Review: "Blacksad" et al. by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido

Thumbs up for Blacksad; Blacksad: A Silent Hell; and Blacksad: Amarillo by Juan Diaz Canales, illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido. Graphic novel/mystery.

A little more noir mystery to go with The Postman Always Rings Twice. But this is noir in graphic form—with some of the most gorgeous watercolor illustrations I’ve ever seen. The stories—featuring John Blacksad, a private eye who’s an anthropomorphized cat—are excellent (even if they don't always make sense), but it’s the art that has made these a permanent part of my library. If I could draw or paint two square inches that were as good as anything in Blacksad, I’d cry.

Sometimes, when I walk into my office, I get the feeling that I’m walking among the ruins of a lost civilization. Not because of all the reigning disorder, but because it all seems to be the remains of that civilized person I used to be.