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Frank Miller's Complete Sin City Library

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Call it "noir meets Kill Bill." Frank Miller stripped comic art to the bone in his "Sin City" series, which takes place in the fictional "Basin City," where corruption is the rule and life is cheap. It's a gritty, dark, edgy series with several interwoven stories, and artwork that give no distraction from the rocky stories.

It opens with "The Hard Goodbye," a bloody revenge tale about a scarred hulk named Marv. He meets a beautiful young blonde who sleeps with him, but she is dead the next morning. Revenge spurs Marv to hunt down and destroy the people who killed Goldie, including a silent cannibal and a corrupt cardinal, no matter what the price.

"A Dame To Kill For" is pure noir, set before the first book of the series. Dwight is a photographer with a shady past; his ex-girlfriend Ava reenters his life, announcing that she's scared of her ultrawealthy husband, Damien Lord, and seeking Dwight as a knight in tarnished armor. But Dwight doesn't know if he can trust her -- is Ava really in danger, or is she manipulating him as a pawn to get back at her husband? The truth just might destroy him...

Elsewhere in Sin City, the streets of Old Town are ruled by the ladies who walk them. And in "The Big Fat Kill," Dwight comes to their aid. A bunch of drunks invaded Old Town and get killed by the prostites... but then they find that one has a badge. Now Dwight must help the prostitutes -- to whom he owes a debt -- defend themselves against the rest of Sin City.

"That Yellow Bastard" introduces us to Hartigan, an ailing cop who receives a distress call from an 11-year-old, Nancy Callahan. He does rescue her, but at a price -- the rapist-murderer who attacked her is the son of a senator. Hartigan ends up in jail. And after eight years, he finds that teen stripper Nancy is now being stalked by the senator's son again...

Dwight returns in "Family Values," arriving at an old diner and finding that someone shot up the place. Turns out an Old Town prostitute was murdered by a Mafia shooter, and now Dwight is on the warpath. Accompanying him is rollerblading ninja/assassin/prostitute Miho, as he works his way to the top of the powerful Mob...

"Booze, Broads and Bullets" is a short story collection, full of little gritty vignettes. It provides little insights into the characters -- among other stories: Dwight rescues a beautiful mystery woman, Marv rescues a little girl from sex slavery, the lethal Delia lures in men for sinister purposes, and a pair of dumb crooks debate whether to steal a corpse's boots.

"Hell and Back" is the end of the "Sin City" series... so far. It introduces us to Wallace, a shaggy artist who also happens to be a Vietnam veteran. He saves a stunning starlet named Esther, and goes out for a drink with her... only to be drugged and tricked by a mystery woman when he awakes. As he struggles to rescue Esther from her kidnappers, he discovers the gruesome reason they want her.

Anyone who has seen the excellent "Sin City" movie will know what to expect -- a bloody, stark, lawless retro-noir story, with a lot of killing, sex and revenge. Wallace puts it well at the end of "Hell and Back": "That rotten town. Those it can't corrupt, it soils. Those it can't soil, it kills."

The artwork is usually stark black and white, with a few splashes of colour (lipstick, for example). It's stripped to the basics, with lots of nudity and blood. But the protagonists aren't black-and-white. Except for the rough but kindly Hartigan, they aren't really heroes, but a part of Sin City.

Some of the stories are stronger than others -- "Family Values," for example, is the weakest of these stories, just because it feels like it's been done before. And a few of the short stories fall flat. But the overall effect is a shocking, lingering one, and it's a credit that Miller can create such a complete mini-world in only seven volumes.

The "Sin City" series is Frank Miller's opus, a horrifyingly realistic look at a metropolis that is all dark side. Rough, stark and exceedingly well-written.

These graphic novels are a great read. They do tend to be pretty darn dark and twisted, but are good stories nonetheless, showing the gritty underside of Sin City (As if there was anything but that).

I love the monochromatic style of artwork Miller produces. Not even a hint of grayscale. Nothing but black on white (or vice versa). This method truly adds to the overall mood of the stories. Once in a while Miller will use color, but it will only be a single color on a single character. Like the color yellow, for that yellow bastard in..."That Yellow Bastard." One color, simply used, same effect.

Chances are you've seen the movie, and I must say that you have already read volumes 1, 3 and 4. The movie follows the books so closley that it is almost, scene for scene, in sync with the comic. You do miss a couple of scenes and some dialogue, but not a whole lot.

The rest of the books are just as well conceived and written. This is a great deal for all 7 books. Retail is $125 (individually or as a set), buy them on Amazon idividually is around 83 bucks, so might as well get it all in one fell swoop for the 75 amazon is offering; you won't be disappointed!

If you've already seen the movie, it is no wonder that they could use the artwork as storyboard for the movie. It has a uniquely noir look and feel. The art is crisp and has energy and each frame could be blown up into to a wall poster.

For those who don't know, most of the books are in black-and-white with some splashes of color. The movie was black-and-greys with some splashes of color.

The set is a great deal, cheaper than buying them individually. If you are a real collector, you can go for the Sin City Library Collection I and II which is hardcover, oversized, and on higher quality paper. But for a heafty price. If you just want to savor the series, then buy this version instead.

Ok, i'm assuming you know a bit about sin city, so i'll simply say, these books are awesome. I just love the way it's written from the main character's point of view, and how they narrate the story. The drawings are excellent too. Very stylish, almost completely black and white, with the most amazing silouhette pictures. The set is amazing. Decent size books, each is around 200 pages. 7 books all up. The only thing lacking is a box to put them in. But great value for the complete set of the most captivating comics i've ever read.

Also, if you like Max Payne, these comics are very similar in style.
Final note: these comics are not for children, contains violence, sex, and drugs/alcohol abuse.

I was a fan of the movie and wanted to get a flavor of the source material. I'm glad I did. Very entertaining and thought provoking. And the more I read, the more impressed I am at how faithfully the movie translated the story and feel into the movie. Can't wait for the next one!

Though he's been renowned for his revolutionary work on Marvel's Daredevil and his visionary re-imagining of Batman in the Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller really found his voice with Sin City. In each of the seven volumes collected in this bundle, we are introduced to the crime ridden Basin City (refered by it's inhabitants as, you guessed it, Sin City), and the few who try to make some kind of difference, whether they want to or not. The Hard Goodbye is the beginning of it all; introducing us to scarred tough guy Marv, looking to avenge the death of the only woman to ever show him physical love. What he uncovers is something you'll never see coming, and it's outcome will stay with you long after it's over. A Dame to Kill For is a prequel, introducing us to photographer Dwight McCarthy, drawn into a murderous plot by his ex. Dwight's story continues in the Big Fat Kill, as he returns to Sin City and becomes a reluctant ally of the hookers of Old Town when their shaky truce with the cops comes to a violent end. That Yellow Bastard, the best Sin City story and possibly the best thing Miller has ever written, revolves around old cop John Hartigan and his efforts to save a little girl from a psychopath. Years later, he gets the chance to save her again, no matter what it costs him. Family Values finds Dwight and the deadly Miho teaming up to take on the mob. Booze, Broads, and Bullets is a collection of short stories, featuring many familiar faces. The final book, Hell and Back, is the longest of the series, and revolves around Wallace, an artist with a bloody past who gets in way over his head when he saves a seemingly helpless damsel. What happens after that you'll have to see to believe. Practically every story in this collection is a master work, the only exceptions are Family Values and Booze, Broads, and Bullets. Family Values doesn't break any new ground, and the short stories in Booze, Broads, and Bullets are basically hit and miss. Despite that, the Sin City collection is still some of the best comic literature ever printed, and Miller's stark black and white art (with flashes and strokes of color here and there) is truly a sight to behold. Whether you're a longtime fan or were turned on to the series by the brilliant movie by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, now has never been a better time to give Sin City a visit.

If you love good graphic novels, you can't go wrong with a Sin City collection at this Price. Much better than buying each book separately. Dark Crime Drama and stylized violence at its best.

I purchased this item after watching the movie Sin City. I hadn't read any of the Sin City graphic novels heading into this purchase, but I had seen some of Frank Miller's work on other titles. If you liked the movie, you will definitely like the graphic novels that they are based upon.

Even if you did not see the movie, if you are a fan of comic books and graphic novels I highly recommend this item.

Sin City is the best comic book series ever. If all you've seen is the movie, you're missing out. Get more in depth with the characters, see different stories about Dwight, Nancy, and my favorite, Marv. At least check out "To Hell and Back." It's the best story arch out there.

After seeing the movie, I was blown away. It was truly a unique experience and so I decided to read the graphic novels from whence it was spawned.

What a treat! Frank Miller is a rare talent and the books are difficult to put down once you pick them up. Of course these books are for adults but you will not be disappointed when you read them.