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40th out of 258 books
—
176 voters
Sin City, Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For (Sin City #2)
by
Frank Miller
The second volume of Frank Miller's signature series is now planned as the lead story in the upcoming Sin City 2 This newly redesigned edition sports a new cover by Miller - some of his first comics art in years Stuck with nothing but a seedy gumshoe job and some demons, Dwight's thinking of all the ways he's screwed up and what he'd give for one clear chance to wipe the s...more
Paperback, Third Edition, 208 pages
Published
November 2nd 2010
by Dark Horse
(first published November 1993)
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The end of my review for Volume 1 was "It's great stuff, I hope the rest is even close to being this good." Fortunately, I was not a bit disappointed.
This time around, we follow Dwight, a man who had a great fall and has tried to live a better life, albeit one that still deals in the smut and dirty-dealing of life in Sin City and its environs. When a woman from his past comes back with one hell of a sob story, will he stay strong? Or fall right back into the abyss he thought he'd managed to craw...more
This time around, we follow Dwight, a man who had a great fall and has tried to live a better life, albeit one that still deals in the smut and dirty-dealing of life in Sin City and its environs. When a woman from his past comes back with one hell of a sob story, will he stay strong? Or fall right back into the abyss he thought he'd managed to craw...more
I’m a big fan of Frank Miller’s Batman and his Sin City art. I really liked the movie and this graphic novel is part of the movie. So I was stoked to read this.
The way Frank Miller sets mood is awesome:
“In Darkness I listen. Rain hits glass, a window It’s Sin City rain, though, nothing to write home about. I count the seconds before the lazy smack of each individual drop. Another passing desert shower that won’t even cool the night off.”
His language and art style is really amazing. The story was...more
The way Frank Miller sets mood is awesome:
“In Darkness I listen. Rain hits glass, a window It’s Sin City rain, though, nothing to write home about. I count the seconds before the lazy smack of each individual drop. Another passing desert shower that won’t even cool the night off.”
His language and art style is really amazing. The story was...more
It's hard to give a summary of the story without making it sound cheesy and stereotypical with far too much macho action, because the book, and series even, is all of those things but manages to be so much better than all of that. A sleazy photographer takes pictures of an extra-marital affair with which he plans to blackmail the man with - this is our hero. Then the noir element kicks in - the femme fatale enters the bar in a haze of smoke and shadows. She's in trouble, and the photographer cal...more
Sinister. Sexy. I love this volume because it is both those things in abundance. The characters are volatile, unpredictable, manipulative and deadly and Sin City itself is dark and filthy yet deliciously corrupt and immoral. I just love reading about the place and watching as characters try to stay ahead in a world that is always looking to crush them.
The main character, Dwight, is very endearing and you find yourself willing him to succeed. I love how he represses some sort of buried anger whi...more
The main character, Dwight, is very endearing and you find yourself willing him to succeed. I love how he represses some sort of buried anger whi...more
It seems that Sin City is populated by noir stereotypes. All the men are plagued with aggression and will do anything for a dame, while all the women are calculating and trade sex for favours. With this in mind, I like to think that everyone who reads these books can have a laugh and consider how hyper-real Sin City actually is - the notion that the clear male/female dichotomy is something to be learned, might be a frightening one.
However, when viewed as the stylised hyper-reality that it is, Si...more
However, when viewed as the stylised hyper-reality that it is, Si...more
Frank Miller may be the ultimate storyboard artist. His comics are stark black and white sketches with little dialogue involved. The plot is laid out like a basic outline and there’s nothing wrong with that, but by no means does he deserve the genius tag some people give him.
“A Dame To Kill For” is a pretty cool drink of noir erotica, but it’s pretty stark stuff and not too deep. Not bad, but nothing that’ll frighten the horses..
“A Dame To Kill For” is a pretty cool drink of noir erotica, but it’s pretty stark stuff and not too deep. Not bad, but nothing that’ll frighten the horses..
The Sin City movie is literally the only film in the huge mass of comic book movies that have been made lately that is an improvement on the graphic novels. I enjoy Frank Miller's signature art style, all the black drips and angles, but his writing is just terrible. Lines that were charmingly campy and over-the-top in the movie, are juvenile and awkward in print.
The second volume in the "Sin City" series stars Dwight. He's a good guy with two bad habits: drinking and women. And one weakness: Ava Lord. Although it's a different story, it's easy to recognize Frank Miller's signature. And you really can't compare it to anything else. There are some characters in this story we already met in "The Hard Goodbye", like stripper Nancy, waitress Shelly and off course the brutal Marv. The story also overlaps a little with Marv's story. There are also some new cha...more
I always hear these books in my head in a Dashiell Hammett voiceover; you know the one… husky and gritty from too many cigarettes and too much booze.
Dwight has straightened himself out; he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do women and he stays out of old town. He used to be a photographer. He still is but of a different kind. He takes those seedy bad hotel shots of dalliances that are required as proof for a divorce, or blackmail or whatever.
Then he gets a call from an old flame… Ava. And it all goes t...more
Dwight has straightened himself out; he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do women and he stays out of old town. He used to be a photographer. He still is but of a different kind. He takes those seedy bad hotel shots of dalliances that are required as proof for a divorce, or blackmail or whatever.
Then he gets a call from an old flame… Ava. And it all goes t...more
I finished reading this, the second volume, in Frank Miller's Sin City at the beginning of May and have finally gotten around to posting a review of it.
Miller did not disappoint with the second installment. We meet many new characters and a few we already discovered such as Marv. The most difficult part of the story is figuring out where we are in time as this volume tells of a story that happened at the same time roughly as volume one.
The artwork was in my opinion better than the first. My one...more
Miller did not disappoint with the second installment. We meet many new characters and a few we already discovered such as Marv. The most difficult part of the story is figuring out where we are in time as this volume tells of a story that happened at the same time roughly as volume one.
The artwork was in my opinion better than the first. My one...more
Miller got it wrong when giving this series the name of Sin City. This book is proof that the title of Milk City could have been so much fitting. The plot involves an apparent damsel in distress - most important detail, an old crush of the main character, Dwight, who anyway looks much more alright here than in his later appearances. Very noir-ish, no doubt about that. However, the real showstopper was Marv, in spite of him being an episodic character. Miller uses disturbing quantities of oojah p...more
‘A Dame To Kill For’ is in almost every way a lot of steps up from Miller’s previous chapter in his Sin City-series. While ‘The Hard Goodbye’ gave us a city and its theme, the second novel takes these themes and expands on them with steady confidence and tight storytelling. Miller seems to be completely at ease in this messed up neo-noir world he’s created and each new character he introduces, immediately feels like he or she has already spent an entire rotten lifetime within its borders.
Having...more
Having...more
This one is just like my life. Cats, sandwiches, murder, treachery . . . the bathtub . . . yeah. I can really identify.
The series continues. This time we have a very luscious femme fatale and the man she betrays. Ava is a predatory gold digger of the worst kind, and yet, a woman no man can resist. Dwight is the man she betrayed and left for a rich dude. When Ava reappears looking for Dwight, things go downhill from there leading to the final confrontation. As in the first volume of the series, the dark art style complements the story very well. In fact, it is a pleasure to read the tale just for the art. The sto...more
At first I didn't think this one would be that interesting. I was wrong. It made me say "OH SHIT" out loud, very good unexpected plot twist, although it was an almost cliche plot line, Millers style kept it original, alive and fresh. I love the female characters in this series, very sexy intelligent devious ladies, no whimpering damsels here!
Again, the art world brought the dark,gritty world of Sin City to life. Never fails. I can understand that some lady readers may be sick of the naked/half...more
Again, the art world brought the dark,gritty world of Sin City to life. Never fails. I can understand that some lady readers may be sick of the naked/half...more
Frank Miller's Sin City series is very violent. But what makes them special to me is that they are also very romantic. And well, "Sin City, Volume 2: A Dame to Kill For" pretty much brings both in a special little package.
In this book, we see Dwight, a reoccurring character in the Sin City series, trying to turn his life around. And then an old flame, Ava, comes into the picture. Ava was nothing but trouble then, but she finds a way to reel Dwight in again. How will it turn out this time?
I guess...more
In this book, we see Dwight, a reoccurring character in the Sin City series, trying to turn his life around. And then an old flame, Ava, comes into the picture. Ava was nothing but trouble then, but she finds a way to reel Dwight in again. How will it turn out this time?
I guess...more
May 12, 2012
Daniel Holmes
added it
Well done art adds to the noir feel of the dialogue. Sin city is from before Miller went batshit, and could tell a great story through minimalism. If you are a fan of Spillane, Hammett, or Chandler, you'll enjoy these stories. There is a lot of nudity and violence, however it does seem to work in service of the story. The plots aren't thick, the stories have all been told in other mediums with other authors. Which means the fun is in the journey through to the end. And with the artwork, it's us...more
The second volume was even better than the first, maybe because of the fun storyline that kept me thinking, maybe for the fact that this volume had information not covered in the film. Either way, it featured Dwight and his issues with en ex named Ava who suddenly shows up and tells him that she's being abused by her husband and needs help. It becomes a question of truth and deception, right and wrong. Dwight gets some help from Marv and classic Sin City violence ensues as Miller shows how the v...more
Aug 06, 2011
Totallynotyourenglishteacher
added it
Frank Miller's follow-up to the series' debut collection continues the trademark art style and noir-istic motifs that carried the first Sin City to its success, and establishes the story of Dwight McMarthy, whose dark past can't seem to wait to catch up with him, . While Dwight's roller-coaster tale of betrayal and revenge doesn't make quite as much of an impact as Marv's, Sin City dwellers and visitors alike will still enjoy following Dwight's trail of broken bones and bullets all the way to it...more
This is my third graphic novel read, so my review is a little unreliable, but here goes.
Having read Maus and Watchmen as part of my university course, did I feel this novel was of the same standard? No. I didn't feel excited. It's quite easy to read, but there isn't any emotional attatchment or exciting events that made me think: Wow, this is great! It was just... ok! Maus had the holocaust. Watchmen had an amazing storyline. sin city had a basic narrative! Did I mention, it has a terrible endin...more
Having read Maus and Watchmen as part of my university course, did I feel this novel was of the same standard? No. I didn't feel excited. It's quite easy to read, but there isn't any emotional attatchment or exciting events that made me think: Wow, this is great! It was just... ok! Maus had the holocaust. Watchmen had an amazing storyline. sin city had a basic narrative! Did I mention, it has a terrible endin...more
It occurs to me that I may be padding a little bit by listing a comic book in here, even if it is a really damn good comic book. So after this, no more comics.
Unless they're super damn good.
I chose this volume of Sin City because it was one of the stories that wasn't featured in the movie. It precedes one of them - "The Big Fat Kill," and explains that line about Dwight having a new face, and also explains why Michael Clarke Duncan has a golden eyeball. Of course, knowing this story is not a pre...more
Unless they're super damn good.
I chose this volume of Sin City because it was one of the stories that wasn't featured in the movie. It precedes one of them - "The Big Fat Kill," and explains that line about Dwight having a new face, and also explains why Michael Clarke Duncan has a golden eyeball. Of course, knowing this story is not a pre...more
Once again the art style of Frank Miller is so awesome. It's so cool the fact that you can pick up certain characters based on what their eyeglasses shapes are. The other awesome thing was the small tie ins to the first volume where certain panels will be the same or one of the cars in the background will be brought into a full panel with the story on the inside of that car. Just really cool and can't wait to read the next one. Also. Women are nothing but trouble as this volume illustrates.
Wow, ceritanya mundur selangkah?!
Kali ini tentang manipulator perempuan bernama Ava dan korban yang hampir tidak pernah kapok Dwight. Cerita yang menarik dan akhir yang hampir memilukan (di sini jelas g melebih2kan, apalagi kalo liat akhir buku 1 hahaha...)
Diceritakannya bagaimana Marv ketemu dengan Goldie walau hanya sambil lalu dalam buku ini, menambah nilai cerita dimata g. Belum lagi Nancy as safest girl in whole a world! (yihaaaa...ga sabar nunggu cerita tentang dia !)
Kali ini tentang manipulator perempuan bernama Ava dan korban yang hampir tidak pernah kapok Dwight. Cerita yang menarik dan akhir yang hampir memilukan (di sini jelas g melebih2kan, apalagi kalo liat akhir buku 1 hahaha...)
Diceritakannya bagaimana Marv ketemu dengan Goldie walau hanya sambil lalu dalam buku ini, menambah nilai cerita dimata g. Belum lagi Nancy as safest girl in whole a world! (yihaaaa...ga sabar nunggu cerita tentang dia !)
I have discovered in myself a fondess for noir thanks to the hard case crime books and this fits right in there with those. Miller's Sin City as seen through his own eyes is a very dark place.
This is Dwight's story. A hard man who is cleaning up his act is visited one night by an old lover - Ava. Ava convinces him that her husband is torturing her and she turns to Dwight for help.
Dwight tries to save her, and what happens is the rest of the story.
This is Dwight's story. A hard man who is cleaning up his act is visited one night by an old lover - Ava. Ava convinces him that her husband is torturing her and she turns to Dwight for help.
Dwight tries to save her, and what happens is the rest of the story.
Drawn more from the style of traditional noir stories than the meatier Miller variety. Dwight spends time laboring for lost love, outwitting at the end of a gun, and chewing on conspiracies straight-to-the-top. A big flashback of Bogart having the rug pulled from under him basically, so I don't feel that A Dame to Kill For is unique enough to be one of the greats (when held against other Sin Citys). The Big Fat Kill is where Dwight's story picks up real heat.
Style is everything and substance is nothing in Frank Miller’s Sin City stories. Miller obviously loves hard-boiled fiction and film noir and wants to update their styles for urban and possibly futuristic America. His stories have all the grit and grime, but not the spirit. Stories begin well, but are unrelentingly the same. They become boring. Miller is a very talented guy trapped in his own bad taste.
Honestly a little boring. Sexy gold-digging woman uses her sexy prowess to get what she wants from everyone, because every man is ALL ABOUT DA SEX. Predictable and forgettable. Would've given this one star if not for Miller's art, which is amazing. (Gratuitous nudity aside. Seriously, it is apparently impossible to draw women with clothes on or at least with their nipples not showing.)
Great story. I thought this was going to be a story from the first movie, especially once they introduced Dwight, but it seems they adapted pretty loosely. I can definitely see half from this and half from another book, I mean for the section with Dwight in the flick; could definitely see the workings of Sin City as a whole in the interactions of just this book and the first book. This was a great read.
About a woman who is a hot as sin and the man who can only live out of sight or out of his min...more
About a woman who is a hot as sin and the man who can only live out of sight or out of his min...more
A Dame to Kill For, the second book in Frank Miller's Sin City series, was definately not as good as the first outing. It was decent, and had a pretty frightening femme fatale antagonist, but it just overall wasn't as cool as The Hard Goodbye, and really not worth the seventeen bucks I shelled out for it. But the artwork is beautiful, and the noir atmosphere was great as always.
3/5
3/5
More like 2.5 stars, really. Maybe less? I read this sometime last year, I think, so I can't entirely remember what my initial reaction was. I'm interested in what Frank Miller is doing in the Sin City series, but there really did seem to be a vein of misogyny running through this particular volume. Ultimately, I really don't think I'm part of Frank Miller's target audience.
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Frank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
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“Nancy's got a guardian angel. Seven feet plus of muscle and mayhem that goes by the name of Marv.”
—
2 people liked it
“Most people think Marv is crazy, but I don't believe that.
I'm no shrink and I'm not saying I've got Marv all figured out or anything, but "crazy" just doesn't explain him. Not to me. Sometimes I think he's retarded, a big, brutal kid who never learned the ground rules about how people are supposed to act around each other. But that doesn't have the right ring to it either. No, it's more like there's nothing wrong with Marv, nothing at all--except that he had the rotten luck of being born at the wrong time in history. He'd have been okay if he'd been born a couple of thousand years ago. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield, swinging an ax into somebody's face. Or in a roman arena, taking a sword to other gladiators like him.
They'd have tossed him girls like Nancy, back then.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
I'm no shrink and I'm not saying I've got Marv all figured out or anything, but "crazy" just doesn't explain him. Not to me. Sometimes I think he's retarded, a big, brutal kid who never learned the ground rules about how people are supposed to act around each other. But that doesn't have the right ring to it either. No, it's more like there's nothing wrong with Marv, nothing at all--except that he had the rotten luck of being born at the wrong time in history. He'd have been okay if he'd been born a couple of thousand years ago. He'd be right at home on some ancient battlefield, swinging an ax into somebody's face. Or in a roman arena, taking a sword to other gladiators like him.
They'd have tossed him girls like Nancy, back then.”
