CURSED WORDS

Legendary writer, director, producer, and artist FRANK MILLER talks CURSED, the latest of his celebrated works to be adapted for the screen…

- Hayden Mears

Frank Miller won’t turn on any lights for you, but he’ll gladly join you in darkness. The venerable comic writer/artist, best known for pushing against the in-vogue camp of previous ages, is partially responsible for a shift in how people write, read, and draw superheroes. Miller’s reinvention and revitalisation of classic characters kickstarted a culturespanning trend: make heroes darker, grittier, and laden with emotional baggage. Under Miller’s keen pen, flagship characters with long histories of hokey heroics became slight exaggerations of our most human tendencies. Enter Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Gone was the silly, exclamatory Batman from the brittle pages of yesteryear’s funny books. In his place stood a towering testament to the erosive effects of personal tragedy, a Bruce Wayne who embodied everything the Dark Knight stood for. This new Batman struck a chord, because he’s the Batman we know today. Miller’s stories resonated with millions, earning him a place in the pantheon of gold-standard creators and transforming even his smallest projects into mustreads. The decades that followed saw him travel to other corners of pop culture (notably with films such as Sin City and Zack Snyder’s 300) but he always returned to the medium that made him. Miller is currently executive producing Netflix’s Cursed, an Arthurian fantasy based on the illustrated novel he drew for writer Tom Wheeler last year. Told from the perspective of Nimue (the Lady of the Lake), the story adds new context to beloved heroes and brings fresh life to a well-trod tale. We had the pleasure of catching up with Miller, who dished on the show’s momentous first season and took a dive into the time-tested appeal of Arthurian characters…