Nancy Callahan
Encyclopedia
Nancy Callahan is a fictional character
from the graphic novel
series Sin City
, created by Frank Miller
. She first appeared in The Hard Goodbye
before becoming a more prominent character in later stories, most notably That Yellow Bastard
.
Nancy is an exotic dancer
working at Kadie's Bar, a popular Basin City tavern populated by several key characters. She is depicted as a sensitive, caring woman who occasionally becomes involved in the town's criminal underworld. Her full history is explained in That Yellow Bastard, in which she is rescued from Roark Junior by John Hartigan
and begins to mature as a woman.
At the age of 11, Nancy is kidnapped by Roark Junior, a serial killer
of young girls who has already claimed three victims. Hartigan, a police officer one day from retirement
, defies his corrupt partner, Bob, and pursues Junior.
Hartigan successfully defeats Junior's bodyguards before pursuing him to the town docks, where he shoots Junior in the ear, hand, and genitals, sending him into a coma
. Suddenly, Bob appears and shoots Hartigan several times in the back, moments before the police arrive; during this time, Nancy comforts Hartigan and subsequently visits him in the hospital. Unfortunately, Junior's father, a powerful Senator
, blackmail
s Hartigan, threatening to murder his family and any significant others should he expose Junior to the media. As a result, Hartigan warns Nancy (who is forbidden from testifying) to stay away, although she promises to write him weekly letters.
Hartigan is charged with Junior's crimes and imprisoned for eight years, but Nancy remains true to her promise, writing him one letter per week. Over the years, Nancy matures into a young woman, attempting to fall in love but unable to deny her true feelings for Hartigan. She is eventually hired at Kadie's Bar, where she works as an exotic dancer while attending law school. Hartigan, believing Nancy has been captured by Senator Roark as a result of faked evidence, confesses to Junior's crimes and is immediately set free. Hartigan then discovers Nancy at Kadie's Bar, only to realize Junior, hideously deformed after being revived by treatments outside of modern medicine, has followed him, having simply made Hartigan think that Nancy had been discovered so that he could lead them to her. Nancy forces herself onto Hartigan, repeatedly kissing him until he warns her of Junior's presence.
They flee to a local motel, but Junior appears and attempts to shoot them. Hartigan defeats him, however, believing him to be dead. Upon arriving at Mimi's Motel, Nancy confesses her love to Hartigan and continues kissing him, although he strongly disapproves of her actions due to the distinct age gap between them, commenting that he's old enough to be her grandfather. Junior, having been merely wounded in the incident, reappears; he strips and binds Hartigan, leaving him to die from hanging
. He plans to take Nancy to the Roark family
's farmhouse, where he will finally achieve revenge by torturing, raping
, and killing her.
Junior departs with Nancy, taking her to the farm; although they are briefly delayed by engine trouble, they nevertheless arrive well before Hartigan, who has escaped his bindings and is currently nearing the farm. Once there, Junior begins whipping Nancy, who refuses to scream. As Junior flies into a rage, Nancy realizes that he is impotent unless his victims are screaming in fear. She mocks him, making him even angrier. Just then, Hartigan arrives, defeats Junior's bodyguards and corners Junior, who momentarily appears to gain the upper hand; however, Hartigan stabs him in the chest, castrates him once again, and finally beats him to death.
Following Junior's death, Hartigan informs Nancy of his plans to arrest Senator Roark. After she leaves, however, Hartigan commits suicide
to protect Nancy from the Senator's wrath. He feared that had he stayed alive, he would only lead Nancy into even more danger as he had the time he was released from jail.
, and again in Just Another Saturday Night, where she appears with Hartigan in a flashback to That Yellow Bastard. She also appears twice in The Hard Goodbye
, once performing her exotic dance and again towards the novel's conclusion; local misfit Marv
asks her to drive Wendy, an Old Town prostitute, to the local airport. Chronologically, this scene happens after the events of That Yellow Bastard.
in the 2005 film adaptation
, and is currently intended to appear in future sequels. As a child, she is portrayed by Makenzie Vega
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
series Sin City
Sin City
Sin City is the title for a series of neo-noir comics by 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...
, created by Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
. She first appeared in The Hard Goodbye
The Hard Goodbye
"The Hard Goodbye" is the first Sin City story. It was serialised, as "Sin City," in the comics anthology Dark Horse Presents by Dark Horse Comics and named "The Hard Goodbye" in the trade paperbacks...
before becoming a more prominent character in later stories, most notably That Yellow Bastard
That Yellow Bastard
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...
.
Nancy is an exotic dancer
Exotic dancer
The terms exotic dancer and exotic dance can have different meanings in different parts of the world and depending on context. In the erotic sense, "exotic dance" is a often used to refer to practitioners of striptease...
working at Kadie's Bar, a popular Basin City tavern populated by several key characters. She is depicted as a sensitive, caring woman who occasionally becomes involved in the town's criminal underworld. Her full history is explained in That Yellow Bastard, in which she is rescued from Roark Junior by John Hartigan
John Hartigan
Detective John Hartigan is a major protagonist in the Sin City series of graphic novels, written by Frank Miller. He is the central character in That Yellow Bastard, and has a small cameo in Just Another Saturday Night...
and begins to mature as a woman.
Background
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
of young girls who has already claimed three victims. Hartigan, a police officer one day from retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, defies his corrupt partner, Bob, and pursues Junior.
Hartigan successfully defeats Junior's bodyguards before pursuing him to the town docks, where he shoots Junior in the ear, hand, and genitals, sending him into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Suddenly, Bob appears and shoots Hartigan several times in the back, moments before the police arrive; during this time, Nancy comforts Hartigan and subsequently visits him in the hospital. Unfortunately, Junior's father, a powerful Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s Hartigan, threatening to murder his family and any significant others should he expose Junior to the media. As a result, Hartigan warns Nancy (who is forbidden from testifying) to stay away, although she promises to write him weekly letters.
Hartigan is charged with Junior's crimes and imprisoned for eight years, but Nancy remains true to her promise, writing him one letter per week. Over the years, Nancy matures into a young woman, attempting to fall in love but unable to deny her true feelings for Hartigan. She is eventually hired at Kadie's Bar, where she works as an exotic dancer while attending law school. Hartigan, believing Nancy has been captured by Senator Roark as a result of faked evidence, confesses to Junior's crimes and is immediately set free. Hartigan then discovers Nancy at Kadie's Bar, only to realize Junior, hideously deformed after being revived by treatments outside of modern medicine, has followed him, having simply made Hartigan think that Nancy had been discovered so that he could lead them to her. Nancy forces herself onto Hartigan, repeatedly kissing him until he warns her of Junior's presence.
They flee to a local motel, but Junior appears and attempts to shoot them. Hartigan defeats him, however, believing him to be dead. Upon arriving at Mimi's Motel, Nancy confesses her love to Hartigan and continues kissing him, although he strongly disapproves of her actions due to the distinct age gap between them, commenting that he's old enough to be her grandfather. Junior, having been merely wounded in the incident, reappears; he strips and binds Hartigan, leaving him to die from hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. He plans to take Nancy to the Roark family
Roark family
The Roark family is a fictional dynasty from Frank Miller's graphic novel series Sin City.The family is made up of corrupt officials and landowners of Irish descent, who hold absolute power in Basin City. They are the main antagonists in the series, and are frequent catalysts to various plots and...
's farmhouse, where he will finally achieve revenge by torturing, raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and killing her.
Junior departs with Nancy, taking her to the farm; although they are briefly delayed by engine trouble, they nevertheless arrive well before Hartigan, who has escaped his bindings and is currently nearing the farm. Once there, Junior begins whipping Nancy, who refuses to scream. As Junior flies into a rage, Nancy realizes that he is impotent unless his victims are screaming in fear. She mocks him, making him even angrier. Just then, Hartigan arrives, defeats Junior's bodyguards and corners Junior, who momentarily appears to gain the upper hand; however, Hartigan stabs him in the chest, castrates him once again, and finally beats him to death.
Following Junior's death, Hartigan informs Nancy of his plans to arrest Senator Roark. After she leaves, however, Hartigan commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
to protect Nancy from the Senator's wrath. He feared that had he stayed alive, he would only lead Nancy into even more danger as he had the time he was released from jail.
Other appearances
Nancy briefly appears in a number of other Sin City stories, usually as a background character in Kadie's Bar. She appears dancing in A Dame to Kill ForA Dame to Kill For
A Dame to Kill For is a comic book limited series first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Frank Miller's Sin City series, and the first to be published in miniseries format. It was written and drawn entirely by Frank Miller...
, and again in Just Another Saturday Night, where she appears with Hartigan in a flashback to That Yellow Bastard. She also appears twice in The Hard Goodbye
The Hard Goodbye
"The Hard Goodbye" is the first Sin City story. It was serialised, as "Sin City," in the comics anthology Dark Horse Presents by Dark Horse Comics and named "The Hard Goodbye" in the trade paperbacks...
, once performing her exotic dance and again towards the novel's conclusion; local misfit Marv
Marv
Marv is a fictional character in the graphic novel series Sin City, created by Frank Miller. In the 2005 film adaptation, 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...
asks her to drive Wendy, an Old Town prostitute, to the local airport. Chronologically, this scene happens after the events of That Yellow Bastard.
In other media
Nancy is portrayed by Jessica AlbaJessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
in the 2005 film adaptation
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
, and is currently intended to appear in future sequels. As a child, she is portrayed by Makenzie Vega
Makenzie Vega
-Personal life:Vega was born in Los Angeles, California to a Colombian father and an American mother. She is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega. Vega currently lives in New York with her mother Gina Rue , and three siblings...
.