I didn’t like this. At all.
I think I’ve reached the point in reading comic books and graphic novels where I have definite opinions. I haven’t delved into the history of comic books. I’m sure that there is a reason that Frank Miller is revered, but I haven’t figured out what it is yet.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear would put me off Daredevil if I weren’t already watching the Netflix series. The volume is mostly narrated with occasional breaks for conversation between characters. I found it boring and stilted. The narration is distancing and stilted.
I felt like Miller spent more time telling instead of showing, which is an odd feeling when you’re reading a comic book. I forced my self through the volume just so I could ask what’s the big deal about Frank Miller?
The dialogue isn’t any better than the narration. I understand that this is supposed to be noir-ish, but I found the stylized dialogue off putting.
Electra is a tough character. She’s a manic pixie dream assassin. We are told she loves Matt, that there are voices dragging her to the dark side, but it’s hard to get a sense of her as a character.
just as I struggled to finish The Man Without Fear, I’m struggling to finish this review. I went to the Cannonball Read Book Chat group for help and inspiration. Jen K suggested:
“In conclusion, meh, blech, whatever. Read it, don’t read, doesn’t make a difference, it’s a book that is.”
And there you go.
I don’t get why Frank Miller is so revered.
I feel like Miller’s genius is one of those things that is largely in context. For his time, his work was like nothing that had come before. But now, from a remove of 20-30 years, his influence is so widespread that it’s harder to see how he changed comics.
I’m probably too young to have really appreciated Frank Miller when he was relevant, but I read his Dark Knight series as a young teen and didn’t get why it was so widely appreciated. And Sin City never appealed to me (though I did like the first movie when it came out).
And the more I learn about him, as a person, the less I’m interested in discovering why he’s revered.
I think Frank Miller is revered largely by the same people who mistake darkness and violence and nihilism for depth. His stuff was revolutionary back in the 80s and 90s, but people have built on that foundation since and in my opinion, made much better more relevant art. I’ve only read his Dark Knight stuff, granted, but it was enough. I don’t like him, either.