Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
This story was not adapted in the first Sin City movie, which I
remember throwing me off the first time I read it. Especially because
its sequel, contained in the next book, I think, was in the movie. Which
means that while we get Dwight interacting with Shelly, Gail, and
Manute, they're at a different point in their relationships. And Dwight
still has his original face.
I must say that Dwight is an asshole. A killer and a monster without even the skewed moral code of Marv. Somehow he manages to string a number of women along, which is especially weird in a story about the one who got away. The one he'll never stop loving. Dwight may have a soft spot for Ava, the eponymous Dame, but he also has ongoing relationships with both Shelly and Gail. Relationships into which he seems to put nothing but apologies ("I'm a jerk. I'm sorry."), but out of which he takes cover, alibis, and extensive surgery. It's not a very flattering picture of women.
Neither is Ava, though she's much more compelling than any of the other women. She's evil, through and through. But she owns it. Her motives are clear: she wants money and more money. She achieves her goals by shamelessly manipulating any man who comes her way. And they all fall straight into her trap. With the possible exception of Manute, who seems more aware of his place than anyone else, even as he carries out her orders.
One of the most interesting things about this story is the way it intersects with The Hard Goodbye. Dwight and Marv team up fairly early on. But a little later, we see scenes from the first story playing out on the fringes of this story. When the cops go looking for Dwight in Kadie's, Marv's spreading his rumors. When they take off for Old Town, they pass Marv and Wendy on their way to the farm. It implies a rather busy night, crime-wise, for the inhabitants of Sin City. Though it's also implied that life is just pretty much always like this. There's always a dame who done you wrong, a damsel to save, a crooked cop to kill or avoid.
I like this story more than I remember, probably because I didn't go into it expecting something entirely different. But I'm finding myself holding this series at arm length. Not appreciating it so much for the characters as for the glimpse into Miller's twisted worldview.
I must say that Dwight is an asshole. A killer and a monster without even the skewed moral code of Marv. Somehow he manages to string a number of women along, which is especially weird in a story about the one who got away. The one he'll never stop loving. Dwight may have a soft spot for Ava, the eponymous Dame, but he also has ongoing relationships with both Shelly and Gail. Relationships into which he seems to put nothing but apologies ("I'm a jerk. I'm sorry."), but out of which he takes cover, alibis, and extensive surgery. It's not a very flattering picture of women.
Neither is Ava, though she's much more compelling than any of the other women. She's evil, through and through. But she owns it. Her motives are clear: she wants money and more money. She achieves her goals by shamelessly manipulating any man who comes her way. And they all fall straight into her trap. With the possible exception of Manute, who seems more aware of his place than anyone else, even as he carries out her orders.
One of the most interesting things about this story is the way it intersects with The Hard Goodbye. Dwight and Marv team up fairly early on. But a little later, we see scenes from the first story playing out on the fringes of this story. When the cops go looking for Dwight in Kadie's, Marv's spreading his rumors. When they take off for Old Town, they pass Marv and Wendy on their way to the farm. It implies a rather busy night, crime-wise, for the inhabitants of Sin City. Though it's also implied that life is just pretty much always like this. There's always a dame who done you wrong, a damsel to save, a crooked cop to kill or avoid.
I like this story more than I remember, probably because I didn't go into it expecting something entirely different. But I'm finding myself holding this series at arm length. Not appreciating it so much for the characters as for the glimpse into Miller's twisted worldview.
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