing the same old "stark tough-guy" crap over and over. Unlike, say, Matt Wagner's Grendel, there never seemed to be anything new in Sin City.

I'm not sure I ever encountered Family Values. I think it was well after I gave up on SC.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

I'll bring it along to Movie Night so you can borrow it (I'm already bringing some stuff for kellinator. "Family Values" was a 180-page (I think -- may have been longer) graphic novel, instead of being published in serial parts. Very good stand-alone story.

cheers,
Phil