Holy Terror: Shock And Awe In Black & White

A look at the controversial graphic novel, Holy Terror. Written and illustrated by Frank Miller. Published by Legendary Comics in 2011.
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SOURCES:
Propaganda by Frank Miller. September 23, 2011.
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Anarchy by Frank Miller. November 07, 2011.
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Frank Miller Interview by Sam Thielman. April 27, 2018.
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Legendary Entertainment Wiki
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List Of Legendary Pictures Releases
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#comics #comicbooks #modernagecomics #modernage #dc #dccomics #frankmiller #batman #catwoman #darkknight #darknightstrikesagain
#daredevil #elektra #givemeliberty #300 #watchmen #captainamerica #superman #warnerbros #warnerbrospictures

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Support Strange Brain Parts on Patreon: www.patreon.com/StrangeBrainParts

[@ramseyhassan9941]

this video forgets to get into the drama behind the scenes. Miller's movie fame with Sin City movie being followed by him splitting with wife and longtime collaborater Lynn Varley and Miller taking up with a young heiress from the Hearst family of Citizen Kane fame who was hugely conservative and their whirlwind romance was fuelled with drugs and alcohol that lead to his health deterioration to where he ended up looking 30 years older than he actually was

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

I did not know that. I always thought that his drinking simply got worst after 9/11 happened.

[@TheSkaOreo]

Huh. I finally have context for the WHORES WHORES WHORES! variant of Miller.

[@JoeChillton]

Same, but to know it was drugs too and a crazy romance, jeez. @@JohnWilliams-wl9px

[@LeandritoDendrito]

where can I read more about that?

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

That one bit with the hundreds of tiny white boxes representing the people lost was very artistic you must admit

[@dreamlandnightmare]

No, it's just lazy pretentiousness trying to convince the reader it's "deep".

[@pedroviedma2178]

So "artistic" it was ripped off from Shinichi Sakamoto's Innocent.

[@tino9117]

​@@pedroviedma2178then there it was artistic

[@tino9117]

It is but a bit overplayed

[@zackanderson7440]

@@pedroviedma2178 er, holy terror came out first. innocent came out in 2013, while holy terror came out in 2011.

[@carls9310]

4:49 Actually, Superman did indeed punch the evil one on a cover of "World's Greatest". Right next to him was Batman and Robin hitting Mussolini and Hirohito respectively.

[@Nono-hk3is]

I give Miller a lot of credit being able to look back at himself, own his actions, identify his motivation, and understand how he's changed and grown.

[@allenrubinstein3696]

Not to be a negative nelly at personal growth here, but you did notice that he didn't reject the Bald-faced racism and neolithic political point of view, right?

[@jeremysmith4620]

The only way I have seen Miller grow over the years is to filter his impulsive nature to open his mouth and let everything he thinks just fall right out. He has grown is his ability to stay out of the limelight when there is heat on him. He has grow his ability to to talk around his problematic work while saying virtually nothing. I hate that as well, because I was a massive fan of his early works even up to the first run of Sin City. That book started to really turn me off as it went places that seemed to relish violence and revel in misogynistic bloviation while adding absolutely nothing to the story, characters, or overall plot. He seemed to delight in more and more graphic depictions of violence, which was not uncommon in his peak period, but it always seemed to have a purpose and make sense in the overall story, even when grossly exaggerated. More and more it seemed cruel for merely cruelness sake, or even worse that he took glee in those depictions. That was time for me to part ways with him as an artist or writer, as I was just not interested in that type of screed passed off as a story. I wish Miller could own up to the harm he's caused and even attempt to understand why some of his work is viewed this way by so many. Like the ever enduring Skinner meme Miller's schtick has remained, "it's the kids (fans) that are wrong." I hope he can move past that and cut out not only the hatred he held to for so many years, but also the pride that made him tighten his grip on it that much tighter. Sadly, I don't know if we will ever get to see that day, but I can hope he really can learn from and move past all of his unhealthy beliefs and doubling down, but to be honest, I'm not sure how many more years Mr. Miller may have to do so.

[@M.E.plusminus]

@@jeremysmith4620 "I wish Miller could own up to the harm he´s caused..." - what harm did he cause in your opinion?

[@charlesman8722]

Unless you’re linkara, but who cares about him.

[@kleinkaufman8940]

@@M.E.plusminus none, the guy just doesnt like his work anymore.

[@residentgrigo4701]

The only good thing I like about the GN is that DC was smart enough to not make this a Batman comic.

[@подэмерон]

But it would be fun

[@mesharialghamdi3005]

As a young Muslim kid who had just read, and was blown away by Year One and TDKR; upon hearing about this book almost a decade ago, I was hurt in a way that is very difficult to describe. The man who crafts these stories about my favorite characters thinks I’m the problem? I don’t know, I still feel a sense of that same sting when I think back to it.

[@JLeppert]

Yawn. Where are you on 9/11? I'm judged by what people that look like me did in America before my family was even here. You can deal with what's happened in your own lifetime.

[@mesharialghamdi3005]

@@JLeppert I’ve seen your comment history and I hope you find help or the the sympathy you’re looking for. You’re doing a terrible job hiding your prejudice. I was a baby during 9/11. Do the math. Maybe people hate you because you’re an assh0le? Ever consider that?

[@mesharialghamdi3005]

@@JLeppert I’ve seen your comment history and I hope you find help or the the sympathy you’re looking for. I was a baby during 9/11. Do the math. You’re doing a bad job of hiding your prejudice. Maybe people hate you because you’re a racist a$$h0le? Ever consider that?

[@mesharialghamdi3005]

@@JLeppert I’ve seen your comment history and I hope you find help or the the sympathy you’re looking for. I was a baby during 9/11. Do the math. You’re doing a bad job of hiding your prejudice. Maybe people hate you because you’re prejudiced? Ever consider that?

[@Nick-of-Time]

If it makes you feel any better, Miller's said in recent interviews that he regrets writing Holy Terror and has more or less gone back on his bigoted views. Not that it absolves him or anything, but the Miller who wrote Year One/TDKR and the Miller who wrote Holy Terror are basically two different people. Post 9/11, Miller went through a pretty rough period in his life and was struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse. And if you read his work from that era, it definitely shows.

[@bujilou]

Currently reading the Novel "Frank Miller's Daredevil and the ends of heroism" by Paul young, definitely a recommend if you enjoy his O.G. run & Born Again. Talks about the creative process and analyzes the work in its entirety while touching on other works in passing like Dark knight & others.

[@calicokarl]

It's hard now, in the cold light of 2023 to properly explain just how much The Dark Knight Returns (and Watchmen), meant to me as an adolescent in the mid 80's, who was on the journey of discovering the foundational works of film, music and art that would go on define who I am today. At the time, I really was too young to properly understand many of the themes and subtexts until subsequent re-readings, but his work very much explored the elements that I search for in my heroes and villains... Honestly, even today, the Batman of The Dark Knight Returns, is MY Batman. As a result, I held Frank Miller in incredible esteem and he was perhaps one of my first lessons in encountering the fallibility and disappointment that is all too predictable when our heroes slip from the pedestals we set them atop. Holy Terror was the final nail in the coffin for me, a fan that had watched the ongoing, ugly slide into Miller's later work and was genuinely surprised at the hate, and seeming lack of effort or grace that was shown across both his words and lines. Funny how things to change though... I was so disappointed and even angry at the time, but as I've grown older and maybe even grown as a person, I now find something almost poetic about the fact, in our real world, it was Frank Miller who also first taught me that our heroes all have clay feet and it's not as simple as just loving or hating them, but a wider understanding of them as an actual human being, working through their own lives and feelings. I still can't abide Holy Terror for what it is, but I also can't take away some of the other influences Miller deeply instilled. Either way, I thank him for the positive elements he helped to sew into me and hope that as an intelligent, creative and thoughtful human being, he is content and happy, having let go of some of the hatred that was driving him at the time.

[@TheSkaOreo]

I would recommend checking out DK3 if you haven't. Pleasantly suprised by that one considering how awful Holy Terror and DK2 were. Just an unapologetically fun superhero romp.

[@ataraxia7439]

I really admire your compassion and ability to grow and see people complexly. Miller should be proud to have people like you read his work.

[@calicokarl]

@@TheSkaOreo Haha! Thanks for the recommend... But as I get older myself I'm quite happy to just explore new stuff and leave those special ones like TDKR as separate little treasures, in my vault of things I probably still love too much :) After all, it would be crazy to sully the incredible stand alone stories we have with an unwanted and unneeded sequels right? Thank the stars we still have Watchmen, Star Wars and Indiana Jones as untarnished tales with ideas that we don't need to return to for just the money and a lack of an original creative spark... :D

[@mesharialghamdi3005]

Thank you for this comment.

[@CristianZanin2002]

​@@TheSkaOreoDK2 was a masterpiece

[@ATakTakTak]

Weird that FM admited back in the day that his book was propaganda but then compared it to golden age examples that were above all comedic while his book was 100% serious.

[@JoePescisAngryCousin]

Another fantastic, yet succinct analysis. I'd love to see a video that goes more in depth on the development of Miller's style.

[@Dragon_Moth]

You are the best comic book youtuber in all the platform mate

[@ataraxia7439]

Yeah there’s so many comics I’ve only started reading because of the videos on them.

[@nilus2k]

When people bring up the propoganda in 40s comics to justify bad and racist takes these days they always bring up Hitler getting punched but never mention when Superman “slapped a jap” and all other blatant racists and xenophobic stuff used to dehumanize the Japanese in comics at the same time. Sometimes you get lucky and Captain America is punching Hiter and everyone with a rationale mind agrees that’s good but that is the rarity in propaganda from any era.

[@greyspeight8776]

The editing on this one is sharp.

[@jayplay8140]

As I recall both 300 and TDK were noted for their not so subtle political slants, each published long before Holy Terror or 9 11

[@graefx]

Im glad you continue to cover challenge comics and content that probably wont win you any favors from The Algorithm

[@magtegi2]

all shock no awe

[@Tarkus337]

I appreciate the inclusion of the more recent interview of Miller

[@cypherian2]

Whenever there is a traumatic event in my life I too retreat in to a creative project of some kind or another. But rarely does it reflect my emotional state. It's more like giving my brain something to work on in the foreground, while I process my feelings and and thoughts in the background. It may because of this distraction tactic that I miss out on the output of others doing the same. I greatly respect Mr. Miller and am in continual awe of his body of work. But I think I'm glad I missed this one!

[@TheSkaOreo]

Basically 9/11 made everyone a little bit crazy. Mix that in with copious amounts of coke and/or alcohol, and it probably explains a lot.

[@thetrixter2012]

Great content as always

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

Your video, while good, missed one thread which explains part of this story. Bob Schreck was Frank Miller's editor at Dark Horse, then was invited by DC to become the editor of the Batman comics, then became the editor-in-chief of Legendary's comics line. This is an important factor to consider when speculating about the possibility of editorial interference with Miller's work at DC. Miller returned to DC and then went to Legendary when his longtime friend moved to those places.

[@matthew-epurnell1610]

Thank you very much for another excellent video!❤

[@tahahussein3254]

I'm very excited to watch this one!

[@JohnDoe-on7hy]

Every time this channel uploads it makes my day :] one of the few KZbinrs where I find myself going back and rewatching their videos

[@ataraxia7439]

I guess I’m on the opposite end of all of his politics but now that I’m a little older I do understand how easy it can be for just about anyone given the right circumstances to fall into bad political ideas that are too extreme. Not trying to downplay or excuse any of his view nor claim that I know where they came from, but I do now understand that 9/11 really scared a lot of people and that the US in particular is filled with media and social influences that can really polarize anyone caught in the thick of it. I’m not old enough to remember 9/11, most just the bizarre confusing aftermath of our reaction to it, but I can imagine someone well meaning being really shocked by it and handling it poorly in the form of unhandled politics. I’d like to hope that a lot of people with Ive reactionary politics, if they got the chance to meet more people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives and had their deeper fears and anxieties confronted might come out a bit kinder.

[@Aigiotis]

I've not followed Miller's work/interviews for a long time due to work like this. It's nice to hear that he's turned a bit of a corner in terms of his beliefs. Gives me hope that people can come back from extremism, which lord knows, we could use that kind of grounding right now.

[@AceLM92]

I like Frank and have a deep respect for him, but holy terror is definitely a low point in his bibliography. Not to mention that him saying it was written like a piece of propaganda from the Golden Age Comics during WW2 kind of strikes me as an excuse. Having read the graphic novel, it reads more like post a 9/11 Revenge fantasy in my opinion.

[@CristianZanin2002]

Its not a excuse

[@ucmooreart]

Feedback stuff: Great thumbnail. I have been looking at this all day to watch this.

[@Jayz457]

Great video and it is great to review work after the fact. Knee jerk reactions often lead to the worst decisions. I feel this video was able to convey that. Bravo and Brilliant work.

[@jamesmeow3039]

When Frank forgets his Bat Pills.

[@robling1937]

I always appreciate seeing your videos and I am glad to see some subscriber climb.

[@TheSkaOreo]

Also: We're getting a video on All Star Batman and Robin right? RIGHT?!!

[@calicokarl]

Oh no! :D Somehow I'd completely blocked out the whole... "I'm the goddamned Batman!" thing! Haha!

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Maybe you could make a video on Grant Morrison’s reaction, who took the Batman title explicitly saying he had enough of Frank Millerism both in the character and in Miller himself and, funny enough, of Alan Moore who embraced Ocuppy Wall Street because they used the V mask (from the film he thrashed, but, well, anarchy and magic and all) and at the same time anonymous raised. I always reference the NPR “Old Piece of Cloth” read by Miller himself - after 9/11 Miller stopped writing Batman and hard boiled fictional characters and rather seemed to believe he actually was the goddammed Batman.

[@keiljones2902]

Morrison is always clout chasing

[@sarah07290]

Morrison is always saying something. Not exactly surprising Moore supported Occupy Wall Street considering it was, at least at the beginning, an anti-capitalist movement, and Moore's an anarchist.

[@pan_peligroso]

On my way to work and got the notification for a new strange brain parts video! Today was a good day!

[@keiljones2902]

Garth Ennis' The Pro is just as racist, and yet no one criticizes that comic, or Ennis

[@christopherhook2141]

Because all of Ennis's comic books are cringey, and not worth reading, especially The Boys.

[@fulcrum6760]

@@christopherhook2141It’s funny how the show is a thousand times better than the comics.

[@kleinkaufman8940]

Probably because Ennis is mostly known as a Punisher writer, and both the Punisher or his work on it are not nearly as famous as Batman. Im neutral about the guy, but he really just goes more for shock value most of the time, and all his characters are assholes just because he thinks that that's the only way of being deep.

[@1travstone]

Ennis gets criticized almost non stop.

[@Linklex7]

People constantly criticize Ennis. Even going so far as to say his Punisher was never good, which is a bold face lie. His Punisher is the best version of the character.

[@trevgoldring9860]

In hindsight, the Martha Washington sequel told me that Miller didn't have anything left in the tank.

[@HeyImRosko]

I remember when I first opened this book and flipped through it, the smell of whatever chemicals were used in printing was HEAVY. Between that and the content I was left woozy as if I had spent the day painting an unventilated bathroom.

[@IsiahTomas]

'89 Batman: (through vented mask) ...Hhhhh.

[@alfredolopez9642]

I remember when this book came out. I remember how near universally hated it was. Coming from the legendary Frank Miller, the blow to his public image was shattering. Personally, I believe Miller's artwork and writing has never been at the same level it used to be starting from TDK Strikes Again and maybe even before that, although I still enjoy 300 and most of his work in the 90's. Maybe 9/11 just finished tipping him over an edge he already was dangerously close to fall over from. We may never know. To tell the truth, I've never read this comic nor do I ever want to. It undoubtedly comes from a place of understandable but misplaced hate, anger and rage. Here we can see Frank Miller at his lowest, channeling his talents in a misguided and mean-spirited way. That's not the Frank that I want to read, the one that gave us the most influential Daredevil run of all time, the one that brought Batman to the new century with The Dark Knight Returns; the Frank Miller that, along with Alan Moore and others, redefined how comic books could be and how they were perceived and, also, fought for the rights of creators in the industry during a time in which all of them, be they veterans or new blood, were treated like fecal matter. That's the Frank Miller that inspired me. I'm glad to see that in recent times he seems to have let go of that shadow and embraced a more comprehensive, joyful and caring nature that was always there in the beginning, even if his artwork and writing haven't exactly "evolved" to the same standards as before. Can't have it all, I guess. Excellent video as always, Overlord. ✌🏻

[@thehmc]

It was only hated by libs who didn't like that their tokens were being put in a bad and truthful light.

[@squirrel9407]

Yup, I remember picking this up in a store and flicking through it thinking, 'Is this some sort of weird parody of Dark Knight?". Then I saw who made it and hastily put it back on the comics rack and bought something else. I like Miller, but like any artist or writer, no-one is perfect.

[@stupendoushorrendous8258]

5:12 agree with Miller's politics or not (I don't) he's absolutely on the money here.

[@petermj1098]

Frank Miller’s writing and art got messy and screwed up because 9/11 messed up and screwed up his mind. The problem with Miller after 9/11 isn’t the just the message he tells but the fact his stories not even coherent and entertaining. All the comics he did after 9/11 is him projecting his emotions rather actually telling a coherent and entertaining story like he used to.

[@Elfenlied8675309]

Frank Miller literally wrote Joker coming back from the dead so he could campaign for Donald Trump. That isn't a joke.

[@stupendoushorrendous8258]

@Elfenlied8675309 lol that's funny as hell.

[@CristianZanin2002]

​@@petermj1098bullshit

[@1971thedoctor]

Your overview of Holy Terror is very good. I don’t really like the story but I always like Miller’s artwork no matter how good or bad it is. I understand how he felt at the time, I think most of us were very angry at the time but when you calm down and look back at it you realize not everything is as black and white as you thought

[@BrianFoss206]

As an old school fan of Miller starting w/ Daredevil in the late 70s I'm so sad how basically boring his stuff is now. He doesn't remember how to write people.

[@Sven2andahalf]

Where the opening music at? 🥺

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

I personally introduced to the existence of this story by Linkara. Who else was?

[@jamesmeow3039]

THE LIGHTBRINGER

[@bradydavis5791]

This book is an underrated masterpiece.

[@seangrif11]

I was out when I saw the red shoes.

[@paulbrown6464]

Surprised the name of the book wasn’t changed as it obviously references Burt Ward’s exclamations from the 60s Batman tv series

[@NerdettesNewsStand]

Holy terrible is more like it... ...I'll see myself out

[@zainmudassir2964]

9/11 broke Frank Miller's brain and never recovered

[@CristianZanin2002]

😂😂

[@cosmoissleeping]

I feel like Dark Knight Strikes Again is the worst thing Miller ever produced. Even worse than Holy Terror

[@unrulysimian3897]

I haven't read it - probably won't. Of COURSE I was familiar with the broad strokes. Did not know it took him 5 years to complete. Which changes things indeed. Still love ALL his 80s output. Gonna nitpick the exclusion of Ronin (my favorite work of his). Another excellent tour through the 4 color world!

[@TheSkaOreo]

Yeah. I remember people talking about this for years, that it was meant to be Batman vs Al-Qaeda, and that DC pooh-poohed it because..welll--duh.

[@jaredgarcia8638]

Between this and all star batman and robin,I think this was the book that killed Frank Miller's career

[@williamgeorge2580]

As gross as the comic and the beliefs behind it were I'm willing to take a wider view of the era and cut old Frank a bit of slack. 9/11 broke a lot of brains and we've been dealing with the fall out of the cultural and political insanity that followed for decades now. Sadly, it'll at least another decade or two before the misdeeds of the opportunistic scum that rose to the top in its wake can get repaired. One man embarrassing himself by wanting Batman to kill some Arabs is comparatively harmless.

[@WobblesandBean]

If this had been a Muslim artist demonizing all Caucasians, you'd never "cut them a bit of slack".

[@williamgeorge2580]

@@WobblesandBean I'd point and laugh at the artist for being a pathetic toad, like I did with this comic. And then I'd forget about it for 10 years, like I did with this comic, until the artist steps up and admits he was being a pathetic toad. This wouldn't make me think they were less of a pathetic toad, but I'd appreciate them developing some form of self-awareness and hope they continue on their journey away from being a pathetic toad.

[@funkyweapon1981]

@@WobblesandBean That's how it is now. That Sana Mahnamahna or whatever does that all the time.

[@smhfirebruh5630]

Inb4 this video gets instantly de-monetized/shadow banned by the crappy KZbin robots

[@ranxerox13]

Love Miller, huge fan of Holy Terror, just not the cover, it doesn't cut it for me.

[@ChisomagaIhezie]

Racist

[@CristianZanin2002]

​@@ChisomagaIheziewhat 😂😂

[@JLeppert]

​@@ChisomagaIhezieemotional appeal. Logical fallacy. Cry to your mother. Islam is psychotic.

[@leonidasnoble6939]

It's not a good idea to say or publish things when you're either mad or drunk.

[@plasterharris]

good vid thx

[@davidknight2423]

I mostly agree. I valued Miller as an artist and writer. I liked everything he did (RONIN remains one of my favorite series to this day) but then he did DK Strikes Again, and Holy Terror. His slide began. I think the artwork was good on Holy Terror, continuing/returning to his hybridization of American and Japanese comics visually. But the story was so thin. He didn't give us anything to care about really with his two heroes. When he retooled it from Batman and Catwoman he should have done that. It would have improved it. A little. At least.

[@CristianZanin2002]

DK strikes again is a masterpiece

[@jacob_ian_decoursey_the_author]

Miller has had something of a redemption arc in recent years. His IG shows a lot of very progressive stances, though he posts infrequently. He also comes off as warmer and friendlier in interviews. I don’t know what happened, but it’s nice to see that people can change for the better even if late in life.

[@Jwksiuxbjeisk]

I've heard that he quit drinking a few years ago and it made him get on the right track again. Alcoholism and 9/11 really took a toll on him

[@yallnwahsdontevendrinkskoo4092]

Progressive stances does not equal being a better person.

[@parsleyisthicc]

​@@yallnwahsdontevendrinkskoo4092 you don't know what you want out of him

[@thehmc]

That's not a redemption arc. That's the tragic fall of a truth teller.

[@austinreed7343]

@@thehmc Or a simple lateral movement of extremes.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Frank can do no wrong to me. Greatest modern comic book artist combining his style of graphic arts into the ponderous archive of illustration 👍♥️♥️💯😛

[@ShinoSarna]

To me, Holy Terror fails at most basic level as a graphic novel. Great majority of the book is occupied by page after page of double-spreads of the terrorist attack, and our 'heroes' only begin to do anything after almost 70 pages. Then another 20 pages of basically nothing, then a huge Bendis-like page of exposition, and then the actual plot is wrapped up in last 30 pages. This is something we see often with Miller's modern work, where e.g. ASBAR also went nowhere for 9 issues, only setting up the inciting incident, and the actual villain's plan BEGINS in issue 10 (and of course, issue 11 was never made). Miller is a huge weeaboo so this might be an attempt to steal 'decompressed' storytelling from manga, but it doesn't work at all.

[@penelopegreene]

I couldn't get through this. I reached "The Popeye Limit"...

[@lightspaceman5064]

What do you expect from a guy who famously wears a fedora? That's a cheep joke but it's right there.

[@funkyweapon1981]

They went out of style in the 60's. Stop trying to bring it back, damn it.

[@Conejoazul2018]

"Take your pills frank!!" "i hate woke! I hate woke! I hate woke!"

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

You do know he made scripts that explicitly attacked the Right. Especially Trump making a comic that Darkseid and Joker teamed up to help Trump election. His views aren’t ‘Woke is ruining everything’ crowd. But he certain isn’t political correct either.

[@Conejoazul2018]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px then sorry, my bad

[@OtseisRagnarok]

Are you doing a series on canceled/probelmatic creators? If not, it's a good idea.

[@Cincinnatijames]

He's been doing that for years starting with Dave Sims/Cerebus

[@harlemdeni]

Hot take: if this was published in '02 or '03, in the peak of post 9/11 world - it would've been viewed as a masterpiece!

[@unrulysimian3897]

🧐 You’ve got a point

[@Cincinnatijames]

Probably not. Even a preponderance of anti-Muslim sentiment at the time would not have propped up this turd. And he had just come off the Big L of DK Strikes Again, two bad books coming out that close would have buried him even further.

[@Skipray_Blastboat]

I think this book is better then a lot of people give it credit for. Its an amazing statement on the heavy-handed, ham fisted idea that is American superhero comics vs terroism and its impossibly doomed inability to make a nuanced statement on the subject. It's clunky and violent and shows in every way why the genre could never live up to the task. Its also some of Miller's best modern era art. Some wild ink splotches, hardly a clean striaight line in the book and some very interesting stripped down backgrounds. This is also an era that saw the height of Frank's alchaholism that aged the man 20 years in a span of 5. Yes it's a violent, messy critique on Islam and terrorism but in someways its also a satirical criticism of the American concept of punching what we hate in the face. It encompasses all our mistakes in the ensuing war on terror and the zeitgeist in the air after 9/11. In many ways intentional or not, its deeper then you think.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

It is always the young rebels who become old conservatards. Just look at Raphael in Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles. Lol

[@funkyweapon1981]

That's because the younger rebels push them out. Why I became an AnCap.

[@JasonMehmel]

Great coverage of an important but uncomfortable chapter in comics and Frank Miller. Well done.

[@thehmc]

The only people who are made uncomfortable by this are white libs like the ones who banned a former ISIS sex slave from telling her story because it makes Muslims look bad. The same ones who get really mad whenever ex-Muslims try to speak out.

[@thumbsprain42]

I had happily not thought about Frank Miller for many, many years, but I do love Strange Brain Parts' work. So to alleviate any confusion, because it took my old mind a while to remember, "The Event" is 9-11. It broke Frank's already rotting brain.

[@keiljones2902]

you haven't thought about Miler in so long, that you still click on videos about him and comment on them.

[@Rgoid]

Imagine Frank Miller doing this during the whole Charlie Hebdo thing. The Fixer: Je suis Charlie!

[@peptobsmol]

Hell ya

[@powerist209]

Well, I find Frank Miller’s views as reflected in comics to be odd. Like entire Holy Terror (and maybe 300) to be different from Reagan caricature in Dark Knight Returns and even Martha Washington. Dark Knight Master Race have similar contradiction like Trump parody existing alongside with the villain being Kandor cult having Arabic garbs and harem. I mean I compare and contrast him with Roseanne as well.

[@MikaylaJLaird]

Fantastic. At some point I will actually sit and read Holy Terror as punishment.

[@samwill7259]

The day we realized Frank Miller hadn't only lost the plot He'd just gone to the dark side.

[@JLRoberson]

All well said. There really is no describing just what a piece of utter awfulness this book was, on just about every conceivable level, the lowest of all being " great talent turns into bigoted ranting hack." (never my favorite thing to happen to my heroes and it happens way too often) He seems to have recovered somewhat from that, though I think his talent has been broken ever since. The most charitable(to Frank) way to look at this is as his used toilet paper. Or the toilet he vomited into, before flushing. Because this was nothing but catharsis for his anger, without any real "artistic" intent at all, so to judge it as art is unfair probably. It's a fit of rage, and should be seen as such, and is probably best forgotten, ultimately, except as a missing piece explaining the regrettable shift in his work after 2001.

[@muttjones222]

Glad to see you cover this one! I think your ending thoughts on this is one I also share. I remember reading this like a decade ago and just thinking this was a crater of a book. Everything about it to me was just this ugly piece of work, almost literally hard to look at with the art work. But looking at it now, I have to admit, I do like the look of the book a little more and the strange jumbled postures of the characters kind of stick. The subject matter is still something I’m less enthusiastic to revisit but leaving it in the past is something I’m perfectly comfortable doing. I think a good contrast of how a reactionary work can function, even if you don’t agree with the politics of it, is The Dark Knight Returns. That has plenty of elements that some people find distasteful if isolated or made to reflect real life but in the context of that book and how it’s all laid out, it works. There’s an actual story that helps it for one thing but there are more nuances and times where the characters are allowed to breathe as opposed to the pace Holy Terror goes at. Again, I haven’t read this in a decade so maybe this just looks better from that distance but I’ve softened my attitude towards it, more or less.

[@patrickhouchard5532]

Lol, it was funny!

[@amanzeihedioha]

I always thought this was in color...

[@gareckthetailor9918]

still no where near as laughable as that recent wolverine variant cover he did lol

[@GirtheAlienGoldfish]

Everyone was scared and angry after 9/11. It was a confusing time. I don't blame Frank for being angry.

[@Tacom4ster]

Frank Miller Dark Knight one was very critical of Regan's America, now Frank simps for America like a lapdog

[@JohnWilliams-wl9px]

Not exactly currently he was very much not a fan of Trump to the point he wrote (more like rough script/manuscript) a comic that had Darkseid and Joker working together to get Trump elected.

[@Tacom4ster]

@@JohnWilliams-wl9px Centrists Never Trumpers are still lapdogs to Imperial Amerikkka

[@komickid833]

There's something really ironic about this video coming out when it did because I just finished the planning stage for a Holy Terror rework book, and you might be asking why I decided to do that. Well, it's because of the linkara video on holy Terror and some of the comments there, and it's a great teardown breakdown analysis of holy Terror, and it's so good that it's inspired me to write my own version of holy Terror that's better because I'm a new writer and I'm struggling with good ideas, so I decided why not rob from the worst of the worst and see if I can make it better. Anyway good video

[@RarebitFiends]

In your quest to improve your writing, do not forget the basics like grammar and punctuation. To build a sturdy tower, the foundation must be solid.

[@komickid833]

@@RarebitFiends Thanks man

[@RarebitFiends]

@@komickid833 I look forward to reading your comics!

[@komickid833]

@@RarebitFiends Here's the link to it docs.google.com/document/d/1FtYd_yG5BSpt_hBj6SF2Yp_tHQX3fDSrrfRZ5OhCsJs/edit?usp=drivesdk the planning I mean

[@TevyaSmolka]

Yeah this comic was just bad at least in my opinion

[@mottahead6464]

Compared to DK2 , Holy Terror is actually not that bad.

[@allenrubinstein3696]

Quite possibly the worst comic I've ever read in my life on every conceivable level. Character, dialogue, "plot", "story". It looks like he drew it blindfolded. You don't even need to be offended by the overt racism to see what a piece of garbage Holy Terror is.

[@allenrubinstein3696]

And that interview quoted above also recounts how much he was abusing alcohol at the time (remember him directing The Spirit? He was smashed for the special features taping). So the hottest creator alive during the eighties and early nineties was a racist, drunk reactionary who couldn't draw during the aughts.

[@Antdevamp]

So.....is Frank okay now?

[@Cincinnatijames]

Guys will spend 5 years making a racist comic rather than go to therapy.

[@bradydavis5791]

Another person who didn't understand the book. Big surprise.

[@billvolk4236]

It's really telling that Miller's best projects are the ones he had the least to do with. He depended so completely on better artists, inkers, and editors that at one point one has to ask whether he really contributed anything of value at all.

[@polaris_draws]

I mean... ow. But you have a point, I'd say Sin City is an exception... depending on who you ask. Not a book for everyone

[@Anders010]

The art is spectacular. The story is just ok. It reads like a middle point between Batman and Sin City. I'm not a terrorist so I didn't find it offensive.

[@WobblesandBean]

You think this art is "spectacular"? Really?

[@M.E.plusminus]

@@WobblesandBean At least it has spectacular moments...for whom many trendy artists would kill for. I really enjoyed it, too bad he wasn´t allowed to use Batman for the story.

[@joedent3323]

Same.

[@KamenSentaiMetalHero]

It looks like crap imo

[@contempocomics]

I've never read Holy Terror, but I was a Miller fan in the 90's, especially Sin City. After watching this video, I'm definitely going to read this book because I think the art looks amazing!

[@Refmoral]

He was right wing when and where no one else was, also the general cultural zeitgeist of most of the audience didn't aligned with it aswell, there was no way it could work, and I think he did it as his own way of dealing with what he saw happening in 2001 very near to him. Miller's mindset is the last individual of a species that used to be dominant in the culture but that will be extinct after he's gone, unfortunately. It's very interesting and amazing to look at and analyse.

[@TheSkaOreo]

I mean that's not true at all, especially if we're talking about post-9/11 reactionary material, which was very, very conservative. Miller was not lacking company. The problem is not that Holy Terror is very clearly conservative--the problem is it's a bad comic period.

[@Refmoral]

@@TheSkaOreo well, while there was a significant part of society that wanted to go to war against "terrorism" that general sentiment was not popular among most artists in the comic book world, FAR different from when we had Captain America punching Adolf and Superman helping the troops in WW2, and later on superheroes were fighting soviet villains. 2001 the support for war was divided and very early on there was a lot of criticism coming even from the right wing, much different situation.

[@Refmoral]

@@TheSkaOreo and yes, from what I heard Holy Terror sucks and that's why it bombed generally speaking, but I still think it was interesting to see something like that coming out in the comic book world considering the culture in general was not at all in favor of the sentiment he was expressing in that story.

[@jankarieben1071]

Miller is one of the biggest disappointments in comics, going from a legendary creator to a paranoid, misogynistic racist, and 9/11 didn’t create that, but it sure seemed to let Frank express his true beliefs.

[@Iznikroc]

its a very cathartic comic and im happy he got that catharis out of his system.

[@MicBain]

Miller is ridiculously overrated

[@cellperfecto421]

It's obvious that 2000s Miller was going through some really deep rabbit hole and expressing his weird political transformation in his work. His Batman from this era is even more out-of-character than the one from Snyder, becoming a crazy maniac that tortures and kills people. Holy Terror is just another chapter of his right-wing turn. There is a part of the book that fascinates me to this day. The leader of al-Qaida implies to Natalie that he is merely a part of the bigger picture and that he is working for some shadowy masters, who are supposed planning these attacks. Is it far-fetched if I think Miller was into some really dangerous territory with this stuff at the time or is it just some generic "Terrorists are being funded by America's enemies? Because it sounds really... problematic if you know what I mean. Linkara didn't know what to make of that line when he reviewed it.

[@Hailtheall]

It’s kinda of funny that most ppl nowadays would be more interested in left wing content😂

[@jacksquatt6082]

A lot of people miss the point of Holy Terror. A review you put on screen nailed it. It's Miller bellowing out a "primal scream" using the only tools he knows. It's his venting platform after being permanently scarred. It's raw emotion, uncaring of who disapproves, frantically vomiting its fury out onto the page. It *is* a work of art, and it's beautiful to see real humanity wailing into the night sky, flaring with wild sparks like bare wires. People love to oversimplify it as "hateful propaganda," instead of realizing its true beauty: pure unbridled rage. We all have that side to us, whether we admit it or not, and even if we never show it, it's still there. Too many people labeled Miller and dumped him, because it's easier to do that than to admit that we all can reach that same place of rage under the right circumstances.

[@danielhurlston7384]

An artist has to create and that is the only way they know how to work out what they are feeling in the moment. Frank is a complicated human being and too many comic book fans are so readily willing to label him and then dismiss his entire body of work.

[@bradydavis5791]

This is why I love his work (including this book).

[@pauldecker4630]

He didn't need to publish it though, if this is his way of letting out or getting through emotions around 9/11; he should have just put it in a drawer when he finished. People don't usually publish their diary while they're alive at least

[@jacksquatt6082]

@@pauldecker4630 This is getting at the heart of the "freedom of expression" issue, isn't it. "Why not just say what you want in your own living room and nowhere else?" Because that's not really expressing it, is it? That's bottling it up and hiding it so that others can ignore you. If an artist did that, he would fade, knowing he is hiding a part of himself. In truth, if *anyone* does that long enough, they become a shadow of themselves. It's no way to live. That same sentiment is used to keep LGBT+ folks tamed down. "Keep your sexuality in the bedroom," because it makes straight people feel uncomfortable seeing two men holding hands in public. To hide like that makes people feel invisible and nonexistent. No. He had to show this to the world.

[@pauldecker4630]

@@jacksquatt6082 You don't need to tell people your every thought to express your feelings. Particularly when its hateful anger.

[@carloscrecelius9597]

Never read it, seems like your video was better thought out than the book was.

[@kaotmus]

It's also really boring. Characters are wafer-thin, have the simplest of motivations and zero character development.

[@WobblesandBean]

"I'm the Goddamn Batman rip-off"