Frank Miller has made an indelible mark on the comic book industry. As a comic writer, artist, and screenwriter he has produced work that is unique, occasionally controversial, and often provocative. His storytelling style, thematic motifs, and presentation have influenced many of his contemporaries and younger generations of comic creators. Noted for using elements of film noir and manga, he is known for his striking work in Daredevil, The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, and more.

Miller was born on January 27, 1957, in Olney, Maryland, then grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. He moved to New York City to pursue a career in comics where he met and received guidance from Neal Adams. His first published work was in a few issues of Gold Key Comics’ Twilight Zone comics, then he wrote a story in Weird War Tales #64 and Unknown Soldier #219 in 1978.

That same year, Miller debuted at Marvel, penciling a story in John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18, then he became a regular cover artist and fill-in artist on multiple titles. While providing art for The Spectacular Spider-Man, he drew Daredevil and became interested in working on what he considered a crime comic with a superhero. He started out as an artist on the book, then when Denny O’Neil became editor, he gave Miller a shot at writing the book.

As the writer, Miller quickly started phasing out the thought balloons, starting a foundational shift in the book and the storytelling of the era. He added martial arts to Daredevil’s fighting style, he introduced the ninja mercenary Elektra and Stick, who trained Matt Murdock when he was young. Miller brought a darker tone to Daredevil, bringing a grittier feel to the street level hero book. The risks he took on the book turned Daredevil into one of Marvel’s most popular comics.

In 1982, Miller was the penciller and co-plotter on the Wolverine miniseries (written by Chris Claremont). Despite the series only running four issues, his artistic influence is significant on the character. A year later, Miller debuted his first creator-owned title, Ronin. He wrote and illustrated the six-issue story about dystopian future New York where a ronin from feudal Japan is reincarnated.

In ’86, Miller made his mark on Batman in the four-issue miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns. As the writer and penciller (Klaus Janson was inker), Miller delivered a tougher, harder Batman than had been seen before. The more adult-oriented book was a catalyst for more violent characters and storylines with darker tones.

He returned to Daredevil and wrote an arc that redefined the character. Incorporating Matt Murdock’s Catholic faith, Daredevil was broken down by Kingpin, and then figuratively reborn. He followed that up with a story that connected his original Daredevil run with the new one, and wrote an out-of-continuity Elektra miniseries.

Miller told his second influential story about the Caped Crusader in Batman: Year One, giving the hero a new background that fit into his Dark Knight continuity. In the late 1980s, he left DC Comics because of a proposed ratings system that he considered to be censorship, and after that point, he became a vocal supporter for creator rights.

Joining Dark Horse, he wrote the violent, satirical Hard Boiled, and Give Me Liberty, a political satire that followed a Black woman from her birth to becoming a major figure in the US.

Miller went deep into the noir genre for Sin City, which was originally published in Dark Horse Presents. Told as “yarns,” the collection of interconnected stories follows the hard-edged people of the highly stylized Basin City. A tough crime, noir story that makes even its heroes rough, Sin City became a huge success.

His next big hit came in ’98 when he wrote and illustrated 300. The miniseries is told from the point of view of Leonidas of Sparta, retelling the Battle of Thermopylae and the events that led to it. Miller’s art delivers a dramatic epic from page to page.

In the early 2000s, he joined forces with director Robert Rodriguez to adapt Sin City for the big screen. They used Miller’s comic as storyboards for the movie, bringing the book to life in all of its black and white and brutal glory. The movie was quite successful, leading to the sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, based on the second installment of the comic series.

Starting in 2015, he and Brian Azzarello co-wrote The Dark Knight III: The Master Race, then followed it up with The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade. He also returned to the world of 300 for the Dark Horse miniseries, Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander.

In 2022, he launched his own publishing company, Frank Miller Presents, with Miller acting as president and editor-in-chief. Some of the inaugural titles included Ronin Book Two, Pandora, and Ancient Enemies.

Across his many years in comics, Miller won multiple Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, and others. He was inducted into the Overstreet Hall of Fame in 2010 and Eisner Awards Hall of Fame in 2015.