Frank Miller Presents is all about storytelling and helping to nurture the future of comic books. Frank Miller, Dan DiDio, and Silenn Thomas have combined their powers for this new publishing venture that revisits some of Miller's iconic stories, such as Sin City and Ronin, and creates new, exciting tales like Ancient Enemies and Pandora. The new publisher aims to bridge the gap between the past and future of the industry while helping elevate new talent through their expertise.
In an extensive, two-part interview, CBR caught up with Miller, DiDio, and Thomas to discuss the launch of Frank Miller Presents and all the work that went into getting it off the ground. In this first half of the conversation, Miller revealed what it feels like putting some of his creations in the hands of other artists, while DiDio explained the thought process behind the brand-new book Ancient Enemies.
CBR: How did the launch of Frank Miller Presents go? Was there anything that made you decide to accelerate plans a little faster than anticipated?
Dan DiDio: When we first started it, we were in the middle of the pandemic. So we were looking at what was happening in the market and building products accordingly. Frank had very specific ideas and thoughts about what he wanted these books to be. We were building them to those specifications. We wanted larger books. We wanted different styles of paper. We wanted to play with format and ideas and push the genre in a direction that we felt played to the strength of craft and story. So, we built our first series like that. We put them out at the end of the year, and we had a two-month gap between the issues ones and twos.
That was planned because what we wanted to do is take the feedback from the marketplace and see what they said. And a couple of things came back. To do an entire line at a higher price point, we met some resistance. They were very acceptant of the Ronin book, which was a pre-sold item, and they were much more excited about that. But [for] things like Pandora, in particular, that works to a younger market and a new growing market, they felt the book would be better served monthly at a lower price point, than bi-monthly at a higher price point. It's the same difference. It's the same amount of money spent, the same amount of product created. It's just how you package it [and] put it out for the audience.
So, we made some adjustments along the way. We're changing our variant strategy a little bit. We're taking variant covers off of books, but in books that Frank is working on, rather than doing it as a fractional variant, they'll be open-to-buy variants now. That way, there's better exposure and more excitement for the covers and things that he's doing as well. So, we're making adjustments based on the market. It's a new business, and when you look at it, there's the three of us and some people helping us on the sides to get it done, but it's not a big group. So it's good that we are able to roll up our sleeves, reevaluate what comes in, and then go ahead and adjust. I imagine you'll see for the first four to six months of Frank Miller Presents a tinkering with the schedule and the project to see what's the best fit to get the maximum exposure with the audience.
Frank Miller: I'd like to jump in and add to what Dan said by saying, on a creative end, the mission of this operation is to focus really -- not just primarily -- but almost exclusively on story and storytelling. That is, I've found, as an artist, that the best art comes when it is most dedicated to storytelling. That the drawing actually becomes better when it's devoted to the themes and the nuances of storytelling. Comics is a story form. While you could put comics on gallery walls, and they can look very good there, the experience of a comic book is moving through it, page to page, experiencing a story in its own particular way. It is not movies on paper. It is not illustrated prose. It is its own thing.
Frank, one of the company's missions is to promote new talents. Personally, I found it wonderful to see artists like Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques working on Ronin: Book Two. Was it easy to hand over your darlings for someone else to take care of?
Miller: Well, I have been merciless. My layouts for it… Especially at first, we're just ruthlessly wrestling into the ground and showing what I wanted. But then, Philip being a remarkable talent, came right back at me with total surprises. And then Daniel brought in a complete reinterpretation of the technological horror of the first Ronin so that this is a new book using the first one as material and extending the story into a whole new place. So, anytime you collaborate, you change. That's been my evolution throughout my entire career.
Frank Miller Presents has brought fans Ronin: Book Two, and there's the new Sin City: Blood & Dust. Are there any other titles or franchises you've thought about returning to at Frank Miller Presents?
Miller: Yeah, but I'm not talking about them. I might not… Come on, man.
[Laughs] I have to try my luck.
Miller: I don't want to put my foot in that pothole. [laughs].
DiDio: Silenn, do you have anything to add on that one? Just to tease?
Silenn Thomas: I mean, if it goes well, I think we'll also have repeat collaboration, but having someone like Phil bringing something else, but now we have to focus obviously on Ronin.
Miller: That is the most eloquent tease I've heard. [laughs].
DiDio: Right? I knew she could handle it. [laughs].
Thomas: It's been exciting to be coming into the craft from more of the movie craft. To highlight what Frank said, it's two different mediums -- two different art forms. But they can talk more because the communal language is storytelling. So with Phil and Daniel, it's been really fascinating for me to work with them. [Frank] pushed them towards higher heights, but they also challenge [him]. It's exciting.
Miller: I find myself inspired by Phil as the pages come in. And I [have] to bring up Emma. Emma Kubert of the almost holy family of comics, going all the way back to Joe Kubert, the legendary talent. Emma brings a love of storybook illustration and buoyancy to Pandora that, I find, shows a joy in drawing that is beautiful to people.
Dan, you are also writing Ancient Enemies. This series has more of a superhero feel than the rest of the line. But at the same time, it's also quite a powerful story about class wars. Why do you think Frank Miller Presents was the right home to tell this story? How does it complement the rest of the slate?
DiDio: Honestly, Frank set the tone with The Dark Knight Returns and Daredevil to not just bring social issues into the stories but to make them part of the story and integral to what's going on. If you look at things beforehand, characters move through events, and here the events help dictate and shape the characters. I think that's important. I wanted to do something that emulated that. I've always been the superhero guy, so I'm always going to gravitate to that style of storytelling, but I didn't want to just do heroes and villains and that type of thing. I think that's a little played out. I think there [are] so many more interesting things to explore in the world that we can use the superheroes to tell that story with.
That's the evolution of the concept, but it's what Frank Miller Presents is trying to do. We're trying to move the ideas forward rather than trying to just rehash the past. That's why it's challenging, but I think it's a good challenge. What's great about it is [in] the early days, talking Frank through the property and then him bringing the geek character into the property allowed me to start to expand my own sensibilities. To see much broader what this book can be, rather than just how I see it through my lens, but also the lens of the company.
To find out more about Frank Miller Presents, click here.