Blacksad HC

John Blacksad is an almost typical Hollywood private detective. An eye for the dames, a nose for trouble, and able to trade quips with Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. Unlike Spade and Marlowe though, John Blacksad is a cat.

Despite being a Spanish and French co-creation Diaz Canales and Guarnido’s set the story in an anthropomorphic America of the 1950’s set against a backdrop of racial tension and fear of the Red Menace. The three stories collected into this one volume see Blacksad get involved with the murder of a former lover, a case of a missing child and her apparently unconcerned mother, and someone out to do harm to an old friend. These are all well written, if perhaps fairly standard, pulp fiction tales.

The real joy of this book is the artwork. Whether it be the scenery or the characters themselves, each panel is beautifully illustrated with painstaking watercolour detail. Even simple establishing shots, where nothing much happens, pop off the page. Each of the characters is imbued with a considerable degree of emotion, whether it be the aloof polar bears, the cold blooded reptiles, Blacksad’s sometimes sidekick the weasly-y Weekly, or the cool and cunning Blacksad himself.

Fights and action sequences burst with energy and dynamics, while the quieter moments pack quite a punch as well. But don’t just take my word for it; check out Dark Horse’s preview pages here:

These stories have long been out of print, and this volume contains the first English translation of the third story. A fourth story is due later this year, and hopefully the English translation will follow soon after publication.

Don’t let the fact that this world is populated by animals put you off. I was a bit hesitant to pick this up myself, but I found this to be the best comic I have read this year and well worth the cover price.

Highly, highly recommended.

Reviewed by Jonathan Miller

I http://www.darkhorse.com/Features/Flip-Books/1173/Blacksad.