Sin City

AUTHOR: Miller, Frank

ARTIST: Frank Miller (illustrator); Lynn Varley (colorist, cover artist); Chip Kidd (cover artist)

PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1991-2000

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 1993-2000

Publication History

Sin City’s first appearance was in Dark Horse Presents, Fifth Anniversary Special in 1991 and consisted of the first chapter of what would become Sin City: A Hard Goodbye. Comics creator Frank Miller was a rising star at this point in his career, after the success of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and Batman: Year One (1988). Miller had built his career as an artist working for DC Comics and then for Marvel Comics, notably on the Daredevil (1986) series. Dark Horse Comics was created in 1986 and has become the largest independent publisher of American comics.

After the initial appearance of Sin City, Miller produced the entirety of the first Sin City arc in Dark Horse Presents, issues 51-62. The Sin City tale was well received, and Miller continued to produce the stories, often referred to as “yarns.” Dark Horse published the next yarn, A Dame to Kill For, as a limited series in 1993. Miller wrote yarns of varying lengths with one-shots appearing in anthologies, such as Dark Horse Presents and Tales to Offend, but longer arcs were printed in miniseries format. The series’ popularity resulted in the limited-series issues being reprinted as graphic novels and the one-shots being published in an anthology in graphic novel form called Sin City: Booze, Broads, and Bullets.

Plot

Sin City is a collection of stories concerning the inhabitants of the crime-blighted metropolis Basin City (commonly referred to as Sin City) and its outlying regions. The different tales were published out of chronological order, but a time line can be pieced together based on the interaction of the characters.

The first yarn, The Hard Goodbye, opens with the street tough Marv expressing his gratitude for finding Goldie, a prostitute. Marv wakes up the next morning feeling as if he has been drugged and notices that Goldie has been murdered sometime during the night. The police quickly close in on Marv’s apartment; realizing he has been set up, Marv swears vengeance for Goldie and begins his violent assault on the swarming police force. He hunts for those responsible for Goldie’s death and begins interrogating increasingly well-connected individuals. After meeting Goldie’s twin sister, Marv is provided with the tools and information needed to kill a cannibalistic serial killer named Kevin and his benefactor, the powerful Patrick Henry Roark. Marv is arrested, and the story ends with Marv’s death in the electric chair.

In A Dame to Kill For, Dwight McCarthy’s former lover, Ava, persuades him that her new husband, Damien Lord, is an abusive sadist who plans to torture her to death. Dwight enlists the aid of Marv to infiltrate the heavily secured home of Ava’s wealthy husband. Dwight kills Damien and is immediately shot by Ava, as she explains that she has set him up in order to gain Damien’s wealth. Dwight receives multiple gunshot wounds but is able to escape with Marv’s aid. He makes it to Old Town, and his life is saved through the medical help of the prostitutes there. He reveals that two of Old Town’s most influential citizens, Gail and Miho, are indebted to him, so he is able to enlist their help to get revenge and start a new life. Ava seduces a police officer in order to get him to kill Dwight. Dwight eventually returns and, through an intricate plan, infiltrates the Lord compound again and manages to kill Ava.

The Big Fat Kill features Dwight after the events of A Dame to Kill For, in which he begins a new life with the face given to him by the women of Old Town. Dwight’s new girlfriend, Shellie, has been getting harassed and beaten by a man named Jack. Dwight follows Jack and his friends as they make trouble in Old Town and are quickly trapped and killed by Miho the assassin. Dwight discovers that Jack is “Iron Jack” Rafferty, a hero cop; thus, he must hide the bodies of Jack and his friends or else a truce between the prostitutes of Old Town and the police will be destroyed. Dwight has a hallucination-filled trip to some tar pits and is attacked by mercenaries. Gail is kidnapped and tortured to force the surrender of Old Town in the face of the impending conflict. Dwight is rescued by Miho and retrieves the remaining evidence, Jack’s severed head, from the mercenaries. Using classic battle tactics, Dwight and his allies are able both to destroy all the evidence and to eliminate all the witnesses.

That Yellow Bastard opens years before the other stories of Sin City, with the last workday of Detective John Hartigan. Hartigan has tracked down a serial pedophile and murderer and has decided to bring him to justice while saving the latest intended victim, Nancy Callahan. Unfortunately for Hartigan, the killer is the only son of Senator Roark, the most powerful man in Sin City, and is thus untouchable. Hartigan rescues Nancy and disfigures the younger Roark by shooting off his ear, hand, and genitals. Senator Roark frames Hartigan for the kidnapping of the young girls taken by his son. Hartigan struggles in prison but keeps sane through the weekly letters Nancy sends him. When the letters stop abruptly and Hartigan is visited by a yellow, putrid-smelling man, he signs a confession to the crime and is immediately released. Hartigan tracks down Nancy, realizing too late that his release is a trap, and he is eventually incapacitated by the Yellow Bastard. The Yellow Bastard is revealed to be the younger Roark; he has mutated in an effort to remake his mutilated body. Hartigan escapes his death trap, tracks down the Yellow Bastard, and kills him. Hartigan kills himself in one last attempt to save Nancy by protecting her from the inevitable wrath of Senator Roark.

In Family Values, Dwight and Miho track down those responsible for the death of Carmen, one of the prostitutes of Old Town. They learn of the assassination of a hit man-turned-politician, which resulted in Carmen’s needless death. Miho acts as the enforcer as Dwight follows the trail of informants and thugs to the head of the Sin City mafia. After relating the tale of Carmen to the mob heads, Dwight leaves the execution of the men to Carmen’s mourning lover, Daisy.

Booze, Broads, and Bullets is a collection of short one-shots that provide additional tales about Marv and Dwight’s exploits in Sin City. The assassin Delia is introduced and appears in a few short stories. The collection also includes the short piece “Silent Night,” which, though containing only a single line of text, relates the story of Marv rescuing a child from slavery.

Hell and Back is the love story between Wallace and Esther. Wallace, a poor war hero, saves Esther from committing suicide, and they soon fall in love. Two men wearing medical services uniforms are pursuing Esther and eventually incapacitate Wallace and kidnap her. Arriving at Esther’s address, Wallace finds Delia; both are quickly set upon by the monstrous Manute, whom Wallace is able to defeat. Wallace leaves with Delia and recruits the help of his former captain in the Army. Wallace suspects Delia of working against him but is ultimately unable to prevent himself from being drugged, placed in a car, and thrown off a cliff. Although he survives the crash, he suffers from severe hallucinations as he is attacked by corrupt police officers. Wallace defeats the corrupt cops, Delia, and her allies with the help of the captain. He locates Esther in a base that seems to produce and distribute human slaves and human organs. Wallace informs the police of the Wallenquist group’s operation and disrupts the base through the destruction of certain buildings and the eventual police action. Wallace is finally reunited with Esther, and they drive off into the desert.

Volumes

•Sin City:The Hard Goodbye (1993). Also known as Sin City. Collects issues 51-62 of Dark Horse Presents. Relates the story of Marv’s quest to avenge Goldie’s death.

•A Dame to Kill For: A Tale from Sin City (1994). Collects issues 1-6 of Sin City:A Dame to Kill For. Covers Dwight’s fall back into the filth of Sin City and attempt to kill those responsible.

•The Big Fat Kill: A Tale from Sin City (1996). Collects issues 1-5 of Sin City:The Big Fat Kill. Dwight and the Old Town prostitutes cover up their murder of a hero cop.

•That Yellow Bastard: A Sin City Yarn (1997). Collects issues 1-6 of Sin City:That Yellow Bastard. Relates Detective Hartigan’s attempt to save Nancy Callahan’s life by standing against the powerful Roark family.

•Family Values: A Sin City Yarn (1997). Dwight and Miho team up to track down a hit man and exact revenge for the senseless killing of an Old Town prostitute.

•Sin City:Booze, Broads, and Bullets (1998). Collects one-shots that provide further adventures of Marv and Dwight as well as glimpses of the supporting characters of Sin City.

•Hell and Back: A Sin City Love Story (2000). Collects issues 1-9 of Sin City: Hell and Back. Features a new character named Wallace, a war hero and Medal of Honor recipient, who falls in love with Esther and must destroy a criminal enterprise to get her back.

Characters

•Marv is a central character in some of Sin City’s yarns. He is a hulking man with a broad chest and a deeply scarred face. He was raised in the most dangerous part of Sin City and grew up with a twisted sense of fun and an unstoppable drive to fight. He suffers from some kind of mental disorder, which seems to cause memory loss, hallucinations, and confusion. He is extremely loyal to his friends and defends women and children.

•Dwight McCarthy is a central figure in Sin City. He is athletically built, with well-defined muscles, and is initially shown bald with a pointed chin; however, after plastic surgery, his chin is squared and his hair grows out. He often fights to protect women, whether or not they ask for help, and he has formed a close relationship with Gail and Miho of Old Town.

•John Hartigan is a retired detective with angina. He is tall with wide shoulders and a large, X-shaped scar over his right eye. He is an honest cop in a corrupt department and decides to sacrifices his entire life to save Nancy Callahan.

•Wallace, the central character in Hell and Back, is a long-haired, bearded man of above-average height. He is a Medal of Honor recipient and thus has impressive combat skills and stamina. He is portrayed as an unemployed artist and chef.

•Goldie is the woman of Marv’s dreams and the twin sister of Wendy. A prostitute of Old Town, she has blond, curly hair and a curvy body. Marv seeks to avenge her murder.

•Kevin is a cannibalistic serial killer. He has a blank expression and cropped hair and wears glasses.

•Wendy is Goldie’s twin sister and one of the leaders of Old Town.

•Patrick Henry Roark is a Catholic cardinal and influential member of the Roark family. A short, fat, balding man, he uses his influence to control the people in power across Sin City.

•Ava Lord is Dwight’s former lover and the wife of the wealthy aristocrat Damien Lord. She is a manipulative woman who uses her sexual charms to control others and describes herself as evil.

•Jack, a.k.a. Iron Jack Rafferty and Jackie Boy, is a hero cop who assaults Dwight’s girlfriend, Shellie, and is killed by Miho.

•Manute is a hired enforcer for Ava Lord and later the Wallenquist group. He is likely the largest character in Sin City, with impressive strength and great loyalty to his employers.

•Gail is a leader in Old Town. She is a tall woman with a slim, athletic body and short, spiked hair. She is passionate but loyal to the women she leads.

•Miho is the deadliest assassin in Sin City and works for the women of Old Town as an enforcer of their laws. She is Japanese and shorter than five feet and has long, flowing hair.

•Nancy Callahan is the girl saved by Detective John Hartigan. She grows up to be the beautiful exotic dancer at the local bar, Kadie’s, visited by all of the characters of Sin City.

•The Yellow Bastard, the son of Senator Roark, is the serial pedophile and murderer who turns yellow and fetid after experiments are performed on him to restore his missing body parts.

•Senator Roark is the short, fat brother of Patrick Henry Roark and father of the Yellow Bastard. His connections with all the powerful organizations in the city give him authority and make him the most powerful man in Sin City.

•Esther is Wallace’s love interest in Hell and Back. She is a beautiful African American woman. She is an actor and a target for the human slave operation of the Wallenquist group.

•Delia, a.k.a. Blue Eyes, is an assassin working for the Wallenquist group. She is a slim, beautiful woman with bright blue eyes.

Artistic Style

Sin City was produced in black and white, with a few elements touched with a single color to draw the eye of the reader. The sharp delineation between the black-and-white regions of each illustration is created through the use of crisp straight lines and a lack of shading. Each image is created by voids within a black space, with figures seemingly rising from the background. The figures are drawn in a generally realistic manner but with exaggerations of masculine features.

Scenes containing snow are particularly interesting, as Miller creates unique patterns of voids within the illustration through a technique using the application and removal of white rubber cement. Rain is represented by long streaks of white, creating voids that obscure the characters and background alike.

Essentially, characters are formed by scraping away the darkness of a background to reveal details; the precipitation is created through sharp voids and so takes on its own organic quality. The addition of points of color in a predominantly colorless work allows Miller to create intensity in certain physical features, such as blue or red eyes. The final volume, Hell and Back, uses a large amount of pastel color to represent Wallace’s hallucinations, and the effect is immediate, as it drags the reader from the bleak portrayal of Sin City into a world of bright colors and pop-culture references.

Themes

Sin City addresses concepts of gender identity and gender roles as well as the part of a society that rejects traditional concepts of law and order. Some critics have referred to Sin City as hypermasculine, overly violent, and misogynistic. While masculinity and masculine roles are important to the characters in Sin City, the protagonists are most often driven by vengeance, loyalty, or altruism. Dwight is driven by a need to protect the women around him, and the complexity of his relationship with the women comments on classic masculine gender roles within a world of egalitarian female agency. The use of the word “retard” in the text indicates a complete lack of political correctness, which is likely Miller’s act of rebellion against both the loss of traditional masculine identity and the overemphasis on emotional sensitivity.

Sin City explores the concept of a “good madman” in the character of Marv, who is governed by a moral code of protecting women and children yet driven by intense homicidal urges. Marv’s actions in The Hard Goodbye are not fueled by any selfish desire but a fixation on the complete removal of a perceived evil force, so Marv essentially ceases to be a man and becomes a force of pure violence. The characters in Sin City are so hyperbolic that they simply become manifestations of the ideals that they hold at their core.

Impact

Sin City solidified a growing trend in superhero comic books that focused on the grit and street crime of cities. The popular reception of each successive yarn caused Miller to increase the pulp-fiction nature of the comics. The final yarn, Hell and Back, reveals a certain change in Miller’s perception of his own work, as he begins to hyperbolize his own style. The character Wallace seems to be an amalgamation of each of the preceding male protagonists, possessing Marv’s toughness, Hartigan’s devotion, and Dwight’s control. This final volume satirizes the hypermasculine concept, or at least comments on its overuse. Miller’s inclination to mock his own characters continues in Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2002).

Films

Sin City. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. Dimension Films/Troublemaker Studios, 2005. The film was loyal to the source material, and the comics served as a storyboard during the production process. The film mirrors the novels’ black-and-white format with splashes of color appearing on key elements. The cast included Bruce Willis as Hartigan, Clive Owen as Dwight, and Benicio Del Toro as Jackie Boy, and Mickey Rourke won a number of awards for his portrayal of Marv.

Further Reading

Miller, Frank, and Klaus Janson. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986).

Miller, Frank, and David Mazzucchelli. Batman: Year One (1988).

Miller, Frank, and Lynn Varley. Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2002).

Bibliography

Dargis, Manohla. “A Savage and Sexy City of Pulp Fiction Regulars.” The New York Times, April 1, 2005. http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/movies/01sin.html?‗r=1&ex=1153281600&en=7e266ef33d532f3a&ei=5070&oref=slogin.

Eisner, Will, Frank Miller, and Charles Brownstein. Eisner/Miller: A One-on-One Interview. Milwaukie, Ore.: Dark Horse Books, 2005.

Wandtke, Terrence R. The Amazing Transforming Superhero! Essays on the Revision of Characters in Comic Books, Film, and Television. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2007.