Continuing our ongoing coverage of the latest UK releases of titles from top American publishers, we’re thrilled to be able to take a look at Dark Horse Comics’ Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City, on sale now by Turnaround Publishing.

Reprinting the previous HC from 2002 in a much more affordable softcover edition, this latest release features a plethora of awesome content ranging from preliminary sketches to promotional pieces, and holds everything a Sin City fan – or connoisseur of fine art – could ever need.  Our reviewer Chris Napier took a look at this release for us a few weeks ago, and in case you need a reminder, here’s what he had to say;

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer/Artist: Frank Miller
Editor: Diana Schutz
Release date: 2nd July 2014 (US), 17th July 2014 (UK)

For the uninitiated, Frank Miller is one of the most significant comic creators of the last …bloody hell, almost forty years. From definitive runs at the helm of banner Big Two titles like Daredevil & Batman to his own creations like 300 and Sin City he has been responsible for changing how comics are drawn, the subject matter they use and in many ways, how they are perceived.

This book collects some of the standout pages from Miller’s most iconic body of work, the morally dubious, outright controversial, violent, sexy, irreverent and in places touching, Sin City. The foreword by RC Harvey goes into depth about Miller’s technique of less-is-more, of reducing line work to a bare minimum, of using so much more black than comics ever do to create a stark, brooding book made up of shadows and the kind of characters who inhabit them.

As a collection of images it showcases what can be done working almost wholly in contrast, with stark silhouettes and masterful atmospherics equally in evidence, alongside some of the most emotion-laden faces I’ve ever seen in comics.

It’s dripping with violence and sex and definitely not for kids, with graphic shootings and beatings, near pornographic depictions of the girls of Old Town and themes which are not exactly for discussion at Sunday dinner with the in-laws.  The examples of Miller’s working, showing how he goes about taking a normal image and turning it into a collection of shadows, of how he builds up Marv’s scar-ridden face are fantastic but all too few in number and sparse through the book. More of that would have been awesome.

For my money, the section devoted to colored editions of Sin City towards the end is much less interesting, but I suppose some folks will prefer that.

For me, Frank Miller in general and Sin City in particular were huge parts of comics growing up, finding their gritty side and turning away from the clean cut morality of earlier times.  This book pays testament to all of that and is top quality fare for any big fans of Sin City, Miller’s work or those interested in the craft of actually drawing a comic.

Rating: 4/5.

And if you require further convincing, take a look at some of the truly fantastic interior artwork;

(Click the Thumbnails for the full-size pages)

Frank Miller: The Art of Sin City is currently on sale in the UK via Turnaround Publisher Services priced just £18.99, and is highly recommended for fans of Miller’s iconic work.

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The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
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