The Bloody Cardinal

by Richard Sala

In this graphic novel, a series of grisly murders echo the work of the master criminal, the Bloody Cardinal. But, he’s dead! Or is he? He was trapped by police in an abandoned asylum which burnt to the ground. The charred remains found in the ashes were presumed to have been his. However, he left behind a journal which has been tied to a string of violent, unsolved murders. Who is behind these crimes? Full-color illustrations throughout.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Comix, Graphic Novels Comics

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Richard Sala grew up with a fascination for musty old museums, dusty old libraries, cluttered antique shops, narrow alleyways, hidden truths, double meanings, sinister secrets and spooky old houses. He has written and drawn a number of unusual graphic novels which often combine elements of classic mystery and horror stories and which have been known to cause readers to emit chuckles as well as gasps. Although most of his books are written with teens and older readers in mind, his book, CAT BURGLAR BLACK, can be enjoyed by younger readers as well.

To view current art and activity, please visit: http://richardsala.tumblr.com

Note: I am new to GoodReads ~ and I am happy to have a place dedicated to sharing my love of books with other book lovers. Please be patient with me if I seem rather slow and clumsy! Thanks to all my readers over the years!

Reviews

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why it took me so long to cotton to Richard Sala's work, but now that I have, I'm pretty well hooked. I believe The Bloody Cardinal is his latest book, and I know that reading it added another entry to my list of favorite story openings ever: "They’re looking for me again. But they can’t really see me. They won’t really see me until it’s too late. Until I’m sitting on their chest with my hands around their throat. They won’t see me at their window until I’m climbing through it. I’m a genius of murder. A shadow with teeth."

As you might imagine from that opening, The Bloody Cardinal is basically a Giallo filtered through a Richard Sala lens, complete with moody intercuts of a staring red eyeball. As such, it's pretty amazing, and not really what you might be expecting when you see the bird-headed guy in the business suit with the AK-47 on the cover.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein abgedrehter Krimi, wie ihn nur Sala schreiben kann!

"Be soothed. Delight in feeding on thorns. Make a friend of the one who comes for you in the night with murder in his eyes. Who brings you fresh garlands of fear and the sweet Music of hatred to color your dreams and shatter your slumber."


Das Tagebuch des verrückten Kardinals in s/w …



und die Story in Farbe:

[Bogdan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well said on the back cover, to some, this is poetry, to others, (sorry!) I`m definitely included here, this is pure gibberish!

Don`t get me wrong, the artwork is very good, Sala has it`s own peculiar & interesting style, but the story isn`t something memorable and there were a lot, I mean, a lot, of characters (with nothing about them here) that were there only to be.

Yeah, definitely not my piece of cake!

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Richard Sala read. What popped out at me was the art. Its great! Perfect for this kind of story.

The story itself however was meh. The constant revolving door of characters made it feel a bit empty.

The three things I liked the most are the opening pages with the awesome disturbing poem, the art, and the ending.

Overall I’d recommend reading this because it is fun. I wouldn’t say it’s anything spectacular though

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Sala's artwork never gets boring and filled with humor and horror, but the story in Bloody Cardinal is a big mess. Characters run in and out of the scenery at a lightning pace with little exposition and situations happen with zero explanation. The Bloody Cardinal gets dropped into the story periodically almost as an afterthought, and once he arrives he's not even scary or interesting. He's just there. It's like an ADD-version of an Edgar Wallace mystery. Not Sala's best, but there's always his great art to enjoy.

[Ludwig Aczel · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10
Solid stylised cartooning for whimsical pulp adventures. Curvy charming ink lines draw curvy charming girls, be-bopping in an angular gothic world defined by angular gothic lines. Angular and gothic is also the extremely personal lettering of Sala. Proper use of colouring.

[Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like The Chuckling Whatsit, the Bloody Cardinal is a macabre crime caper that draws on the tropes of a convoluted, deliciously noir murder mystery. As always, Sala’s work is stylish and with a distinctive angular flair, his writing witty, making an enjoyably spooky read. Showcasing these talents for tongue in cheek, moody set pieces peopled by creepy weirdos and spunky ingenues, this is classic Sala. The Bloody Cardinal begins with a gloriously over the top poem written by the titular Cardinal, a mysterious masked(?) avenger and promises much intrigue and mystery as we follow various character’s quest for the truth about this dark figure.

On the other hand, it's not quite as tightly plotted as The Chuckling Whatsit, though, as most characters are offed within five or six panels of being introduced, we find ourselves a little less invested with the who-done-it aspects or the mystery of the Bloody Cardinal himself. Also, it ends just when the story seems to have been taking off, though perhaps there will be more?

I reviewed this and other Halloween theme comics at Reading Rainstorm, here . Check it out!

[Luke Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sala has this weird way of writing things that FEEL like they mean something without actually containing any readily accessible meaning. It's like watching a highlight reel of a movie rather than watching the movie. I mostly love it. It demonstrates a mastery of drama and storytelling and worldbuilding, and you can see a guy who absolutely loves this kind of story just doing his favorite parts with less than no filler. I will say that, on the other hand, it's also a little uncanny and I can feel a part of myself resisting the sort of hollowness of some of it, but it's also REALLY fun and whips past so fast you don't really have time to feel anything other than breathless enjoyment of the sequence of moments.

Minor nitpicks, extremely my shit. BEAUTIFUL, fun and funny artwork.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bloody Cardinal is brilliant! I can’t believe it took me so long to discover Richard Sala’s work, but now I can’t get enough of him. Everything he does is the exact aesthetic that I’m looking for. His work blends old school monsters and ghouls out of early Hollywood with the bright colors and bloody murders of classic giallo. If you’re a fan of either type of horror, Sala’s works are must reads.

The Bloody Cardinal concerns the missing diary of a mysterious, presumed deceased, criminal mastermind. Various factions are in search of the diary and/or the Cardinal’s rumored treasure. Someone is knocking off their rivals for the book. Is it the Cardinal himself? And if not, then who?

I can’t recommend Sala’s work enough, and The Bloody Cardinal is a great place to start.

[Neil Mehta · Rating 2 out of 5]

C+. The list of things I like about this book is very short. The coloring popped in a nice way, and there’s a certain riddle, hidden in a poem, that shows a bit of cleverness. Otherwise, I don’t see much in this story. It’s uber-violent, but not to any particular purpose. Some characters learn about things through what must be pure magic, because it makes no sense at all. The characters have incredibly flimsy motivations – they want either money, which is the most boring goal of them all, or violence, for reasons that are left completely unexplained. The art is flat and crude.
I imagine that the goal was absurdist horror, but all this story actually achieved was to be ridiculous.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Sala's work is always a treat. Black and white panels frequently feature imagery and mad distortions straight out of German Expressionist film, while color panels have all the appeal of a children's cartoon in their palette and simple line work, yet can convey the creepiest storylines. This bloody mystery concerns the untimely, grisly demise of morbidly curious souls whose true crime imaginations have been captivated by an assumed deceased master criminal, the Bloody Cardinal. It's a visual treat, with a colorful, diabolical playfulness that counterpoints the darkness of the story.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two certainties with me and Sala- I'm going to be able to read it all->at->once and I'll enjoy it. The story is well crafted and thrilling.

The art is so fun and bizarre with lots of tongue cheekery while somehow still holding cred as creepy. This is the best that I've ever seen it but he laid back on the sexy boob action that I adore.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly creepy and fun book that finds several people circling the diary of a deranged, deceased killer (the titular Cardinal). Murder and mayhem follow, and the Cardinal takes an unexpectedly active hand in his own legacy.

[Riddhish Bhalodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jarring and fun" is the blurb at the back of this bizarre little book and it's completely on point. Such a strange tale, definitely can't get all that this tale has to offer in one read, will be revisiting pretty soon :)

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Sala is always awesome and The Bloody Cardinal is yet another example of his aesthetic and my tastes creating a ven diagram that's just a circle.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrific, beautiful art & an intriguing story but like other of Richard Sala's recent books a complete bummer of an ending. Five stars for the gorgeous art. Two stars for the bleak denouement.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy Sala's own personal illustration style, but the story - kind of like a comic-book villain tale crossed with the author's take on a giallo - is a bit confusing, if creepy.

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the coloring and weird characters

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sala's strange combo of art style and crime horror works amazingly well here, as usual.

[Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not know how to classify this story except that it was satisfyingly dark and strange and it makes me wanna read more by this author.

[Dan Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sala books.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be seeking out more Sala after this

[Keith Feltis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really short and fun

[Noelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time on this. Makes no sense.

The art is good, though.

[Dylan Zucati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool! Sure! A real "why not?" sort of read. Get from your local library and see if you like it, the visuals are certainly something special.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Richard Sala so much. His work always makes me really think.

[Savi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Richard Sala's works and this definitely lived up to expectations!

[tinaathena]

Second book I've read by Sala. He has a style! It's like a classy, extra noir, Scooby Doo. There's a lot of buxom femme fatales and a misunderstood anti-hero hiding in the shadows. If you're into that, you'd love it.
His black and white stuff is extraordinary!