Graphic novel icon Frank Miller let his conniving producing partner screw his faithful business manager out of more than a million bucks ... according to a new lawsuit.
Mark Lichtman says he worked for Miller for 28 years -- on projects like "Sin City," "300," "The Spirit" and "Sin City 2" -- until "producer" Silenn Thomas came on the scene in 2006. According to docs, Thomas started defaming Lichtman in order to force him out of the picture.
In the suit, Lichtman says his contract entitled him to 10 percent commission from all of Miller's projects, and everything was copacetic until Thomas started calling him incompetent and senile. He says Miller's attorney told him he was fired in August 2014.
Even after that, Lichtman says Thomas sent him nasty emails calling him a "bad jew" for demanding his 10 percent for Miller's projects. Then things got sad in 2016 -- Lichtman says he heard Frank really missed him and wondered where he'd gone ... leading Lichtman to believe Frank never wanted to fire him.
Still, Lichtman's suing Miller and Thomas for more than $1 million.
Sources close to Miller say the lawsuit is suspiciously timed, since Comic Con's going down this weekend. They add there's little merit to these claims.