Frank Miller Says Comics Are "Really in Danger of Losing Their Souls"

Frank Miller says the rush to turn comics into films and TV shows has gone too far, and that the comics themselves are paying for it. Speaking to Variety at Lucca Comics and Games in Italy, he said adaptations had become so out of control that the comics were losing much of their own identity.

Miller returned to the festival for an event that coincided with the 40th anniversary of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the 1986 graphic novel he wrote and drew. He also introduced Frank Miller – American Genius, a documentary by Silenn Thomas about his influence on popular culture.

In the interview, Miller said he hoped there had been a dip in the "pipeline", the steady flow of comics being picked up for the cinema and television. He said he was relieved there are fewer comic book movies this year. Adaptations, meaning films or series based on an existing comic, were the target of his sharpest words. He said comics were "really in danger of losing their souls."

He also argued that comics should stand on their own as a literary form, with their own purpose. Without question, he said, too many comic book artists and writers were aiming for movie and TV deals instead of making comics for their own sake.

Miller also used the festival to announce a new project. He and the artist Peach Momoko are creating a new comic book together, according to Bleeding Cool.

Many of the films and series built on comics are still being made, and Miller's remarks do not change any of those schedules. What his words do is put a question on the table: what should a comic be for, when the screen always seems to be waiting for the next book?