As I'm intending to explore a noir/seedy underbelly of LA type theme (Bukowski's Henry Chinaski meets Chandler's Philip Marlowe) for my own fan fiction, I have employed Frank Miller's Sin City as the topic of my fanfic reviews.
Dwight's Cityby Funkmaster21
Dwight goes to same bar he attends every night, and after a brief encounter with a waitress who he has dealt with before but never really noticed, leaves the bar unsatisfied. I like the way the author has attempted to create a little bit of back story as to how Dwight and Shellie got together in Miller's graphic novel The Big Fat Kill. I would assume this story occurs perhaps a week or two before the events in the aforementioned novel. The author has employed a more formal written style than Miller's, but this does not detract from the story. The bar and background characters are painted as rough and tumble as Miller himself would've done, and while the writing style is different, the imagery presented by Dwight's City fits well with the aesthetic of the original.
Who Do You Think I Am?
by Lil Scream Queen
This story follows Miho's experiences dealing with a stranger who intends to escort her back to his employer due to 'unfinished business'. It has no reference to any Sin City continuity. I did not particularly enjoy how this was written, it seemed overly simple, and Miho's thought pattern was fairly normal and predictable which seems uncharacteristic of a merciless killer. The story builds to an early climax as Miho and the other girls of Old-Town interrogate the stranger, torture and eventually kill him. Rather than winding down from there, the girls go home for a shower and then have difficulty sleeping through the night, during which Miho sneaks out and kills a couple of people. It all ends in a rather unspecific mess, where all the wrong parts of the story are elaborated upon. I'm not sure if it ended or the author gave up, but I'm leaning towards the latter.
Sin City: On the Run
by LorrCakies
An alternate ending to Miller's The Hard Goodbye. Rather than Marv meeting his demise in the electric chair, he is sprung from prison before his execution by a new character, Blondie, the younger sister of the twins in the original story. The author has done a pretty good job of writing Marv, however this narrative switches between that of Marv and Blondie, where Miller has never done this, the stories follow one character at a time. The language was very much Sin City, but it seems a little too wordy, and at times uses language and described things in ways that Marv would not be able to. There seems to be some trouble with saving Marv's life, as the author doesn't appear sure what to do from there. While Marv and Blondie leave town to escape the police, the story loses direction after a brief stop at Marv's childhood home and ends mid-conversation. I would've liked to see this author bring the story to an organic conclusion, and perhaps follow it up with a story about their next move.
Bloody Gutters: Sin City Shorts - This Job's a Favor
by "DeadAccount092"
This original story follows an unnamed gunman as he prepares to complete a hit. Over the course of the story, he reveals his personal stake in the job - saving the woman he loves. The author has done such a good job here, it could potentially pass as a draft by Miller himself. The pace is very quick, matching that of the Sin City graphic novels. The language used is typical of a Basin City resident. It created strong imagery, and I felt as though I was on the rooftop myself, looking down a sight at the target. In my opinion, the author of this story has a firm grasp of the hard-boiled/noir genre, as well as the attention to detail necessary to include the intricacies specific to Frank Miller's work.
by LadyAsh5869
In an alternate storyline where Hartigan and Nancy are able to be together, Hartigan helps Nancy cope with the horrors of her past. Despite a rather obvious and grammatically flawed reference to the film adaptation, the author has aimed for, and nearly achieved, a similar style to Miller's in his story That Yellow Bastard. While the story doesn't really go anywhere, it provides a nice snapshot of an intimate moment between two lovers, Sin City style. Additionally, it feels like a realistic event that would occur between these characters. Miller's original story ended when Hartigan sacrificed himself so Nancy could escape the farm, which concluded one of Sin City's favourite love stories. This story comfortably reunites the two without having to provide a clause for how Hartigan survives, and as a fan of the characters, it's satisfying to consider an alternate storyline where they can live happily ever after, Sin City style.
No comments:
Post a Comment