March 31, 2005
By Matt Savelloni
“SHE SMELLS LIKE ANGELS OUT TO SMELL.” – Marv, The Hard Goodbye
Every genre has a legend. In the comic book world, it is Stan Lee. There are other luminaries but Lee is the Dickens of graphic novels. As from Dickens descends John Irving, from Lee we get Frank Miller, the first crossover since Lee, drawing the attention and praise of literary critics as well as audiences outside of the superhero store. In 1987, Miller crafted THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, which recreated Batman for a new generation while also stoking renewed interest in comic books. Working steadily, his notoriety kept on expanding via exceptional work on the Daredevil and Elektra series. But in 1993, Miller really busted out with SIN CITY, showcasing an amalgam of styles and threatening whimsy underscored by his obvious adoration of throwback noir. The series is now being reissued in chronological order starting with THE HARD GOODBYE.
Miller was certainly not the first graphic artist to derive inspiration from the seedier side of literature. Batman debuted in Detective Comics in 1939 while the Shadow tripped the gloom fantastic over 70 years ago. But Miller is probably the modern author most adept at honoring noir’s classic traditions. THE HARD GOODBYE begins with an introduction to Marv, a gigantic killer who seems to be escaping his bloody past through the liberation of Goldie, the whore with a heart of gold. By the next page, Goldie is inexplicably murdered in the bed next to Marv as he sleeps off a drunk. Following a vicious brawl with crooked cops called to frame him at the scene, Marv dives—literally—back into Sin City’s seething underbelly in search of her killer.
“I WON’T DIE. I’VE GOT TOO MUCH TO DO…” – Dwight, A Dame To Kill For
SIN CITY is no ordinary metropolis, it is a crooked kingpin’s playground, a penal colony blighted somewhere in America’s heartland. As the series unfolds, we meet an endless cast of characters, all of whom seem to be on an odyssey to either escape the urban hellhole or perish within its inevitable fury. Miller connects some of these tales and leaves others twisting alone in the city’s hot winds and blinding rains, weaving down and dirty tales that compel us to explore further.
And that is Miller’s greatest gift: an ability to make us care about a collection of ultra violent castoffs in perpetual cycles of mayhem. Miller not only writes SIN CITY but also illustrates its murky frames, alternating between views from the heavens and the gutters with in your face perspectives that plunge readers directly into the action. SIN CITY, like all great art, becomes more of an experience than circumspection, the story compelling you to flip faster while the ingenious scenery causes you to linger and marvel at the explosive economy of Miller’s imagination.
Miller’s serial randomness in select SIN CITY stories never distracts from the overarching saga. Rather than slowing down the narrative with back-story and exposition, Miller delivers histories, philosophies and emotions within the main plot thrust. Yes, there are internal ruminations but they are urgent, centered on the present. This constant vigilance to the here and now allows the main character to finally emerge: Sin City itself—it’s streets, alleys and parlors and the infrequent pockets of near-redemption oft-ignored and never quite powerful enough to the damned. Chandler and Hammett would have been proud.
“BUT THE IDEAS FOR SIN CITY JUST WON'T STOP COMING.” – Frank Miller
I love everything about Robert Rodriguez…except his films. His maverick stance, his multiple talents as writer, producer, director, cinematographer, editor, composer and virtually every crew position, his creative eagerness and personally modest approach to filmmaking should be bottled and sold. But his best work remains EL MARIACHI and THE MISBEHAVERS, his contribution to FOUR ROOMS, the remainder of his filmography jammed with pointless remakes and sequels. DESPERADO is a loud Hollywood remake of
MARIACHI, spurning the pale Leone homage ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO almost ten years later. THE FACULTY is a disposable reminder of the post-SCREAM Kevin Williamson craze. And the SPY KIDS franchise, while wildly successful, turned from a pleasant and engaging premise into a series of formless CGI headaches. Compare any of those films to the thematically similar THE INCREDIBLES and the faults of KIDS will be as apparent as their bogus, distracting effects. But Rodriguez is also the author of the amazing REBEL WITHOUT A CREW, the story of how he turned EL MARIACHI into a Hollywood career, inspiring a generation of indie filmmakers to do likewise. I guess what I am saying is, Rodriguez frustrates me. He has more talent than most other directors out there but he seems to be stuck doing sub par material. Did we need three EL MARIACHI films? Three SPY KIDS? Ever since his debut in 1992, Rodriguez has directed a grand total of four distinct stories. That’s not progress, that’s repetition.
So why am I so excited about SIN CITY? Because I think this will be Rodriguez’s graduation from niche filmmaker to independent genre connoisseur, our modern day John Carpenter circa 1976-1988. Rodriguez’s dedication to SIN CITY was exemplified when he surrendered his DGA card to allow Miller to participate as co-director while also inviting pal Quentin Tarantino to direct a segment. I doubt there are many other directors, if any, who would display such selfless artistic integrity.
Everything seems to be in place: a killer cast, wide-ranging passion for the project and a motivated leader to preserve its own vision. With all of the comic book films made, it’s startling to realize that SIN CITY is the first to actually look like a comic book instead of an overly designed Anton Furst-ian nightmare. I have no doubt with Miller on set, his motifs will be brought to vivid life while Rodriguez gains a whole new legion of fans. I for one am eagerly awaiting the next phase of his career.
“When you see the hand of an artist, that's always great, but when you feel the soul of an artist, that's hard to touch and it's hard to do.” – Robert Rodriguez
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