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Not-so-pretty "Dame" Graphic art master Frank Miller shocked comic fans with the first "Sin City" volume, a hard, gritty piece of noir. In "A Dame To Kill For," he ups the ante with new characters, a new lead, a different art style, and a continuation of the bloody, dark stories. "It's one of those hot nights, dry and windless. The kind that makes people do sweaty, secret things." So opens "A Dame To Kill For," as Dwight McCarthy snaps a secret hotel rendezvous (how's that for sweaty and secret?). But like everyone in Basin ("Sin") City, he has secrets and a past -- and that past returns to haunt him. His ex-girlfriend Ava reenters his life, announcing that she's scared of her ultrawealthy husband, Damien Lord, and seeking Dwight as a knight in tarnished armor. But Dwight doesn't know if he can trust her -- is Ava really in danger, or is she manipulating him as a pawn to get back at her husband? The truth just might destroy him... From the names (Ava Lord) to the grimy urban setting, "A Dame To Kill For" is pure noir. The storyline isn't terribly surprising overall -- any fan of noir movies will see what is going on -- but little parts of it are surprising and deeply interesting. Even moving. For example, one part of the story involves the wounded Dwight being cared for by the prostitutes of "Old Town," a life-changing event for him. Miller has changed his style in this volume -- it's a bit more surreal, and a bit harder to take in. But the same stark, stripped-down use of black-and-white adds to the atmosphere of the comic. And Miller manages to perfectly capture the dry prose of noir, without crossing the line into parody (as most authors do). When Dwight says that he won't die because he still has too much to do, you believe him. Dwight himself is a complex character -- like Marv, he's a troubled man with turbulent emotions, and a sense of indebtedness. Interestingly, "A Dame To Kill For" actually takes place BEFORE "Hard Goodbye." So Dwight hasn't yet gotten into the bloodbath of the first volume, and serves as a sort of sidekick/partner to Dwight. While not the shocking bloodbath that "Hard Goodbye" was, "A Dame To Kill For" explores the noir nooks of Frank Miller's Sin City. Twisted, dark, and very enjoyable.