Frank Miller Has Jumped the Shark ...

Frank Miller Has Jumped the Shark ...

This is difficult for me to write, but Frank Miller should stop making comics ...

According to a definition I found on the web on Wikipedia (of all things) "Jumping the Shark is a metaphor for the tipping point at which a TV series passes its peak or introduces plot twists which are inconsistent with what has preceded them. Once a show has jumped the shark, the viewer senses a noticeable decline in quality or feels the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original charm. The term derives from an episode of Happy Days in which Fonzie jumped over a shark while on water skis."

"Jumping the Shark" applies to more than just television. It is clear that many rock bands, comic book series, and writers (among others) also can "Jump the Shark".

Frank Miller is one of my all-time favorite comic book creators. I have read his stuff since the early 80s on his first run of Daredevil. I read Ronin. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is deserving of its place in comic lore. I looked forward to the Sin City and Martha Washington series'. I tried to understand Hard Boiled and still haven't yet. 300 is brilliant. There are many others. I only collect a few comics, but if it is Frank Miller's work I get it.

But, the most recent work he has done has lost its shine.

The final Martha Washington series in 1997 sucked ... so did the final Sin City series Hell & Back (Sin City is always better when condensed to four or five issues, not when stretched out to an unnecessary nine) ... the stories seemed forced and drawn out ...

The Dark Knight Strikes Again also felt drawn out and awful, even after re-reads later ... a large single graphic novel would have been better ... maybe ...

All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder is just plain awful and painful to read. The dialogue is inane and forced like he is stubbornly doing it on purpose now just because he can and knows people will buy it with his name on it ... this is the same Frank Miller that wrote Batman: Year One ... where did he go?

One saving grace? The one shot Martha Washington Dies was quite good this summer. Why? Mostly because it was a one shot and concise ...

I am not one who tends to lament the old days of an artist. I enjoy new work from old bands and writers and think it is silly to always point out that an artist was always better in their early days as it is simply not always true. I remember Buck Dharma of BOC challenging a rock radio jock a few years back about their new work not even being given a chance by rock radio when a listen of the CD confirmed Buck was right. However, when an artist jumps the shark like Frank Miller clearly has in comics in the late 90s during the last Martha Washington and Sin City series', it is time for them to move on.

Go make movies Frank.