New Frank Miller Daredevil variant cover actually not that bad!

A month after debuting artist Frank Miller’s Wolverine variant cover that ignited a major Twitter debate regarding the legendary comic creator’s current artistic merit and abilities, Marvel has unveiled a new Daredevil variant cover by Miller for the first issue of the upcoming relaunch from the creative team of Saladin Ahmed and artist Aaron Kuder.

It may be in vogue to dunk on Miller’s comic output of the last two decades, but there’s no denying the revolutionary work he brought to the comics industry, beginning with his landmark run on the Man Without Fear. Alongside artist Klaus Janson, Miller redefined Daredevil, introducing characters like Elektra and Stick as well as reinventing established foes like Kingpin and Bullseye. His influence can still be felt on Hornhead, not only in comics but outside media. The Netflix Daredevil series clearly took many cues from Miller’s run. Moreover, the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ original series is obviously taking inspiration from the eponymous storyline written by Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli.

It goes without saying that art is subjective. Regarding this Frank Miller Daredevil variant though, compared to the other Miller variant cover pieces Marvel has released recently, this Daredevil one isn’t that that bad. While, I personally don’t think it’s on par with Miller’s early ’80s Daredevil art, it definitely could have been far worse.

I can’t help but reminded of a recent Twitter thread from our esteemed EiC Heidi MacDonald, where she brought up a conversation with a respected industry veteran complaining that today’s artists can’t draw a book a month. A lot of this is due to reader expectation and demand for immense detail in the art as opposed to more stylized art that made drawing a book a week possible for artists like Jack Kirby. To whit, this Twitter post from Jesse Hamm hammers it home.