First Appearance Of
Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (1991). Frank Miller. Sin City debuts as the setting for Miller's noir-crime serial.

1st Appearance

First Appearance of Sin City

Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special

April 1991 · Dark Horse · Modern Age

Frank Miller's 1991 noir-crime city. Sin City (Basin City in canonical text) is the corrupt American urban setting for Miller's Sin City graphic novels. Distinct register from the broader superhero genre; pure noir crime fiction.

Key Issue

Created by Frank Miller

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Dark Horse Comics Place Frank Miller's noir crime city.

Sin City first appears in Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (April 1991), Frank Miller. The corrupt American urban setting (Basin City in canonical text) is the location for Miller's noir-crime graphic novel series. The 2005 Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller film extensively adapted the universe; a 2014 sequel followed.

Firsts Timeline

  1. Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special cover
    First Appearance April 1991

    Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special

    By Frank Miller

    Frank Miller writes and pencils. Sin City debuts as a serialized noir crime story. The first Sin City book (The Hard Goodbye, originally serialized in Dark Horse Presents) followed Marv across a corrupt urban setting. The series expanded into multiple Sin City graphic novels through the 1990s and 2000s.

  2. Sin City (2005 film) cover
    Sin City Film April 2005

    Sin City (2005 film)

    By Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller

    Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller co-direct. The 2005 film extensively adapted the Sin City universe with substantial visual effects, preserving Miller's stark black-and-white noir register. The film grossed strongly and established Sin City as a recognized noir-crime franchise. A 2014 sequel followed.

What Sin City is

Frank Miller introduced Sin City in Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (April 1991). The noir-crime urban setting (Basin City in canonical text) became the location for Miller’s Sin City graphic novel series across multiple books through the 1990s and 2000s. The 2005 Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller film extensively adapted the universe with stark black-and-white visual effects preserving Miller’s panel composition; a 2014 sequel followed.

Collector context

Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special trades modestly. CGC 9.8 is in the low three figures. The book is recognized as the foundational Sin City reference and as a Frank Miller-era key.

Frequently asked questions

The questions readers and collectors ask most.

What is Sin City's first appearance?

Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (April 1991), Frank Miller.

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1 character that originate in or use this.