On Episode 4 of We Love Comics, host Kyle McNeal sits down with Victor Santos — the acclaimed Spanish cartoonist behind Polar and an Eisner and Harvey Award nominee — for a wide-ranging conversation that spans one of comics' most influential noir works and the career it helped inspire.

Their touchstone: Sin City: The Hard Goodbye (Frank Miller, 1991-92) — the story that launched Miller's stark, high-contrast crime saga and redefined what noir could look like on the comics page.

And who better to explore it with than Victor Santos, whose own Polar — later adapted by Netflix — has been called Sin City's spiritual successor for its black-and-white, blood-and-orange visual language? Victor opens up about that influence, his own creative process, and the passions behind a body of work.

It's the kind of conversation We Love Comics was made for: two people who love this art form, talking seriously about what makes it great.

WARNING

This episode contains discussion of sensitive material, including extreme violence, sexual violence against women, cannibalism, death, and torture, in addition to other difficult subjects. Listener discretion is advised.

Want to go deeper? Kyle has compiled the articles, interviews, and essays he used to prepare for this conversation. Check the links below and keep reading.

A Trip to Sin City | Sequart Organization

A Place for Bold: Understanding Frank Miller | Sequart Organization

When Macho Angst Turns into Violence: Frank Miller’s Sin City – PopMeC research blogProblematic Faves: Sin City

The One Movie Blog: Dark Streets, Dangerous Women and Knights in Dirty Armor: Frank Miller’s “Sin City” and the Conventions of NoirSin City | Literature and Writing | Research Starters | EBSCO Research