By Juan Diaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido
Publisher: Dark Horse
ISBN: 978-1-59582-393-9
A few years ago iBooks published the first and second Blacksad volumes which I eagerly snapped up having having seen some promotional artwork. Since iBooks is now defunct, Dark Horse has taken over and collected both of those volumes plus the new tale Red Soul into one weighty and rather wonderful book.
Blacksad is a private detective living in a 1950s world of anthropomorphic people, where the creature you are very much reflects your personality. It's a superb film-noir setting, where both the artist and writer fully understand the genre and the possibilities of the medium, so you are instantly absorbed into the gritty crimes and misdemeanours, the murders and the intrigue, so the fact that the people are animals ends up driving the story rather than jarring with it.
It is astoundingly well illustrated with gorgeous watercolours adding the perfect mood to the pages. Genuinely cinematic in its approach, you find yourself drawn into every panel as you pick apart the rich detail on offer. The stories interweave 1950s tensions, such as race and communist witch hunts, with a healthy dollop of sex, danger and menace.
The creators have scooped three Eisner awards for the work, and nothing but high praise, so it doesn't take you long to appreciate exactly why. Quite possibly the finest work you'll read this year.
And if you liked that: A fourth volume is in the works, but we'll have to wait longer for an English translation.
No comments yet.