Frank Miller Looking to Create Controversy with Holy Terror

Frank Miller Looking to Create Controversy with Holy Terror

Frank Miller took 8 years to write a story about a super-hero fighting Al-Qaeda. Originally, conceptualized as a Batman story back in 2006, find out how the graphic novel has transformed over the years.

By MarkJulian - Jul 01, 2011 09:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: LA Times

Frank Miller is looking to get back to the top. Coming off the financial and critical disaster that was the 2008 film, "The Spirit", Miller is going back to his graphic novel roots. His recent endeavor, "Holy Terror", will be 120-pages and is set for release shortly after the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Miller has been trying to get this story greenlit, in one incarnation or another, since 2003. Back in 2006, Miller publicly spoke about the project as "Holy Terror, Batman!" and described it as Batman goes up against the Taliban. However, the project lost steam, whether from Miller or nervous DC Execs is up for debate, depending on who you ask. Now the story is finally set to be published by Legendary Comics and features an all new character named "The Fixer" [who looks eerily like Batman]. Here's what Miller had to say about the project:



Miller on "The Fixer":

“I took Batman as far as anyone, and this guy is just not him. He’s been playing the crime fighter to stay in shape. What he really wants to do is fight terrorism. He knew the day would come. The story is essentially New York under attack by suicide bombers and our hero is out to find out their greater scheme. He’s much more a man of action than a detective. He’s a two-fisted Dirty Harry type, really.”


On the tone of Holy Terror:
“At the beginning this project torqued me up even more; the first batch of pages screamed with how New York tasted and how it felt,” he said. “Gradually the story became more linear and less emotional. It’s not me screaming for 109 pages. There’s a balance there. There had to be. What surprised me is that were touches of humor in the course of the story. I never would have predicted that early on. It began utterly humorless.”

“It is more raw and unfettered and I’m more likely going into something you could call extreme cartooning,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of that in the course of ‘Holy Terror.’ There are interludes where there are pictures — cartoon pictures — of modern figures and they are all wordless. It’s up to readers to put the words in.”


On the possibility of Holy Terror creating controversy:
“I sure hope so,” Miller said. “I hope it shakes people up. I’m not around to mollify. We’re living in a terrifying time and it’s changed us. Look, my decision to make this not a Batman project was part of that. Do I really want to draw a guy chasing the Riddler around town? No. The stakes are higher now.”


Are you guys excited for this new Frank Miller project or do you think his moment in the spotlight is over? Also, The Fixer looks so similar to Batman, I wonder if DC is thinking lawsuit. Check out the preview images and let me know what you think about the resemblance to the Bat.





Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957)is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300. He also directed the film version of The Spirit, shared directing duties with Robert Rodriguez on Sin City and produced the film 300. Holy Terror was originally proposed as Holy Terror, Batman! in 2006 but is no longer a project associated with the Batman character or DC Comics.


By: TwitterButtons.com

By TwitterButtons.com


New Academy Rules State Generative AI Use Will Not Impact Oscar Eligibility
Related:

New Academy Rules State Generative AI Use Will Not Impact Oscar Eligibility

David Zaslav Received Raise Of Millions Despite WB's Hard Times
Recommended For You:

David Zaslav Received Raise Of Millions Despite WB's Hard Times

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

KeithM
KeithM - 7/1/2011, 10:33 AM
Sad to see a once great comic writer/artist reduced to shock-parody to feel relevant again.

Sorry Frank, your not-Batman chasing Taliban-not-Riddler around not-Gotham is no less ridiculous than doing it with the 'real' Batman. Just less interesting.

I suspect DC said no for more than just the potential controversy. Maybe it's just crap and in bad taste... (like most of his recent work, including his Batman).
nuck82
nuck82 - 7/1/2011, 10:36 AM
poor poor spirit, i wanted it to be as good as sin city, but was no where close to it : (

i just read the frank miller collection of batman, parts of it was good, some not so much
murf
murf - 7/1/2011, 10:39 AM
he hasnt written a decent comic in almost 20 years
soundwave129
soundwave129 - 7/1/2011, 10:39 AM
What time is it? It's Miller time...
rocky
rocky - 7/1/2011, 10:44 AM
I like guys like Miller because I find him completely honest to himself. Everyone is scare to say or portray certain things, Miller doesn't give a shit. While most writers probably wouldn't waste a second pointing to some of America's faults and making excuses for our enemy Miller isn't afraid to point the finger in the other direction
write33
write33 - 7/1/2011, 10:49 AM
Frank Miller is a comic book legend who hasn't produced anything of value since what...... 300? when somebody is ANNOUNCING controversy, I find that sad. Like a wanna be cool kid rolling up sleeves and smoking and actually introducing themselves as cool.

I appreciate his point on dangerous times, but women in fishnets doing the splits followed by a hulking brute in masks? Um, no, that's not "Do I really want to draw a guy chasing the Riddler around town? No. The stakes are higher now.”' ............in any way shape or form.
TucsonRican
TucsonRican - 7/1/2011, 10:59 AM
Saw this guy at the panel for The Spirit at Comic-Con in 2008. He was soooo drunk, he couldn't even finish his sentences. Lost a lot of respect for him that day. Then they showed the clips of the film.

Whoa! Oh how far they have fallen....
KeithM
KeithM - 7/1/2011, 11:10 AM
@rocky: you might have a point if Miller's work had any intellectual merit. Or valid sociological commentary.

While he once may have, these days he's just become more and more of a right-wing extremist controversy-courter without anything relevant to say to our modern perspective. For one the Taliban are not Al Qaeda - a distinction Miller seems to be confused about, and the War on Terror is like so last decade (n.b. before you freak - "Terrorism" has ALWAYS existed, and ALWAYS will, probably. The War on it is another of those political sloganeering/never ending slush fund things like the War on Drugs that ultimately cannot be "won" and therefore, the Senate and American Public can be milked for funds until the never-victory... a con job in other words). Miller, being as right wing as he is, taste wise at least, wants to perpetuate the fear of "Terror" I suspect more than wanting to say anything about the causes of it or offering any solutions to it (beyond dressing up in fetish leather and pounding all hell out of some stock cliched Muslims I guess).

Like I said, he's become more shock-parodist than social satirist.

Maybe I'm wrong and he'll surprise me, but I doubt it. :)

Personally, I think he needs to get back to doing what he did best. Tell cool, slighty fetishistic fantasy/sci-fi/noir fiction and leave the pretending-to-be-relevant controversial right wing fantasies to... Sarah Palin or the Tea Party (I'm British - sorry if they're as out-of-date now as, well, Miller is).
number1hero
number1hero - 7/1/2011, 11:11 AM
FRANK MILLER: DareDevil Days.....Legend....Now...Not So Much...Maybe he can still write good stories...but JESUS CHRIST! does his art suck!
smithonator
smithonator - 7/1/2011, 11:33 AM
Frank Miller:

Once a great writer ( Elektra saga, Daredevil Born Again, some of the Sin City stories, and especially Batman the Dark Knight Returns).

Since...his work has been shallow, mindless, and shock value garbage (All Star Batman and Robin, Robocop 3 movie, The Spirit movie, and now perhaps Holy Terror).
smithonator
smithonator - 7/1/2011, 11:41 AM
@write33- Good argument.

@KeithM- Miller appears to have gone beyond his expiration date (as a comic writer at least) because shock value conveys to me that he is out of ideas.
JULEZ13
JULEZ13 - 7/1/2011, 11:43 AM
Frank Miller is a comic book legend but I have to be honest, that is just Batman with Catwoman as his sidekick instead of Robin. This doesn't sound very interesting. I think his time is done, his film The Spirit was a sign of that.

@number1hero: I agree, his artwork does suck. I was never a big fan of it but it did fit his style of grittiness. I only read his Dark Knight graphic novel and I though it was pretty good, not the best I've read but the artwork fit the feel of the story. I don't think art was ever his strong point.
manichispanic
manichispanic - 7/1/2011, 1:10 PM
this book has been announced for weeks now and it's still not listed on amazon!
ironpool007
ironpool007 - 7/1/2011, 2:30 PM
You all can say what you what you want. Frank Miller was and always will be a comic book legend!
juggy4711
juggy4711 - 7/1/2011, 2:43 PM
I gave up on new good material from Miller after the abomination that was Dark Knight Strikes Again but yes he is a legend.
ThaJoker
ThaJoker - 7/1/2011, 3:50 PM
Another AmeriKKKan propaganda...... Why he don`t make a Comic The AmeriKKKans Vs The Indians.....
[frick] miller
tjbpinkfloyd
tjbpinkfloyd - 7/1/2011, 4:36 PM
I feel like Frank Miller is just trying to be relevant again by way of shock tactics.
bellEND
bellEND - 7/1/2011, 5:17 PM
"There are interludes where there are pictures — cartoon pictures — of modern figures and they are all wordless. It’s up to readers to put the words in.” Wanker.
ThaJoker
ThaJoker - 7/1/2011, 6:23 PM
Miller you are just a [frick]ing AmeriKKKKan propaganda victim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ZombieOverEasy
ZombieOverEasy - 7/1/2011, 8:02 PM
"There are interludes where there are pictures — cartoon pictures — of modern figures and they are all wordless. It’s up to readers to put the words in."

...It'll be nothing, but dick & fart jokes.

I'll buy it...I'll read it. It's Frank Miller and I've liked everything he's done. Everything. Including The Spirit and DKR2.

I hated Spirit on my first watch, but upon re-watching it with a friend that hadn't seen it. It's like an old comic book ripped straight onto the screen. Shit was cheesy back then, the movie was legit. People just didn't get it or didn't want to.
KeithM
KeithM - 7/1/2011, 9:09 PM
@Zombie - I got it, but you're correct in thinking that I didn't want to.

And unfortunately, while it might have been just like an 'old comic book ripped straight on to the screen' (which is arguable) it was nothing like Will Eisner's Spirit comic book. Which is kinda crucial, don't you think?



TheGambitFreak
TheGambitFreak - 7/2/2011, 9:10 AM
Batman isn't your Friendly Neighborhood Spidey, He was a boy who became lost when his parents died, he left to train himself to overcome fear, and he came back home, where crime was out of control, and he became a symbol of hope, justice, and fear, he is a vigilante, he is a psychopath, he created his greatest foes, and that's what made him popular, HE is the troubled individual, the protagonist is the one with issues. Millar added to that and inspired hundreds of characters by his run on 'ol Bats, I don't why DC wouldn't let this be in the Batman comics, but I am definitely picking this up
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 7/3/2011, 6:27 AM
Frank Miller is my favorite writer, moreso than Alan Moore even. This comic is going to be excellent, no doubt about that. I just wish Miller could see past his fury over 9/11, a little bit. Just a little bit. Just long enough to realise that what has angered him is just as mythological as the Batman chasing the Riddler around town. There is no Al Queda. There was no Bin Laden. And there is still no corpse of Bin Laden. I mean us in comics should know better. No corpse = no death. And the cover story is ridiculous! They've been lokking for this guy for a whole decade in the caves of Afghanistan and then, when their forces are in Libya, they find him in Pakkistan? That's just as stupid as saying a 60s rocket made out oif tin-foil can get to the moon, but a multi-trillion dollar modern rocket can't. And they say there's no body, because they dropped him in the ocean?! What is he, [frick]ing Megatron? Come on! Who's writing this shit?
But, ahem, yes. Holy Terror will be a masterpiece and I will love it despite my disagreements with Miller's present state of mind.
View Recorder