17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sinning again, May 18, 2006
This review is from: Sin City: The Frank Miller Library, Set II (Volumes 5-7, plus The Art of Sin City) (Hardcover)
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. And this collector's edition contains the last volumes of the series, plus the added "Art of" but with the bloody, gritty storytelling amped up with the greater quality of the publication.
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.
Finally there is the "Art of Sin City" book, which fills out the boxed set. To non-collectors, it's not much of a thrill, especially since most of the artwork has appeared in the graphic novels. But since this boxed edition is meant for collectors, they might want this for the complete set, despite its scanty new material.
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."
So what kind of boxed set is this? A collector's set, not the type you take off the shelf and flip through, but the kind you dust, admire, and occasionally show proudly to fellow graphic novel geeks. But if you were to flip through it, you would find fine-quality paper, tight hardcover bindings, and Miller's artwork sitting in the middle of it, looking better than ever.
Normally I would think that a black-and-white comic, with only the odd splashes of colour, would be wasted on the paper here. But it actually adds definition to Miller's stark artwork, and makes it leap off the page. Whether black-and-white or with the odd bit of colour, it's very striking just to look at.
The second boxed set of Frank Miller's "Sin City" continues the noir comic, and adds an extra artwork book for completists. Dark, edgy and beautifully bound.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The very definition of "deluxe edition", July 3, 2008
This review is from: Sin City: The Frank Miller Library, Set II (Volumes 5-7, plus The Art of Sin City) (Hardcover)
The fact that you're checking out this big-ticket item means you are no doubt familiar with Frank Miller's crime noir masterpiece, so I won't bother explaining what the basic stories are all about. You're probably here trying to decide whether this bookshelf item is worth the $100+ price tag, or whether it is time to upgrade your Sin City collection. The answer is an overwhelming YES.
In this massive collection you get the (to date) final three Sin City graphic novels (Family Values, Booze, Broads and Bullets, and Hell and Back) plus the Art of Sin City collection housed in a black slipcase with the Sin City logo in red foil. The volumes presented here are in hardcover format in a larger than normal size. Think of the DC Absolute hardcover series; these books are just slightly smaller than that format. As if the extra large presentation weren't enough, the page stock has been significantly upgraded. The pages are as thick as the typical Sin City cover stock, and ultra-glossy, which is ideally suited for Miller's dynamic black and white artwork. Each page becomes fine art. I was extremely pleased with my original Sin City hardcovers and paperbacks, but they just pale in comparison to the quality of this package. I'll take a star off just because the material collected in this set isn't as impressive as the first Sin City Library collection, but this really is the ultimate Sin City reading experience.
My only complaint, and it is minor, is that there isn't anything in the way of "bonus material." At the very least, I was hoping for some kind of introduction to each volume by Miller. But like I said, it's a minor gripe.
With its high price tag, the Sin City Library is not for everyone. It is however, a must-have for true Sin City aficionados, and makes an impressive addition to the comic fan's bookshelf.
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