It is time to look at another installment of Frank Miller’s Sin City Series, ‘That Yellow Bastard’. This is the 4th novel in the series. It introduces another Sin City hero and traces the origins of one of Sin City’s most prominent characters. A few characters that we have seen in the earlier novels, like Officer Mort, Dwight, and Shellie, make cameo appearances in this tale. The plot also revisits the infamous Roark Farm, which appeared in the first Sin City novel.

That Yellow Bastard

In his usual black and white universe, Frank Miller throws in yellow in this story as a metaphor to accentuate Junior’s personality. It works brilliantly.

Hardigan is at the tail end of a long, honest, and ethical career. A retired, quiet life beckons him from only a few hours away. I’ll let Hardigan articulate his own thoughts.

Only a few “small” challenges stand in his way. He is close to apprehending a diabolical serial killer and pedophile, ‘Junior’, who loves to take his time in inflicting unimaginable pain on his pre-teen victims. Junior happens to be a Roark, which is the reason why the law has turned the other way to his vicious crimes. Bob, Hardigan’s partner, is one of many Sin City compromised cops on the Roarks’ payroll.

There are two ticking clocks. One is Hardigan’s fearless, fast-beating heart, battling Angina. However, the more important clock, for Hardigan at this time, is the window of opportunity he has to save the young innocent girl, Nancy, from the devilish designs Junior has for her. Besides, Hardigan does not know where Junior’s goons, who kidnapped Nancy, are holding her. In fact, he does not know if Junior has already inflicted his cruelty on Nancy or if the little girl is still alive.

However, Hardigan has some luck when he finds two of Junior’s goons who surely know where the little girl has been “stashed”. Shlubb and Kump are two of Sin City’s unforgettable lost souls, who will reappear later in the series. I’ll let Hardigan’s words and Frank Miller’s own prose introduce the two clowns.

With his iron-clad will, Hardigan succeeds in his final task as a police official. He manages to save Nancy, and at least temporarily, incapacitate the Roark pervert from harming Nancy or anyone else. but is mortally wounded by his partner, Bob, who had pledged his alliance to Roark.

Hardigan does not care. He has completed his assignment and saved Nancy. He can die in peace, he thinks, as he waits for his backup to arrive, with Nancy safely in his arms…

Little does Hardigan know that neither fate nor Junior’s vengeful father will allow him to die that easily. The older Roarke keeps Hardigan alive by paying for his treatment to ensure that the latter suffers every type of mortal pain possible.

With his control of the media, the older Roark pins all of Junior’s crimes on Hardigan and destroys the latter’s reputation. Hardcore Frank Miller fans will certainly remember Frank Miller’s ‘Born Again’ graphic novel where mob boss Kingpin inflicts similar vengeance on Daredevil’s alter ego, Matt Murdock.

All the humiliation, physical torture, blackmail, and isolation that the senior Roark can inflict on the slowly recovering Hardigan cannot stop him from completing what will be his hardest endeavor. Realizing that the one he fought so hard to protect, the young skinny Nancy, is still in danger, Hardigan realizes that he must get out and save her. Junior, like him, Hardigan has recovered too, and is waiting in the wings for his own retribution. Hardigan will face Junior one more time.

While ‘That Yellow Bastard’ may not have all the film noir elements, it maintains the darkness, intensity, grit, violence, and gore of all other Sin City Yarns and makes a compelling read.