Frank Miller's Big Damn Sin City Oversized Hardcover

Script and art Frank Miller with additional coloring by Lynn Varley. All illustrations are ©Frank Miller.

note that there is no dust jacket for this book

Published in June 2014 by Dark Horse (ISBN 978-1-61655-237-4, cover price 100$), this über hardcover book (8.5 x 12.5 inches or 22 x 32 cm, around 10 kg for 1360 pages) is printed on thin glossy paper. The picture below is here for size comparison with original issue #1 of A Dame to Kill For.

Diana Schutz is still the editor of the series, and this edition has been designed by Cary Grazzini.


Second an third of cover are identical (plain red). This edition goes to the essential right away, i.e. the complete Sin City stories. No introduction, afterword or any extra whatsoever (only a short bio at the end of the book).

All original issues are reprinted with their respective virgin covers and back covers (except for The Hard Goodbye that were originally published in Dark Horse Presents anthology).

That Yellow Bastard

Hell and Back

My own Dark Horse "Big Book" collection so far:

breathtaking! (especially if you are used to read in bed)

Hellboy The First 20 Years Library Edition With Forbidden Planet Signed Miniprint

Art by Mike Mignola. All illustrations are ©Mike Mignola. For a complete list of all books reviewed in this blog, please visit the index page.

The Art of Sin City 2002 Hardcover Edition

Art and text Frank miller (colouring Lynn Varley). All illustrations are ©Frank Miller and Dark Horse Comics.

This article mainly deals with the first hardcover edition of this book, and the differences with the 2005 reprint inserted in the second set of Sin City The Frank Miller Library Edition. Many thanks to Diana Schutz for providing editor's insight through the Dark Horse board.

This is the original 2002 hardcover edition:

Published by Dark Horse Comics in November 2002 (ISBN 1-56971-818-0, 12.3 x 9.3 inches or 31 x 23.5 cm, 128 pages, 39.95$), this hardcover edition comes with a red canvas spine, and a carved illustrations on the front cover (title and Marv Climbing a wall). According to Dark Horse description, it is printed on glossy 100 lb. coated paper stock.

Both editions have the same height but this first hardcover edition is quite larger than the reprint (12.3 x 8.4 inches or 31 x 19 cm), and indeed the printing size of text and pictures is bigger. A picture below is also there for size comparison with a regular Sin City comics:

In my copy, the book opens with a printed signed sketch of Dwight, but the book was also produced with a sketch of Miho. Note that my copy of the library edition displays the latter. Then, from here, the content is identical in both edition (exception are pinpointed below), including the four pages introduction by R.C. Harvey. Unless indicated, all pictures are from the original hardcover.

2002 first edition

2005 library edition

 

Each section is introduced by a kind of vellum red paper. The original edition has been produced with sketches that are black on red or white on red (my copy has the white on red sketches). The 2005 reprint only displays sketches that are black on red (editor's choice).

2002 first edition

2005 library edition

The main material is mostly excerpts from the original comics, with along the way a very small amount of pencils or sketches. Not so many exclusive art in fact.

Regarding the main material, I have spotted these four differences between the original edition (on the left) and the 2005 library edition (on the right). Note that in the library edition pages are numbered.

it's the other way around the next page

extra colored art in the 2005 library edition

2002's bio

2005's bio

The 2005 reprint has an extra section displaying 29 pages of tribute illustrations by other artists, but not exclusive as they have already been published in the trade paperbacks line (see here for other examples).