Week 11: Comics as Contemporary Literature

This week I was well pleased to read a majority of chapters from Frank Miller’s Sin City vol.1: The Hard Goodbye. I was perused to read this novel due to my interest in Robert Rodrigues films and knew from the start that this was going to be a very entertaining story. This comic grabbed my attention from the beginning starting with the character Marv who stood out than any other character that you would see in another story. Marv was dark, psychotic, mystical, and weird bringing energy into the context of the story, which would make the reader root for him throughout the entire story. Sin City is one of those soap opera comic series that you cannot put down. The constant turns of the pages would make the reader want more of Miller’s legacy.



The graphics in the comic were vague, but symbolic to the context of the story. There were characters, such as Blondie and the bar stripper, who were shaded black showing that they were spiritually unseen individuals. This was also how Marv saw these characters. There were some parts where the graphics had a white outline giving the reader/viewer a feeling of isolation and awareness creating suspense in the story. Each line and subtext in Sin City are like poetry that keeps the story going. The dark subtext within the bubbles had a message to the reader and symbolized life struggles, sadness, and revenge. 

Marv is one of those characters of which you cannot tell wither on not he is a villain or hero, but you know that he is neither good nor evil. No matter what Marv stands as the leading protagonist, you will always be on his side. One main thing that I liked about Marv’s character in the Sin City comics is that, not only he is a badass, but he is structural and fearless. Marv can get shot a hundred times and still keep running and kicking ass throughout the whole situation. His character would make the audience feel fearless while tangled in the suspense of the story.