Charcter Design Boards

Here are the initial designs and development of the character. I've looked at hair, costume, body language and other traits to start to gain a good idea of this character. Whilst drawing I came up with the idea that with a long white coat and blonde hair, she is often referred to as 'The Angel' of Sin City, a term Miller uses often in his work. I'm thinking that the first time she was spotted a gust of wind blew behind her and caught in it her hair and cape, making them look like wings and a halo, hence the name. I'm glad I have managed to get a good understanding of the character quickly while still exploring different looks, as I am getting anxious to see a final piece.

Responsive: Final film

This is the 2 minute version, handed in as a response to the D&AD brief. Though I like this, I don't feel it is nearly as effective as the long 12:13 edit. As it uses the same music and shots that are in it, I will review the whole film, as fitting such a long story into two minutes doesn't correlate the as well or as effectively in my opinion, and I also feel the music isn't as fluid as it seems to jump a lot, as it was recorded for the 12 minute peice. This is the link for the 2 minute version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYEbMvH-6VE

The long edit, I am immensely proud of. I feel it is a touching piece of film that was ambitious and went beyond the work required, that could have been difficult for the film makers involved, as well as being extremely challenging in a way we've never experienced. Once viewing the final film, I feel it is clear why we felt a long edit was necessary to make. A personal story or film that is this sincere and honest needs to be told right, and to put restraints on it inevitably will damage the quality and pureness of the film, and when a film maker wants to tell this story right in his vision, I feel giving him guidelines to follow is too controlling, but perhaps this was our fault for picking it as a subject when already knowing the brief requirements. Either way, we made a long edit anyway and the film has flurried for that decision. For the first time we have also had sound made specifically for our film, a decision that also was great as the sound has worked beautifully and made the film far more original. This, in my opinion, is our greatest work to date. Here is the link for the long edit of 'Remorse:'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIy9RL07_kk

Moodboards

I decided the first step to making my character would be that she is female. So I made a character moodboard based on influential female characters in Sin City, the most being Nancy. This is beacuse she is described as 'the symbol' of Sin City, and what I want to do is re create this idea of a symbol as my character. so I looked at what made her stand out, being her beauty, unique cow girl costume, and selfless personality. I also looked at Miho, who is deadly and silent, jumping across rooftops I gained the idea my character could be some kind of vigilante/ hero. The image of Ava Lord and Miho (and general long coats in Sin City) make me feel she should have on also, that blows like a cape like Marv's, giving a nod to the superheroes in comics.

Here I looked at other of Millers work such as Batman, the Spirit, the Sin City movie, and even other artists who have tackled drawing characters from Sin City (such as J. Scott. Campbell) to get a further understanding of this type of world. I loved the way Miller draws Batman's cape to look like wings, which is something I would definitely remember when designing my character. I came up with the idea of basing my character on actress and rock star Taylor Momsen, so if she could be cast in a movie like a Sin City prequel, the character would already look like the actress, some the Sin City movie had to use a lot of prosthetics for to do this, such as on Mickey Rourke for Marv, Benicio Del Toro for Jackie boy, and Nick Stahl for That Yellow Bastard. I also liked the idea of her long hair, that could be tied back during crime fighting. I thought about the idea of putting this in colour like Goldie's, but remain unsure so it is something I will investigate. She also already dresses very provocatively and seems like someone who could be found in Old Town, so her photoshoots also provide inspiration for the costume design. My next stage is now starting to roughly design the character that is forming in my head.

Sin City Research: Character 10 - Ava Lord

Ava Lord

Ava Lord is the sly and manipulative ex-lover of Dwight, who seduces him and lies, tricking him into him murdering her husband by claiming he was being abusive. Once Dwight has done this, she shoots him in the face and laughs in hysterics, after she's described how her ex lover murdered her husband out of jealousy on the phone to the police.

 Dwight comes back at a later date, and murders her despite her trying to lie again to escape her fate.

Ava Lord is a cold, violent, manipulative woman, who uses her sexuality to lure men into doing her bidding. She is intelligent, and knows what to do to get what she wants. She makes a fantastic femme fatale and though she is yet to appear in a movie, her appearance in Sin City: a Dame to Kill For I'm sure will make the film different, as we will see a female villain.

I think Ava is a strong character and though I could find inspiration in her, I feel she pulls of the role she is designed for perfectly herself, so it would be tough to beat. Though I like the challenge of trying, if my character was to fit in Sin City, does there need to be two of the same archetype in there?

I feel after looking at her, I like the idea of a female character, though rather than being sly and secretive in personality I'd rather see it displayed physically, yet being confident, strong and empowering, with still keeping in that sexist Sin City world.

Sin City Research: Character 9 - Manute

Manute

Manute in the first film is played by Micheal Clarke Duncan, but following his passing in 2012, Denis Haysbert will take over the role for Sin City: a Dame to Kill For.

He is the ultimate muscle for hire, a huge brooding man who gets work done and is very much a no nonsense guy.  Nothing distracts him from his work.

Though he is seemingly a huge tough guy,  he would normally make a great powerhouse villain, this is some what diminished when a brawl out with Marv leaves him defeated and missing his eye. Though I like the idea, I think a villain like the Yellow Bastard is better, but as a completely different character  to Manute. The idea is good but personally I wouldn't have had him defeated so easily, even by a character as tough as Marv. Despite this, he dose prove inspirational despite his flaws.

 "This guy, he gets sliced up, hes gets shot, but he keeps coming back. He's like a mythical character that nobody understands. He's like a phoenix. He always  rises from the ashes, and you can't defeat him."

- Micheal Clark Duncan - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P145

Sin City Research: Character 8 - Gail

Gail

Gail is a character that had a cameo in the Hard Goodbye, (the first story released of Sin City) and became a larger part in The Big Fat Kill, becoming the main love interest for Dwight. She dresses in fishnets and bondage like leather with a dog collar on. Provocatively as she is dressed, she is a prostitute of Old Town, and a tough protector a bit like Miho, but not as memorable. Though her costume is unique, it makes her a memorable character despite not being able to remember its complex belt system.

Her personality seems to be classic tough-chick, attractive, dominant, demanding, in-charge, loud, and can combine humor with the right amount of kick ass. Again her incredibly explicit costume demeans her character, but that's how Sin City works.

I don't think shes a particularly inspirational character, but it at least provides the notion that no costume is too sexual for a character in Sin city.

"It's a very demanding role because she has to be many different things. She has to be obviously very sexy, very angry, and also quite a bit funny."

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P137

Sin City Research: Character 7 - Miho

Miho

Mute Japanese Miho resides in Sin City's Old Town, though unlike other characters, there is nothing to suggest she is a prostitute. She is seen as the protector of the women, and a is often referred to as 'deadly litttle Miho.'

She uses Swords and a longbow to defend them, as is described as enjoying her violent acts "She's been aching for some practice."

She is also described as "a pixie perched on a rooftop" which I love the idea of. She seems almost half superhero, with her protection over Old Town, or a vigilante, which is an idea I would love to explore myself.

I also think she has very unique costume design. the long coat with no top and bra looks great and very iconic in a sexist Sin City sort of way, but Miho seems to not make the most of this design. She also uses signature weapons and as the only Japanese character in Sin City, she quickly becomes very memorable visually.

Thou she can't talk, her personality is clear, despite her barely having any expression in her face, not even a flinch when blood is splattered in her face. She is strong, fearless, aggressive, protective and loyal.

She seems to be a very nonsexist character for Sin City, if only she wore a top. But this is Sin City, and a character like that just wouldn't fit in like the rest.

I think I would take alot of inspiration from Miho, in costume, uniqueness, and especially the term 'pixie on the rooftop.' She is tough, silent, deadly and a very memorable character in Sin City.

"I adored Miho from the moment I first started drawing her. She's a character, who, in a way, is from a different realm than Sin City. Shes a character of magic much more than the others are. I don't mean she can fly or anything, but close to it. In Sin City everybody talks alot. Miho never says a word, and she is completely and literally leathel."

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P132 

Sin City Research: Character 6 - Dwight

Dwight

Dwight is one of the main characters in Sin City headlining 3 titles: A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill and Family Values.

Dwight's storyline is slightly more complex than most characters in Sin City, as he appears so often. At the beginning of his story, he is bald and middle aged, after falling in love and being repeatedly tricked and lied too by femme fatale Ava lord, eventually he enlists the help of Marv and breaks into her house to help her but is yet again been lied to and killed her 'abusive' husband, a plot she made to to to gain her rich husbands money. Having been shot in the face, the girls of Old Town give his reconstructive surgery that makes him look better, younger and allowed his hair to regrow.

 He appears next in the Big Fat Kill, where after being at barmaid Shellie's place, follows a bunch of drunken blood thirsty thugs to Old Town where he tries to protect the girls from them. It turns out, though Miho deals with them, one was a cop and he must dispose  of the bodies in the tar pits before the cops find them.

He later is in Family Values, here after getting involved with hit men and turf war, he teams up with Miho to get revenge for the death of a Old Town hooker.


Personally, I fight Dwight the dullest character, despite him appearing often. I find is personality fairly ordinary and forgettable, and in comparison to characters like Marv, Nancy, Hartigan, The Yellow Bastard and even the silent Miho show better personalities and more memorable physical qualities than him. I don't feel I would take much inspiration from this character as as much I love most characters, I find this one fairly unenjoyable and found his section of the Sin City movie the weakest by far. I even find the combination of a T-shirt, jeans very average with a classic leather Sin City to make him fit. the only aspect I enjoyed were his red shoes, but still think red was better fitting blood and passion (such as Goldie's hotel bed.)

"Ultimately the character I identify most with is Dwight. because he's the one that gets in most trouble, and he doesn't have the super human abilities of someone like Marv. The world is a confusing place to him, and he just kind of tries to middle along. So I guess that's the closest I've come to my hero."

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P122

Sin City Research: Character 5 - Lucille

Lucille

Lucille is a character in Sin City that connects stories through her compassion and work to look after men who seem to need her care. Her girlfriend is a shrink for Marv who tried to analyse him once but "got too scared." She provides him with the medicine he needs to stop him turning into a psychopath, but that's not where her care ends.

She also is Hartigans attorney, representing him in court and building a case for him, that he refuses for reasons unknown to her, but so Nancy can stay safe.

She is a character that gives advise to the men in Sin City, and acts as a character who they can come to in times of need.

 She meets her end when kidnapped, cannibal Kevin eats her hand and during her and Marv's escape, tries reasoning with the corrupt police and is murdered for it.

 Though she is a strong character, who cares for the men in a mother-like figure, she is still sexualized in appearance and is the kind of lesbian that exists in men's fantasies, degrading her character but fitting in the sexist world of Sin City.

When creating my character, I'm not sure whether I would take too much inspiration from Lucille. She isn't extremely re-memorable, nor does her presence make and huge change in story in the comics or film. Though she is a background character that fits in the world of Sin City well, I personally would rather create a character that is more memorable and iconic, though the way she exists in the world is something to consider.

"I think she's got a bit of a savior complex. She is obviously in love with women, but men are like brothers to her. She just wants them all to be okay. And it seems like all them men that come into her life are men that have a hard time taking care of themselves, so shes going to try to do it for them. She's going to try do it for them. She's one of those women who, if she's fighting for someone, she'll take it to the end."

- Carla Gugino - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P34

Sin City Research: Character 4 - The Yellow Bastard

That Yellow Bastard

 The Yellow Bastard started out as Roark Jnr. He's a spoilt brat of a man, who escapes his rapes of children because of his corrupt senator dad. When honest cop Hartigan saves his fourth victim Nancy, it seems its the first time someone has said to him 'no, you can't do that. Its wrong.' Hartigan shoots his genitals off, his ear and hand. While he is in prison, Roark has numerous operations to grow the back having the side effect of turning him yellow.

 The Yellow Bastard claims to have raped many children, "dozens maybe a hundred, and everyone has screamed." He is made even more sickening by the fact he can't erect himself without a scream from his victim. As a wealthy man who can escape justice, he is the ultimate vile villain. He is a pevert, rapist, murder and torturer, at one point tying Nancy up and whipping her into screaming. His evil made more evident when he says that Nancy (aged 19) is "a little old for my taste but I can forget this just this once" and he tortures and attempts to rape her purely for revenge against Hartigan. "I'm going to take all night doing dear old Nancy and you're gonna die knowing its all you're fault!"

To me, his is one of the most disgusting and vile comic book villains. In comparison to villains such as Marvels Dr. Doom, he seems so much more evil as though his acts don't effect much people, his deeds are more disturbing and horrifying, as they are realistic and are something that exists in the real world.

He is the epitome of evil, a sickening, pedophile that has no mercy, compassion or care for anyone but himself. If I were to create a villain for my character, I feel I would create a character like the Yellow Bastard as he is a very effective villain, especially for a honor-bound hero like Hartigan.

"Yellow Bastard is a villain in the tradition of the Joker and other Batman villains as such, who originally were terrifying characters. It was only the old TV  show that have made them more clownish, and I think that the Yellow Bastard is going to remind people how scary that stuff can be. its also going to remind people how scary a comic can be, and I hope to hell it reminds people of a time before people started thinking comic books were just for kids. Because they never really have been, but maybe Sin City can help my other field stand a bit taller."

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The making of the Movie - P125

Sin City Research: Character 3 - Hartigan

Hartigan

Hartigan is the cop that saved Nancy when she was eleven, betraying his partner to do so. So close to retirement, he scarifies everything to save her even though it could be worthless. "Nancy Callahan, aged eleven. For all I know she's dead already."

 For doing this heroic deed, he is framed by the powerful Senator Rourke as the pedophile was his son, and he shot his ear, hand, and genitals off, as Hartigan describes them as 'weapons.' He is tortured but endures for Nancy's safety, and spends the next eight years in prison. He is released only to lead Rourke Junior towards her so he can gain revenge on him through her.

Hartigan also suffers from 'Angina' a heart condition that occurs when the blood supply to the muscles of the heart is restricted. This often hits when hes in battle as he quickly gets out of breath because of his age. It also creates tension and excitement in his scenes, as well as grounding the character. He often looks past his pain for others, specifically Nancy.

He is by far the most honorable and good person in Sin City, putting others needs before his own, and sacrificing all he has, families love, his reputation, and pride to save those who are innocent. "I've got to get out. Got to help her. nothing else matters. Not my life - and not my pride either." His quests are often hardened by the fact that the rest of the force is corrupt, which makes him a unique character in Sin City.


His story in the film contains the most colour  in the comics and film, having a character in full colour (that yellow bastard) and the sequence where Hartigan enters Kadies all being in colour, turning back to black and white effectively when he realises he's been tricked and lead the villain right to Nancy.

Hartigan stands out in Sin City for his courage, bravery, sacrifice and protection and dedication to Nancy. He is seemingly the only character who abides by the law (for the most part) and in my opinion, has one of the best villains in Sin City: The Yellow Bastard.

"Hartigan is a civilized honor-bound man who makes every decision based on a sort of a 1940's level morality, as pure a hero as I've ever written. He's the Sir Galahad of Sin City"

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - P208

Sin City Research: Character 2 - Nancy

Nancy Callahan

Nancy is often referred to as the 'sweet girl' of Sin City. She is an exotic dancer dressed as a cowgirl who appears in many stories as she attracts many characters to a popular location in the books and films: Kadies Bar. After being targeted by a pedophile when she was eleven, who was the son of a corrupt senator and therefore his crimes were being ignored by a corrupt police force, honest cop Hartigan saved her on his last day and was framed for her rape, (for shooting the senators pedophile son). He spent eight years in prison and she remained ever grateful for his sacrifice to keep her safe.

When she was targeted again for revenge on Hartigan by the same pedophile, he gave his life to save her.

Though she appears scared and emotional, "I swore if I ever saw you again I'd show you I grew up strong, but there I was just like before scared and helpless" her confidence is obvious. She is friendly and often befriends the big thug Marv for his protection against 'handsy' customers of Kadies.


As she is set to appear in Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For original material is being written by Miller that focus' her as the lead of her own story (A first for Sin City) that will tell the story of her quest for revenge against the Senator and to clear Hartigans name. 


Nancy is often portrayed as weak and in need of the men's assistance, but by the looks of Sin City 2 she will change the cards by having a story similar to Marv's in The Hard Goodbye. This would make a more interesting character than how she has been previously portrayed, and emotional as her story can still be she would demonstrate a capability to be independent and have a cause for justice, which I think is far better than the original Nancy. 

Her costume is fairly unique in Sin City, though traits of westerns are hinted at (long coats, saloons,) no body but Nancy on stage directly dresses as a cowboy/girl. An iconic costume is also something (as well as having a female protagonist that is physically strong and demands justice) something I would take as inspiration for my own character, if a female is the root I take. As there are none as of yet in Sin City, I think this would be effective if I am able to pull it of like they can still exist in this sexist world.

"She's the symbol of Sin City, the cowgirl. When you go into this bar in Sin City, you stumble into a saloon with all these losers lounging around, and the place is full of smoke, and they haven't cleaned it in years. you look around and you expect to see some disgusting show on the stage, and then an angel comes out dancing. That's really the heart of Sin City, and Nancy is it's symbol."

- Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - p220

Sin City Research: Character 1 - Marv

 Marv

Marv is a commonly appearing character in Sin City. He is big, ugly, muscular and tough. Almost on a superhuman level, he survives multiple shots and flinches when hit by a bullet. He is best described in the movie when the character Dwight says "Most people think Marv is crazy. He just had the rotten luck of being born in the wrong century. He'd have been right at home on some ancient battlefield swings an axe into somebodies face, or taking a sword to other gladiators like him." He is a brutal man, but not a completely bad one. He sticks up for friends, and takes care of good people less fortunate by him. Revenge drives him, but he is loyal to the death.

After a beautiful woman sleeps with him for a reason at the time he doesn't care to know, he finds her dead in the morning, revealed to be targeted by Senator Rourke.  He at one point says "I owe you Goldie, I owe you and I'm gonna pay up, if that means going after Rourke dying win or loose, hell, I'll die laughing if I know I've done this one thing right."

He also has mental health problems, fearing he could one day turn into a psychopath without his medicine. Physically, he is arguably the powerful person in Sin City, but he's not particularly intelligent, and he knows it. "I'm too dumb to put the whole picture together yet."

Because of his looks, he doesn't attract a lot of women, and looking so scary even hookers turn him down "I wasn't never even able to buy a woman, cause of the way I look." This is probably why he felt so much attachment to the one that did, without a price.

He is a tough guy that can take a lot of pain. He's tough, ripped with muscle, butt-ugly, often desperate for female company "She fires up two cigarettes and hands me on and I taste her lipstick on it and suddenly,  my hearts pounding so loud I can't hear anything else." But he's loyal. If it wasn't for his loyalty and respect for women, "I don't hurt girls" He would be by far the most sexist character in the Sin City stories.  Him, and Nancy.

"The first words I wrote down (when designing Marv) were 'Conan in a trench coat.' The idea being to bring the kind of barbarianism that you get in a Conan story to an urban setting, and from that came the part that Mickey Rourke plays so well., a barbarian in our world, a savage. He's not a bad guy, and he's not a knight in shinning armor. He's a man from another era. He simply doesn't understand civilization. He believes the proper thing to do when you're up against an opponent is to kill them in the most inhumane way possible. He dose have a code, he protects women, he honors his word, but he just never understood the way we all behave." 

 - Frank Miller - Sin City: The Making of the Movie - p30 

Sin City Research: The City.

To gain an understanding of Sin City, and how it feels to be in the city, I found a piece of text written be creator, artist, and writer of Sin City Frank Miller. The piece speaks in 2nd person to the reader as he takes you through the streets of Sin City, detailing the smells, darkness, details, and humidity of the city. I think this is the best way, (as well as watching and reading the comic books, which I highly advise, but this is quicker for those new to it) to get the atmosphere of what its like to be in Sin City, which is vital when creating a character who lives there.


"You've got no damn idea how you wound up in this godforsaken place.

Maybe you fell asleep on the train, rode past your stop. Landed in this dump. Maybe you're coming off one hell of a bad bender. You've got no damn idea.

At least you've still got your wallet. from the looks of the locals, the ones who are still vertical, that's a miracle.

It's a hot night on a street that feels like it's never seen sunlight. Since there's nothing else to do, you walk. You step over some wino whose passed out in his vomit. A newspaper rides a gust of wind and flaps against your leg. It's a tabloid, the trashy kind. Blood's dried on it.

The street's gutter is a symphony of cigarette butts.

The next bum you step over has a knife stuck in to what used to be his eye.

Maybe you died and went to hell. Maybe that's it.

Then the roar of a V8 engine blasts the night to bits. You turn and watch a gleaming, showroom-slick '53 Cadillic El Dorado rip past you, leaping a good ten feet off the ground. Magnificent. It fishtails out of sight.

Blocks away, glass shatters and some old fashioned burglar alarm goes jangling. Some maniac laughs. you don't want to know.

You keep walking.

You reach the corner and you see them. Hookers. A whole lot of hookers, flagging down pickup trucks and squad cars alike. But these hookers, they aren't the sad, hard, weary, drug-smoked women you'd expect. They're proud creatures. Each of them as confident and beautiful as a goddess. Dressed to the nines.
Most of them pack heat. One of them tosses you a smile you can feel in your pocket. They astonish. Out of this world.

You walk. You walk and maybe you light up a cigarette yourself. The old kind. Unfiltered. Hard on the throat. You catch a coughing fit and toss the butt away to join all its brothers and sisters in the gutter.

You're getting there. You're on your way.

You walk. You don't really have anywhere in particular to go. So what the hell. You could use a brew. You spot a half-blind neon sign for what looks to be the seediest saloon in the world. You go to the door and the bouncer eyeballs you like you smell bad, but he lets you in.  And there's no cover charge.

You're in.

The joint reeks. Smoke. Urine. Puke. It's the worst.

There's a guy with blood for a face mashed into one booth, an asshole pleading to his wife to forgive him for whatever in the next. Some guy just plain face down in the third. This place is bad.

So you belly up to the bar and order some lameass Texas brew. Some Lone Star crap. And then you see it. the stage. Your heart sinks. The place has a goddam stage. Like for dancing. Exotic dancing. 

Your heart stays sunk. this is gonna be just plain awful. Some hard-muscled, hard-headed, hard-hearted bitch of a bitch skank, shaking what she's got for a bunch of hopeless loosers. 

The music goes Slow. Sad. Country. The good kind. And the crowd goes silent as an angel wafts across the stage. 

She's a cowgirl angel, slowly swinging her lasso, moving like a dream. Her eyes are sad, her smile sweet. Her figure is a fantasy come to life. For that moment, you'd swear there's nothing ugly anywhere on earth.

Welcome to Sin City."

- Frank Miller, 2005. Sin City: The Making of the Movie - Troublemaker Publishing, Pages 8+9.

Sin City is a seedy city, full of crime, murder, prostitution, uncertainty and mystery. It's filthy and damp, hot and humid. It lives in the night and sleeps in the day. It's untrustworthy and domineering,  standing tall above you. The skyline's from today, the lightening from the 40's, the car's from the 50's and fashion of the old west. Its the kind of city outlaws and inmates would build if only they had the motivation and cash. The inhabitants lurk in the night, striving on crime one way or another.

This is the city for which my character will live, it will have to inform them and they would have to be a product of it.

CoP: Essay to inform practical

An investigation into the use and representation of Sexism in Sin City

Originally, the goal of this essay was to look at sexism in comics throughout their existence, but unfortunately as sexism such an in-depth subject, especially in the world of comics, there is simply too much to evaluate. For this reason, the essay will concentrate on the sexual objectification of gender in the graphic novels and film of Sin City, created by comic book artist and writer Frank Miller.
 

Sin City is often perceived as a very sexist world, and it is difficult to argue otherwise. There are two kinds of men in Sin City, the heroic, protective, muscular heroes, and the perverted, corrupt, disgusting villains (consisting of paedophiles, cannibals, and disfigured men). The women, are all beautiful, often in clothes consisting of minimal underwear, leather undergarments and lingerie, or nothing at all. They all appear to be either strippers or prostitutes, only making money from their sexualised appearance to men. But if looked into in further detail, there are elements that display their independence and dominance through the sexuality. “Those very images that objectify these heroines can be seen as a source of power” (Mandrid, M. 2009. Pvi.)

  “She owns me, body and soul.” (Miller, F. 1993. P65) “If I have to die for you tonight I will.” (Miller, F. 1994. p83). These quotes show how the men see women as their superiors.  They spend their time and money on them (albeit they are stripping or through prostitution) and are slaves to their own desires, and therefore the women. Though it could be argued that to display all men as so sexually desperate is sexist also, and as an unfair reflection on men as it is to display all women as sexual objects. Empire reviewer Kim Newman also argues this point of the sexism against men further, “female characters tend to be exploiting male desire while living their own lives removed from others’ ideas about them. Arguably, the male characters are even more of an insult to the sex... near-unrecognisable faces bring to life an array of tarnished heroes, each tougher than Mike Hammer on steroids, and appalling villains who’d be too deformed and demented even for Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum.” (Newman, K. 2005). This is another good argument that balances the sexism in gender in Sin City. Men are tough, violent, muscular, and masculine, or crazy perverted psychopaths. Are all men like how they are portrayed in Sin City? No. Are all women like how women are portrayed in Sin City? No. But it is and exaggerated, make-believe world that livens the dark elements of the human psyche to draw audiences in. It could be understood as using Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory about the unconscious mind and repressed human animalistic instincts, that they could be released by indulging in media such as Sin City, or that the world of Sin City was built using this theory where characters are more freely able to act the way they deeply want to. “Frued isolated scopophilia as one of the component instincts of sexuality which exist as drives quite independently of the erotgenic zones. At this point he associated scopophilia with taking other people as objects, subjecting them to controlling and curios gaze.” (Mulvey, L. 1989. p16). Scopophilia is the theory of ‘pleasure in looking’ which couldn’t be more apparent in Sin City. Freud uses examples such as children’s curious and inquisitive nature to look and reveal what is forbidden for them to see, which stems later in life to perversion upon to opposite sex. Of course, the women are objectified in Sin City to be objects of sexual desire, though this does not make them weak it does reduce them to their bodies being their greatest assets. For example, the exotic dancer Nancy is often referred to as ‘an angel’ with crowds of men ogling at her. “An angel dancing among the clouds.” (Miller, F. 1996. p141)

“The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness... she holds the look, and plays to and signifies male desire.” (Muley, L. 1989. p19). This uses the theory of the gaze of the media that often objectify women, and the idea of scopophilia upon the female gender. In Sin City, this is evident, and irrefutable. Women fit in a certain regime of appearance for the world that idealizes them and exemplifies certain features. Though at first glance it is often the case that sexism against women grabs viewers attention, but is that because sexism against men is not discussed as much? When men are portrayed as victims of sexism it is not in a sexual way, it brings out the steroytypical roles that they are often seen as, violent, obsessive, muscular,  perverted, while the women are portrayed as beautiful, sexy, and experts in seduction. If offense is to be taken, it would seem most people would be more insulted by being labelled perverted and violent than attractive and sexually appealing. After all, don’t most people want to be appealing to the opposite sex? Is it not why we buy expensive fashionable clothes, cut our hair, stay clean and why women wear make up?

Quotes like “She smelt like angles ought to smell. The perfect woman. The goddess.” And “She fires up two cigarettes and hands me one and I taste her lipstick on it and suddenly my hearts pounding so loud I can’t hear anything else.” (Miller, F. 1991. p13 + p155) show how then men feel love or even anxiety, where it seems apparent the women do not. They are strong characters who are not fooled and tricked by men but are confident powerful creatures who stride on the men’s lust for them, their obsession for sex, often using them for their own means. The women do not share the men’s desperation for their company. Women are angelic, beautiful, independent, alluring, confident and physically strong “We’ll fight the cops, the mob, and anyone else who tries to move in on us.” (Sin City, 2005). They don’t need men like the men crave the women. “Its tearing me up how much I love you.”(Miller, F. 1993. p10). Though the (heroic) men are displayed as protective, they are often unwanted guardians. “Us helpless little girls? us girls are safe as we can be.” – (Miller, F. 1994. p50). This applies to most female characters in Sin City who reside in Old Town (the part of Sin City where the prostitutes live, without pimps and rule this part of town) “The ladies are the law here” – (Miller, F. 1994, p36). This clearly shows their independence as they solely rule some streets.

“Many feel that the ultra thin models used in fashion present women with an unattainable, unhealthy body type. Conversely, others believe that the buxom heroines featured in comics are over sexualized, and present a negative image of women. The fact that many superheroines are actually strong, powerful characters can be neglected by the way they are drawn.” (Mandrid, M. 2009. P298). Though this piece of writing directs towards super heroines such as Wonder Woman, it also relates to Sin City. In looking so overly sexualised in the comic pages, the women loose much of their strength found in their personality, but then again, the fact that they are so appealing to men often gives them power over them. So is the ultimate deadly female character someone who is strong, confident, expertly trained to kill, intelligent and very appealing to men? This would be a character who could truly over power a man using his weakness against him. Such as Sin City’s Ava Lord or Miho. 

All these aspects for the women of Sin City apply to all but Nancy. Nancy loves the hero cop Hartigan who saved her from a paedophile when she was eleven years old. Though he is older, she makes it as obvious as saying “I love you” and “sleep with me” (Miller, F. 1996. P158 + p162). She also craves Hardigans protection “Let me stay close, nothing can happen to me when I’m with you.” (Miller, F. 1996. P155). This shows she is arguably the most sexist character in the comics, she is vulnerable and reliant on the male characters, and works as a stripper, and the only reason the customers (all male) keep their hands off her is because of voluntary bouncer Marv, who beats up those who do because he does not believe in violence against women “I don’t hurt girls.” (Miller. F. 1991. P148). This shows that not only she is incapable of taking care of herself (like other women in Sin City) she is also fuelled by her emotions, and still visually a very sexualised character.  Actress Jessica Alba who portrayed her in the film described her differently: “She just wears her heart on her sleeve, something I wish I could do more. That’s why it is kind of a fantasy to play a character that’s so sincere, so soft, and so vulnerable, despite the side of her that’s really strong and confident on stage.” (Alba, J. 2005. P239). If anything, this shows the actress actually looking up to the character and aspiring to be more like her, which seems like the very gender the character would insult actually provides more of a role model, being strong, confident, but truthful, honest and loving. That or she was simple attempting to give an explanation choosing the role, other than she was probably paid quite a bit of money for it. But Alba’s opinion is backed up by Laure Mulvey, when she writes “There are circumstances in which looking itself is a source of pleasure, just as, in the reverse formation, there is pleasure in being looked at.” (Mulvey, L. 1989. P16). This also addresses the idea that the character is not being degraded, but may indeed find enjoyment in being admired and gazed upon, giving her confidence and self esteem. 

  The Sin City movie is an extremely faithful adaption from the graphic novel, (arguably the most faithful of all comic book movies), the film displays a toned down sexism (though subtle) than the comics. For example the costumes on the girl were slightly less faithful. Brittney Murphy’s character Shellie in the comics wore knickers and a man’s shirt, and that was all, whereas in the film she wore a bra also. The same applied for Jessica Alba’s character Nancy, in the comic she does her ‘exotic dancing’ topless, (See Fig.1) where as in the film she was given a leather bra-like part to her costume to cover her up, (See Fig. 2.) Costume supervisor Nina Proctor explained Nancy as the hardest costume to design: “Nancy is the sweet girl in the stories and so there was a real fine line there of trying to make the costumes sexy without going too far, or not going far enough. And I think we came up with a very comfortable place.” (Proctor, N. Sin City 2005). She also talks about the challenges of Rosario Dawson’s character Gail’s costume: “Everyone has been so into the characters that we’ve really been able to go very close to the graphic novel, even with the women. They’ve been really excited about some of the things I’ve done. I mean, the character of Gail is literally belts and fishnets, and she was so excited about wearing it... There’s really no nudity there, though there’s still the hint of nudity...That was a fun character to design.” (Proctor, N. 2005. P113). This clearly shows that the crew still aimed for lesser sexism while still remaining as faithful as possible to the source material. The costume supervisor was female, and stated they were fun to design, and the fact that the actress’ were excited about wearing the costumes shows that these women are not degraded by the sexual nature of the appearance of them, but find fun and joy in dressing in these ludicrous outfits. That or they simply disguise that they thought it was worth the pay check. 
 

New and original material is being written for Sin City 2: a Dame to kill for that will tell a story for the first time based on a female protagonist (Nancy) and her attempts to avenge her loves death. This would be a brilliant twist to the story as it would turn the most sexist character and make her the violent courageous hero, similar to Marv’s story in Sin City: The Hard Goodbye, setting a new balance to the sexism in the comics, by altering it and gaining new stories for a modern audience. Although this would not make it completely non sexist film, it is clear that even for a comic a sexist as Sin City the movies and practitioners are reducing the sexism for modern times. But even if she was the lead, it would still prove right Lisa Rundle’s opinion in Girls who Bite Back “As long as the alpha female is ‘still female’ (counts heterosexual-appeal among her most powerful weapons), she safely remains an object of entertainment for the traditional male viewer. The fantasy: dream fuck, not castration nightmare.” (Rundle, L. 1989. P307). This would then revert to the question of is a female more sexist, or more powerful for being attractive to men?
 

But what the real question should be, is should a film even be changed from such loved source material? Since the original film was so accurate to the comics and was hugely successful, should women who take offense to it simply not watch it? It would be like heterosexual men going to see Magic Mike and complaining about the amount of undressed, muscular, and good looking stripping men in the film. Total film explained this as: “Getting sniffy about sexism in Sin City would be like complaining about spaceships in Star Wars” (Total Film. 2005). This is a pretty accurate. Sexism is a part of Sin City, it is undeniably there, and the only argument to be made is whether is equal on each gender or not. Unfortunately sexism is a matter of opinion and not fact, and therefore there will never be an accurate measure for it, people may find offence in different things, and Sin City is one which will create much controversy. For example, on Metacritic, in a total of 40 critics reviews, the film got 74 out of 100, ranging from the lowest being 0 to the highest of 100. (Metacritc. 2005). This shows the subject of Sin City is really a love or hate one. 

Comparing the work of Frank Millers Sin City to the work of comics like Aline Kominsky-Crumb’s The young bunch, Love that bunch is something that is difficult to come to a conclusion of.

Artists Aline Kominsky-Crumb and Phoebe Gloeckner write autobiographical comics centred on sexual abuse. Kominsky-Crumb has a “style of hyperexaggerated impressionism” (Chute, H. 2010. P28) (See Fig. 3). While Gloecker, a trained medical illustrator, uses a provocative style of realism, (See Fig. 4) meaning style is not an issue when drawing genitaila, masturbation, fellation, and other graphic images that appear in both artists work. These feminists use comics to show their own experiences often consisting of underage sex, rape, and other elements of harsh realities that exist in the world. A disturbing element of Kominsky-Crumb’s work is that it controversially uses humour. She has openly stated that she is “never sure which side of the line of comedy/tragedy I’m treading while I’m working on a story” (Kominsky Crumb, A. 2010. p43). This seems a bald move to use humour in a story that is so personal and horrific. 

  Though their work has been labelled pornographic, this “accusation is complicated by the very idea that they are re-presenting their own experiences of abuse.” (Chute, H. 2005. P28). But does the fact that it is a personal story justify such material in comics? It claims to be pro-feminism but is pornographic, which is a rare combination. It also displays these women as weak, and being sexually dominated and abused by men. Nothing quite like this appears in popular titles like Marvel and DC comics, begging the question, where is the line drawn for graphic illustration to become acceptable in comics and graphic novels? Do these artists get an exception because of the abuse they have suffered? If an artist, such as Frank Miller, who has not experienced this but attempts to tell the same story the same way is their work unacceptable and offensive?

  It seems in comics and graphic novels horrendous violence such as beheading, murder, dismemberment is something that is expected to appear in most modern comics, but to see graphic acts of a sexual nature, such as oral sex and genitalia seems totally absurd and unacceptable, though it is more common in everyday lives than bloody murder. Strangely, parents are more comfortable with their children seeing extreme violence in comics, video games, and films than sex.

Even Johnathan Ross’s new comic illustrated by Ian Churchill, Revenge features nude women who use sex as a weapon to fool the male protagonist, overly sexualized in appearance and even has a history as a porn star. This work is drawn in more detail and more realistically than Miller’s, and with the use of point-of-view shots of the sex scene (See Fig. 6) it allows audiences to engage in a more personal level with the imagery. Yet this work is still nowhere near as graphically shocking as Kominsky-Crumb’s and Gloeckner’s work. So it seems this kind of sexist content is acceptable in the world of fine art and if illustrated by feminists, but if the same thing is illustrated by comic book artists they seem to be frowned upon by the very feminists who penalise their work and yet mimic the same themes, but include rape and abuse. The difference here is that the feminists do not make their women attractive, but draw more obscene things, and back it in the name of feminism, where as the comic artist draw beautiful nude women, and allow them to be intelligent, powerful, and independent. 
 

To conclude, there is sexism in Sin City, it is an extremely sexist piece of art, but as fine art escapes in doing this and worse, such as Agnolo Branzino's 1545 piece Venus, Cupid, Fully of Time (where a mother and son are kissing naked while the son touches the mothers breast [See Fig 5].) It seems strange that Millers work is frowned upon but this is deemed acceptable in society. Though Sin City contains nudity, at least it is of people of age, as does Revenge, unlike Branziono, Kominsky Crumb, and Gloeckner’s work. The Sin City film has an 18 rating, which perhaps the comic should have. An 18 rating shows people that it includes content perhaps unsuitable of kids, so people can understand there will be violence and nudity in the film. The comics have no indication of this, other than the title of the comic. To introduce another Comic Code Authority would be ludicrous, since it damaged so many characters in the 1950’s, but perhaps an rating system like video games and film would benefit people from understating what they are about to read, or even an under sub-title like Jonathan Ross’ Revenge, that reads ‘For mature readers.’ (Ross, J. 2014). By all accounts, it is fair to conclude Sin City is a sexist comic and film, but not unequally to gender. If feminists want equality, Sin City seems to offer preciously that, only using sexism to a fair extent, and contains far less offensive material than much fine art on display in galleries, which also has no rating system.

 Figure 1. Miller, F. 1996.

 

Figure 2. Proctor, N. Sin City, 2005.

Figure 3. Kominsky Crumb, A. 1990. P4

 

Figure 4. Gloeckner, P.  2000.  P73  

        

Figure 5. Branzino, A. 1545.

 

Fig 6. Churchill, I. 

Bibliography

Miller, F. (1991) Sin City: The Hard Goodbye, Oregon, Dark Horse Comics.

Miller, F. (1993) Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Oregon, Dark Horse Comics.

Miller, F. (1994) Sin City: The Big Fat Kill, Oregon, Dark Horse Comics.

Miller, F. (1996) Sin City: That Yellow Bastard, Oregon, Dark Horse Comics.

Sin City: 2 Disc Collectors Edition – Disc 1, Trench coats and fishnets: the costumes of Sin City. (2005), Directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Frank Miller, [Film] Troublemaker Studios and Miramax/Dimension Home Entertainment.

Proctor, N. (2005) The Making of Sin City, United States of America, Troublemaker Publishing.

Alba, J. (2005) The Making of Sin City, united States of America, Troublemaker Publishing.

 Chute, H. (2010) Graphic Women. Life narrative & contemporary comics New York. Columbia University Press.

Kominsky Crumb, A. (2010) Graphic Women. Life narrative & contemporary comics New York. Columbia University Press.

Mandrid, M. (2009) The Supergirls, United State of America, E.A.P.

Rundle, L. (2004) Girls Who Bite Back, Toronto, Sumach Press.

Ross, J. (2014) Revenge, Berkley, Image comics.

Mulvey, L. (1989) Visual and other pleasures, Hampshire and New York, Palgrave.

K, Newman. (2005) Empire [Online], Available at http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=9989 (Accessed on 18^th March 2014) - Kim Newman, 2005,

Sin City. (2005) Metacritic [Online], Available at http://www.metacritic.com/movie/sin-city (Accessed on 18th March 2014)

Total film. (2005) Total Film [Online] Available at http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/sin-city (Accessed on 18th March 2014)

Branzino, A. (1545) Venus, Cupid, Fully of Time.

Gloeckner, P. (2000) Minnie’s 3^rd Love, or Nightmare on Polk Street. In: A Childs Life and Other Stories, Frog books/North Atlantic books.

Kominsky Crumb, A. (1990) The Young Bunch In: Love that Bunch. Fantagraphics Books