Customer comments on this Youngstown Ohio Book
 A Graphic Novel to Kill For
Light up a weird Russian cigarette and let this tale in Frank Miller's Sin City consume you. Bring out the beast. As far as graphic novels goes, this is one of the best. And most likely the best in the Sin City epic. Starring Dwight McCarthy (before he got that new face) as the self-restraining photographer stumbles onto an attempted murder between a police officer and an escort of Old Town. Then the hopeless romantic receives word that another woman needs his help. Problem is, Eva is no one he wants to help. As what may often happen to every hopeless romantic, Dwight's will is corrupted by an ex-lover.
What I love about Dwight is that he is the hopeless romantic in Sin City. While many of the sinful characters are motivated by women, Dwight McCarthy is instead tricked by a woman. Eva's plead for mercy is not exactly in black and white and this victim is not necessarily helpless. This is probably one of the most complex volumes of Sin City and that's what makes it so great. So inhale the fumes and let your wild fancy run free when reading this devilish tale of Sin City
 Another hot night in Basin City
As Frank Miller's second volume in his Sin City library begins, we are introduced to photographer Dwight McCarthy; a man with a shady past he's trying to forget which comes crashing back when he receives a visit from his old flame Ava Lord who begs him to save her. While there's far more going on here than what lies on the surface, A Dame to Kill For never hits that all so special mark like the Hard Goodbye did. Miller's artwork is still superb and cinematic, but we don't really feel for Dwight here like we did for Marv in the Hard Goodbye (who makes an excellent appearance here in a supporting role). For those who are more familiar with the excellent film adaptation than the graphic novels, this is a prequel to the Big Fat Kill and it features many familiar characters; such as Gail, Manute, Shelly, Miho, and twins Goldie and Wendy. All in all, A Dame to Kill For isn't the best volume in Miller's influential Sin City library, but you'll rarely find graphic novels these days that get much better than this.
More kills and thrills.
Miller works his magic again in the second yarn of the "Sin City" saga, "A Dame to Kill For." This time around, we find Dwight McCarthy, a down-on-his-luck loser who, ever since the girl of his dreams, Ava, left him to marry another man, can make a living only by taking lewd photographs of adulterers for his greasy boss. But then Ava suddenly returns begging for Dwight's help, saying her husband abuses her frequently, and may eventually kill her. Dwight, still sore, refuses. But when a large man called Manute takes Ava back to the Sacred Oaks, the Basin City "rich peoples'" home, Dwight learns everything is not quite what it seems and is lured into trap, orchestrated by Ava.
Surprisingly, "A Dame to Kill For" is an even better read than "The Hard Goodbye." Dwight may not be Marv, but he is an equally interesting character in his own way. This time around, we find our hero going up against enemies even nastier and manipulative than Kevin, the cannibal farm boy, and Cardinal Roark, it's actually often hard to tell exactly who's a friend and who's foe, and that, naturally, makes for quite a read. Like I said, Dwight isn't Marv but that doesn't mean he's quite out of the picture yet, despite what you read in "The Hard Goodbye." Marv plays a smaller, but still meaningful role here in aiding Dwight's mission. We also get our first look at Gail and Miho (and Wendy and Goldie, before she was killed at the beginning of "The Hard Goodbye"), the rulers of Old Town, a spot of town completely dominated by hookers. Manute, who would play a bigger antagonistic role in the next "Sin City" tale, "The Big, Fat Kill," is also fleshed out well. But the real villain to look out for is Ava. I find it almost scary how Frank Miller fleshes Ava Lord's character out--she can do so much harm to the hero simply by seducing him, and others who contribute to Dwight's problems, the police in particular. Another master chapter in the "Sin City" universe, by the master himself.
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