After working for DC Comics for years, legendary writer Frank Miller went to Dark Horse Comics with two projects, the miniseries Give Me Liberty and Hard Boiled. Give Me Liberty was a Martha Washington story drawn by Dave Gibbons and Hard Boiled was drawn by Geof Darrow.
In 1991, Frank Miller joined other artists and writers where he contributed to the one-shot Dark Horse Presents 5th Anniversary Special. In this book, Miller wrote and drew what would become one of his most iconic comics, Sin City. This crime noir saga (Sin City) would then continue in Dark Horse Presents issues #51 to 62. It was later collected in the collector edition “The Hard Goodbye.”
Sin City was not the first crime story Frank Miller had written, his work on Daredevil for Marvel Comics attests to that, but this series was written, drawn, and lettered by him.
Sin City stories take place in Basin City (nicknamed “Sin City”), the multiple stories varied in length, but share recurring characters and are connected in other fashions. One common thread was the experimental black-and-white artwork, which employs high contrast and stark shadows to create an atmosphere inspired by the aesthetic of film noir which defied comic conventions.
Each story focuses on a different character, frequently an anti-hero or someone caught up in the corrupt and violent society of the city. The dark and morally dubious stories explore themes of crime, corruption, redemption, and retribution.
Sin City Reading Order
Before looking into that, let me say that the Sin City series is constructed in such a way that events don’t take place chronologically, so it’s OK to choose your own reading sequence. However, if you want a chronological order of comics published then follow the below list.
- That Yellow Bastard
- The Hard Goodbye
- A Dame to Kill For
- The Big Fat Kill
- Family Values
- Hell and Back
- Booze, Broads, & Bullets (short stories taking place at different times between the other stories)
Sin City: The Trade Paperbacks
- Sin City: The Hard Goodbye
Collects Sin City #1-13, from Dark Horse 5th Anniversary Special and Dark Horse Presents issues #51-62. - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Collects A Dame to Kill For #1-6. - Sin City: The Big Fat Kill
Collects The Big Fat Kill #1-5. - Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
Collects That Yellow Bastard #1-6. - Sin City: Family Values
Collects the 128-page original graphic novel - Sin City: Booze, Broads, & Bullets
Collects “Just Another Saturday Night,” “Fat Man and Little Boy,” “The Customer Is Always Right,” “Silent Night,” “And Behind Door Number Three…,” “Blue Eyes,” “Rats,” “Daddy’s Little Girl,” “Wrong Turn,” “Wrong Track,” and “The Babe Wore Red.” - Sin City: Hell and Back
Collects Hell and Back #1-9.
