580 SIN CITY
Jack Kirby days. Although Simonson injected a fi ne mixture of science fi ction and
mythology, fans typically remember two events during his approximately four years on
the series. First, turning Th or into a frog for three issues (an homage to Simonson’s
favorite comic book writer and artist as a boy: Carl Barks) and second, the introduc-
tion of Beta Ray Bill, an alien who became only the second individual (at the time)
deemed worthy enough to pick up Th or’s hammer Mjolnir.
In late 1989, Simonson became writer and artist on Th e Fantastic Four. His
year-and-a-half tenure included the memorable nonlinear presentation of a fi ght
between Dr. Doom and Reed Richards that required the reader to read the issue twice.
Simonson enjoyed working in the shared-universe concept where the various characters
moved between diff erent books, thereby creating complex back stories; thus he wrote
and/or drew many characters for both Marvel and DC Comics including the Avengers,
Th e HulkSuperman, , Batman, Wonder Woman, and Dr. Fate. Th is shared-universe
concept was also part of publisher Malibu’s Bravura line of creator-owned comics,
which Simonson joined briefl y before the company was bought out by Marvel.
As a fan of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World mythos, Simonson was excited to bring
back the character Orion for DC for a run that lasted 25 issues. Simonson also illus-
trated Michael Moorcock’s miniseries Elric: Th e Making of a Sorcerer. Simonson had
no preference for drawing covers or interiors as he found they off ered diff erent artistic
challenges. When once asked which was more important in comics, writing or drawing,
he responded that the question was like asking “Which is more important, breathing air
or drinking water?”
Simonson’s illustration infl uences include Moebius, Jim Holdaway, Frank Bellamy,
Sergio Toppi and various Silver Age Marvel artists. His writing infl uences include
J.R.R. Tolkien, numerous science-fi ction writers, his friend Archie Goodwin, and wife
Louise Simonson. A legendary talent, Simonson nevertheless remains an open-minded
artist—willing and wanting to learn from anyone and anything.
Jeff McLaughlin
SIN CITY. Th e title refers to a variety of story arcs occurring in the same environment
written and drawn by Frank Miller, who is renowned for his take on Batman in Th e
Dark Knight Returns. Th e fi rst Sin City story was published in Dark Horse Comics
Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (1991) and then continued in the anthology Dark
Horse Presents #51-62 (1991–92). Th ese stories were later collected in graphic novel
form and expanded along the years with more single issues and book collections com-
ing along. Th ere is no main protagonist in Sin City, but several characters appear regu-
larly throughout the narrative threads (or “yarns” as they are referred to) as they weave
in and out among each other. Th e individual yarns usually follow a central character
but the stories are thoroughly intertwined and can be puzzled into a grand Sin City
narrative chronology. Sin City is the nickname of the fi ctional Basin City—the setting
in or around which the stories take place. Th e diff erent parts of town act as the framing
structure for the stories as they move from the rich neighborhood of Sacred Oaks to the
