Sin Cityis aseriesofneo-noircomicsby American comic book writer-artistFrank Miller.The first story originally appeared inDark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special(April 1991), and continued inDark Horse Presents51–62 from May 1991 to June 1992, under the title ofSin City,serialized in thirteen parts. Several other stories of variable lengths have followed. The intertwining stories, with frequently recurring characters, take place in Basin City.
Afilm adaptationofSin City,co-directedbyRobert Rodriguezand Miller, was released on April 1, 2005. A sequel,Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,was released on August 22, 2014.
Publication history
editWriter-artist Frank Miller rose to fame within the American comics industry with his 1981–1983 work onMarvel Comics'Daredevil,and the 1986DC ComicsminiseriesThe Dark Knight Returns,both of which exhibited subtle elements offilm noir.[1]Miller's venture into the film noir genre deepened with his creator-owned seriesSin City,which began publishing in serialized form in theDark Horse Comicsanthology seriesDark Horse Presents#51–62. The story was released in atrade paperbackand later re-released in 1995 under the nameSin City: The Hard Goodbye.
In a 2016 interview with theKubert School,Miller explained his inspiration forSin Citythus:
I've been a fanatic for a long time for old crime movies and old crime novels. But it started with the movies. And the oldCagneymovies.Bogartand all that. I loved just how the morals of the stories are. They're all about right and wrong. But inSin Cityin particular I wanted them all to happen to in a world where virtuous behavior was rare, which greatly resembled the world I lived in. It's kinda like the oldRolling Stones song,where every cop's a criminal, and all the sinners are saints, where the lowlifes would often be heroic, and the most stridently beautiful and sweet women would be prostitutes. I wanted it to be a world out of balance, where virtue is defined by individuals in difficult situations, not by an overwhelming sense of goodness that was somehow governed by this godlikeComics Code.[2]
The film noir influence on the series' artwork[1][3][4][5]is seen in its use of shadow and stark backgrounds. Black and white are the sole colors most of the time, with exception of red, yellow, blue, and pink, of which limited use is made in some stories to draw attention to particular characters.[1][6]
The writing style also draws heavily on detective and crimepulp fiction.[3][7][8]
Miller'sSin Citywork challenges some conventions of comic book form. The letters ofonomatopoeicwords like "blam" are often incorporated into scenes via lighting effects, or are suggested by the negative space between panels, or are created by the outline of the panels themselves. This is especially evident in early "yarns," such asThe Hard Goodbye,which were more experimental.[9]
On April 28, 2022, it was officially announced that Miller was launching the comic book publishing companyFrank Miller Presents(FMP), with one of his initial contributions being a Western tale set in Sin City's past, titledSin City 1858.[10]
Setting
edit
Basin City, almost universally referred to by the nickname "Sin City", is a fictional town in theWestern United States.The climate is hot and arid, although Sacred Oaks[clarification needed]is characterized as being heavily wooded. A major river runs through the city, which has an extensive waterfront. Usually twice a year, a major downpour comes, and the city is prone to heavy snowfall in the winter. Desert lizards and palm trees are common, while tar pits, desert areas, mountain ranges and flat farmland make up the landscape around the city.[citation needed]
The Basin City Police Department are more or less along the lines of paramilitary orSWAT,as they have to deal with incredibly high crime rates among criminals and civilians alike, which is why they have access to what most would consider "heavy weaponry" and full body armor. Those who make up the force have been described as commonly being lazy, cowardly and/or corrupt. Only a handful of the cops are honest, though frequently the wealthy of the city bribe the corrupt members of the police into performing their duty (usually as a result of some crime being committed or threatened against a member of their family).[citation needed]
During theCalifornia Gold Rush,theRoark family"imported" a large number of attractive women to keep the miners happy, making a fortune and turning a struggling mining camp into a thriving, bustling city. Over the years, as the Roark family migrated into other areas of business and power, these women ended up forming the district of Old Town, theprostitutequarter of the city where they rule with absolute authority. In addition, the people charged with governing the city, most of them from the Roark line, remained in power for generations, running it as they saw fit.[citation needed]
As the various yarns progress, the audience gradually becomes familiar with key locations in and around Basin City:
- The Projects,the run-down and poor side of Sin City, are a tangle of high-rise run-down and desolated apartments where crime runs rampant with no police inside. Its inhabitants have apparently evolved their own independent society with almost no legal contact with the outside world and SWAT teams rarely go in The Projects. Marv was born in the Projects, and currently resides there. Dwight avoids The Projects and hates the neighborhood.
- The Docks,a collection of wharfs and warehouses that are local to the Projects, since The Docks overlook The Projects. Hartigan and Roark Junior have their first confrontation here inThat Yellow Bastard,and Marv drives a stolen police car off one of the piers at the beginning ofThe Hard Goodbye.
- Kadie's Club Pecosis a strip club and bar in Old Town, where Nancy Callahan and Shellie work, and where Dwight McCarthy and Marv spend their spare time. Despite being filled with drunk and violent men, Kadie's bar is one of the safest areas in Sin City since it is heavily guarded by prostitutes and their protectors. Marv, who possesses an extraordinarily high sense of chivalry, protects the female employees of Kadie's from any violence that makes its way inside.
- Roark Family Farm(a.k.a. "The Farm" ) is located at North Cross and Lennox on the hills outside Basin City and shows up in several stories, includingThe Hard Goodbye,That Yellow Bastard,The Babe Wore RedandHell and Back.It was also home to Kevin, aserial killerwith ties to the Roark family. Marv burns down one of the buildings, and the Farm is abandoned sometime after the initialSin Citystoryline. The Farm is the only location in the comic books that is outside Basin City.
- Old Townis thered-light district,where the city's population of prostitutes reside. Old Town is run by Goldie and Wendy. Old Town is off limits to the police. Though willing to engage in almost any sexual act for the right price, the women of Old Town show no mercy to those who "break the rules," and back up their independence with lethal force. The mafia families and pimps who were into Old Town's business were thrown out of the neighborhood.
- Sacred Oaksis the home to the rich and powerful of Sin City. This suburb is located on the outskirts of Basin City as a protection. A university is located in Sacred Oaks, and the entire area is patrolled by armed employees of its wealthy inhabitants, mostly SWAT teams.
- Basin City Central Train Station,which has a direct connection toPhoenix.It is located in the outskirts near The Docks and it is considered one of safer places.
- Mimi's,a small run-down motel on the far outskirts of Basin City, with only few rooms and a place where young couples make love. Nancy and Hartigan hid in Mimi's where she confessed her love to him. Junior also attacked Hartigan here and left him to die, although he saved himself.
- The Santa Yolanda Tar Pits,an abandoned amusement park of sorts outside the city, where severaltar pitsare located and dinosaur bones were excavated at some time. After a "big-budget dinosaur movie" caused a sensation, the county put up concrete statues of dinosaurs there to draw crowds. However, after an old lady fell through a railing into one of the pits and had a heart attack, the place was shut down indefinitely. They are frequently used as a place to dump things that people don't want found; high-schoolers also tend to sneak in there a lot. This is where Delia tells Phil to drive inWrong Turnand where Dwight takes the corpses of Jackie Boy and his friends inThe Big Fat Kill.Frank Miller has admitted the main reason the Tar Pits exist is as an excuse to draw the dinosaur statues.
Characters
editIndividuals
editOrganizations
editBecause a large majority of the residents of Basin City are criminals, there are several organizations and cartels central to the stories who are vying for monopoly over the various criminal enterprises in the city. Listed below are crime syndicates, gangs and other low-lifes who figure heavily in the Sin City mythos.
The Basin City Police Department:So deep does corruption and criminality run in Basin City that even their police officers qualify as a gang of paid thugs, turning a blind eye to the affairs of those too poor to pay them off. Few among them are considered incorruptible; even the honest officers are unable (or unwilling) to curtail the criminal actions of the dishonest ones. Notable characters in the series who are police include DetectiveJohn Hartigan,his partner Bob, LieutenantsJack Raffertyand Mort,CommissionerLiebowitz, and Officers Manson and Bundy fromHell and Back.
Roark family:A dynasty of corrupt landowners and politicians whose influence over Basin City has stretched as far back as the days of the Old West. Famous Roarks of this generation include a senator, a cardinal, an attorney general, andRoark Junior, 'That Yellow Bastard'.
The Girls of Old Town:Populating the region of Basin City known as Old Town is a group of women inthe world's oldest profession,having made a truce with the cops to allow them to govern and police themselves. As ofA Dame to Kill For,they were led by the twins, Goldie and Wendy.
Wallenquist Organization:A powerful crime syndicate led by Herr Wallenquist, a mysterious crime lord with a broad range of criminal enterprises to his name. Although they are one of the city's two "normal" criminal organizations, the Wallenquist management seems to be the most peaceful and forgiving of the various leaders. It is unknown which crime rings they hold.
Magliozzi Crime Family:The undisputed heads of the localCosa Nostra,the Magliozzi family seems to be the purest example of "true"Mafialifestyle. While they appear in only one story, it is hinted that the Mafia influence in Basin City's underworld is a lot larger than just their family and that there are more families.
Other groups that have been seen or mentioned in the comics include:
Tonggangsters:Mentioned, but not seen as ofA Dame to Kill For.Miho's life was saved by Dwight when he secretly protected her during a fight with several Tong gangsters in a dark alleyway.
White slavers:Mentioned, but not seen as ofA Dame to Kill For.Led by a man named Manuel, whose brothers were also involved. Were "taken care of" by Dwight prior to the events ofA Dame to Kill For.
Irish mercenaries:Seen duringThe Big Fat Kill,most of them are evidently formerIRAmembers, as implied by one of the mercenaries referring to his glee at blowing up apublic house(Britishpubs were targeted by the IRA). All are killed by Dwight and Miho.
Sin Cityyarns
editThese are the individual stories, usually referred to as "yarns," set in Frank Miller's Sin City universe.
Collected editions
editThe stories have been collected into a number oftrade paperbacksand hardcover editions. There is also a collection of art,The Art of Sin City.
In 2016, Dark Horse Comics released an ambitious, oversized edition titledFrank Miller’s Sin City The Hard Goodbye Curator’s Collection.[11]This 15 x 21 inch book reprints the entire first storyline, scanned and reproduced exactly from the original art at 1:1 size. When referencing the production process in an interview with Michael Dooley forPrint Magazine,editor/designer John Lind gave the anecdote “When Frank and I first reviewed some of the scanned pages fromSin City,he pulled one aside and said, ‘You can see details in some of the scans where you can tell what the humidity was like when I was lettering because you can see the smudging from my hand.’ That type of reaction represents the level of detail I'm working hard to achieve with the production.[12]
Trade paperbacks
edit| Name | Contents | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The Hard Goodbye | Episodes #1–13 of 13 from Dark Horse 5th Anniversary Special andDark Horse Presentsissues #51–62 | ISBN1-59307-293-7 |
| A Dame to Kill For | Issues #1–6 of 6 | ISBN1-59307-294-5 |
| The Big Fat Kill | Issues #1–5 of 5 | ISBN1-59307-295-3 |
| That Yellow Bastard | Issues #1–6 of 6 | ISBN1-59307-296-1 |
| Family Values | 128-page originalgraphic novel | ISBN1-59307-297-X |
| Booze, Broads, & Bullets | A number ofone-shots | ISBN1-59307-298-8 |
| Hell and Back | Issues #1–9 of 9 | ISBN1-59307-299-6 |
Hardcovers
edit| Name | Contents | Release Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Miller's Sin City Library Set Vol. 1 | The Hard Goodbye, A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard | December 2005 | 978-1-59307-421-0 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Library Set Vol. 2 | Family Values, Booze, Broads and Bullets, Hell and Back, and The Art of Sin City | June 2006 | 978-1-59307-422-7 |
| Big Damn Sin City | The Hard Goodbye, A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard, Family Values, Booze, Broads and Bullets, Hell and Back, and The Art of Sin City | June 2014 | 978-1-61655-237-4 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.1: The Hard Goodbye Curator's Edition | The Hard Goodbye scanned from the original artwork in Frank Miller's archives and reproduced at full size. Introduction by Robert Rodriguez, with an afterword by Mike Richardson and an interview about the artistic process with Frank Miller. | August 2016 | 978-1-5067-0070-0 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.1: The Hard Goodbye Deluxe Edition | Episodes #1–13 of 13 from Dark Horse 5th Anniversary Special andDark Horse Presentsissues #51–62 | November 2021 | 978-1-5067-2837-7 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.2: A Dame to Kill For Deluxe Edition | Issues #1–6 of 6 | December 2021 | 978-1-5067-2838-4 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.3: The Big Fat Kill Deluxe Edition | Issues #1–5 of 5 | February 2022 | 978-1-5067-2839-1 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.4: That Yellow Bastard Deluxe Edition | Issues #1–6 of 6 | May 2022 | 978-1-5067-2840-7 |
| Frank Miller's Sin City Vol.5: Family Values Deluxe Edition | 128-page originalgraphic novel | June 2022 | 978-1-5067-2841-4 |
Adaptations
editFilms
editAfilm adaptationofSin City,co-directedbyRobert RodriguezandFrank Miller,was released on April 1, 2005. A sequel,Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,was released on August 22, 2014.
Television
editDimension Films planned to develop a soft reboot of the series for television; Stephen L’Heureux who produced the second film was to oversee the series withSin Citycreator Frank Miller.[13]The new TV series would feature new characters and timelines and be more like the comics rather than the films.[14]On November 15, 2019,Legendary Picturesbought the rights for the television series.[15]
Awards
edit- 1993:
- The Hard Goodbyewon the "Best Graphic Album: Reprint (Modern Material)"Eisner Award[16]
- Frank Miller won the "Best Penciller/Inker, Black & White Publication" Eisner Award, forThe Hard Goodbye[16]
- Frank Miller won the "Best Writer/Artist" Eisner Award, forThe Hard Goodbye[16]
- Sin Citywon the "Best Graphic Novel Collection"UK Comic Art Award[17]
- 1994:
- Frank Miller won the "Best Writer/Artist" UK Comic Art Award for his work onSin City[18]
- 1995:
- A Dame to Kill Forwon "Best Limited Series" Eisner Award[19]
- "The Babe Wore Red," won "Best Short Story"Eisner Award[19]
- 1996:
- The Big Fat Killwon the "Best Limited Series" Eisner Award[20]
- The Big Fat Killwon the Favorite Limited SeriesComics Buyer's Guide Fan Award[21]
- Sin Citywon the "Best Continuing or Limited Series"Harvey Award[22]
- 1998:
- That Yellow Bastardwon the "Best Graphic Album-Reprint" Eisner Award[23]
- Family Valueswon the "Best Graphic Album of Original Work" Harvey Award[24]
- 2000:
- Hell and Back (A Sin City Love Story)won the "Favourite Black & White Comicbook"Eagle Award
See also
edit
References
edit- ^abcSims, Chris (May 26, 2011)."8 of the Best Noir Comics: Crime Does Pay".ComicsAlliance.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedJune 18,2017.
- ^"Frank Miller Full Video"Archived2019-11-16 at theWayback Machine.Kubert School Media.YouTube.June 29, 2016. 36:36 mark.
- ^abRobinson, Tasha (December 5, 2001)."Frank Miller"Archived2017-08-19 at theWayback Machine.The A.V. Club.
- ^Fortune, Drew (August 25, 014)."Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller talk new and oldSin City"Archived2016-12-24 at theWayback Machine.The A.V. Club.
- ^Clayton, James (August 22, 2014)."Sin City and the eternal, seductive allure of film noir"Archived2019-12-21 at theWayback Machine.Den of Geek!
- ^"Booze, Broads and Bullets"Archived2021-02-03 at theWayback Machine.Google Books.Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^Howe, Sean (August 20, 2014)."After His Public Downfall,Sin City's Frank Miller Is Back (And Not Sorry) ".Wired.Archived2015-01-22 at theWayback Machine
- ^Suderman, Peter (March 29, 2016)."Frank Miller gave us the best Batman — and the worst"Archived2017-04-03 at theWayback Machine.Vox.
- ^Arnott, Luke (Fall 2008)."BLAM! The Literal Architecture of Sin City".The International Journal of Comic Art.10(2):380–401.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-08-17.Retrieved2012-12-10.
- ^Kit, Borys (April 28, 2022)."Frank Miller Launches Independent Publishing Company, New 'Sin City,' 'Ronin' Comics in the Works (Exclusive)".The Hollywood Reporter.Los Angeles, CA:MRC Media & Info&Penske Media Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on April 29, 2022.RetrievedApril 29,2022.
- ^"Frank Miller's Sin City: The Hard Goodbye Curator's Collection".Artist's Edition Index.2016-08-29.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-30.Retrieved2020-01-30.
- ^"How Frank Miller's Sin City Got the Deluxe Treatment".Print Magazine.2017-12-04.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-30.Retrieved2020-01-30.
- ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (2017-05-31)."Frank Miller's 'Sin City' TV Series Enlists Glen Mazzara, Len Wiseman & Stephen L'Heureux".Deadline Hollywood.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-04-02.Retrieved2018-03-27.
- ^"'Sin City' TV Series in the Works with Glen Mazzara and Len Wiseman ".Collider.2017-05-31.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-03.Retrieved2018-03-27.
- ^"Legendary Close to Deal with Frank Miller for 'Sin City' TV Series".15 November 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-08-02.Retrieved2021-01-27.
- ^abc"1993 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-07-23.Retrieved2010-10-05.
- ^ER. "International Miscellanea: 1993 UK Comic Art Awards,"The Comics Journal#161 (August 1993), p. 40.
- ^MT. "Newswatch: 5th UK Comic Art Awards,"The Comics Journal#168 (May 1994), p. 44.
- ^ab"1995 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-10-10.Retrieved2010-10-05.
- ^"1996 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-09-22.Retrieved2010-10-05.
- ^"1995 1996 Comics Buyers Guide Fan Awards".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-03-01.Retrieved2018-01-31.
- ^"1996 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-02-20.Retrieved2010-10-05.
- ^"1998 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-05.Retrieved2010-10-05.
- ^"1998 Harvey Award Nominees and Winners".Hahnlibrary.net.Archivedfrom the original on 2014-04-28.Retrieved2010-10-05.
External links
edit- Sin Cityat Dark Horse Comics
- Sin CityatDon Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on June 4, 2017.