Ronin
After Frank Miller left Marvel, fans began to wonder what he would do next. What they got in 1983 confused and perplexed fandom. This was Frank Miller? The artwork had changed, the writing was… similar yet different, and it definitely wasn’t superheroes. No, it was Ronin #1, the first in a six-part creator-owned mini-series.
Critical and popular reactions were mixed, and not without reason. The series itself is a confusing hodgepodge of science fiction and samurai legends that don’t really work all that well and, while still cinematic in style, lacks the boldness of Miller’s artistic work on Daredevil.
As a collectible, Ronin #1 is also found lacking, particularly in comparison to what came before and what would come after. Nowadays, you can likely find a 9.8 graded copy of this issue for around $100. That’s about the same price it’s been for a number of years, failing to experience any real upswing in the recent boom, yet also avoiding a crash as a result.
While an interesting step in Miller’s career, it’s not his best work, and should only be considered for a collection if you absolutely have to have everything Miller.
The Dark Knight
The rejection of Ronin stung Miller a bit, enough that it would be more than two long years before the world would be privy to his magnum opus. But before we get there, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out Miller’s first work on Batman, that being a short story in DC Special Series #21 from 1980.
This issue was ignored by collectors for a number of years, at least until 1986 and, as a result, there are few copies that were added to collections at the time and fewer still that have been graded. In fact, there are only 93 graded copies, with only one of these being a 9.8 – which has never sold – and three graded at 9.6, the last sale being for $299 in 2020.
The one-year average in the 9.4 grade currently stands at $114. Definitely one to consider for your Frank Miller collection.
In 1986, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 was a hurricane of a comic. It changed everything. In simple terms, there was before Dark Knight and there was after Dark Knight. Coming in the midst of DC’s post-Crisis renaissance, it wasn’t shocking that DC would do something to focus on Batman as they had with so many other characters. But what readers received was beyond amazing.
Besides being the first prestige format comic to be produced by any publisher, Miller offered fans the Batman they all secretly wanted, a grim and gritty violent character who permanently laid to rest the outdated concept of the BANG POW Batman of 1960s television fame. It was, and is to this day, nothing less than a comic publishing juggernaut that has no equal.
There are 6,055 graded copies of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 in the CGC census. One is graded at 9.9 and has never sold. For the 786 9.8 graded copies, values have dropped over the past year as evidenced by the current $870 30-day average when compared against the $1,093 one-year average.
Value aside, any collector of 1980s comics should have this issue in their collection. It is one of the most highly regarded and influential comics of the past 50 years – at least – and whether graded or raw deserves its place in the hands of any collector or reader.
Daredevil: Born Again
As if the Dark Knight wasn’t enough, nearly simultaneously, Miller returned to Daredevil. As writer only this time around, he teamed with artist David Mazzucchelli to produce the Born Again seven-issue storyline that has – as with his previous work on the character – become part and parcel of the Daredevil mythos.
There are 655 graded copies of Daredevil #227 – the first part of the story – in the CGC census. While an initial jump to slightly above $1,000 occurred in the 9.8 grade upon the announcement of the Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series, it has since dropped down to values just north of $200, still nearly double what it went for in early 2021.
Batman: Year One
A year later, Miller and Mazzucchelli teamed once more, this time for the Year One storyline beginning in Batman #404. A smart and succinct four-part story that delved into Batman’s origin, it was yet another work by Miller that added to the caped crusader’s mythology in a way that has since become canonical.
With a plentiful 4,028 graded copies, it’s not particularly hard to find. Selling for nearly $400 at the peak of the recent boom, 9.8 copies now sport 30-day and 90-day averages of just under $200.
Sin City
Leaving the two major publishers behind, Miller bounced around on creator-owned projects with multiple artists published by Dark Horse. So, it was with this publisher in 1991 that Miller would release his longest-running work, Sin City.
Fully written and drawn by Miller, the story began publication with Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special #1. There are 266 graded copies, and the most recent sale of a 9.8 was for a slashed $850 on June 28, its highest recorded sale. The series would go on to the big screen in a film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller himself.
300
Miller’s last great artistic work was the five-issue mini-series 300 published by Dark Horse in 1998. Detailing the historical battle of 300 Spartans versus the might of Persia in 480 B.C. in all its violent bloody glory, this series would also go on to cinematic fame in a film directed by everyone’s favorite DCEU director, Zack Snyder.
There are 671 graded copies of 300 #1, including six graded at 10.0. The last sale – in a 2015 Heritage auction – was for $478, although earlier sales in the year prior were for twice and nearly three times that amount. It’s hard to say what one of those 10.0 copies would go for now.
Legacy
His cinematic style has led to much of his work appearing in film or television in some way, shape, or form. However, if he produced nothing else, Miller will forever be remembered as the writer/artist who brought the world Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, one of the great comic works of the Copper or any other era.
Do you collect Frank Miller’s works? What are some of your favorites? Let us know below!
