Miller, Frank - Daredevil, issue 177, page 2 (Dec 1981)
Artists: Frank Miller (Penciller) , Klaus Janson (Inker)
25 Comments - 2,304 Views - 9 Likes
Artwork Details
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DescriptionI’ve had been on the hunt for a Frank Miller Daredevil page for a long time…but just could never seem to find ‘the right one’. Ironically, I would end up finding it when I was not even looking. It was at SDCC 2014, while peering over the shoulder of another collector, that this page jumped out at me. I thought the owner was just showing off some pages from his personal collection that he happened to have with him – but then I overheard an inquiry about price! ‘Hey, wait a minute…is this page for sale?’ Mercifully, the answer was ‘yes’ and a deal was done.Much has been written on the message boards recently about the artistic attribution of Miller/Janson Daredevil pages. This page falls firmly in the category of ‘layouts by Miller on the same sheet, embellishment by Janson’. But, while this will definitely sound like someone justifying a purchase, I think the page struck me particularly hard as I felt like I saw a lot of Frank Miller’s style when looking at it. First, and foremost, there is the film noir-ish use of blacks in the upper panels. They evoke the generally more dark and dangerous mood that Miller brought to the Daredevil series. Regardless of the timing and level of Janson’s embellishments, Miller established this visual aspect of the series. Second, there is the appearance of the character Stick - introduced by Miller to the series in Daredevil #176. To me, Stick has always been representative of the fundamentally dichotomous nature of many of Miller’s most successful characters – the blind man who can swing from flagpoles, the hero’s love interest who just happens to be the underworld’s key assassin and, of course, the critically important mentor who also happens to be a world-class prick. Lastly, I felt like I really saw hints of Miller’s work from Ronin when I saw the page – and Ronin is one of my favorite series from the 80’s (and I’ve been looking for a Ronin page for an equally long time). Ronin issue #1 had a July 1983 cover date while Daredevil issue #177 had a cover date of December 1981 – not a direct crossover of artistic periods, but certainly in the same time zone. More specifically, the upper panel’s facial image of Stick is very reminiscent to me of the Lord Ozaki burial statue speaking in the Ronin series. Might be a bit of a stretch…but when I first saw the page, that imagery certainly came to mind. Overall, very pleased to add this one to my collection. A very big ‘thank you’ to David for agreeing to part with this page! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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C .
Member Since 2008
Posted on 12/1/2014
Always is a pleasure see new material of Miller-Janson, and this page with Stick is perfect. Great adquisition.
Matt W 
Member Since 2009
Posted on 12/1/2014
Fantastic addition! To me this is the whole run in a nutshell.
Dino Mauricio
Member Since 2009
Posted on 12/1/2014
Brilliant as Miller DD pages come. Nobody explores the depth and soul of superheroes like Miller. For me, this Stick-DD scene evokes not only the Lord Ozaki-Ronin mentorship but also the rebirth/recovery themes from Miller's Born Again storyline. It's also believed Eastman paid homage to Miller and Stick in creating Splinter as tutor for his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Felix Lu
Member Since 2005
Posted on 12/1/2014
The master/student relationship depicted here is a staple of kung-fu movies. Miller captured it well.
Jeff Singh
Member Since 2004
Posted on 12/2/2014
A really swell page. Miller's layouts and panel design really come through as does his storytelling. Little things like the panel sizes add to how you read the page and how you time the events. With the height shrinking, the time frame is sped up and then "thwakk", a dramatic pause to the action. There are visual ques that help with the page aesthetics too, the bow in the middle panel is echoed by the target stand in panel above and the target below in a similar position in the panel. In fact, there are strong vertical objects in each panel that really stand out with the linear panel design. Miller was a master at layouts.
Oystein Sorensen
Member Since 2005
Posted on 12/2/2014
Excellent. This page really shows Miller as the master storyteller he was at the time.
artless artmore
Member Since 2013
Posted on 12/2/2014
Miller's the best storyteller ever in the history of comics, IMHO, and this page is such a great example!
COL (Ret) Churchill
Member Since 2004
Posted on 12/2/2014
I am not sure if I was the other collector whose shoulder that you looked over to see this gem. David had so much great material in that portfolio during this past SDCC. I mulled over the three DD pages that he had in that portfolio, but I did not pull the trigger on any of those pages. My loss and your gain! Regardless, congrats again in making this great acquisition.
R Lee
Member Since 2012
Posted on 12/2/2014
Nice layout with major characters and dialogue. I know there has been discussion regarding Miller/Janson art contribution but this still an great DD page to add to your collection. Nice pick up.
TIM TOWNSEND
Member Since 2004
Posted on 12/2/2014
Man, those inks. Klaus at his finest. Fantastic page all the way around.
Joe Shaffer
Member Since 2010
Posted on 12/2/2014
Great story, nothing like being in the right place at the right time! great page, congrats
J L
Member Since 2005
Posted on 12/3/2014
Great story page and you got to love the blacks on this page. Good choice my friend!!!!
Mark Howland
Member Since 2004
Posted on 12/3/2014
Way to pile it on with the big name artists, titles, and pages! Congratulations!
Chris C
Member Since 2004
Posted on 12/5/2014
"So, two blind guys walk into an archery competition...." mighty oaks of are grown from such simple acorns.
Nick - Barry - Matt - Hal - Namor
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 11/24/2020
So beautiful! So, so beautiful!
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