Sin Shitty
Frank Miller, the genius behind Bat Man: The Dark Night Returns and Sin City (also the declining genius responsible for 300 and the jaundiced hack to blame for The Spirit) recently posted a blog condemning the Occupy movement. This follows a previous blog in which he touted his latest work, Holy Terror, as unapologetic anti-muslim “propaganda”.
I have no objection to Frank Miller’s politics. He has always hinted at certain reactionary leanings. Still, it is puzzling that the man responsible for turning DC Comics’ biggest poofter, Batman, into the world’s most well-known dissenter (for what else is an angry vigilante?) should feel such such strong negatives towards the Occupiers. They are, after all, engaging in the legal form of retaliation Miller has always endorsed when it took the form of violence.
“The “Occupy†movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment.” Miller writes, slurring his text.” “Occupy†is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.”
How did the author of America’s favorite antiheroes wind up sounding like Abraham Simpson with a hemorrhoid? Marv, the chiaroscuro star of Sin City, was never ashamed to grind the faces of high society’s phonies into the asphalt. Back in the real world, however, asking that the richest scions of Mammon be held accountable for devastating the economic fortunes of roughly one billion people exceeds the threshold of a cartoonist who would normally recommend removing the kneecaps of a common purse snatcher.
Perhaps it is because Occupy has adopted the Guy Fawkes mask made popular by comic writer Alan Moore as its symbol instead of a Batman halloween mask, the kind with a slit for a mouth. If anyone knows which lounge/casino Frank Miller spends his mornings passed out in, can they ask him if this is what it will take to win him over?
Somewhere along the line he turned into Byron Brassballs, didn’t he?
Methinks it’s simpler than that. He’s making more money off of increasingly shittier adaptations of his work, much more than he ever made with the comics, and he’s drank the Kool-Aid and wants to keep as much of it as he can.
Sin City 2 no longer has a release *year* on it (other than 2???), so perhaps he’s finally pissed people off enough that even amidst this “holy shit let’s make comic book movies” craze, they refuse to make HIS.
Considering he still felt strongly enough to push through that thinly-veiled ‘Batman vs Bin Laden’ comic he’s been working on for ages, I’d say he’s another one of those tough-guys who pissed his pants on 9-11 and hasn’t changed his shorts since.
I mean, the OWS folks aren’t breaking any laws (at least none bigger than the occasional misdemeanor), but he’s really losing his shit because they’re not treating the plutocrats that run society with the proper respect and obeisance. I can generally like a guy’s work without worrying too much about his personal opinions (tho Orson Scott Card’s pretty much burnt his bridges), but really, Frank? Fuck you. Go back to writing comics – op-eds aren’t your style.
Ew, I’m kind of glad he’s in the -1%.
And yet…I was so enjoying All Star Batman and Robin.
Eh, you’ll notice that most of the people who yell about how the kids have no discipline or respect for the country and should go to war to teach them some manners, will be fat, ancient bastards who cant even do a situp, much less fight in a war, and who have made their money by exploiting the fears and paranoia of others.
\what ever happened to peace, love and understanding\(Elvis) I say it’s the lack of useful education, that legion feels no biggie laws were broken (so no bad) is a symptom. That the Tea Baggers are the evil spawn as written by those who feel the Squats are angels show an ignorance of both groups being marginalized by the movers and shakers, while all ignore the Unconstitutional G-20. That this cabal is a common enemy of both, which used offensive weapons on US soil, against US citizens trying to legally walk to Pittsburgh, is ignored is a travesty. That people have opinions which I find childlike have no bearing on my ability to enjoy their creations. Until the blessed lunatics are free, you kids keep off my lawn.
Even more puzzling: the Wahhabist Oilocrats paying for bin Ladn and company are part of the 1%, so why has Miller suddenly switched sides?
BTW you will probably enjoy David Brin’s reaction (the noted SF author, rocket scientist and Libertarian WTF?) which is similar to yours but goes in a different historical direction, at http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2011/11/move-over-frank-miller-or-why-occupy.html
Miller’s always been a black-and-white, pants pissing reactionary. His heavy handed dialogue pointed to it long before 9-11. Doesn’t surprise me one bit that he’d write something this stupid.
He doesn’t advocate peaceful resistance. He advocates beating the shit out of anyone he disagrees with.
So Frank Miller has gone the “get a haircut” route? Generally, when I hear that argument, I think in response, “Get some hair!”
Anyway, it’s nice to know that his degeneration into a surly misanthrope also extends to politics, but sad that a once-defiant arrogant bastard has decided to speak power to truth.
Final score of the Asgard All-Star Game: 130-34; ylfosti.
Check out the second video on the topic:
http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2011/11/13/hey-frank-miller-batman-is-the-99/
I’m with Jody, I don’t think this represents any kind of change on Miller’s part. I think he’s always been a violent fascist at heart.
Even in the 1990s I thought Miller was overrated. Artistically overrated, that is.
Politics doesn’t correlate with talent, but most of his characters *I* read were pretty one-dimensional, in the same way that today’s right-wing narrative is one-dimensional.
I.E. people are either good or evil, and the only thing wrong with the system is that we aren’t torturing and murdering enough evil people, because it’s totally obvious who is evil and who’s not, right?
Yawn.