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Sin City #1-7
Frank Miller's Complete Sin City Library
This bundle contains all seven volumes of Frank Miller's landmark Sin City, the hard-boiled stories that started it all! The books that inspired the critically-acclaimed film, the now-infamous Marv, Dwight, Gail, Miho, Hartigan, Nancy, and theYellow Bastard will transport you to Sin City and show you the bloody lives they lead ... bloody by choice or by circumstance.
Frank Miller's Sin City is a triumph for its fiercely independent creator, and has been honored with Eisner awards, Harvey awards, and the prestigious National Cartoonists' Award.
1456 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
78 people are currently reading
2020 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
937 books5,280 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
December 19, 2021
After long years spent locked down, sick and ailing -- an invalid by law, unable to go anywhere or say anything, he was finally free and healthy.
Frank Miller had suddenly kicked down the door, pulled Comics Noir roughly out of bed, tossed him a new suit, and slapped him hard when he started to whine. When Miller and Noir were back on the street, as the sickly man breathed in the cold night air, and examined the long shadows being cast by the streetlights, he began to look and feel younger, healthier. He even felt a pride creeping in through his pores, enough to straighten his back and hold his head up high. Miller obviously had a plan. Even if it led to a bloody mess and terrible reviews, there was no going back now. He had to let Miller's momentum carry them both forward, away from his apartment/jail, and into whatever hell might be waiting.
They hailed a cab, and Miller found a bar called the Dark Horse, where Comics Noir rediscovered his love for Bourbon and cigarettes. Miller spoke in a soft, even tone about the job, which involved a place called Basin City. When he described the other players in his little scheme -- Marv and Dwight and a cop named Hartigan, Noir was uncertain, but simply shook his head. Miller gave him a hard look, and might have had something in mind, but Noir met his gaze.
'Hit me again and I'll fucking kill you. I appreciate you thought enough of me to wreck my door and drag a sick man out into the cold, but... I dunno. I'm still on parole. I've had this goddamn Comics Code Authority 'Seal' on my wrist for 35 years.' He paused, pulled up the cuff to display the bracelet, and studied his hands. They looked a lot like Miller's hands. 'Alright, fuck it. What's the worst that could happen?'
Frank Miller smiled at that, or something else; it was impossible to tell with him. He pointed to the CCA Seal. 'That piece of shit stopped working a few months ago. If you're worried about the CCA -- don't be. Those motherfuckers are done playing their sick little power games. I'm glad to see you've still got some balls. Let's make this happen.'
That's when Miller decided the time was right to go a little deeper into the bloody trash bag, give him all the nasty details about Marv, Goldie, the farm, and Kevin; he went all-in on Dwight, Hartigan, that Yellow Bastard of Roark's, and Wallace. But Noir didn't even blink. He smiled, and showed his teeth.
The next day, Comics Noir and Frank Miller made their way to 'Sin City', hoping that all the nasty shit they'd heard was wrong, and that the truth was actually much, much worse.
On A More Helpful Note:
This really is a big damn book, and I have many big books in my collection. Its' 9" wide by 12.5" tall format is impressive, but that's not SO big compared to the 16" x 21" Little Nemo editions, or Kramer's Ergot 7. And now that omnibus editions are fairly common, 1400 pages doesn't seem that surprising... Comix 2000 was 2000 pages, and The Invisibles Omnibus (for example) is over 1500 pages. But when you combine the XL dimensions with the page-count -- wow. It's a huge, heavy, beautiful book. Dark Horse deserve credit for the care they take to produce quality volumes, using the best grade paper-stock, cover-boards and binding, while keeping the price at a reasonable level. In stark contrast, DC uses the lowest grade materials they can get away with, and almost always set an MSRP higher than other publishers. DC's Absolute Editions, which are excellent books, can't compare with this colossal release; and yet, Big Damn Sin City is more affordable than Absolute volumes that are the same size and 1/4 the length.
Anyone who is contemplating this purchase is no doubt a long-time Sin City fan, or at the least a hardcore fan of more recent acquaintance. In the near quarter-century since the first classic story featuring 'Marv' was serialized in Dark Horse Presents, a great many 'Comics Noir' titles have revived a genre that was nearly dead before Frank Miller blew everyone away. After Sin City, there emerged a wealth of high-caliber crime comics -- Stray Bullets by David Lapham, Whiteout, Queen & Country, and Stumptown by Greg Rucka, Azzarello and Risso's 100 Bullets, Blacksad by J.D. Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, Scene of the Crime, Criminal, and Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and Richard Stark's Parker by Darwyn Cooke. These works are brilliant examples of crime comics done right, mature, thoughtful storytelling that examines our deepest fears and desires, refusing to pull punches. Sin City, though very different from the titles listed above, was an obvious inspiration for them all; ever since 1956, when the Kefauver Senate Subcommittee Hearings stigmatized comics and led to the draconian self-censorship of the Comics Code Authority, the crime and horror genres had disappeared from the racks. Frank Miller purposely left DC for Dark Horse, a new publisher at the time, and one of the first to release comics that didn't bear the CCA seal (the 'seal' meant distributors were allowed to ship a comic to convenience stores, gas stations, newspaper kiosks, etc. By threatening a publisher with a 'seal refusal', it meant that the vast network of newspaper and magazine distributors in North America would not ship the title). The emergence of specialty comic shops in the 80's, combined with the 'comic boom' of the late 80's and early 90's, gave creators a chance to leave the slavery of DC and Marvel behind. Miller also wanted ownership of his characters, something Dark Horse was very willing to do, thereby attracting other popular comic creators seeking artistic freedom, most notably Mike Mignola, whose Hellboy Universe of comics, books and films have been a huge success. Sin City was the first great creator-owned title produced by a DC-Marvel refugee. Everything about it, from the stunning black and white art to the raw language, explicit sex and nudity, and shocking violence, felt as though each new page could reveal something amazing, and it usually did. The interconnected characters and plots, the recurring locales, all made 'Basin City' feel like a real place, as real as New York or Boston. Creating an entire city and instilling it with a personality and atmosphere of its own is an impressive feat, and one few writers pull off.
Although I already own the trade paperbacks collecting the various series and one-shots, as a hardcore fan I've been waiting for something like this, but expected a multi-volume deluxe hardcover series of reprints. This omnibus volume exceeded all my expectations: an over-sized presentation of a brilliant artist at his peak, and a master storyteller's greatest work. The only thing I would've liked to see included that wasn't, no doubt trying to keep the already massive page-count to a manageable size, are the covers -- for the single issues that make up 'The Big Fat Kill', 'That Yellow Bastard', and 'Hell and Back', which were illustrated by Miller and featured beautifully painted colors by his wife, Lynn Varley. As well, the original run of Sin City through the 90's inspired a number of pin-ups by some very popular and talented artists, which aren't essential, but would have made for interesting extras. Finally, an introduction or afterword by the Man himself would have been appropriate, if this monumental Omnibus is going to serve as a tombstone for Sin City. The painted covers for the 1st TPB printings of every book but 'The Hard Goodbye' ARE included however, providing attractive introductions for each story (which may be the reason they didn't include them; each TPB cover acts as a 'story break'; having painted single-issue 'chapter-breaks' on some stories, but not others, would make for a confusing and inconsistent design flaw; but a cover-gallery at the end would do nicely). The paper-stock, as is so often the case with Dark Horse, is high-grade, a thick, glossy, acid-free paper. After seeing the difference between black & white art by Miller, Jaime Hernandez or David Lapham printed on glossy 'Arctic White' (150gr/or better), it is by far the ideal choice, providing a high-contrast distinction, with cleaner lines and spot-blacks. The painted colors from one particular chapter of 'Hell & Back' are reproduced perfectly, and of course, the color-specific characters like the Yellow Bastard and the blue-clothed Delia add a little variety to his stunning B&W art. A must for Frank Miller fans.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
Frank Miller had suddenly kicked down the door, pulled Comics Noir roughly out of bed, tossed him a new suit, and slapped him hard when he started to whine. When Miller and Noir were back on the street, as the sickly man breathed in the cold night air, and examined the long shadows being cast by the streetlights, he began to look and feel younger, healthier. He even felt a pride creeping in through his pores, enough to straighten his back and hold his head up high. Miller obviously had a plan. Even if it led to a bloody mess and terrible reviews, there was no going back now. He had to let Miller's momentum carry them both forward, away from his apartment/jail, and into whatever hell might be waiting.
They hailed a cab, and Miller found a bar called the Dark Horse, where Comics Noir rediscovered his love for Bourbon and cigarettes. Miller spoke in a soft, even tone about the job, which involved a place called Basin City. When he described the other players in his little scheme -- Marv and Dwight and a cop named Hartigan, Noir was uncertain, but simply shook his head. Miller gave him a hard look, and might have had something in mind, but Noir met his gaze.
'Hit me again and I'll fucking kill you. I appreciate you thought enough of me to wreck my door and drag a sick man out into the cold, but... I dunno. I'm still on parole. I've had this goddamn Comics Code Authority 'Seal' on my wrist for 35 years.' He paused, pulled up the cuff to display the bracelet, and studied his hands. They looked a lot like Miller's hands. 'Alright, fuck it. What's the worst that could happen?'
Frank Miller smiled at that, or something else; it was impossible to tell with him. He pointed to the CCA Seal. 'That piece of shit stopped working a few months ago. If you're worried about the CCA -- don't be. Those motherfuckers are done playing their sick little power games. I'm glad to see you've still got some balls. Let's make this happen.'
That's when Miller decided the time was right to go a little deeper into the bloody trash bag, give him all the nasty details about Marv, Goldie, the farm, and Kevin; he went all-in on Dwight, Hartigan, that Yellow Bastard of Roark's, and Wallace. But Noir didn't even blink. He smiled, and showed his teeth.
The next day, Comics Noir and Frank Miller made their way to 'Sin City', hoping that all the nasty shit they'd heard was wrong, and that the truth was actually much, much worse.
On A More Helpful Note:
This really is a big damn book, and I have many big books in my collection. Its' 9" wide by 12.5" tall format is impressive, but that's not SO big compared to the 16" x 21" Little Nemo editions, or Kramer's Ergot 7. And now that omnibus editions are fairly common, 1400 pages doesn't seem that surprising... Comix 2000 was 2000 pages, and The Invisibles Omnibus (for example) is over 1500 pages. But when you combine the XL dimensions with the page-count -- wow. It's a huge, heavy, beautiful book. Dark Horse deserve credit for the care they take to produce quality volumes, using the best grade paper-stock, cover-boards and binding, while keeping the price at a reasonable level. In stark contrast, DC uses the lowest grade materials they can get away with, and almost always set an MSRP higher than other publishers. DC's Absolute Editions, which are excellent books, can't compare with this colossal release; and yet, Big Damn Sin City is more affordable than Absolute volumes that are the same size and 1/4 the length.
Anyone who is contemplating this purchase is no doubt a long-time Sin City fan, or at the least a hardcore fan of more recent acquaintance. In the near quarter-century since the first classic story featuring 'Marv' was serialized in Dark Horse Presents, a great many 'Comics Noir' titles have revived a genre that was nearly dead before Frank Miller blew everyone away. After Sin City, there emerged a wealth of high-caliber crime comics -- Stray Bullets by David Lapham, Whiteout, Queen & Country, and Stumptown by Greg Rucka, Azzarello and Risso's 100 Bullets, Blacksad by J.D. Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, Scene of the Crime, Criminal, and Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and Richard Stark's Parker by Darwyn Cooke. These works are brilliant examples of crime comics done right, mature, thoughtful storytelling that examines our deepest fears and desires, refusing to pull punches. Sin City, though very different from the titles listed above, was an obvious inspiration for them all; ever since 1956, when the Kefauver Senate Subcommittee Hearings stigmatized comics and led to the draconian self-censorship of the Comics Code Authority, the crime and horror genres had disappeared from the racks. Frank Miller purposely left DC for Dark Horse, a new publisher at the time, and one of the first to release comics that didn't bear the CCA seal (the 'seal' meant distributors were allowed to ship a comic to convenience stores, gas stations, newspaper kiosks, etc. By threatening a publisher with a 'seal refusal', it meant that the vast network of newspaper and magazine distributors in North America would not ship the title). The emergence of specialty comic shops in the 80's, combined with the 'comic boom' of the late 80's and early 90's, gave creators a chance to leave the slavery of DC and Marvel behind. Miller also wanted ownership of his characters, something Dark Horse was very willing to do, thereby attracting other popular comic creators seeking artistic freedom, most notably Mike Mignola, whose Hellboy Universe of comics, books and films have been a huge success. Sin City was the first great creator-owned title produced by a DC-Marvel refugee. Everything about it, from the stunning black and white art to the raw language, explicit sex and nudity, and shocking violence, felt as though each new page could reveal something amazing, and it usually did. The interconnected characters and plots, the recurring locales, all made 'Basin City' feel like a real place, as real as New York or Boston. Creating an entire city and instilling it with a personality and atmosphere of its own is an impressive feat, and one few writers pull off.
Although I already own the trade paperbacks collecting the various series and one-shots, as a hardcore fan I've been waiting for something like this, but expected a multi-volume deluxe hardcover series of reprints. This omnibus volume exceeded all my expectations: an over-sized presentation of a brilliant artist at his peak, and a master storyteller's greatest work. The only thing I would've liked to see included that wasn't, no doubt trying to keep the already massive page-count to a manageable size, are the covers -- for the single issues that make up 'The Big Fat Kill', 'That Yellow Bastard', and 'Hell and Back', which were illustrated by Miller and featured beautifully painted colors by his wife, Lynn Varley. As well, the original run of Sin City through the 90's inspired a number of pin-ups by some very popular and talented artists, which aren't essential, but would have made for interesting extras. Finally, an introduction or afterword by the Man himself would have been appropriate, if this monumental Omnibus is going to serve as a tombstone for Sin City. The painted covers for the 1st TPB printings of every book but 'The Hard Goodbye' ARE included however, providing attractive introductions for each story (which may be the reason they didn't include them; each TPB cover acts as a 'story break'; having painted single-issue 'chapter-breaks' on some stories, but not others, would make for a confusing and inconsistent design flaw; but a cover-gallery at the end would do nicely). The paper-stock, as is so often the case with Dark Horse, is high-grade, a thick, glossy, acid-free paper. After seeing the difference between black & white art by Miller, Jaime Hernandez or David Lapham printed on glossy 'Arctic White' (150gr/or better), it is by far the ideal choice, providing a high-contrast distinction, with cleaner lines and spot-blacks. The painted colors from one particular chapter of 'Hell & Back' are reproduced perfectly, and of course, the color-specific characters like the Yellow Bastard and the blue-clothed Delia add a little variety to his stunning B&W art. A must for Frank Miller fans.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
October 5, 2023
Every long series needs an edition like this. A huge deluxe book collecting every Sin City story and a bunch of extras too.
Sin City is a quick read, so even at 1300 pages this won't take a ton of time to get through. For my money, this is Frank Miller's peak. The artwork and storytelling is fantastic throughout.
Sin City is a quick read, so even at 1300 pages this won't take a ton of time to get through. For my money, this is Frank Miller's peak. The artwork and storytelling is fantastic throughout.
July 21, 2014
This book collects the integrality of Frank Miller's Sin City work.
There are 6 stories + a bunch of short story grouped together under the title Booze, Broads, & Bullets
My individual review for each story is the following :
- The Hard GoodBye : this is the best story and gets a well deserved 5 stars. It was featured in the first Sin City movie and is graphically by far the best and has some of the best lines. This is the story of Marv and his search for the killers of Goldie.
- A Dame to kill for . This gets a 4 stars. This is the story on which the second movie is based on and features Dwight. This is a classic polar story about a woman taking advantage of a man's love to further her own agenda.
- The big Fat Kill . An action packed story featuring Dwight again and that was in the first movie. It gets 4 stars. It deals with Dwight attempt at making the body of dead cop disappear before the cop notices than the Old Town girls have killed him.
- That Yellow Bastard . Another majestic story that gets 5 stars. It was masterfully interpreted by Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba in the movie (who can forget sweet Nancy Callahan). It has the second best writing of all the stories.( An old man dies, A young woman lives. Fair trade.)
- Family Values : A story of revenge featuring Dwight again and Miho in the middle of gang war. A 4 stars.
- Booze, Broads, & Bullets : a collection of really short stories that gets a 3 stars. The stories are good but too short.
- Hell and Back A big story that introduces a war hero called Wallace. In a way it is probably the most optimistic of the stories due to the ending and it gets a nice 4 stars.
Overall this is a must read for any fan of comic or polar.
I am convinced that The Hard GoodBye and That Yellow Bastard will remain classics for years to come.
There are 6 stories + a bunch of short story grouped together under the title Booze, Broads, & Bullets
My individual review for each story is the following :
- The Hard GoodBye : this is the best story and gets a well deserved 5 stars. It was featured in the first Sin City movie and is graphically by far the best and has some of the best lines. This is the story of Marv and his search for the killers of Goldie.
- A Dame to kill for . This gets a 4 stars. This is the story on which the second movie is based on and features Dwight. This is a classic polar story about a woman taking advantage of a man's love to further her own agenda.
- The big Fat Kill . An action packed story featuring Dwight again and that was in the first movie. It gets 4 stars. It deals with Dwight attempt at making the body of dead cop disappear before the cop notices than the Old Town girls have killed him.
- That Yellow Bastard . Another majestic story that gets 5 stars. It was masterfully interpreted by Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba in the movie (who can forget sweet Nancy Callahan). It has the second best writing of all the stories.( An old man dies, A young woman lives. Fair trade.)
- Family Values : A story of revenge featuring Dwight again and Miho in the middle of gang war. A 4 stars.
- Booze, Broads, & Bullets : a collection of really short stories that gets a 3 stars. The stories are good but too short.
- Hell and Back A big story that introduces a war hero called Wallace. In a way it is probably the most optimistic of the stories due to the ending and it gets a nice 4 stars.
Overall this is a must read for any fan of comic or polar.
I am convinced that The Hard GoodBye and That Yellow Bastard will remain classics for years to come.
May 28, 2021
Така и не станах особен почитател на комиксите. С няколко изключения, а Син Сити със сигурност е любимият ми комикс - нещо, което не е от вчера, или оня ден...
Няколко думи за епичното по размери и тегло (4,5 кила!) издание, събрало всички истории от Бeйсин сити в едно. Добро качество - нито веднъж не се притесних, че ще се повреди от собственото си тегло. Добра и дебела хартия, способна да поеме литрите черно мастило, които са се излели върху нея.
През 90-те, когато си беше живо щастие да имаш собствен компютър с интернет (през телефонната линия, 3-4 килобайта в секунда!), ми попадна някаква кратка история от Син Сити, вече не помня как. Знаех добре какво е комикс по това време (имаше достатъчно) - серия цветни картинки, в които добрите бият лошите... В последствие изнамерих де що имаше от него в не-безкрайния интернет тогава :)
Няколкото картинки на Франк Милър, свалени за достатъчно дълго време на компютъра, преобърна всичко това с хастара навън - цветове има рядко, персонажи-добряци - почти никога. Като тийнейджър ми харесаха насилието и голотиите, но в последствие възприех комикса като това, което е - нещо съвсем различно.
Това за мен е КОМИКСЪТ, който се надявам да бъде надминат някога, но чакам вече над 20 години. Някои успяват да се доближат, но не повече. Продължавам да мечтая за нови истории, макар и да съм силно скептичен.
П.П. Съвсем преднамерено го четох 5 месеца - удължаването на акта повишава количеството получено удоволствие (понякога и в четенето)!
Няколко думи за епичното по размери и тегло (4,5 кила!) издание, събрало всички истории от Бeйсин сити в едно. Добро качество - нито веднъж не се притесних, че ще се повреди от собственото си тегло. Добра и дебела хартия, способна да поеме литрите черно мастило, които са се излели върху нея.
През 90-те, когато си беше живо щастие да имаш собствен компютър с интернет (през телефонната линия, 3-4 килобайта в секунда!), ми попадна някаква кратка история от Син Сити, вече не помня как. Знаех добре какво е комикс по това време (имаше достатъчно) - серия цветни картинки, в които добрите бият лошите... В последствие изнамерих де що имаше от него в не-безкрайния интернет тогава :)
Няколкото картинки на Франк Милър, свалени за достатъчно дълго време на компютъра, преобърна всичко това с хастара навън - цветове има рядко, персонажи-добряци - почти никога. Като тийнейджър ми харесаха насилието и голотиите, но в последствие възприех комикса като това, което е - нещо съвсем различно.
Това за мен е КОМИКСЪТ, който се надявам да бъде надминат някога, но чакам вече над 20 години. Някои успяват да се доближат, но не повече. Продължавам да мечтая за нови истории, макар и да съм силно скептичен.
П.П. Съвсем преднамерено го четох 5 месеца - удължаването на акта повишава количеството получено удоволствие (понякога и в четенето)!
February 7, 2021
Черно-бялата епопея на Франк Милър в епична цялост:
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
Има нещо символично, че скоро четох и два сборника на Реймънд Чандлър, има много паралели в световете и героите на двамата, само дето при класика има изобилие от черен хумор, докато при Милър е бездна от страх, болка, насилие и малко отчаяна смелост и саможертва, които да оставят пламъчето на надеждата да мъждука. Психопатични криминални типове се сбъскват с антигерои, а фатални жени са ту жертви, ту смъртоносни валкирии, които се разправят безмилостно с идиотската идея за управляван от мъжете свят. “Син сити” е вселена от черно-бяла емоция, от смразяващи кръвта сцени, но и от изключителна красота, създадена чрез низостите на човешката природа. И когато в един момент се появиха и някои други цветове, те послужиха само да придадат още повече дълбочина на черното и бялото, на ин и ян, на вечното противопоставяне, което води началото си от митологиите.
Artline Studios
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
Има нещо символично, че скоро четох и два сборника на Реймънд Чандлър, има много паралели в световете и героите на двамата, само дето при класика има изобилие от черен хумор, докато при Милър е бездна от страх, болка, насилие и малко отчаяна смелост и саможертва, които да оставят пламъчето на надеждата да мъждука. Психопатични криминални типове се сбъскват с антигерои, а фатални жени са ту жертви, ту смъртоносни валкирии, които се разправят безмилостно с идиотската идея за управляван от мъжете свят. “Син сити” е вселена от черно-бяла емоция, от смразяващи кръвта сцени, но и от изключителна красота, създадена чрез низостите на човешката природа. И когато в един момент се появиха и някои други цветове, те послужиха само да придадат още повече дълбочина на черното и бялото, на ин и ян, на вечното противопоставяне, което води началото си от митологиите.
Artline Studios
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/g...
December 26, 2020
Голяма проклета борба беше четенето на тоя книжен мастодонт, но си заслужи и болките в гърба, и схванатите крайници. Франк Милър гради своята греховна Вселена с ин-ян - вещина, умело ползвайки едновременния конфликт и взаимно допълване на черното и бялото, мрака и светлината, играта на светлосенките, загатнатите силуети... Много от панелите са изчистени като рекламни лога, чат-пат в кадър небрежно влизат продукти, станали неизменна част от американската субкултура, тук - кец Converse, там - пакет Marlboro, но всичко се случва естествено, не насилено като продуктово позициониране в клет български сериал; от време на време се мярка и по някой цветен акцент - ярко червена рокля, болнаво жълт тен на кожата, сини очи - за да подсили облика на даден персонаж. При Франк Милър няма изцяло добри герои (с изключение може би на коравото ченге Хартиган), но много от тях - наемни убийци, проститутки, побойници - не са изначално лоши, а просто са принудени от обстоятелствата да вършат кофти неща, което не е попречило да съхранят светлинка под шлаката мръсотия в душите им. Сюжетите се въртят най-общо казано около вечната тема престъпление/наказание и злите типове неизменно се сблъскват с въздадената справедливост посред естествения декор на улиците, хотелските стаи и баровете на Бей(Син) Сити. Изключително атмосферен е и начинът на поднасянето им - чрез пространни монолози, водени от първо лице и пропили духа на noir криминалните драми на Дашиъл Хамет и Реймънд Чандлър.
Солидният том, и БГ-комикс-събитието за 2020, според скромното ми мнение, включва четирите графични новели, вече излизали под шапката на Артлайн Студиос (Sin City Част 1: Тежкото сбогуване, Sin City Част 2: Жена, за която да убиеш, Sin City Част 3: Голямото тлъсто убийство и Sin City Част 4: Жълтото копеле) и още три, които правят дебют на родния пазар.
Семейни достойнства беше може би единствената графична новела, чийто арт не ми хареса - прекалено схематичен ми дойде, а и историята не блестеше особено на фона на останалите.
Пиячка, мацки и куршуми се оказа симпатичен сборник с кратки епизоди, някои от по три-четири страници (Просто още една съботна вечер, Дебелака и Хлапето, Клиентът винаги е прав, Тиха нощ, И зад врата №3, Сини очи, Плъхове, Момиченцето на татко, Погрешен завой/Погрешен маршрут и Мацето носеше червено), в които се мяркат стари познайници като Марв, Дуайт, Дъглас Клъмп, Бърт Шлъб...
До ада и обратно ме изкефи на макс, пък и съдържаше доста цветни страници, представящи супер забавно наркотичния трип на упоения главен герой.
Солидният том, и БГ-комикс-събитието за 2020, според скромното ми мнение, включва четирите графични новели, вече излизали под шапката на Артлайн Студиос (Sin City Част 1: Тежкото сбогуване, Sin City Част 2: Жена, за която да убиеш, Sin City Част 3: Голямото тлъсто убийство и Sin City Част 4: Жълтото копеле) и още три, които правят дебют на родния пазар.
Семейни достойнства беше може би единствената графична новела, чийто арт не ми хареса - прекалено схематичен ми дойде, а и историята не блестеше особено на фона на останалите.
Пиячка, мацки и куршуми се оказа симпатичен сборник с кратки епизоди, някои от по три-четири страници (Просто още една съботна вечер, Дебелака и Хлапето, Клиентът винаги е прав, Тиха нощ, И зад врата №3, Сини очи, Плъхове, Момиченцето на татко, Погрешен завой/Погрешен маршрут и Мацето носеше червено), в които се мяркат стари познайници като Марв, Дуайт, Дъглас Клъмп, Бърт Шлъб...
До ада и обратно ме изкефи на макс, пък и съдържаше доста цветни страници, представящи супер забавно наркотичния трип на упоения главен герой.
July 31, 2025
Sinful.
The whole thing. The entire Sin City 7 comic collection, in all its glorious B&W noir-ness.
What can I say? It lives up to its fame, at least the first two volumes.
But the movie!
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2005] [1456p] [Collection] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Sin City #1 - The Hard Goodbye.
★★★★☆ Sin City #2 - A Dame to Kill For. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #3 - The Big Fat Kill. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #4 - That Yellow Bastard.
★★★☆☆ Sin City #5 - Family Values. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #6 - Booze, Broads, and Bullets.
★★★☆☆ Sin City #7 - Hell and Back. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #1-7 Complete Set.
-----------------------------------------------
Pecaminoso,
Todo el mambo. Toda la colección completa de 7 cómics de Sin City, en todo su glorioso estilo noir de blanco y negro.
¿Qué puedo decir? Está a la altura de su fama, al menos los primeros dos volúmenes.
¡Pero la película!
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2005] [1456p] [Colección] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
The whole thing. The entire Sin City 7 comic collection, in all its glorious B&W noir-ness.
What can I say? It lives up to its fame, at least the first two volumes.
But the movie!
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2005] [1456p] [Collection] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
★★★★☆ Sin City #1 - The Hard Goodbye.
★★★★☆ Sin City #2 - A Dame to Kill For. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #3 - The Big Fat Kill. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #4 - That Yellow Bastard.
★★★☆☆ Sin City #5 - Family Values. [2.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #6 - Booze, Broads, and Bullets.
★★★☆☆ Sin City #7 - Hell and Back. [3.5]
★★★☆☆ Sin City #1-7 Complete Set.
-----------------------------------------------
Pecaminoso,
Todo el mambo. Toda la colección completa de 7 cómics de Sin City, en todo su glorioso estilo noir de blanco y negro.
¿Qué puedo decir? Está a la altura de su fama, al menos los primeros dos volúmenes.
¡Pero la película!
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2005] [1456p] [Colección] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
April 28, 2021
I can’t actually remember when I bought this book, though i do remember it was on sale. I had already read the graphic novels borrowed from someone else, but I wanted to own it myself as well.
I really enjoyed Sin City. The drawing is unique, it’s all black and white, the shading is often different from what you would expect; black for white and white for black. I didn’t find it confusing, and it was interesting to see how different aspects of a scene was emphasized. In one of the comics, “Old Yellow Bastard”, yellow is added, but only for the antagonist.
This is definitely an R-rated graphic novel (maybe X, hard to say), so be warned the themes are not for kids.
I really enjoyed Sin City. The drawing is unique, it’s all black and white, the shading is often different from what you would expect; black for white and white for black. I didn’t find it confusing, and it was interesting to see how different aspects of a scene was emphasized. In one of the comics, “Old Yellow Bastard”, yellow is added, but only for the antagonist.
This is definitely an R-rated graphic novel (maybe X, hard to say), so be warned the themes are not for kids.
May 16, 2021
Колкото ми беше неудобно да го чета, същото толкова му се израдвах. Това трябва да говори достатъчно.
January 26, 2021
Good God this is a hefty tome. If you are lucky enough to have this bad boy in your collection, you will know what I mean. An omnibus, though the size of a library edition. Its not only the most beautiful way to own what is probably Frank Miller's greatest comic book run, but can double as a bicep building bruiser, should you want it to. I had seen the first Sin City movie before picking this up to read. I really rather liked the movie. An amazing comic book movie before comic book movies were about the only thing Hollywood seemed to be churning out, only in this case, they had done away with the usual more child friendly content to make a gut wrenching, violent tale of betrayal & revenge, Loyalty and honour. The first thing you may notice upon your first read (and you will definitely want to read this more than once) is several of the seven novella length story arcs made up a very faithful retelling in the movie. Miller stuck to his scripts and storyboards like glue. So much so that if memory faithfully serves, you will know panels and dialogue before you have even turned the page. Some may seen that as a downside, although when the stories are so damn gritty and well told, who really cares. Marv, Goldie, Dwight, Costigan, the Girls of Oldtown and the other memorable characters that come and go throughout the story are so entrancing they leap off the page, thanks in no small part to Miller's simple yet amazing pencil work. This was the first black and white comic I had read, and I was more than a little worried that I wouldn't like it after so many coloured reads, although those worries were quickly dispelled after a few moments with Big Damn. Miller's knew exactly what he was doing here, and boy does it show. The occasional splashes of blues, golds and reds are poignant accoutrements to the stark black and white. Beautiful and bad ass ladies, beefy and brawny dudes and a series of plots that will keep you turning the pages like your life depended on it. Granted, one or two of the arcs don't quite live up to the others, but there are no stinkers here. I am an absolute sucker for a well told story with be. Believable and brutal dialogue, so Sin City is basically my wet dream. I couldn't get enough of these characters and dialogue, even though I knew half of what they would say and who would live and die before I even turned a page, I was still gripped. The stories I didn't know surprised and thrilled with a twist or two at the end I didn't foresee either.
Sin City is what so may comics used to be. Dark, violent and unapologetic. its exactly how I like my stories to be told. And while I might pine for the days when this was the norm rather than a brilliant diamond consigned for the most part (or at least for now) to the dustbin or artistry and individual integrity, I'll keep returning to Sin City over and over, cause it really is that bloody good. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
Sin City is what so may comics used to be. Dark, violent and unapologetic. its exactly how I like my stories to be told. And while I might pine for the days when this was the norm rather than a brilliant diamond consigned for the most part (or at least for now) to the dustbin or artistry and individual integrity, I'll keep returning to Sin City over and over, cause it really is that bloody good. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
December 18, 2014
Ahhh, this series. It smells the way angels oughta smell. My TPBs. My Graphic Goddesses. My Sin City.
This for me is the sole exception of what I mean when I say, "Either do too little and let me imagine or dowaaay too much." Miller somehow succeeds in balancing one of the most over-the-top, bloated, graphic tales ever to see print with oddly nuanced, intertwining threads of characters to develop a thick, contrasting web of light and darkness without ever turning it grey. Delightful seems like an odd word to use, since you most certainly don't want to hand this to your kids along with their cotton candy for this carnival of horrors.
From the first time I started reading American comics, this became an instant favorite. Gritty, melodramatic, violent, and wild, Sin City rocked my young world. I never stopped loving the simplicity of the shadows in these illustrations, and the natural gravity it gave to Miller's words. I loved that it could simultaneously be sleezy and well-composed, thought-out but impulsive and alive. Yes, I am a feminist. Yes, I get tired of women being pigeonholed as either virgin or slut.
But /my god./
This for me is the sole exception of what I mean when I say, "Either do too little and let me imagine or dowaaay too much." Miller somehow succeeds in balancing one of the most over-the-top, bloated, graphic tales ever to see print with oddly nuanced, intertwining threads of characters to develop a thick, contrasting web of light and darkness without ever turning it grey. Delightful seems like an odd word to use, since you most certainly don't want to hand this to your kids along with their cotton candy for this carnival of horrors.
From the first time I started reading American comics, this became an instant favorite. Gritty, melodramatic, violent, and wild, Sin City rocked my young world. I never stopped loving the simplicity of the shadows in these illustrations, and the natural gravity it gave to Miller's words. I loved that it could simultaneously be sleezy and well-composed, thought-out but impulsive and alive. Yes, I am a feminist. Yes, I get tired of women being pigeonholed as either virgin or slut.
But /my god./
June 15, 2017
از جمله معدود افرادی که میتونن یه دنیا رو خلق کنن، شخصیت های مناسب اون دنیا رو بسازن، قوانینی وضع کنن که در عین غیر منطقی بودن، کاملا منطقی به نظر برسن، خواننده رو در اثر غرق کنن و اونو تبدیل به بخشی از دنیای ساختگی تبدیل کنن، فرانک میلر افسانه ای هست.
7 گانه شهر گناه فرانک میلر، جزء کارهای خیلی خوب فرانک هستش. روند داستانی در 7 کتاب داستان های نوآری رو طی میکنه و با اینکه هر کدوم قسمت استند اِلونی هستند، در یک یونیورس طبقه بندی میشن و افراد از قسمت های مختلف داستان های مختلف با هم ارتباط پیدا میکنن. نمایش شهری در فساد و از اون مهم تر نمایش قهرمان داستان در هر قسمت که با اینکه اصلا فرد بی گناهی نیست و مثل یه قهرمان روتین، پاک نیست، تلاش نهایی وجدانی خودش رو انجام میده تا بتونه کار درست رو توی اون شرایطی که توش زندگی میکنه انجام بده. تقلاهای زیبایی رو تصویر کشیده. مسلما جز آثاری از میلر هستش که طرفدارانش از دست نمیدن.
7 گانه شهر گناه فرانک میلر، جزء کارهای خیلی خوب فرانک هستش. روند داستانی در 7 کتاب داستان های نوآری رو طی میکنه و با اینکه هر کدوم قسمت استند اِلونی هستند، در یک یونیورس طبقه بندی میشن و افراد از قسمت های مختلف داستان های مختلف با هم ارتباط پیدا میکنن. نمایش شهری در فساد و از اون مهم تر نمایش قهرمان داستان در هر قسمت که با اینکه اصلا فرد بی گناهی نیست و مثل یه قهرمان روتین، پاک نیست، تلاش نهایی وجدانی خودش رو انجام میده تا بتونه کار درست رو توی اون شرایطی که توش زندگی میکنه انجام بده. تقلاهای زیبایی رو تصویر کشیده. مسلما جز آثاری از میلر هستش که طرفدارانش از دست نمیدن.
February 1, 2015
Might never finish this book as I've already read the entire softcover series-run collected in this massive tome.
I'm at the beginning of Chapter 5. Book 2: A Dame To Kill For.
It's a gorgeous book. The reproductions are breathtaking.
This thing is the size of an obese nine year old and you could kill a full grown man by dropping this book on his foot.
Ridiculously massive, expensive, but necessary.
I'm at the beginning of Chapter 5. Book 2: A Dame To Kill For.
It's a gorgeous book. The reproductions are breathtaking.
This thing is the size of an obese nine year old and you could kill a full grown man by dropping this book on his foot.
Ridiculously massive, expensive, but necessary.
January 19, 2019
Books 1 - 4 are absolutely perfect. Books 5 - 7 have glimmers of greatness, but for the most part lack magic. This edition is a jewel in my horde.
January 16, 2018
Yes it’s BIG, but DAMN is Sin City good. This collects all the “yarns” Miller put together in the lovely Basin City. His minimalistic B&W art style works so well with these stories. If you’re a fan of gritty noir crime dramas with a bit of the fantastical mixed in... this is for you. If I have to find a complaint... this thing is almost too big for its own good. It’s awkward to hold and read - you either drop it on your lap and let your legs go numb... or sit at the table. The size keeps it from a perfect score.
November 5, 2018
4.5 stars
This behemoth of a book is perfect for a noir fan like me. 7 epic over the top noir tales. Dark, sexy, fast paced, and with killer artwork. Moody violent and just damn readable. Highly recommend it.
This behemoth of a book is perfect for a noir fan like me. 7 epic over the top noir tales. Dark, sexy, fast paced, and with killer artwork. Moody violent and just damn readable. Highly recommend it.
January 9, 2022
Phenomenal. So many different stories all tied together. Definitely Miller’s magnum opus.
January 10, 2021
Sin City é um universo quase hermético. Frank Miller deu aqui o seu máximo, beirando o experimental, aplicando tudo o que aprendeu antes e durante o processo criativo, e deixando mais uma vez sua marca na historia dos quadrinhos americanos, como um dos caras que melhor domina a arte e mais influenciou outros artistas (mas diga-se de passagem, vemos a mão do Will Eisner e Jack Kirby aqui tão pesada que poderia considerá-los coautores de Sin City). Nunca eu vi uma evolução tão latente, ele vai abraçando mais e mais a estética estilizada, referencias, buscando sempre o maior impacto e imersão no universo. A estoria e personagens em sua maioria são simples, por que o forte esta na narrativa e também em ver o quanto o Miller se divertiu fazendo Sin City. Vemos aqui referencias à literatura pulp policial, cinema noir, mais sobre tudo aos quadrinhos (temos spirit, hellboy, Batman, Demolidor a lista é grande).
Os personagens são claramente os heróis que conhecemos das grandes editorias, homens que resistem quando são alvejados, atravessam paredes com socos e sobrevivem a altas quedas, porém incorporados nas personas de detetives particulares, artistas, amantes de prostitutas, homens decadentes e sem importância. A motivação de todos é basicamente a mesma, e já fica a primeira critica, os protagonistas são basicamente o mesmo cara, que está sempre em busca da mulher amada, as vezes mesmo sabendo que esta sendo iludido, mas durante a leitura eu entendi por que o Miller não tem um grande protagonista durante toda a saga.
Outra coisa que não foi bem é justamente o maniqueísmo com que o autor trata os personagens, tornando eles uns imbecis (na verdade eles são, porém por questões que tangem o psicológico) e as mulheres tão frágeis e tão traiçoeiras, mas eu acho que foi de proposito, além de ser um recurso para não perder tempo demais apresentando e desenvolvendo os protagonistas, mesmo assim poderia ser mais inteligente. Uma possível inspiração para Sin city foram os romances do Raymond Chandler que apresenta protagonistas mal humorados, durões e sedutores, e mulheres ardilosas e manipuladoras, mas que também podem ser manipuladas.
Assim como os homens são parecidos e a mulheres também, as estorias por si são também. Sempre uma perseguição perigosa e mortal em busca de uma mulher, o que muda é a forma como vai acontecer e quem esta envolvido, por isso que eu digo que o mérito esta na narração em quadrinhos e nem tanto no resto e também não acho que vale a pena discorrer sobre cada arco, mas se quer uma indicação para iniciar, leia o terceiro ou o segundo, acho que são os melhores.
E é isso, apesar das falhas acho que merece nota máxima, essa será uma saga que fica para ser revisitada para sempre.
Os personagens são claramente os heróis que conhecemos das grandes editorias, homens que resistem quando são alvejados, atravessam paredes com socos e sobrevivem a altas quedas, porém incorporados nas personas de detetives particulares, artistas, amantes de prostitutas, homens decadentes e sem importância. A motivação de todos é basicamente a mesma, e já fica a primeira critica, os protagonistas são basicamente o mesmo cara, que está sempre em busca da mulher amada, as vezes mesmo sabendo que esta sendo iludido, mas durante a leitura eu entendi por que o Miller não tem um grande protagonista durante toda a saga.
Outra coisa que não foi bem é justamente o maniqueísmo com que o autor trata os personagens, tornando eles uns imbecis (na verdade eles são, porém por questões que tangem o psicológico) e as mulheres tão frágeis e tão traiçoeiras, mas eu acho que foi de proposito, além de ser um recurso para não perder tempo demais apresentando e desenvolvendo os protagonistas, mesmo assim poderia ser mais inteligente. Uma possível inspiração para Sin city foram os romances do Raymond Chandler que apresenta protagonistas mal humorados, durões e sedutores, e mulheres ardilosas e manipuladoras, mas que também podem ser manipuladas.
Assim como os homens são parecidos e a mulheres também, as estorias por si são também. Sempre uma perseguição perigosa e mortal em busca de uma mulher, o que muda é a forma como vai acontecer e quem esta envolvido, por isso que eu digo que o mérito esta na narração em quadrinhos e nem tanto no resto e também não acho que vale a pena discorrer sobre cada arco, mas se quer uma indicação para iniciar, leia o terceiro ou o segundo, acho que são os melhores.
E é isso, apesar das falhas acho que merece nota máxima, essa será uma saga que fica para ser revisitada para sempre.
November 27, 2016
This is the ultimate misogynistic fantasy, where badass women dominate the world through their seductive charms, that is, until they're too silly or stupid and need to have some sense slapped into them by their male protectors--for their own good, of course. Those heroes beating the women, they're not like the bad guys beating the women. While I could go on about the harm this worldview has done, I can't dislike Sin City for depicting it. The craftsmanship, the writing, the artwork are all outstanding, and it is a real thing, this way of looking at the sexes. And we need art to understand it.
Want to read
August 25, 2022"And when his eyes go dead, the hell I send him to will seem like heaven after what I'd done to him."
Why it Rocks
Fab artwork almost entirely made up of stark black and white, with great usage of shading and whatnot. Some issues have a little color, but they're few and far between, and still look great. One of the few issues in the series that has color is The Babe Wore Red, where a woman's red dress is colored. That Yellow Bastard also has the titular Yellow Bastard and even his blood is yellow.
Interesting storylines, like That Yellow Bastard, about Officer Hartigan going to great lengths to save a young girl from a diplomatically immune child rapist and murderer, suffering legal consequences himself; A Dame to Kill For, about Dwight McCarthy trying to live a normal life and avoid letting "the monster" out, until his ex-girlfriend Ava Lord comes back into his life begging for help; and The Hard Goodbye, which follows Marv setting out on a bloody path of revenge to find the cannibalistic murderer of his lover and several Old Town prostitutes. The style is also very much like a noire movie while being in a more modern time, which is very unique.
Likeable and interesting characters, notably Marv of the latter two, who's a mentally ill antihero; Mike Hartigan of That Yellow Bastard, who's more of a folk hero; and Dwight McCarthy of A Dame to Kill For and The Big Fat Kill, who feels very much like a real person as he just wants to live a normal life, which often proves to be impossible in a place like Sin City. It also has plenty of strong female characters like Gail, Wendy, Miho, and Nancy.
Excellent depiction of Sin City, a hot, decrepit, crime-ridden hellhole run by corrupt politicians, yet there's still people who can find a way to live peacefully there. It also has torrential rain at least once a year, which Marv likes as it helps him think. It's also got plenty of seedy bars that only dregs of society go to, which fits in with the story.
Awesome level of violence that avoids feeling mean-spirited and looks great despite almost always being in black and white, or perhaps even because of that.
You don't need to read any of the stories in any particular order to understand them fully. The chronology is all over the place, but that's a part that makes it particularly interesting due to how it all makes sense when you think about it.
The first movie, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller himself, does a fantastic job adapting the source material and has some beautiful cinematography with it's black-and-white with some color style.
Plenty of characters appear in plenty of the stories, whether or not they're actually active in the plot, like how near the end of A Dame to Kill For, Detectives Mort and Bob pass by Marv and Wendy going towards the infamous farm in The Hard Goodbye. Marv also plays a pretty major role in A Dame to Kill For, being a personal friend of Dwight's and immediately offering to help him.
The series manages to pretty deftly balance dark comedy and intensity, using both when appropriate and not going too far in either direction to make it thoroughly engaging.
Lots of interesting and disturbing themes, like asking the question of how far is too far when pursuing justice, and whether or not it's worth suffering any punishment from the corrupt forces in power as a result.
Bad Qualities
Some unnecessary racist and homophobic comments from Marv at times, even if it's intended to be realistic.
The art style can be a little uncanny and confusing at times, being that it's by Frank Miller.
Some unlikeable characters like Ava Lord, Jackie Boy, Becky, and Detective Mort, even if it's entirely of intentional for most of them.
Some of the stories can be a little too bleak or violent for some, especially That Yellow Bastard, which has two scenes of crude castration (even if they're not super graphic and the victim definitely deserved it)
Trivia
In the film adaptation, Frank Miller himself plays a corrupt priest who Marv shoots to death for insulting Goldie.
Reception
Sin City is often considered the greatest Neo-Noire comic book series of all time, with many of the stories like A Dame to Kill For winning the Eisner Award for comic books. Now, which story do y'all think was the best in this series?
Why it Rocks
Fab artwork almost entirely made up of stark black and white, with great usage of shading and whatnot. Some issues have a little color, but they're few and far between, and still look great. One of the few issues in the series that has color is The Babe Wore Red, where a woman's red dress is colored. That Yellow Bastard also has the titular Yellow Bastard and even his blood is yellow.
Interesting storylines, like That Yellow Bastard, about Officer Hartigan going to great lengths to save a young girl from a diplomatically immune child rapist and murderer, suffering legal consequences himself; A Dame to Kill For, about Dwight McCarthy trying to live a normal life and avoid letting "the monster" out, until his ex-girlfriend Ava Lord comes back into his life begging for help; and The Hard Goodbye, which follows Marv setting out on a bloody path of revenge to find the cannibalistic murderer of his lover and several Old Town prostitutes. The style is also very much like a noire movie while being in a more modern time, which is very unique.
Likeable and interesting characters, notably Marv of the latter two, who's a mentally ill antihero; Mike Hartigan of That Yellow Bastard, who's more of a folk hero; and Dwight McCarthy of A Dame to Kill For and The Big Fat Kill, who feels very much like a real person as he just wants to live a normal life, which often proves to be impossible in a place like Sin City. It also has plenty of strong female characters like Gail, Wendy, Miho, and Nancy.
Excellent depiction of Sin City, a hot, decrepit, crime-ridden hellhole run by corrupt politicians, yet there's still people who can find a way to live peacefully there. It also has torrential rain at least once a year, which Marv likes as it helps him think. It's also got plenty of seedy bars that only dregs of society go to, which fits in with the story.
Awesome level of violence that avoids feeling mean-spirited and looks great despite almost always being in black and white, or perhaps even because of that.
You don't need to read any of the stories in any particular order to understand them fully. The chronology is all over the place, but that's a part that makes it particularly interesting due to how it all makes sense when you think about it.
The first movie, directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller himself, does a fantastic job adapting the source material and has some beautiful cinematography with it's black-and-white with some color style.
Plenty of characters appear in plenty of the stories, whether or not they're actually active in the plot, like how near the end of A Dame to Kill For, Detectives Mort and Bob pass by Marv and Wendy going towards the infamous farm in The Hard Goodbye. Marv also plays a pretty major role in A Dame to Kill For, being a personal friend of Dwight's and immediately offering to help him.
The series manages to pretty deftly balance dark comedy and intensity, using both when appropriate and not going too far in either direction to make it thoroughly engaging.
Lots of interesting and disturbing themes, like asking the question of how far is too far when pursuing justice, and whether or not it's worth suffering any punishment from the corrupt forces in power as a result.
Bad Qualities
Some unnecessary racist and homophobic comments from Marv at times, even if it's intended to be realistic.
The art style can be a little uncanny and confusing at times, being that it's by Frank Miller.
Some unlikeable characters like Ava Lord, Jackie Boy, Becky, and Detective Mort, even if it's entirely of intentional for most of them.
Some of the stories can be a little too bleak or violent for some, especially That Yellow Bastard, which has two scenes of crude castration (even if they're not super graphic and the victim definitely deserved it)
Trivia
In the film adaptation, Frank Miller himself plays a corrupt priest who Marv shoots to death for insulting Goldie.
Reception
Sin City is often considered the greatest Neo-Noire comic book series of all time, with many of the stories like A Dame to Kill For winning the Eisner Award for comic books. Now, which story do y'all think was the best in this series?
April 5, 2020
This was a tome! A beautifully illustrated comic book series separated into multiple storylines and following a multitude of powerful and violent male residents of Basin City featuring Uber hardcore gun-violence, sex, degenerate and corrupt villains and promiscuous women of the Old Town. Most of the characters are quite reputable mafias or underdogs which rise to a great height and the scope of the story is at most times limited by the Damsel in Distress and the Knight in Shining Armour as well as the Beauty and the Beast paired with Sin & Sex tropes which are almost present at every single turn of the page. For me, this was an easy breeze. I read it almost as fast as I read mangas and finished the entire thing in under 5 days. Most of it is B&W which suits the dark and gory theme very well but the author introduces hues like yellow and blue as well as a hint of red and orange mostly towards the sixth and the seventh volume for the sole purpose of highlighting some events and drawing attention to the central female lead. The art deserves five stars, there's no question or even a slight doubt about it. The shadows, the intricate details and hell, even the smallest of the references and the Easter eggs are packed in an awe-inspiring and jaw dropping package. The first four volumes were easily my favorite. The final three felt a bit repetitive but had an entire different and original cast of leads and had I read those volumes after at least a gap of three-four days, they would too be flawless in story. The Sin city world develops very quickly through each book, the lore of Basin City, the authority, the Old Town women, especially Nancy as well as the big bad Roark frequent all the volumes and chapters and have a backdrop or at least an overarching influence in terms of plot and character path. Mav is a classic character, McCarthy is the one I emphasized with the most. Dwight is another great character and deserves an appalud. Most of it is explicit, has storng but very incentive lagunage, the dialogues are the greatest and the most attention drawing feature after the artworks of Sin city. I found the short story collection worth reading too, it only adds to the story as well as It's super easy to blaze through after a Sin City Fatigue. I plan to watch both the movies tonight itself and I'm awestruck how much paralle they draw from the panels directly. The mood of the comic; the stylistic, progressive, inventive, ingenious and the gothic artwok; the poignant, immorally superior as well as the infamous and unrelenting villains and charismatic but somewhat degenerate protagonists had all my attention and for this sole reason the book deserves a solid five star rating. The storyline was perfect and I loved all the aspects of it. RECOMMENDED! Nice Reading.
February 4, 2024
Frank Miller's Sin City is a place where crime doesn't live in the shadows, but instead casts the shadows over society. Corruption is rife through all levels the city's infrastructure making the criminal elements a part of daily life in sin city. As Miller's magnum opus work, the series pulls from the very heart of film noir to craft some of the grittiest crime comics of all time. It's a stylish and slick fusion of noir from all eras and utilizes every common trope in the genre like crooked cops, femme fatales and seedy alleys.
This tome is well over 1300 pages but a smooth read throughout. Miller keeps the majority of his stories light and breezy, with only the occasional bits of hefty narration. Though each story is its own, characters from different Sin City yarns make periodic appearances in different adventures. The stories are a bit uneven in quality, with the first four really being the better entries and "That Yellow Bastard" being a prominent highpoint for the series. But throughout, Miller finds new ways to interweave commonplace crime noir tropes in a way that still feels inventive. There are moments of casual misogyny though it almost feels befitting towards the type of stories these are, and of course the exaggerated design of the world can make the read feel almost like a parody of the genre instead of a celebration of it. But keeping things together is Miller's stylish artwork that feels at home with the avant-garde cinematic vibe the stories shoot for. It's not high literature by any means, but Sin City is elevated work compared to its contemporaries, and does fair justice to the many films and comics that influenced this.
Individual volume reviews:
"The Hard Goodbye" - ★★★
"A Dame to Kill For" - ★★★★
"The Big Fat Kill" - ★★★
"That Yellow Bastard" - ★★★★
"Family Values" - ★★
"Booze, Broads, and Bullets" - ★★★
"Hell and Back" - ★★★
This tome is well over 1300 pages but a smooth read throughout. Miller keeps the majority of his stories light and breezy, with only the occasional bits of hefty narration. Though each story is its own, characters from different Sin City yarns make periodic appearances in different adventures. The stories are a bit uneven in quality, with the first four really being the better entries and "That Yellow Bastard" being a prominent highpoint for the series. But throughout, Miller finds new ways to interweave commonplace crime noir tropes in a way that still feels inventive. There are moments of casual misogyny though it almost feels befitting towards the type of stories these are, and of course the exaggerated design of the world can make the read feel almost like a parody of the genre instead of a celebration of it. But keeping things together is Miller's stylish artwork that feels at home with the avant-garde cinematic vibe the stories shoot for. It's not high literature by any means, but Sin City is elevated work compared to its contemporaries, and does fair justice to the many films and comics that influenced this.
Individual volume reviews:
"The Hard Goodbye" - ★★★
"A Dame to Kill For" - ★★★★
"The Big Fat Kill" - ★★★
"That Yellow Bastard" - ★★★★
"Family Values" - ★★
"Booze, Broads, and Bullets" - ★★★
"Hell and Back" - ★★★
February 26, 2018
''So, you were scared, weren't you Goldie? Somebody wanted you dead and you knew it. Well, I'm gonna find that son of a bitch that killed you, and I'm gonna give him the hard goodbye. Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything.''
A film that explores the dark and miserable town Basin City and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in the violent corruption of the city.
Jessica Alba: Nancy Callahan
(A review of the film/graphic novels...)
How do I describe Sin City(2005)? Put in simple terms, the masterpiece Sin City is without a doubt smart, stylish, sexy and sick. It's also violent and funny. Certainly not a film for the whole family, but for those of us who enjoy our movies rated Adult or 18, this flick kicks the head and the gut like a mule, pardon the pun.
So Frank Millar's three graphic novel stories are adapted into a film which literally screams straight from the pages themselves. Director Robert Rodriguez, collaborating with Frank himself, and even guest director Quentin Tarantino succeed in bringing the stories to life with splashes of black and white mixed with lashings of colour.
Sin City for years was a world that only existed on paper in black and white with splashes of colour, but it was enough to make Sin City live and breathe in ways that few others in the medium have ever been able to accomplish. Due to Frank Miller's dark, noir overtones which painted a very clear, and fully realized visual of every seedy back-alley and strip club. Also the cheap motel room in the fictional Basin City it became painfully obvious that it was just too visceral a place to ever be real in a way that could be upon film's frames, or at least we, including Miller himself, thought. We were wrong.
''My warrior woman. My Valkyrie. You'll always be mine, always and never. Never. The Fire, baby. It'll burn us both. It'll kill us both. There's no place in this world for our kind of fire. Always and never. If I have to die for you tonight, I will.''
This is THE comic movie we have been waiting for and it does not disappoint from the first overly dramatic voice-over to the last frame of the credit scroll. Telling three tales from Miller's world (The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard) the comic transitions from paper to celluloid, flawlessly merging together these worlds. This is especially incredible for something so over the top and stylized like this, that it's almost hard to imagine that these are the actors you've grown to know and love for years. But they are and it all comes together beautifully.
The cast, crew, and artists involved in making this adaptation a reality should be commended for their service to the idea that a true comic book movie can, in fact, be made without making concessions to the masses, without altering the plot or changing the characters, and still manage to retain the feel that the ink on paper had while creating a truly entertaining film. Much of this film's success can be directly contributed to the fantastic casting job which encompasses an incredibly long list of a-list and up and coming celebs plus a few obscure but cult favorites, I'm talking to you Rutger; Who pulled off appearing in this and Batman Begins in the same year, plus the tag team direction of Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez should be particularly touted for pushing Miller to finally do this project, and for leading the way to make this the film that Miller always wanted it to be and that Rodriguez knew he could make.
''Deadly little Miho. She won't let you feel a thing unless she wants you to. She twists the blade. He feels it.''
The music is amazing and stylish, narration perfectly delivered, Rosario Dawson & Jessica Alba drool inducingly sexy!
Miho, Jackie Boy, Nancy, Gail, Manute...Loving all the Character's who come to life next to their comic-book representations. All three stories within Sin City are well knitted together here, will be interesting when the sequel comes out as it is a prequel. The Story and book aptly named A Dame to Kill For, will interestingly enough be the source material for Sin City 2. So expect Manute, Dwight and Gail to appear again and also characters you thought wouldn't be seen again. The concept of Sin City seems to be a paralleled thought, similar to the martyring heroes of 300. As with Frank Millar's mindset, we see through his work what he's truly thinking. Ironically we are all dead men, even our heroes, and this cannot be stressed enough in-between the lines of Sin. What makes it stand out further is that the town is corrupt but to stand up the corruption, a hero must do something sacrificial in defiance of the immoral villainous nature of it's denizens.
I'd also advise getting hold of the EXTENDED RECUT special edition immediately! Remember in the Cinema, the beginning, the gun Josh uses. It was silenced! Now in this version it's restored to how you saw it in theaters. Each Comic book Story can be seen in order,That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye,The Big Fat Kill & The Customer Is Always Right. It gives us the viewers more choice and flexibility, as if you're reading the actual novels themselves. Extra footage really adds unparalleled depth to an otherwise perfect adaptation.
Amazing Extended scenes, should be owned by any lover or fan of Sin City.
Dark noir Graphic Novels from Frank Millar directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Also a special mention to Tarantino for that marvellous scene with Dwight & Jackie Boy in the car.
"Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here."
"Never give an Irishman a cause for revenge."
"Better come clean with ya now, sweetheart. That was an outright lie I was giving ya about me revolver being wet. You see, I'm not too fond of shooting. It's my preference to blow things up. Once you blast the roof off a pub, and see all the parts flying off people, a little bang-bang's never going to match the sight of that. And here I am with all these fine grenades, and such a sweet beauty of a remote. But it's my knife I'll be doin' you with."
Sin City equals a Graphic Novel masterpiece. Original and noir drenched style on speed and then some.
Though Sin City has been claimed to be a guy film, I don't see why women cannot enjoy it too and know a fair number of women whom love it just as much as the next man. Yes, most of the women in Sin City are essentially prostitutes, but these women are just as powerful and iconic as the men and they defend their own territory, their own kind with unrivalled resonance. They are not portrayed only as mere sex objects.
Everything finely fits together in Sin City. It's Rodriguez's best work to date. Everyone involved in the making should be commended for their effort that's wonderfully captured. It's certainly not a film to sit down with the family (Yes, it's deservedly and strongly rated 18) but a great piece to view with friends or company. I'm eagerly awaiting the new instalments of the saga by Frank Millar and helmed directorial wise by Robert Rodriguez.
''Aim careful, and look the devil in the eye.''
A film that explores the dark and miserable town Basin City and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in the violent corruption of the city.
Jessica Alba: Nancy Callahan
(A review of the film/graphic novels...)
How do I describe Sin City(2005)? Put in simple terms, the masterpiece Sin City is without a doubt smart, stylish, sexy and sick. It's also violent and funny. Certainly not a film for the whole family, but for those of us who enjoy our movies rated Adult or 18, this flick kicks the head and the gut like a mule, pardon the pun.
So Frank Millar's three graphic novel stories are adapted into a film which literally screams straight from the pages themselves. Director Robert Rodriguez, collaborating with Frank himself, and even guest director Quentin Tarantino succeed in bringing the stories to life with splashes of black and white mixed with lashings of colour.
Sin City for years was a world that only existed on paper in black and white with splashes of colour, but it was enough to make Sin City live and breathe in ways that few others in the medium have ever been able to accomplish. Due to Frank Miller's dark, noir overtones which painted a very clear, and fully realized visual of every seedy back-alley and strip club. Also the cheap motel room in the fictional Basin City it became painfully obvious that it was just too visceral a place to ever be real in a way that could be upon film's frames, or at least we, including Miller himself, thought. We were wrong.
''My warrior woman. My Valkyrie. You'll always be mine, always and never. Never. The Fire, baby. It'll burn us both. It'll kill us both. There's no place in this world for our kind of fire. Always and never. If I have to die for you tonight, I will.''
This is THE comic movie we have been waiting for and it does not disappoint from the first overly dramatic voice-over to the last frame of the credit scroll. Telling three tales from Miller's world (The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard) the comic transitions from paper to celluloid, flawlessly merging together these worlds. This is especially incredible for something so over the top and stylized like this, that it's almost hard to imagine that these are the actors you've grown to know and love for years. But they are and it all comes together beautifully.
The cast, crew, and artists involved in making this adaptation a reality should be commended for their service to the idea that a true comic book movie can, in fact, be made without making concessions to the masses, without altering the plot or changing the characters, and still manage to retain the feel that the ink on paper had while creating a truly entertaining film. Much of this film's success can be directly contributed to the fantastic casting job which encompasses an incredibly long list of a-list and up and coming celebs plus a few obscure but cult favorites, I'm talking to you Rutger; Who pulled off appearing in this and Batman Begins in the same year, plus the tag team direction of Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez should be particularly touted for pushing Miller to finally do this project, and for leading the way to make this the film that Miller always wanted it to be and that Rodriguez knew he could make.
''Deadly little Miho. She won't let you feel a thing unless she wants you to. She twists the blade. He feels it.''
The music is amazing and stylish, narration perfectly delivered, Rosario Dawson & Jessica Alba drool inducingly sexy!
Miho, Jackie Boy, Nancy, Gail, Manute...Loving all the Character's who come to life next to their comic-book representations. All three stories within Sin City are well knitted together here, will be interesting when the sequel comes out as it is a prequel. The Story and book aptly named A Dame to Kill For, will interestingly enough be the source material for Sin City 2. So expect Manute, Dwight and Gail to appear again and also characters you thought wouldn't be seen again. The concept of Sin City seems to be a paralleled thought, similar to the martyring heroes of 300. As with Frank Millar's mindset, we see through his work what he's truly thinking. Ironically we are all dead men, even our heroes, and this cannot be stressed enough in-between the lines of Sin. What makes it stand out further is that the town is corrupt but to stand up the corruption, a hero must do something sacrificial in defiance of the immoral villainous nature of it's denizens.
I'd also advise getting hold of the EXTENDED RECUT special edition immediately! Remember in the Cinema, the beginning, the gun Josh uses. It was silenced! Now in this version it's restored to how you saw it in theaters. Each Comic book Story can be seen in order,That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye,The Big Fat Kill & The Customer Is Always Right. It gives us the viewers more choice and flexibility, as if you're reading the actual novels themselves. Extra footage really adds unparalleled depth to an otherwise perfect adaptation.
Amazing Extended scenes, should be owned by any lover or fan of Sin City.
Dark noir Graphic Novels from Frank Millar directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Also a special mention to Tarantino for that marvellous scene with Dwight & Jackie Boy in the car.
"Hell's waking up every goddamn day and not even knowing why you're here."
"Never give an Irishman a cause for revenge."
"Better come clean with ya now, sweetheart. That was an outright lie I was giving ya about me revolver being wet. You see, I'm not too fond of shooting. It's my preference to blow things up. Once you blast the roof off a pub, and see all the parts flying off people, a little bang-bang's never going to match the sight of that. And here I am with all these fine grenades, and such a sweet beauty of a remote. But it's my knife I'll be doin' you with."
Sin City equals a Graphic Novel masterpiece. Original and noir drenched style on speed and then some.
Though Sin City has been claimed to be a guy film, I don't see why women cannot enjoy it too and know a fair number of women whom love it just as much as the next man. Yes, most of the women in Sin City are essentially prostitutes, but these women are just as powerful and iconic as the men and they defend their own territory, their own kind with unrivalled resonance. They are not portrayed only as mere sex objects.
Everything finely fits together in Sin City. It's Rodriguez's best work to date. Everyone involved in the making should be commended for their effort that's wonderfully captured. It's certainly not a film to sit down with the family (Yes, it's deservedly and strongly rated 18) but a great piece to view with friends or company. I'm eagerly awaiting the new instalments of the saga by Frank Millar and helmed directorial wise by Robert Rodriguez.
''Aim careful, and look the devil in the eye.''
February 28, 2021
This is an unpleasant book. It portrays violence, particularly against women, who are all prostitutes or femmes fatales. Death is ever present. All authority is corrupt.
There is also a beauty in the illustrations. The pure black and white, with occasional colour to highlight one dress, give stark illustrations. It was the artwork that drew me to the book. This omnibus volume contains 7 books and the first four are the best. These are the ones that the films drew on. The remaining three have their moments, particularly the collection of short stories, but the drawing isn’t as good and they feel more rushed.
The stories take the world of noir to its violent extreme. femmes are never more fatale, hired goons are never more thuggish and flawed heroes are more flaws than hero.
There is also a beauty in the illustrations. The pure black and white, with occasional colour to highlight one dress, give stark illustrations. It was the artwork that drew me to the book. This omnibus volume contains 7 books and the first four are the best. These are the ones that the films drew on. The remaining three have their moments, particularly the collection of short stories, but the drawing isn’t as good and they feel more rushed.
The stories take the world of noir to its violent extreme. femmes are never more fatale, hired goons are never more thuggish and flawed heroes are more flaws than hero.
August 9, 2018
I probably shouldn't call myself a fan until I've read the entire series, but whatever. I love "Sin City," both the graphic novels and the films. The art is amazing, I care about the characters, the atmosphere is overflowing, and I love series with rotating casts of characters, where the protagonist is someone different every time.
Minus one point for the fact that *all* of the women were porn characters. I have no problem with any one character being like this, or even any one story having all its women like this; but all the stories in one such long series, that I'll admit did grate on me after a while.
Full review after I've read the full series.
Minus one point for the fact that *all* of the women were porn characters. I have no problem with any one character being like this, or even any one story having all its women like this; but all the stories in one such long series, that I'll admit did grate on me after a while.
Full review after I've read the full series.
April 24, 2021
Started off strong but then went nowhere fast. It felt like a wet dream come to life.
I loved the artwork and use of color when added on book 4 and forward. It just made everything pop. Sadly, the use of color was only utilized well for the 4th book called “That yellow Bastard”, because the last of the stories were just overall useless and sometimes so short(even for being short stories) that it was a wonder as to what I was doing here or why I was spending time on them.
Out of the Collected 7 books, I only found the first 4 worth my time.
Never seen the movies, and I don’t really care to now.
I loved the artwork and use of color when added on book 4 and forward. It just made everything pop. Sadly, the use of color was only utilized well for the 4th book called “That yellow Bastard”, because the last of the stories were just overall useless and sometimes so short(even for being short stories) that it was a wonder as to what I was doing here or why I was spending time on them.
Out of the Collected 7 books, I only found the first 4 worth my time.
Never seen the movies, and I don’t really care to now.
December 30, 2021
Everything up until and including number 4 was fantastic some of the greatest work in comic history. Family values was ok aswell as hell and back. The short story collection yarn number 6 I personally didn’t care for. Big damn is still a 5 star considering it’s quality and how great some of the works inside of it are. The art throughout is amazing and the quality is amazing aswell. Definitely worth it if you are able to get your hands on this rare grail.
April 22, 2022
Consistency is not Frank Miller's strong suit.
This book starts with the heavy hitters, the classic stories that really made Sin City a powerhouse of noir crime: The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard. But some of the other stories in this collection aren't as strong. The art cuts corners, the story doesn't really hold water, and the tale is missing that edge the best stories have.
All in all, about half the collection is great. The other half, not so much.
This book starts with the heavy hitters, the classic stories that really made Sin City a powerhouse of noir crime: The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard. But some of the other stories in this collection aren't as strong. The art cuts corners, the story doesn't really hold water, and the tale is missing that edge the best stories have.
All in all, about half the collection is great. The other half, not so much.
April 14, 2023
First off, I recommend this book for anyone’s collection. It’s big, thick and juicy.
Second…this started off very good. Really strong. And then once you get up to “Family Values” you notice the decline in not only story but art as well.
The rest of the stories are simply forgetful. Nevertheless, the art is really different. In a good way.
This is going on my bottom shelf as I’ll never touch it again, and I needed an anchor to keep my bookshelf from tipping over. Win/win.
Second…this started off very good. Really strong. And then once you get up to “Family Values” you notice the decline in not only story but art as well.
The rest of the stories are simply forgetful. Nevertheless, the art is really different. In a good way.
This is going on my bottom shelf as I’ll never touch it again, and I needed an anchor to keep my bookshelf from tipping over. Win/win.
May 3, 2025
The art is stunning and some of the stories are thrilling but after a while you notice a pattern - tough guy meets a girl who isn’t interested, he saves her life, she gives it up to him. There was one story where a woman jumps to her death and the man holds her in his arms and talks about how good her body is and that she’ll survive because of that. What? That said, I didn’t hate this. Just felt a bit repetitive at times.
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