Frank Miller (Author and Illustrator), Dark Horse Comics (Publisher)

> Review by Michael Hoffert Jr.

Booze, broads, and revenge. All of these can be found in this inaugural tale of the series by comic book legend Frank Miller that sets tough-guy Marv against the underworld of Basin City in search of a killer. Miller, who has a string of masterpieces tied to his name including The Dark Knight Returns and 300, uses his storytelling prowess to accentuate the bleakness of his characters’ lives, working strictly in black and white and creating his figures and environment out of shadows. The titular city feels dreary and lived in, while at the same time feeling over the top in the best way. The men are all hard-nosed, hamburger-faced bastards who can give and take a beating better than any action movie star and the women are all gorgeous and full of curves so sharp that they’re deadly. The dialogue and inner monologues crafted by this master storyteller is hyper-stylized, like Raymond Chandler turned up to eleven, making every line and thought stick in your mind for days, and the pages are a thing of beauty as Miller tells taut action sequences mixed with indulgent full-page spreads that make this more than a story, but an experience.