The Girls of Old Town
Encyclopedia
The Girls of Old Town are a group of self-governing prostitutes in the fictional universe of Frank Miller
's Sin City
.
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 almost uncontested 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, making deaths, beatings, drug addiction and rape an ugly reality to most residents.
However, at an unspecified time, 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 one of their own. 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, but 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, whilst not averse to issuing their own brand of justice on those that 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 belle
s and cowgirls.
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...
's 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...
.
During the days of the Gold Rush, when the town of Basin City had just been settled, 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...
"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 almost uncontested 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, making deaths, beatings, drug addiction and rape an ugly reality to most residents.
However, at an unspecified time, 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 one of their own. 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, but 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
Hooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
in a male-dominated metropolis, whilst not averse to issuing their own brand of justice on those that 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
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, Southern belle
Southern belle
A southern belle is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's upper class....
s 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 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 empathizeEmpathyEmpathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
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 are played by Jaime KingJaime KingJaime King is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency already represented another Jaime — the older, then more famous model Jaime...
.
Enforcers
- Gail, a prostitute, dominatrixDominatrixDominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
and one of the authority figures of Old Town, second only to the Twins. Standing 6 feet tall and wearing an outfit made of a combination of leather, fishnet stockings and metal studs, and occasionally bondage masks. She's often seen wielding an Uzi submachine gun. She has a love-hate relationshipLove-hate relationshipA love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate. This relationship does not have to be of a romantic nature, and may be instead of a sibling one...
with Dwight McCarthy, who claims the only reason he is still alive at all is 'that one fiery night when she was mine' and the unreturnable love she feels for him. As of the end of The Big Fat Kill, the status of their relationship is in question, although the ending of The Big Fat Kill in the movie adaptationSin 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 the events of Family Values, don't rule out the possibility that the two are lovers once more. Miller has said on the audio commentary track for the movie that Gail's character is comparable, in many ways, to that of CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
. She is played by Rosario DawsonRosario DawsonRosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
.
- MihoMiho (Sin City)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.-Character:...
, a highly skilled, rollerskate-savvy assassin who trains and protects the women of Old Town. Among her arsenal are twin katanaKatanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
samurai swords, throwing stars in the shape of the ManjiManjiManji or mangi may refer to:*The Japanese name of the 卍 character , see swastika/sauwastika* Manji , a Japanese era name* A type of sai, a traditional Okinawan weapon* A kind of chiefship found among the Chaga tribe of Tanzania...
symbol, and a Mongolian bowComposite bowA composite bow is a bow made from horn, wood, and sinew laminated together. The horn is on the belly, facing the archer, and sinew on the back of a wooden core. Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow...
. Popular belief maintains she is not a prostitute. She is played by Devon AokiDevon AokiDevon Edwenna Aoki is an American model and actress.-Early life:Aoki was born in New York City, New York, and grew up in California and London, attending high school at The American School in London...
.
Others
- Sally, an Old Town girl and Joey's mistress, who tries to kill her to cover-up his infidelity. Luckily, Dwight, who was photographing him, smashes through a window and saves her.
- Molly, an Old Town girl who is seemingly a doctor and expert surgeon. She saved Dwight's life, at Gail's insistence, when he was repeatedly shot by Ava LordAva LordAva 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...
, and later performs surgery on his face to alter his appearance.
- Kelley, Sandy and Denise, a group of Old Town girls who were victims of a group of white slavers led by a man named Manuel. Though their fate was never revealed, Dwight presumably made sure their jailers were dealt with accordingly.
- Becky, a young Old Town prostitute who is instrumental in getting Jackie Boy killed by Miho. She also works for Herr Wallenquist as a spy, mainly because she did not want her mother to discover that she was a prostitute, partly because he offered her a considerable sum of money and a new life. Gail later finds out that Becky is a spy and bites off the left side of Becky's neck, then later shoots her during 'The Big Fat Kill'. In the epilogue of the movie adaptation, Becky is only shot in the arm during the Big Fat Kill and escapes to the hospital. In the hospital on an elevator she meets Salesman, reenacting the Customer is Always Right scene. Becky is played by Alexis BledelAlexis BledelAlexis Bledel is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Rory Gilmore in the television series Gilmore Girls and Lena Kaligaris in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.-Early life:Bledel was born Kimberly Alexis Bledel in Houston, Texas...
.
- Dallas, Old Town prostitute and Miho's driver. Gunned down by mercenaries. In the movie she is sometimes seen wearing a ZorroZorroZorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
costume.
- Tammy, an Old Town 'nurse' who Liebowitz uses to taunt and torture Hartigan.
- Carmen, Old Town prostitute with a traumatizing past; lover to Daisy. Unintentionally gunned down in the Magliozzi hit on Bruno.
- Daisy, Carmen's lover. Avenges her death by killing the remaining Magliozzi family members.