Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Dwight McCarthy, perhaps one of three decent men who inhabit the world of Sin City, has a new face but that doesn’t stop him from finding trouble by the truck load or even getting involved with the women of Old Town once more in the third book in the Graphic Novel range by lauded artist and creator Frank Miller.
Sin City: The Big Fat Kill focuses on the continuing story of Dwight McCarthy, one of the good guys of Sin City but whose habit of looking arguably the wrong way when situations turn ugly or when the women of the city are under threat invariably lead the Noir version of Sir Lancelot, fallible, imperfect but a keen sense of right and wrong when it comes to acknowledging women as the superior gender, to the edge of destruction and places a whole load of people will die if the police get involved.
Whilst the artwork of Sin City has always been exceptional with its stark monochrome delivery and pages without any dialogue giving a clear emphasis on the action, Sin City: The Big Fat Kill really highlights the growing interest that Frank Miller must have been showing in the whole genre of Neo-Noir. The use of the women as deadly creatures in which men should fear as well as respect is perfectly captured in characters such as Miho and Gail. Two women who do not take the male motivation of sex and violence as a completely masculine past-time but who draw back completely to using men in the same way that Ava does in A Dame To Kill For. Whereas Ava was not adverse to using men for her own avarice means, the chance to consume and exploit what she saw as their flesh driven weakness, Miho and Gail play the role of women of exercising their right to determine their lives in a way in which benefits those women society left behind. A commune of prostitution but in which they keep their self-respect and moral compasses only slightly askew.
Frank Miller captures this world and the insanity of those who try to break it apart with astounding vision. The imagery framed throughout is one in which the feminine desire to nurture and care is etched alongside the incredible savagery in which a woman will fight back when pushed against male aggression. Like Dwight McCarthy, it is always better, arguably safer to be on the winning side at all times, choose the path carefully for the display of vengeance is always at hand and you might lose more than your head in the process.
Sin City: The Big Fat Kill continues the excellent set of Neo-Noir books produced by Frank Miller almost 20 years ago. It is perfect for its look at crime and punishment in a world of stark blunt instruments in a barren austere world yet opulent in its narrative and art work.
Sin City: The Big Fat Kill is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall