And Then I Read: BLACKSAD AMARILLO

Image © Juan Días Canales and Juanjo Guarnido.

I don’t have a handle on the quality of graphic stories being produced in Europe, but I’d bet BLACKSAD is one of the best. It’s certainly one of the best series I’ve read from anywhere. I love the previous stories that took place in Europe, this time the cool cat detective John Blacksad is in America, and in a sun-drenched Texas and parts west that somehow remains filled with film noir characters and sensibility, now overlaid with the sordid feel of Orson Welles’ “Touch of Evil.” Yes, everyone in the story has the head and characteristics of a variety of animal species, but they’re all very human, flaws included. Blacksad is trying to hide out from trouble, but of course is soon in the thick of it, and every move he makes to try to help himself or those around him gets him in deeper. Wonderfully told, brilliantly drawn and painted, this is choice reading.

Highly recommended.