Product Description: Marking a departure for Miller from an entire career of serialized stories, this 128-page epic spilled out of him all at once... and you can't help but read it the same way! Family Values is a milestone among Miller's work, allowing him enough room to tell this classic story of grit and revenge exactly the way he wanted to. With deadly Miho running on roller-blades, Dwight running on adrenaline, and the Sin City mob on clean-up detail, this yarn from the Town Without Pity is not to be missed.
Death on wheels. "Family Values" is the 5th book in the fantastic Sin City series of graphic novels written and illustrated by mad comic book genius Frank Miller. It's a brief and uncharacteristically straightforward jaunt starring Basin City's premiere anti-hero Dwight and the biggest/smallest bada$z ever to hit the pulp, deadly little Miho. Sin City began once Miller had established himself as a premier writer with amazing arcs for both DC and Marvel Comics that redefined classic heroes like Daredevil and Batman for a new generation. After his massive success, he was given the freedom to literally do anything he wanted. What he wanted was Sin City. The art for the series is done entirely in black ink. There is no gray or shading in any image; it is entirely, purely, strikingly black and white. The same can never be said of the stories, where even the heroes are often sadistic murderers. The only difference between the heroes and villains is whether they are slaughtering innocent people, or those who had it coming. The amazing art style alone sets this series far apart from any mainstream comic series out there, and the flagrant violence, nudity, and language assures that any child in possession of one of the stories had best hide it from their parents. This one is for grown-ups. "Family Values" is no exception.
A lot of Sin City's stories end up focusing on corrupted institutions such as the Catholic church or the police, but this one goes a bit traditional and focuses on a mob hit. Dwight investigates a drive-by shooting at a diner accompanied by his murderous guardian angel watching from shadows and rooftops. He turns down a randy female cop, says hello to two of Sin City's quirky regulars, and settles on charming the details of the incident out of a run-down, worn-out old barfly. Soon, his inquiries bring the perpetrators down on him and the fun begins. Now, one could argue that this entire story was just an excuse for Miller to draw his favorite ninja girl kicking a$z on roller blades. I would concur with that argument. But it is a righteous endeavor. Miho is always a welcome face, and Miho on roller blades is somehow even cooler. At one point a hood refers to her as a "Jap slut" and gets her special undivided attention, which crescendos with her using a swastika-shaped shuriken to slice halfway through his neck so she can speed at him and kick his head off with both skates. Nice. Whether or not it was necessary for her to fall out of her kimono in multiple panels I will leave up to you. My favorite bit has to be when Miho is dragging a mob guard down a flight of stairs with a kusarigama (handheld sickle) through his head as Dwight confides with his hostage that she's actually a very nice girl once you get to know her.
I think what really makes "Family Values" great aside from the usual Sin City coolness plus roller-blading ninja girl is the "moral of the story" as it were. As Dwight reaches his final target and lectures him on the reason he is to die, Miller offers a bit of personal commentary on the meaning of the book's title and the twisting of the term as it is applied by ivory tower politicians and businessmen as though they have some sort of claim on it while they are living their own deviant fantasies out. Indeed, there are all sorts of families out there and it is nobody's place to put a value on which loving relationships are right and which are wrong and which are to be valued over others. I want the guy who wrote this back instead of the guy who wrote The Spirit.
The only flaws in this book are it's brevity and the usual slightly misogynistic exploitative nature of the series. I personally let this slide because, like the James Bond films, I consider this to be nothing more then an adolescent kind of escapist fantasy free of PC constraints that is meant to be enjoyed for style over substance. I mean, what guy doesn't want his own sexy little assassin who curls up against you and sleeps until you give the word to kill? Patriarchal, yes, but kind of cool in a purely fictional sense too. Either way you look at it, "Family Values" is a fun little trek through Basin City that entertains from cover to cover and is a very light read making it good for those who may not have time to dive into some of the larger graphic novels out there. Miller's art is typically solid, his dialogue is clever, the story is fun, and the slice of philosophy is much appreciated.
4 1/2 stars rounded up for brutality's sake.
A Pleasent Surprise I thought I wasn't going to like this.
I mean, this was after I read "That Yellow Bastard" (which is probably the best yarn of the series), so I was thinking "There is no way in hell this can top that." Plus, I'm not much of a fan of Dwight. In fact, I bought the last two yarns before I did this one.
But in the end, it was actually surprising. I mean, this isn't the BEST yarn in the series, but it's still actually enjoyable. (Escpecially the surprise at the ending.) Plus, Miho's really awsome in this.
Bottom line: don't expect anything amazing in this, but don't shy away from it, either.
Short and Powerful, Like Miho Family Values is a great little book, that served as a fun little spin-off to me. It is a short story about Dwight and Miho, and I think it relaxing and enjoyable in comparison to the rest of the series. It was short but sweet, and It didn't stretch the mind too far. Just a shoot em up comic with a good mystery.
Book 5 is a short book that people don't consider the pinnacle of the series. This may be true, but it is definately a must read within the series. Frank Miller gave us a break from his heavy material, and he fed us a lightweight novel thats easy on the mind before the grand finale.
Family Values vol.5 A must have in the Sin City series and if your a fan of Frank Miller
Just Okay This was disappointing, but entertaining enough to read (especially since it is so quick). Unfortunately, this story has an extremely thin plot, and the backstory is crammed in right before the climax (part of which is predictable). There is no real reason to care about the characters or what they are doing, except for the fact that they have appeared earlier in the Sin City series. The artwork also leaves something to be desired. Compared to The Big Fat Kill (where the main characters here are introduced) the art is not nearly as striking. The characters are depicted somewhat differently (notably Miho) which is off-putting. Also, although Miller doesn't exactly use gray-scale, he uses a lot more shading techniques (crosshatching, etc.) which takes away from the bold, noir look. He also leaves many images just outlined (see Miho, cars, etc.) which seems unfinished, especially in contrast to what is fully shaded. Overall, this is not a great book to start with, but worth reading just to be complete with the series. I recommend borrowing this or checking from the library (which I did) rather than purchase.
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