His multi-award-winning 300 series from Dark Horse, a telling of history's most glorious and underreported battle, was brought to full-blooded life in 1998. Readers responded enthusiastically to Miller's tough-as-leather noir drama, creating an instant sales success. It was on Daredevil that Miller gained notoriety, honed his storytelling abilities, and took his first steps toward becoming a giant in the comics medium.Īfter Daredevil came Ronin, a science-fiction samurai drama that seamlessly melded Japanese and French comics traditions into the American mainstream and after that, the groundbreaking and acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, both of which not only redefined the classic character, but also revitalized the industry itself.įinally able to fulfill his dream of doing an all-out, straight-ahead crime series, Miller introduced Sin City in 1991. Miller has been know for several creative endeavors, but in my mind they all fall short of the work he rendered for this series.Frank Miller began his career in comics in the late 1970s, first drawing then writing Daredevil for Marvel Comics, creating what was essentially a crime comic disguised as a superhero book. 'Sin City' is still as fresh today as the day it was released. Harvey, as well as a very short Miller bio at the end. While this is mainly a collection of art pieces, there is an excellent introduction by R.C. Some of the pages are spectacular examples of Miller's ability to apply black and white shapes in a way that conveys a dramatic mood, while at the same time doing so in an almost minimalistic approach.Īt the end of the book there are some examples of Lynne Varney's colors over Miller's art, but these only seem to detract from the intensity of the previous works, but in the process provide a counterpoint to the starkness of the previous chapters. The pencil layouts with basic marker overlays provide a glimpse into the inner workings of a master at work. The book displays various pages, sketches and layouts for Miller's work on the series. Miller revived the 'crime' genre in comics and in the process also redefined what could be accomplished in a black and white medium. When Frank Miller's 'Sin City' was first published I remember being in awe of its stark and gritty artwork and how different it was than his previous work.

Big Damn Sin City by Frank Miller