While we've already delivered a heap of get-excited quotage from "The Spirit" director Frank Miller, we're always interested in more from the iconic comic book writer/artist-turned-big budget Hollywood auteur -- especially when he's talking funnybooks. Thankfully, SuperHeroHype has our hook-up today, with an extensive, in-depth Miller interview about his relationship with "Spirit" creator (and war hero), Will Eisner, and the lessons learned from him.

For Miller, working on "The Spirit" apparently started long before being offered the chance to direct the film.

"I was just probably about 13 years old, and came across 'Will Eisner's The Spirit' as published by Jim Warren, and was blown away," said Miller in the SHH.com interview. "I thought it was somebody new to comics because it was so far ahead of anything else coming out. I followed it religiously. There was one night where I picked up the latest issue of 'The Spirit' and I was so excited, I had to stop by a lamppost in Vermont, where I lived, and read it on the spot. It was the Sand Serif story, which was the basis of this movie."

As Miller rose through the ranks to his now legendary status as a comic book creator, his paths eventually crossed with Eisner's, and the two formed a rather unlikely bond given their two contrasting styles when it came to comics.

"Will seemed pretty dedicated to comics as a form of literature, and I was always interested when it's being related more to cinema -- He and I argued about it constantly," recalled Miller. "I felt that Eisner's work was specifically designed for adults, not for children, and wanted to bring the real life adult motive of the Sand Serif story, which is that it's his long-lost love whose gone bad, and as an adult and a cop, he's gotta bring her in. Their kiss at the end is the perfect culmination of that."

And despite Eisner's staunch pro-comics stance (as well as his unfortunate passing in 2005), he did offer up suggestions to Miller for the then in-development project.

"[Eisner] said that he didn't want The Spirit to ever hold a gun," said Miller. "That was his bottom line, and I knew from knowing him and knowing his work that the women better be beautiful, and that the hero should be righteous and follow a 1940's code of morality, gentlemanly conduct. There was one point in the shoot where Eva as Sand Serif walks out of the bathroom with steam behind her, and Gabriel/The Spirit suggested that perhaps it would be simpler if he walked in, and I told him, 'No, because no gentleman would ever walk into a woman's bathroom without an invitation.'"

But what about Miller's own comic book work? Besides sporadic issues of DC Comics' "All Star Batman & Robin" (which he writes) Miller has clearly been focusing his attention more on Hollywood.

"It's been a while since I published any [comics]," said Miller. "There's 'Holy Terror, Batman,' which is about 40 pages from completion now and there's 'The Spirit Storyboards' which will be coming out. There's hundreds of them and it's going to be a big fat book when it comes out. But right now, I'm in love with directing, so it's slowing down my comic book work."

Speak up, "Spirit" fans -- are you happy with what Miller has done with the character, or would you've liked to see him draw from Eisner's vision more? And would you like to see more comics or movies from Miller in the future? Discuss in the comments.