Miller's vision of/for Sin City is heavily influenced by film noir, the genre of pulp fiction, and the novels of Jim Thompson. But don't be fooled: Sin City works so well because the stories are strikingly original within the confines of the genre. The protagonists/anti-heroes are revenge-driven, doom-bound, and on the wrong side of the law. The bad guys tend to be the people that on the outside the public admires: senators, priests, cops, etc.

That Yellow Bastard works so well because it incorporates some of Sin City's best characters and plot twists. The artwork remains of Miller's incredible standard (though it can be argued that the first arc had the best realised pencils and inks). But I don't think anywhere else in Miller's enitre cannon is the dialogue so well-executed and sharp. The ending is as shocking as it is inevitable.

Though That Yellow Bastard can be read seperately from the other collections, it's not the Sin City storyline to start with (the original "Marv" storyline, A Dame To Kill For, and The Big Fat Kill should be read first). But definietely pick this up.

Frank Miller and Amazon make some money. You read a damn good story. Fair trade.