A Sin City Tale

I’d consider myself a fan of Sin City, so I was very excited when I saw the movie trailer. This was going to be one of the best comic to film adaptations and I had to spread the word. I made friends watch the trailer and told them about the April 1 premiere. Little did I know what I would start.

April 1 came and went. I enjoyed the movie. I liked it as much as the comics. Yet, it had a greater impact on one of my friends.

He likes Sin City. He likes Sin City a lot. He’s not a big comic book fan. He doesn’t dislike them, he’s just had other things to spend time on. After seeing the film, I gave him an overview of what the comics were like. I told him how they were very close to the movie and give more insight into the movie’s characters. He was interested. So, I figured that I would bring him some of the comics when I had the chance.

The other day, I discovered that he had purchased and read nearly all of the Sin City collections. The only reason he didn't have all the books was because the bookstores were out of That Yellow Bastard. Within a couple weeks he had gone through more than ten years worth of stories.

He likes the comics as much as the movie. He loves little details about the characters. He loves the short stories and the long stories. He loves the artwork. He can recall how the different narratives intersect. He’s even starting to nit-pick about how the movie differs from the comics.

A few months ago, this man didn’t know that Sin City existed. Now, he’s a bigger fan than I am. His wife has started to complain about his “demon books”. It's as if Sin City was made specifically for him.

Obsessions have to start somewhere. It’s nice to pass them on to others, but watching someone surpass your enthusiasm can be kind of scary.

Read More