The original Sin City run commenced publishing in 1991. How well does this ground breaking graphic novel stand up today in this omnibus edition?
Who:
Written and illustrated by Frank Miller, with further illustrations from Lynn Varley
What:
Graphic Novel
Why:
It's the collected seven volumes of the original Sin City graphic novels
When:
Released in 2014
Where:
Set in the fictional town of Basin City from which we derive the nickname that forms the book title
The Case For:
The seven volumes that make up Big Damn Sin City are in order: The Hard Goodbye, A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, That Yellow Bastard, Family Values, Booze, Broads & Bullets and finally Hell and Back.
This book is HUGE. I can't emphasise that enough, not just in scope but in dimensions too (9 x 14.3 x 3.6 inches to be precise). The binding is of a high quality as is the paper used for the pages. It is typical of Dark Horse comics to produce such excellent work for this type of compendium.
For those not familiar with the events that appear in Sin City it is a group of individual stories that are told in a film noir style. Each of the stories gets linked together with main characters from one story providing background or supporting characters in another.
Time lines overlap and when something happens in one yarn it also has effects in another. It is a really intricately and interestingly weaved tale. You think you are reading about an isolated storyline only for something to happen in the background that relates to one of the other six episodes.
The film noir style is accentuated by the artwork used. Everything is done in black and white with very few exceptions, That Yellow Bastard being one of them. Colour is used extremely sparingly throughout the series. When it does appear it is used to dazzling effect, whether it is a splash of red lipstick or a pair of blue eyes; it really does bring your attention right into the drawings and fully compliments the art.
Sin City doesn't need the colour though for the amazing artwork on display to pop out at you. The crispness of this paper only helps make the black and white jump off the page throughout the book. It is incredible how just two colours can be used to such creative effects. The brightness and contrast used helps increase the pleasure taken from admiring what you are viewing. Shadow and light play such an important part here and they are both used stunningly.
It isn't much of a surprise that these light sources are in use when comparing it with the film noir inspiration, as it is one of the common traits of the genre. What is surprising is how well it translates in still frames on paper.
The vast majority of all the stories are dialogue free, using only thought bubbles as the main character narrates the story unfolding. This too is another convention often used in film noir to tell the story and is particularly effective in Sin City. Thought bubbles are nothing new for comic strips so it shouldn't come as any surprise how well it works for these volumes.
Some of the art cells that make up some of these tales utilise a full page for maximum impact. Due to the large format of this book it really helps bring the scene to life. You find yourself scanning the whole page to really take in the scene being depicted.
For a graphic novel set in a fictional city with over the top situations it is surprising how relatable some of these characters can be and the situations they find themselves in. Of course no one is going to run into a cannibalistic sadist; but finding a corrupt priest or politician is definitely not unheard of. Who hasn't come across a person like Marv that you know can be an okay guy but if you say one thing wrong to him, he will flip out and probably cause you bodily harm!
Not everything is so simplistic but I do find myself reading these stories and thinking that some of it could be a lot closer to the truth than we would wish. It isn't such a hard stretch to imagine similar scenario's playing out in the seedy underbelly of the crime world. This is especially true of the things that occur in Old Town; it isn't so far-fetched to imagine that a person enters a certain area and is never heard from again.
Getting into the stories themselves, there are some that really standout for me and others that I wasn't as enthused about. That isn't to say I dislike any particular volume. On the contrary there is something I admire in each one just that I prefer some to others. In most cases the ones I particularly enjoy relates to the main protagonist whose story arc the yarn is following.
I love Marv, which I don't think comes as a big surprise as he does seem to be top of many people's lists. So it should also come as no surprise that The Hard Goodbye is one of my favourite tales. Marv is obviously a guy with serious mental issues. I love the fact that he is so relentless and all that matters to him is completing what he sets out to do.
I wonder if Frank Miller had Jessica Rabbit in mind when he initially came up with the idea for Ava Lord. They both share many similarities with lots of other femme fatale's from the film noir genre. But it is in the style they are both illustrated that I draw the comparison. Never before have pencilled characters been as steaming hot as these two ladies!
I find Ava's seduction of Mort during A Dame to Kill For to be the best twist to this particular tale. It also showcases her talents for getting men to follow her every whim and prove the title is well warranted.
Deadly Little Miho. How cool is she? It is fantastic to see one of the more frightening individuals portrayed being female. Sure we have Marv, Dwight, Wallace and Manute bringing the brawn; but when it comes down to the finesse in the art of being deadly only Delia comes close to matching Miho.
You can certainly tell that Frank Miller must have enjoyed writing Miho's character due to the number of appearances she makes in other yarns. It would not be beyond the realms of possibility to have other Old Town residents replace her in some of the other stories so there is an obvious affection from the author. My personal favourite appearance has to be Family Values. How can you not love a roller skating assassin?
Hell and Back is another story that I particularly enjoyed. Wallace is such a badass. At first you aren't quite sure what he is all about but he quickly turns out to be a guy that no one should mess with. It is also the perfect way to end the series on an uplifting note proving that you can leave the city of sin and have hope for the future.
The Case Against:
Where does the book fall down though? Well in such a massive collection the stories can get a little bit repetitive; especially if, like me, you binge read the whole lot in one go. If you were to put this down after reading one volume and went on to something else before coming back for the next episode, then I think the repetitiveness would not be so obvious.
As it stands it is only a minor niggle and one to be expected really when trolling through such a large text there are bound to be parts which feel like they have already been seen or done already. The fact that everything is black and white certainly adds to this feeling too.
Likewise with the storylines; some characters also seem to have many similarities when viewed together as a whole. The film noir style narration definitely contributes a great deal to this thought as well. When each of the main characters from each episode is narrating the story as it goes, then it is an unavoidable trait. Of course it is also a trait that you have to expect from this style of writing so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when considered this way.
Sin City is a very bleak setting which can feel very oppressive. These are not uplifting tales in the main; no one here is chasing sunshine and rainbows. This is a story of the sordid side of life and it does it very well, so no one should read this expecting the hero to live all the time. I hate to keep harping on about it, but again it follows film noir's common themes where betrayal and death are prevalent. We do end on a positive note however and that is not to be dismissed, but overall these tales do have a dark tone.
Speaking of dark tones we segue nicely into the actual artwork. Now I don't have a problem with the two tones used throughout and have already stated how it is used to excellent effect. There are a few cells however, where it can be hard to distinguish exactly what you are looking at due to the use of only black and white.
I must stress this is not a common occurrence throughout the book but you might find yourself staring at one scene for some time before finally working out what exactly is being depicted. You also might consider it a blessing that you get to admire the craft that has gone into each frame whilst deciphering the shadows at work. For me it was a minor annoyance and when you look at how many frames makes up the whole story I really am nit-picking.
The one final gripe about the content of the book is the lack of the single issue covers from each story. I can appreciate that the inclusion of these during the main body of the book would have detracted from the overall flow. But it would have been special to have these included in the end appendices.
Now as has been mentioned a couple of times this book is BIG. This book is so big in fact that it is rather cumbersome to read. It does weigh a considerable amount and resting it in your lap while reading can be rather uncomfortable. Don't let that dissuade you from considering purchasing this however as it is still an excellent book, just not the most practical size.
Verdict:
Overall Big Damn Sin City is a terrific addition to anyone's library.
We cannot condone the actions of some of the criminals and miscreants that appear in this tome being members of the inquisition and all. Owning this grimoire however, will definitely not get you burnt at the stake but may leave you spellbound by the beautiful artwork held within its pages.
Evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_City
No comments:
Post a Comment