Frank Miller, Tony DiTerlizzi to Share Secrets of Creativity at Comic-Con

Two artistic powerhouses will meet up for the first time when Frank Miller and Tony DiTerlizzi hit the stage for Hero Worship: Capes, Conflict and Creativity, a panel at San Diego Comic-Con that will peek inside both artists’ storytelling process.

The panel is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, with The Hollywood Reporter senior film writer Borys Kit moderating.

Miller, the legendary Daredevil and Batman writer-artist who also created Sin City and 300, and DiTerlizzi, the Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator behind The Spiderwick Chronicles, will exchange ideas about the heroes and antiheroes that inhabit their works, the creative and artistic heroes that inspired them as young artists and their responsibility to inspire a new generation of artists.

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Two aspects that will be discussed are the precarious nature of childhood and the importance of the hero concept to their art. 

Miller, in an interview with THR in 2016, said that Batman is interesting “because he straightens the world out.  He brings order to a very chaotic world. Especially when you’re a child. You need somebody, even if it’s a fictional character, to tell you that the world makes sense and that the good guys can win. That’s what these heroes are for.” 

DiTerlizzi, whose specialty is writing and drawing children’s books, places a priority on encouraging children to use their imaginations. “Help them to develop the imagination musculature in the same way you develop physical competence,” he says. 

Fun fact: One of DiTerlizzi’s first handmade books, on dinosaurs, was done for a Boy Scout merit badge. Another book on insects was part of an entire summer spent illustrating a field guide on fantastical creatures.

Miller and DiTerlizzi are set to have major retrospectives of their work at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. 

DiTerlizzi, who recent works include The Story of Diva and Flea and Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is up first, with Never Abandon Imagination: The Fantastical Art of Tony DiTerlizzi set to open Nov. 11 and run through Feb. 25, 2018.