Dark Horse Comics is welcoming fans back to the blood-soaked, bullet-strewn, ultraviolent noir streets of Sin City in a way they've never seen it before in honor of the series' 30th anniversary later this year.
It's hard to believe that it's been three decades since the world was first introduced to the likes of Marv, Goldie, the Roark family and its insidious stranglehold on the titular metropolis. Since the 1991 launch of Sin City in the pages of Dark Horse Presents, writer/artist Frank Miller's world of Basin City and its ne'er-do-well inhabitant rogues has exploded in scope, encompassing seven volumes of comics and two movies - 2005's Sin City and 2014's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, with the latter being directed by Miller himself. There was even the prospect of a video game Sin City adaptation, but that project was ultimately scrapped. The bleak, almost entirely black-and-white crime epic grew from humble beginnings into a genuine blockbuster franchise and now it's back once again in epic fashion.
A recent announcement from Dark Horse revealed that the series' first story arc, The Hard Goodbye, will be getting a new rerelease to celebrate the books' debut. Set to hit shelves on October 12, the volume will feature brand new cover art and a gallery of pinup pieces from artists including Joyce Chin, Amanda Conner, Klaus Janson, Paul Pope, Philip Tan, and Gerardo Zaffino. A softcover edition will be available, but the real standout is the hardcover Deluxe Edition. Along with the pinups, The Hard Goodbye's premium package will include a slipcase and an exclusive sketchbook of never-before-published development art hand-selected by Miller himself. Both versions are available now for preorder with the softcover going for $25 and the Deluxe edition costing $100.
"Frank Miller’s association with Dark Horse has flourished for over thirty years," said Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson. "The original publication of Sin City was a watershed moment for our company, and we are very pleased to celebrate its 30th Anniversary with a brand-new edition. Readers will find that Sin City is just at powerful today as it was the day it was first released, exactly what you would expect from one of comics’ master creators."
Dark Horse's announcement only mentions The Hard Goodbye as getting the red carpet rerelease treatment, but there's always the possibility that the subsequent volumes - A Dame to Kill For; The Big Fat Kill; That Yellow Bastard; Family Values; Booze, Broads, & Bullets; and Hell and Back - could get updated releases as well, especially if fan interest in this first release is fervent enough.
"When I first decided to write and draw a black and white crime comic, Mike Richardson didn't blink. We were off and running and continue to do so 30 years later." - Frank Miller
Even passing comic book fans are likely familiar with Miller's work whether they realize it or not. Besides the Sin City films, Miller's 300 was also adapted to the big screen, courtesy of Zack Snyder. And Miller's work outside of Sin City has provided some of the most seminal comic book storylines in recent history, including Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, and Daredevil: The Man Without Fear.
Hopefully this is a sign of more chances coming to revisit the seething cesspool that is Frank Miller's Sin City, and things are almost assuredly going to get nasty all over again.
Source: Dark Horse Comics