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Frank Miller's inspiration for The Kingpin?
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27 posts in this topic

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on a magazine biography of wrestler turned actor Milton Reid. I've seen a couple of sites connecting Frank Miller's inspiration for his Kingpin in the comics on Milton Reid. Now there is definitely a slight resemblance but what I'm really looking for is concrete evidence - in other words, did Miller ever state his inspiration for The Kingpin in any interview?

IMG_20200223_225353.jpg

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1 hour ago, sfcityduck said:

Miller did not create the Kingpin.  Miller's inspiration was the presentation of the character in the 1960s:

 

I don't see anywhere in the OP that claims Miller created the Kingpin. I do see the term "his inspiration for his Kingpin" and then "his inspiration for The Kingpin", though, which is very different from saying Miller created him.

I think... I might be wrong, I have been before, but I think CF is looking at Frank Miller using former wrestler-turned-actor Milton Reid as his inspiration, as noted in the very title of the thread, for his version of the Kingpin. I am not laying claim to any validity of said statement, I just think that is what Cushing Fan is getting at.

Just a shot in the dark here...

;)



-slym

Edited by slym2none
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4 hours ago, slym2none said:

I don't see anywhere in the OP that claims Miller created the Kingpin. I do see the term "his inspiration for his Kingpin" and then "his inspiration for The Kingpin", though, which is very different from saying Miller created him.

I think... I might be wrong, I have been before, but I think CF is looking at Frank Miller using former wrestler-turned-actor Milton Reid as his inspiration, as noted in the very title of the thread, for his version of the Kingpin. I am not laying claim to any validity of said statement, I just think that is what Cushing Fan is getting at.

Just a shot in the dark here...

;)



-slym

Yes, I know that Miller did not create the Kingpin. I'm looking into the claim that Milton Reid was Miller's inspiration for when he drew the Kingpin specifically during his Daredevil run.

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Cooll name. Peter Cushing rules the universe. Sorry don’t know. I know Electra was based on some body builder lady. Read many interviews by miller never heard him mention inspiration for kingpin. 
 

try tracking down Miller and asking him in a respectful manner. That journey alone would be worthy of a magazine article. 
 

good luck!

Edited by NoMan
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6 hours ago, slym2none said:

I don't see anywhere in the OP that claims Miller created the Kingpin. I do see the term "his inspiration for his Kingpin" and then "his inspiration for The Kingpin", though, which is very different from saying Miller created him.

I think... I might be wrong, I have been before, but I think CF is looking at Frank Miller using former wrestler-turned-actor Milton Reid as his inspiration, as noted in the very title of the thread, for his version of the Kingpin. I am not laying claim to any validity of said statement, I just think that is what Cushing Fan is getting at.

Just a shot in the dark here...

;)



-sly

Trying to contact Miller will be my next approach. I see he has an official Facebook page but hasn't posted since 2016 :eyeroll: Anyone have a good address for Miller?

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40 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Are we talking about the guy who wrestled as " The Mighty Chang"?  I always thought he was Indian or East Asian.

Yes! Reid first wrestled as Jungle Boy before shaving his head in the 1950s and wrestling as the Mighty Chang. Even though Reid sometimes wrestled or played Asians in film, he was actually born in India to an Indian mother and British father. I already interviewed a wrestler who travelled and wrestled with Reid for the biography.

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Maybe I haven't read enough Kingpin, in particular pre Miller stuff alongside his, but for me, the character was always that way visually and behaviourally. I suppose he was a bit more lithe in Miller's run. Has it been said he based the behaviour off of Milton Reid? Perhaps his performance in a specific movie? Again, I would have to re read prior Kingpin stuff and then re-read Miller's to get a sense of whether he drastically changed the character. To me, he really did not do anything other than make him a bit more feared.

I am intrigued to see what this research drums up!

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10 hours ago, Cushing Fan said:

Trying to contact Miller will be my next approach. I see he has an official Facebook page but hasn't posted since 2016 :eyeroll: Anyone have a good address for Miller?

Steve Borock told me he used to hang out in Hell's Kitchen quite a bit. Borock bumped into him in bar one night.

Not that it helps you, but still a cool story bro!

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32 minutes ago, SpeakUpSonny said:

Ox Baker without the 'stache?

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTO-fqE_OOrVJymU7sm2Iy

There is a strong similarity, but this is more like how Fisk looks after a fight with Spider-Man or Daredevil...

PlanNine_10.jpg&f=1&nofb=1

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Since he drew King Pin pretty much exactly the same as Romita I would venture that Romita's KP was the inspiration for his KP.

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