In 1990, Frank Miller had already become a legend thanks to the groundbreaking work he had done on Batman The Dark Knight Returns, Ronin and Daredevil: Born Again. He followed up this streak of masterpieces with the incredible mini-series for Dark Horse Comics called Give Me Liberty. A collaborative work with Dave Gibbons (The Watchmen, Green Lantern) providing the art and Angus McKie (Luther Arkwright: Heart of Empire) the lavish colors, Give Me Liberty remains his most innovative and inspiring works to date.
Telling the story of a future America where all of the nation’s harshest failures are expounded upon, creating a country built on greed, corruption and self-destruction, the hero is the tough-as-nails Martha Washington. Martha grew up in the Cabrini Green Housing Project in Chicago, dodging a group of the hardest and most desperate thugs attempting to mutilate and molest her. While she struggled, the country outside the walls took shape under the leadership of the first US resident to serve two consecutive terms and rot away the spirit of the country, President Rexall.
After murdering the gangleader who terrorized the housing project, Martha is institutionalized for years. During that time, the sickness that has gotten hold of America festers and stews. Rexall has enraged both the Native American Nation, while a misfired defense satellite destroys oil fields in Saudi Arabia, leading to increased hostilities. Budget cuts cause the streets to become flooded with criminals and mentally ill citizens that the system cannot afford to house.
Martha Washington joins up with the corporate-funded Army, PAX, to fight in a war in the Amazon against renegade cattle industrialists… using a walking tank fashioned out of a Big Boy Burger statue. After an attack on the White House kills nearly the entire United States government officials, the unlikely Secretary of Agriculture becomes President by default. An upstanding, fairly innocent and well-meaning man, his presidency has an auspicious and positive start in which he awards Martha with a medal for serving her country. She tells him of the state of living in the Cabrini Green. Teary-eyed, he vows to set things right. He closes the Green and makes peace with the Native American Nation and all seems to going in the right direction… before things get horribly worse than anyone could anticipate.
As she progresses throughout her adventures, Martha obtains a clearer view of the horror that her world holds, and faces each one of them with grim determination. Part social commentary, part blockbuster movie, Give Me Liberty is full of poignant and brilliant ideas, emotive characters and gorgeous art from Gibbons and McKie.
Give Me Liberty spawned a series of sequels, including Martha Washington Goes to War, Happy Birthday Martha Washington, Martha Washington Stranded in Space (with another Frank Miller creation, Big Guy) and Martha Washington Saves the World.
Fourteen years after he began the series, Frank Miller has just released the final chapter, Martha Washington Dies. Set on her one-hundredth birthday, the story features Martha’s final adventure as she comes face to face with the penultimate truth about the world she lives in.
Included in this comic is a selection of production sketches from the whole series including original artwork and designs, the initial plot line by Frank Miller and other surprises all for under the price of the new issue of X-Men.
Frank Miller is one of the first comic book creators I connected with as a fan and reader and still I find this to be his most evocative creation. If it slipped you by, make sure to pick up the books. Strangely, this is one comic book series that has not been given the deluxe ‘Absolute’ treatment or even a hardcover collection.
While this is a bummer to collectors like me, it’s a boon to those of you looking for a budget read.
Suggested Reading:
Give Me Liberty
Martha Washington Goes to War
Daredevil Legends Vol. II: Born Again
The Complete Frank Miller Batman (Deluxe Leatherbound Series)
Ronin
