Love you too, Frank.

I flipped through an issue of Maxim on the news stand as I was killing some time. Maxim is a rag, but nothing else looked interesting. Anyhow, they did a little piece on THE SPIRIT which is being written and directed by Frank Miller. No, it's looking like the movie is going to be a bit of a departure from the comics created by Will Eisner, and many fans ain't too pleased with that. I'm not a huge fan, so it doesn't much matter to me.

So, Miller talks about how Eisner was his mentor and he didn't want to do a movie that was a "dusty monument" to the old comics. He said he's doing what he felt Eisner would have wanted him to do with movie. "I owe him." That's cool. No problem there, but then he turned right around and commented about the fans who are concerned and unhappy about his take on the character.

"I don't owe the fans a goddamn thing."

O rly?

Well, that's enough to keep me from buying a ticket. He can play the artiste all he wants, but it's the fans that got him where he is right now. I'm sure his supporters are saying at this point, "Well, he's not talking about his fans, he's talking about the fans of The Spirit that are unhappy." That's no better. Fans are fans. None are worth more than another. You can't make a movie about something that isn't in some small part for the fans of that thing.

Now, if he had said something along the lines of: "Hey, I know what I'm doing is a bit different, but I'm doing what I think my friend and mentor would have wanted me to do and I hope people will give it a chance." That's fine, I'd have probably gone to see it. Nope, had to cop an attitude. And I'm sure it was just bravado meant for the Maxim readers, but he missed the mark of 'cool' and landed on 'asshole' instead.

For the record, I'm a fan of Frank Miller. I liked DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and BATMAN:YEAR ONE. I liked his old DAREDEVIL stuff. I liked SIN CITY and 300 and enjoyed the movies they made of those. I don't like everything he does. ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN is complete crap. It's hit and miss really.

So, where will THE SPIRIT fall with me? Well, no one's going to find out any time soon, because Frank doesn't owe me a goddamn thing.