Introduction to The
Complete Frank Miller Batman
by Richard Bruning, Design Director, DC Comics
[The following is the introduction to the book The Complete Frank Miller Batman, published by Longmeadow Press in 1989, which included all three Frank Miller Batman series in a hardbound book.]
Batman has been a popular and unquestionably resilient character for the last 50 years. From his early success in the forties, through the doldrums and silly stories of the fifties, and even the painfully campy approach of the TV show in the mid-sixties, he has persevered. How many pop culture icons last for fifty years?
Though the character has long had worldwide recognition, Batman comics did not sell well for a long time. This is despite the efforts of many talented writers and artists in the last two decades, who did some powerful and evocative stories about this mysterious creature of the night. But still, the spotlight was small, and unless your were a devout comics book fan, you probably had no idea comics were still being published.
Then, in 1986, we published The Dark Knight Returns, a Batman story that changed the course of American comics. You see, there are people in this world (and you may be one of them by the time you complete this volume), that think comic storytelling isn't necessarily a silly, juvenile medium suitable only for children. In fact, its common reading material throughout the world. Strangely enough, this isn't the case in America, the birthplace of comic books.
Unfortunately, Americans have always looked down on graphic storytelling as a form of literature. With the exception of a few "weirdos" like myself, most kids stopped reading comics when adolescence became a major distraction. Without an audience of adults to draw upon, it's been difficult for publishers to develop genuinely adult material.
Enter Frank Miller. When Frank, one of the most promising of a new generation of talented comic creators, conceived this epic Batman story, most of us at DC Comics knew we had something hot on our hands. We had no idea how hot.
Frank had come into the comic business as an artist in the late seventies, and over the course of the next five years his work grew in leaps and bounds, showing a dynamic and crystal-clear approach to comic storytelling. Next he turned his skills towards writing, bringing passion and power to the comic page. His ground-breaking series for DC Comics, Ronin, foreshadowed the intensity and innovation he would soon bring to one of the world's foremost fictional detectives.
In Dark Knight, he portrayed the character in his later years, in a near-future where a retired but still dedicated Batman recaptured the original values that made him a classic fictional character in the first place.
Written and pencilled by Frank, it was inked by a previous collaborator of his, the exceedingly talented Klaus Janson. An up-and-coming color artist of the time, Lynn Varley, rendered the story in a way that caused people to re-examine the powerful influence color could have on graphic storytelling. Upon its release in March of 1986, newspapers, magazines, and TV news shows heralded it as the coming of age for our long ignored but much loved medium. And they were right. Dark Knight was an unprecedented creative and commerical success that caused readers, creators and publishers to rethink what a comic could be.
Having chronicled the last years of this seminal character, Frank couldn't help but consider his origins. Hence, Batman: Year One, which appeared soon after. This time Frank was joined by another talented newcomer to comics, David Mazzucchelli, who illustrated the story in a bold and powerful manner. It was then colored by Richmond Lewis, a fine artist from outside comics, who brought a subtle, painterly approach to comics coloring.
Interestingly enough, the middle story of this volume (both physically and, for the character, chronologically) was done a number of years earlier when Frank was first honing his skills. Middle, then end, finally beginning. But that's Frank. He never does things the way other people do. And for this, we can all be very grateful.
You're in for a treat. Enjoy!
- Richard Bruning, Design Director, DC Comics
This excerpt © DC Comics Inc., 1989. All rights reserved. Batman and all related characters and indicia are trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.
MILLER
Introduction to The Complete Frank Miller Batman
Wanted:
Santa Claus
-- Dead or Alive
