Blacksad -Somewhere Within the Shadows

Blacksad is probably one of , if not the very best anthropomorphic graphic novels currently on the stands, if ever published. I know this might sound like hyperbole, but in this case it would be a fact. Not trying to pigeon hole it or anything I’ll even go a little further and say that it’s one of the best crime noir series I’ve read in a good long while. Make no mistake, just because animals are used here instead of humans does not mean you can give this to your little brother to read. This isn’t Donald Duck we’re talking about here.

The story is set in what seems to be a place very much like LA during the 1950s. So the buildings, cars and clothes all fit within that time period. The book starts off with a murder case (how else would a book set in the 1950s start?) and John Blacksad, a private eye has been called in by the Police because he knew the murdered woman in question. They give him the regular qliched line about him not getting involved and leave it to the professionals, which of course he doesn’t really bother listening to and he begins his search for the person who murdered his ex-movie actress girlfriend. That’s the setup, the middle part continues in a very familiar fashion (at least to those who have seen this sort of movie before), however it ends in a way you wouldn’t really expect.

The characters all have unique voices It’s clever, it’s funny and oddly, it’s very very human, which I guess is Canales’s greatest achievement in this book.

However the real star of the show here is the artwork by Guarnido. This is the first work I’ve seen published in sequential format but he’s got pedigree. He’s an animator and has worked in that field for several years, including Walt Disney. The funny thing is it shows, but in a very very good way. His artwork hearkens back to the early Don Bluth animations. The character’s expression’s are absolutely priceless and tell so much more than most artists get out of regular characters. You are transported to this world and you can smell the coffee there, you can hear the cars beeping because he makes it all look so real and plausible. By the end of the story you forget that you are looking at animals in suits and dresses. Sure he could have drawn this as people, however he would have lost a great deal of intensity that comes with using animal features.

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that there is more Blacksad adventures (the second volume has been published, and I’ll be reviewing shortly as well). The bad news however is that it seems that it’s going to be limited to 5 volumes in total, which is a shame because it’s such a great series that I wish they could keep on going and build up a library like Asterix or something along those lines. Blacksad is a rare gem that deserves to be on your shelf.

Written by Juan Diaz Canales
Art by Guarnido
Publisher ibooks