Sin City is aseries ofneo-noircomics by American comic book writer-artistFrank Miller. The first story originally appeared inDark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (April 1991), and continued inDark Horse Presents 51–62 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 adaptation ofSin City,co-directed byRobert Rodriguez and Miller, was released on April 1, 2005. A sequel,Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, was released on August 22, 2014.
Writer-artist Frank Miller rose to fame within the American comics industry with his 1981–1983 work onMarvel Comics'Daredevil, and the 1986DC Comics miniseriesThe 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 Comics anthology seriesDark Horse Presents #51–62. The story was released in atrade paperback and later re-released in 1995 under the nameSin City: The Hard Goodbye.
In a 2016 interview with theKubert School, Miller explained his inspiration forSin City thus:
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 oldCagney movies.Bogart and all that. I loved just how the morals of the stories are. They're all about right and wrong. But inSin City in 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 City work challenges some conventions of comic book form. The letters ofonomatopoeic words 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]
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, the Roark 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, theprostitute quarter 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:
Because 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 Rafferty and Mort,Commissioner Liebowitz, 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, and Roark 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"Mafia lifestyle. 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:
Tong gangsters: 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 formerIRA members, as implied by one of the mercenaries referring to his glee at blowing up apublic house (British pubs were targeted by the IRA). All are killed by Dwight and Miho.
These are the individual stories, usually referred to as "yarns," set in Frank Miller's Sin City universe.
The stories have been collected into a number oftrade paperbacks and 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]
| Name | Contents | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| The Hard Goodbye | Episodes #1–13 of 13 from Dark Horse 5th Anniversary Special andDark Horse Presents issues #51–62 | ISBN 1-59307-293-7 |
| A Dame to Kill For | Issues #1–6 of 6 | ISBN 1-59307-294-5 |
| The Big Fat Kill | Issues #1–5 of 5 | ISBN 1-59307-295-3 |
| That Yellow Bastard | Issues #1–6 of 6 | ISBN 1-59307-296-1 |
| Family Values | 128-page originalgraphic novel | ISBN 1-59307-297-X |
| Booze, Broads, & Bullets | A number ofone-shots | ISBN 1-59307-298-8 |
| Hell and Back | Issues #1–9 of 9 | ISBN 1-59307-299-6 |
| 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 Presents issues #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 |
Afilm adaptation ofSin City,co-directed byRobert Rodriguez andFrank Miller, was released on April 1, 2005. A sequel,Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, was released on August 22, 2014.
Dimension 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 City creator 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 Pictures bought the rights for the television series.[15]
Larry Snelly reviewedSin City inWhite Wolf Inphobia #53 (March, 1995) and stated that "Sin City [...] scratches below the surface to reveal important issues [...] It makes you wonder if we've created our own 'sin cities' as we, as a society, value beauty over integrity."[16]
| Yarns | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Organizations | |
| Films | |
