The Girls of Old Town

Last updated
The Girls of Old Town
Publication information
Publisher Dark Horse Comics
First appearance The Hard Goodbye (April, 1991)
Created by Frank Miller
In-story information
Type of organizationTeam
Base(s)Old Town, Basin City

The Girls of Old Town are fictional characters in Frank Miller's Sin City . [1] Within the universe of Sin City, they are a group of self-governing prostitutes.

Contents

During the days of the Gold Rush, when the town of Basin City had just been settled, the Roark family "imported" a large number of women from across the globe into the open and uncontrolled area, turning a struggling mining camp into a thriving, bustling city and securing themselves a vast fortune and control over the city. These women ended up forming the district that would become Old Town, the prostitute quarter. In addition, the people charged with governing the city, most of them from the Roark line, remained in power for generations, running it as they saw fit. It is suggested by The Big Fat Kill that during this time, Old Town's female residents were subjugated and virtually enslaved under the combined malign influence of politics, pimps and mobsters.

Eventually, the women formed a truce with the police department, allowing the women to defend their own turf, drive out the pimps and mobsters and administer vigilante justice to those that wronged them. The cops get a slice of the profits and 'free fun' outside of work hours. If a cop tries to enter the boundaries of Old Town while on duty, he is sent back with his tail between his legs usually after being humiliated by the girls . Nevertheless, he is sent back alive; The Big Fat Kill illustrates the danger of what would happen if a cop were ever discovered to have been murdered on Old Town turf, and the lengths the mob were willing to go to in order to seize control of the neighborhood.

The girls themselves are portrayed fairly sympathetically in the series, usually as hookers with hearts of gold in a male-dominated metropolis, while not averse to issuing their own brand of justice on those who cross them. Many of the characters appear as caricatures of popular female stereotypes and pop culture icons, such as Old Town girls dressed as Wonder Woman, Zorro, Southern belles and cowgirls.

Leadership

Goldie and Wendy , the twin prostitutes who are currently in charge of Old Town, taking control of the neighborhood just prior to the events of A Dame to Kill For . While little is revealed about Goldie initially, and indeed the resemblance between the two is so uncanny that even her onetime lover Marv is fooled upon first meeting Wendy. He surmises that Goldie must have been 'the nice one' after taking several beatings from Wendy (who had thought him responsible for her sister's murder at the beginning of The Hard Goodbye ). However, once Wendy comes to understand that Marv's motive is to avenge her sister, she joins his quest and is touched by the lengths he will go to see this through. She softens to him, seeming to empathize with his plight, maybe even developing feelings for him. When Marv is incarcerated pending execution, Wendy comes to him to spend the night. She tells him he can call her Goldie (her sister's name) so that he can pretend to be with the woman he loved and for whom he risked everything. Following his execution, she is shown on at least one occasion wearing Marv's cross around her neck. In the movie, both Goldie and Wendy are played by Jaime King.

Enforcers

Others

Related Research Articles

<i>Sin City</i> Comic books series by Frank Miller

Sin City is a series of neo-noir comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special, and continued in Dark Horse Presents #51–62 from May 1991 to June 1992, under the title of Sin City, serialized in thirteen parts. Several other stories of variable lengths have followed. The intertwining stories, with frequently recurring characters, take place in Basin City.

<i>Sin City</i> (film) 2005 American crime thriller film

Sin City is a 2005 American neo-noir crime anthology film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller based on Miller's comic book series of the same name.

<i>That Yellow Bastard</i> Comic book limited series

That Yellow Bastard is a six-issue comic book limited series and the sixth in the Sin City series. It was published by Dark Horse Comics in February–July 1996. It follows the usual black and white noir style artistry of previous Sin City novels, with the exception of yellow on Roark Junior late in the story.

<i>The Big Fat Kill</i>

The Big Fat Kill is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics in November 1994–March 1995.

<i>A Dame to Kill For</i> 1993–1994 comic book series by Frank Miller

A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller and first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It has since been reprinted in graphic novel format in four separate editions.

Family Values is a graphic novel, and the fifth "yarn" in Frank Miller's Sin City series. It was first published in October 1997. Unlike the previous four stories, Family Values was released as a 128-page graphic novel rather than in serialized issues that would later be collected in a trade paperback volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hard Goodbye</span>

"The Hard Goodbye" is the first story in the American Sin City Comics series. It was serialized, as "Sin City", in the comics anthology Dark Horse Presents by Dark Horse Comics and named "The Hard Goodbye" in the trade paperbacks. It was created by Frank Miller, and led to a metaseries that has been adapted into a movie.

<i>Frankenhooker</i> 1990 American comedy horror film

Frankenhooker is a 1990 American black comedy horror film directed by Frank Henenlotter. Very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the film stars James Lorinz as medical school drop-out Jeffrey Franken and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the title character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight McCarthy</span> Fictional Character, Sin City Universe

Dwight McCarthy is one of the principal characters in Frank Miller's Sin City universe. He appears in A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard. He is the character that appears the most in all the Sin City yarns. He was portrayed by Clive Owen in the 2005 film, and by Josh Brolin in the 2014 prequel.

<i>Sin City: A Dame to Kill For</i> 2014 film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is a 2014 American action crime anthology film and follow-up to the 2005 film Sin City. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, the script is written by Miller and is primarily based on the second book in the Sin City series by Miller, A Dame to Kill For.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Callahan</span> Fictional character from Sin City

Nancy Callahan is a fictional character from the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller, based on "Dirty" Harry Callahan by Harry Julian Fink and R. M. Fink. She first appeared in "The Hard Goodbye" before becoming a more prominent character in later stories, most notably That Yellow Bastard.

Marv (<i>Sin City</i>) Fictional character from Sin City

Marvin "Marv" is a fictional character in the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. In the 2005 film adaptation and its 2014 sequel, he is played by Mickey Rourke. He first appears in The Hard Goodbye and follows with appearances in A Dame to Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, and Silent Night. He makes a brief cameo in Blue Eyes.

Miho (<i>Sin City</i>) Fictional character

Miho (ミホ) is a character in Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novel series. In the film adaptation of Sin City, she is portrayed by Devon Aoki. Jamie Chung replaces Aoki in the 2014 expansion, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

The Roark family is a fictional dynasty from Frank Miller's graphic novel series Sin City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ava Lord</span> Fictional character

Ava Lord is a fictional character in Frank Miller's Sin City universe, the title character in the graphic novel A Dame to Kill For. An ex-lover of Dwight McCarthy, she manipulates men with her good looks and an innocent facade for her own personal gain or amusement. An expert liar, she is considered a goddess by Manute, her towering manservant, and a "manipulative bitch" by Dwight. She represents the classic femme fatale, acting as a foil to Dwight's hard-boiled antihero.

The Wallenquist Organization is a criminal organization in the fictional universe of Frank Miller's Sin City. It is led by Herr Wallenquist, a German-American mobster shrouded in mystery. The organization has a broad base of criminal enterprise to its name, including drug smuggling, contract killing, racketeering, organ harvesting and human trafficking for the purpose of illegal adoption and slavery, as well as having many city officials on their payroll at one time or the other. They employ scores of mercenaries, including former IRA members, and implied Neo-Nazis.

Kevin (<i>Sin City</i>) Fictional character

Kevin is a fictional character in Frank Miller's graphic novel series Sin City, featured prominently in The Hard Goodbye. He is a mute, cannibalistic serial killer who preys on the titular city's prostitutes, The Girls of Old Town. He is protected by the powerful Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark, who also acts as his accomplice. Kevin lives at the Roark family farm, and uses the basement as an execution chamber for his victims; after he kills and eats them, he stuffs and mounts their heads on the walls like hunting trophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldie and Wendy</span> Fictional character

Goldie and Wendy are fictional identical twins in the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. In the 2005 film adaptation, they are played by Jaime King. They are blond, dark-eyed femmes fatale.

References

  1. "Girls of Old Town". Comicvine.com.