Black Kiss

by Howard Chaykin

Howard Chaykin's groundbreaking series opened the floodgate for x-rated comics by respected cartoonists. A saga of thugs, bombings, shootings and sluts for hire with a terrible secret.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Erotica, Horror, Crime, Noir, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an renown underground comic of the 80's that was very difficult to find back then. A classic noir with some very X-rated and ultraviolent moments by a big time creator. For as shocking as it was then, it does feel dated now. In typical Chaykin fashion, there are no heroes here, everyone is a despicable scumbag. I definitely would not recommend this to everyone, because there is a lot for people not to like. It's not often though you'll find a comic with transgenders and vampires in it.

[Jordan West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was surprisingly dirty - or did the comic format make it seem even more so? In any case, deliberately over-the-top sleaziness and some questionable elements aside, this is a pretty decent splatterpunk novella in visual form; imagine Skipp & Spector or John Shirley doing a story for one of those old 'Hot Blood' anthologies and you pretty much have the general idea.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a lot of trouble getting through this one. And it wasn't because of the very graphic content. There are too many scenes with one-sided phone conversations or two people will be speaking in the same room, but you can only see one of them. It seems to be a convention of many classic pulp or mystery stories to challenge the reader with plot twists. But confusing the reader with poor narrative and complex word bubbles is a detriment, not an attribute. I can't get over one panel where a woman says something to a man as his car drives away from her. He then replies (at length) as his car is depicted driving off in the distance. This is not how a comic story is told.

As for plot structure, the climax builds for three chapters as bodies pile up for no real reason in one room. The constant buildup is sustained for way too long to even retain any form of structure. And don't even get me started on characters. None of them have enough depth to be either liked or disliked. Each just seems to be meat for the grinder…so to speak.

Chaykin does get points for his art. Maybe it isn't for everyone. All male characters look blocky and awkward, while the women are much more gracefully drawn. But those beautiful bold lines are nice to see.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Statements:
● Black Kiss shocked me. I am not sure what I expected, but it sure wasn't this ultra-violent, supernatural, neo-noir, festival of misogyny and ugliness.
● Pretty amazing to have a transgendered sex worker as your "heroine" even today, let alone 1988. It's problematic to be sure (maybe even worthy of serious criticism; I'd even make the case that it is transphobic, especially today), but it's still a pretty serious leap for a Canadian comic book imprint like Vortex Comics to take in the heart of the AIDs epidemic.
● One of our characters, who shall remain nameless here, is brutally raped and ends up trying to protect the rapists from some furious anger because the character "enjoyed" it -- it is Black Kiss's lowest point. And that is saying something.
● The violence in Black Kiss is brutal, but mostly fuzzy and hard to make out in the black and white inking of the panels. Unlike a question I raise later, I appreciate Chaykin's restraint here.
●It's nearly impossible to like anyone in this graphic novel.
● We badly need more graphic novels containing graphic sexuality. Strip away the ugliness of Black Kiss and ramp up the truly erotic. Oh ... the pleasure that could be had.

A Bunch of Questions:
● If you're going to show genitalia in your graphic novel art, why not go hard (pun intended) and show that genitalia a little (or a lot) more graphically?
● Who in Hollywood is mad enough to make this into a film? Who on Earth would star in it?
● I wonder which serial killers of the '90s were influenced by these pages?
● Why hasn't there been a pulpy thriller with Cass Pollack, the jazz musician and last man standing, as an anti-hero?
● Is Black Kiss an underrated satirical masterpiece? Or is it a schlocky piece of trash?

Three Confessions:
● Howard Chaykin was intentionally pushing the boundaries, and he's reported to have been going for the darkest humour and most outrageous content right when "there was serious talk about trying to create a rating's system for comics, and [... he wrote] a book that would be appalling and offensive ... and funny," and I must admit that he conjured more than a laugh or two out of me in terribly inappropriate moments.
● I came to Black Kiss to be titillated, for some taboo arousal, and for the briefest of spells -- when Dagmar Laine's gender came to light and her relationship with Beverly Grove seemed more combative noirish than Mistress-Thrawl supernatural horror -- I was absolutely thrilled, then all hell broke loose, literally and figuratively, and I shifted into despair and a constant cringe.
● I actually liked this graphic novel, and I would love to see more things like this (even the ugly bits) in our puritanical present.

[Mark]

(Re-read for the first time since its original publication 25 years ago.) IIf not Chaykin's masterpiece, BLACK KISS is probably the most Chaykinesque of all his work, a twisted and disturbing hard-boiled tale whose plot twists are matched only by its perversions. Chaykin's inventive layouts and indirect storytelling make you work as a reader, but behind the prostitution, ultraviolence, clerical abuses, transsexuals, and vampirism there's a classic and truly clever noir fable. Warning: this one is pretty XXX, but a great read (in spite of if not because of).

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Hola, cariño... Soy Dagmar...
... y me encantaría chuparte la polla.
Me gustaría hablar contigo, pero ahora no puedo ponerme al teléfono...
Porque le estoy demostrando a un tipo con suerte lo que pueden hacerle a un hombre cinco pies y siete pulgadas de ardiente rubia. Sobre todo, las siete pulgadas.
Soy una putita hambrienta de sexo, con piernas largas y ojos azules, y no pienso mas que en tus dedos metiéndose en mis agujeros, maltratándome como sabes que me gusta...
El Dr. Cachondo me ha puesto a régimen de una taza de leche al día...
¡Y tengo tanta sed!
Así que, por favor, déjame tu número y te llamaré en cuanto pueda...
No me olvides. Soy Dagmar, la chica con algo especial...
Espera a oír la señal y...»
Contestador de Dagmar.

Sobran demasiadas escenas de sexo, pero tiene un argumento único 🤯

[Chadwick Saxelid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I am capable of doing a plot synopsis of Howard Chaykin's perverted and insane Black Kiss that would it justice, but not give anything away. But I am going to try...

The story begins with a murder, and a robbery. A prostitute named Dagmar kills a priest, and the prostitute that is servicing him, with a thermite bomb. Dagmar's reason for using such an incendiary method for murder is to make certain that an incriminating reel of film that is in the priest's possession will be destroyed, completely. What Dagmar does not realize is that, while the prostitute was playing with the priest's organ, a nun (or someone dressed like a nun) strolls in and steals the reel of film, just before the bomb is detonated.

This is the obvious in retrospect downside to using such a convoluted method to try and dispose of an incriminating piece of evidence.

Later that same day, Cass Pollack, a man of seemingly little moral fiber, is released from detox (or so he claims) and is taking his sweet time going home to his soon to be ex-wife and their three year old daughter. While getting home far later than was expected will be good for Pollack, it will be very bad for his soon to be ex-wife and their three year old daughter. It seems that Pollack has pissed off some very, very bad people. Two hit men show up at the motel where Pollack and his family are currently staying and kill both the wife and the kid. Then they wait for Pollack to show up, so they can kill him, too...

But Pollack's late homecoming is even further delayed by a most unusual and beautiful hitchhiker in distress. One that looks more than a bit like Dagmar. In exchange for a ride home, the hitchhiker gives Pollack a very well timed and memorable blow job. What makes it so well timed and memorable is that Pollack's soon to be ex-wife and daughter were being knocked off while he was getting popped off.

Fleeing crooked cops and mobster hitmen, Pollack returns to the house where he dropped off the beautiful hitchhiker and...

Well, that is when the story starts to get perverted and weird, in a fun, fascinating, and gruesome kind of way.

I think it is a fair assumption to make that, whether or not you will be the slightest bit interested in reading Black Kiss, will be dependent upon whether or not the sex and violence that I described in the above synopsis gets you interested in finding out what weird and perverse things happen next.

If the above described sex and violence sounds offensive to you, then the rest of the book will offend you to very core of your being. There is no way that it could not. But, if your, ahem, interest is the slightest bit aroused by the above description. Well, let me just say that all the sex and violence and morally questionable behavior described above are made to look quaint and old fashioned by the story's blood-soaked and utterly insane conclusion. There were several times when I could not believe I was reading and seeing what I was reading and seeing in the panels of this graphic novel.

None of the primary characters in the story are all that sympathetic, or even all that likable. Each and every one is a ruthless criminal, a sexual deviant, or both. They all want something for themselves and do not care who they hurt or kill to get it. Of the secondary characters, the only one that could be considered a true innocent, Pollack's three year old daughter, is introduced and brutally killed in well under ten panels. Poor kid doesn't even last two whole pages.

If you like teddy bears and flowers and happy endings, Black Kiss is not for you. But if you like your noir black as pitch and bitter as burnt coffee, if Roman Polanski's Chinatown is your idea of a feel good movie, then you'll probably have as much fun reading the book as I did.

[Mattiscus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, Chaykin's story crackles and purrs alternately like a seductress with a sidearm not knowing if she wants to kiss you or kill you. This book is a real hardboiled special with lots of hilarious lines interjected to give a bit of colour on this world of slime, sleaze and socio-paths. Chaykin's art here is the best I have seen him do and the black and white adds a real layer of texture to the world. This is the sort of tightly-shot stuff that should remind you of 'Chinatown' and that movie with Big Russ & Guy Pierce! Must own.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some things just don’t age well. What seemed provocative and outrageous back in the ’80 probably served its purpose then, but now seems mean spirited and gratuitous. The complicated plot with schemes and double crosses and corrupt cops and sleazy old Hollywood and blackmail and violence is marvelously noir, but it doesn’t sustain. The artwork is sharp and bold and minutely detailed and is perfectly Chaykin, but it too is not enough. This is not the best representation of Chaykin’s wit and scathing social commentary despite the outrageousness of the subject.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Χάλια υπόθεση. Άθλια ροή. Άθλια όμως, και όση υπομονή και να έκανα παρέμενε σε αυτό το χάλι μέχρι την σελίδα 70κάτι που το σταμάτησα γιατί λυπήθηκα τον χρόνο μου.

Το σχέδιο δεν ήταν κακό αλλά χαντακώθηκε τελείως και δεν μπορούσα να το παρατηρήσω αφού ήμουν απασχολημένος να καταλάβω τι στα διάλα γινόταν με όλες τις πόρνες και την περιπτεράδικη ίντριγκα.

Απομακρυνθείτε ησύχως προς επίτευξην προσωπικής ηρεμίας.

[DoctorM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, yes. Oh....yes. I remember buying the individual issues as they came out and laughing every time. So...they couldn't go there could they...? Oh, yes--- Chaykin went there. Wickedly funny--- x-rated film noir, naturally self-referential and filled with nods to a dozen noir classics. And, yes--- very, very hot.

[Rob Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel is wrong, it's just soooo much that right.

It's sick, twisted and evil.

Enjoy.



—Rob-2019z

[Μιχάλης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Δεν είμαι σίγουρος τι ακριβώς διάβασα, αλλά είχε στυλ.

[Luis · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was unbearable

[It's just Deano · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first heard about Black Kiss I knew I'd have to check it out. Did it live up to all the sensationalism? It sort of did!

Black Kiss is a strange book throughout. You'd think this would simply just all be about the shock value here, and it is, but not always for the gratuitous sex and violence it's become known for. I don't want to give too much detail here because you know I don't like to spoil books for you all, but the plot elements and twists here are as clever as they are bonkers.

That said, the writing itself does sometimes appear so off the rails and full on that it does feel extremely hard to follow and a little incoherent. Likewise, the black and white art, enjoyable as it is, becomes busy and overly bogged down with too much detail and similarity.

It probably goes without saying here, but Black Kiss definitely doesn't fit into today's zeitgeist when it comes to language and sexual representation. What would have been titillating intrigue in the 1980s is clearly not the case today and will undoubtedly be offensive to most now.

Overall, if it's not clear by now, this is a vicious sleazy noir book with extreme depictions of sex and violence so tread very carefully. There is some clever writing and great plot twists here, but sadly it's dated feel relegates this to history and it will probably never be remembered for anything more than its controversy.
__________________

My Score: 4/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐
__________________

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Chaykin doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, and he would probably be the first to tell you that. Sure, footnotes to dissertations on The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen will acknowledge his American Flagg as an influence, but that’s the best known of his comics and it’s certainly not been continually in print for the past thirty plus years as is the case for the creators it influenced. And Black Kiss is still consigned to some murky back of store top shelf whenever it’s reissued because it features what for the time was explicit sexual content, and we must forever separate sex from mainstream entertainment. Just tell that to the people who lapped up 50 Shades of Grey and are hooked on Banshee. Thirty years after Chaykin produced Black Kiss perhaps we’re finally acknowledging that adults have a sex life, and in a lot of cases the missionary’s more likely to be a costume than a position.

Here’s another thing. Strip out all the sexual content from Black Kiss and you’re still left with a very good noir graphic novel that hits all the right spots. Another reason for Black Kiss being so easily dismissed back in the day is that it’s densely layered, and you have to pay attention, which wasn’t the case for most comics winning awards in 1989. Chaykin was further ahead of the game in not using narrative captions or thought balloons. The entire story is told in dialogue, and as it doesn’t feature a single heroic type you have to make up your own mind if they’re telling the truth.

While no paragon of virtue, Cass Pollack eventually steps into the leading role after his estranged wife and daughter are murdered and he’s named as the prime suspect, news he hears on his car radio. He has an alibi that Chaykin’s cleverly worked into the story, but his alibi is problematical and with concerns of their own. Someone is blackmailing them, and Pollack seems just the resourceful type who can help them out, so while he’d rather be squirrelling himself far away, he’s obliged to be out on the streets asking questions.

When originally produced Black Kiss was a present day story taking place in 1980's California, but Chaykin infused it with so many of the stylish elements he loves about the 1940's that it might as well be set then. The plot is so over the top that it’s hilarious, Chaykin having decided that if he was going to cause controversy by introducing explicit sex to American comics he might as well offend the largest possible segment of the population. It’s as if he’s listed every fetish he can think of and ensured they’re included. He’s always dressed his men in sharp suits and his women in stockings and high heels (with corsets if he can get away with it), and such imagery is abundant, with the dialogue also feeding in. A running joke is constantly changing explicit answerphone messages. Behind all this, however, is a well-thought out plot that swerves away from expectation and contains some great sequences, not least one toward the end where everyone is looking for Pollack and we know exactly where he is.

The most recent edition of Black Kiss from Dyanamite Entertainment is described as ‘remastered’ and some of the art has been sharpened considerably.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I'm writing this review, I still don't know what rating I'll give the book. I mean, what will that say about me? 'Controversial' doesn't even begin to describe 'Black Kiss'. To say that Howard Chaykin took a big risk with this is also a big understatement. Yes, this was very ballsy of him. But enough play on words. This is like an inoculation for all those other risqué comics out there.

I could only read this a chapter or two at a time, by the way. The story unfolds in short, graphic, sex-filled chapters, with reveals interspersed throughout. It's not to say that the story is incoherent, it's that there's a lot of different players, and a lot of the female ones look alike (perhaps intentionally), and it's only at the end that the different characters' motivations are revealed. I think things will be clearer in the eventual re-read.

Alright, here goes: 3 stars.

Oh, and I'll be reading Black Kiss II, like a second dose of that inoculation.

And then I should be ready for Satellite Sam.

[Neven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lost "classic" that's quite unique in its dedication to depravity. It takes overtly sexual fiction to a whole new dimension, disturbing for the depth and breadth of its imagination more than the graphic depictions (which are, for the most part, fairly tame.) And yet, it's all a not-too-bad noir story. I kind of respect that. My chief complaint is that Chaykin's command of the comic as a medium isn't very confident: his line work, composition, and panelling are often quite confusing and hard to follow. Add the numerous one-sided conversations in this story, and you'll be doing a lot of backtracking to sort out what the heck just happened.

And just in case it's not yet clear, this is XXX material. Do not go into it lightly.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Shit. That was disgustingly awesome. This is possibly one of the raunchiest things I've ever read. And I've read a book where a guy has sex with an open wound!

Chaykin's art is dark and disturbing and sexy. His woman are round and soft, even when she's got seven inches between her legs. I would almost love to see this as a movie. One actress playing Bev and Dagmar.

This is not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure who this is for, but count me as one of them.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

So absolutely, aggressively filthy, with a twisty, twisted noir plot that is far better developed than it needs to be. It's as if Kenneth Anger turned his poison pen on a porno parody of film noir. The black and white art has deliberately stylized, complex linework that forces the reader to look more carefully at each panel to decode it, then get smacked in the eyeballs with a whole lot of nasty. Like a Magic Eye puzzle that suddenly comes into focus and attacks you for looking.

[Eternauta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Επιτηδευμένα σοκαριστικό την εποχή της δημοσίευσής του, το Black Kiss δεν φαίνεται να λογαριάζει κανένα ταμπού στην απεικόνιση της ωμότητας.
Η ιστορία είναι 100% hard-boiled γ' κατηγορίας, με ελλειπτικό plot που κουράζει - κάτι σαν James Ellroy στα πολύ χάλια του, με λίγα λόγια.
Το σχέδιο πάντως είναι εντυπωσιακό και μεταδίδει μια αίσθηση σύγχυσης και στρες.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexo y violencia retroalimentando una comedia perversa y atrevida. Gratamente desagradable.

[Davide Saladino · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stelle per l'edizione, gli extra, la cura editoriale.
3.5 stelle per la storia: a volte un po' confusionaria.
5 stelle per i disegni, meravigliosi.

[Luis Fernández Tavera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Kiss es un cómic adulto de Howard Chaykin y fue una forma de responder al afán censor y conspirativo, tanto de DC Comics como de MARVEL Comics, por controlar el material creativo mediante un sistema de clasificación parecido al de las películas.

Howard Chaykin nos aclara en el prólogo para la edición integral del año 2021 de la editorial DOLMEN, el origen de Black Kiss. Lo debemos situar en la segunda mitad de los años ochenta.

El cómic americano había iniciado un giro hacía contendidos más adultos. Preocupado por cómo afectaría la coexistencia de comic-books para adultos en un mercado que producía material principalmente dirigido al público infantil y juvenil, DC Comics y MARVEL Cómics consideraron calificar por edades los cómics que editaban. Sustituir el caduco Comics Code Authority por otro que básicamente hacía lo mismo pero por edades.

Cómics cómo American Flagg! del propio Chaykin, la excelente Watchmen de Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons, o la imprescindible The Dark Kight Returns de Frank Miller & Klaus Janson ya habían señalado el camino a seguir y las temáticas más adultas que se podían tratar. Pero las editoriales estaban asustadas.

Un grupo de autores (entre ellos los anteriormente señalados junto a Marv Wolfman) se rebelaron e iniciaron una campana en contra de esta iniciativa. Consideraban que con este código censor limitaba la libertad creativa de los autores. Wolfman fue despedido como editor de DC Comics y el resto decidió distanciarse temporalmente de la editorial.

Dos afamados editores independientes, Bill Marks y Lou Stathis le preguntaron a un puesto de todo Howard Chaykin (él mismo reconoce que esa época lo estaba siempre) en una fiesta, si estaba interesado en hacer un comic-book transgresor y que pudiera ampliar los límites del contenido erótico en los cómics.

Chaykin aceptó de inmediato y el resultado es una obra ciertamente perturbadora. Black Kiss es muy transgresora y sexual. Al contrario que los cómics pornográficos, Black Kiss no busca excitar al lector con una sucesión de desnudos gratuitos y anatomías desproporcionadas.

Esta obra va de mucho más que una obra provocativa. Quizá la idea más predominante sea pegar una bofetada con la mano abierta a todo tipo de moralidad. Salen travestís, hermafroditas, religiosos, mafiosos, lesbianas, nazis, cultos. Se mete con la comunidad negra, con los judíos, con los blancos. Nadie queda a salvo. Con todos y con todo pero está bien mezclado. A pesar de ser una lectura densa, nada chirría y eso es un logro digno de alabar.

En su primera edición, Black Kiss se vendía precintado para evitar que un potencial cliente de superhéroes lo adquiriese por error y en pequeños capítulos de apenas 10 páginas. Cuando se publicó llamó la atención que fuera en blanco y negro, detalle que hubiese podido "enfriar" las escenas más sexuales. No era el caso. Por una parte, la ausencia de un paleta de colores más amplia, refuerza la estética Noir del cómic y por otra parte que jamás hayan pedido al autor colorear el cómic remarca lo acertado de su decisión.

¿De qué va Black Kiss?

Primera parte.

La serie está ambientada en Los Ángeles en los años 80 y comienza con Dagmar Laine, una prostituta transexual y amante de Beverly Grove, una antigua estrella de cine de los años 50, buscando un carrete de película extraído de la colección de pornografía del Vaticano. El carrete ha sido enviado al padre Frank Murtaugh por su hermano, que es cardenal en el Vaticano. Laine intenta arrebatarle el carrete al padre Murtaugh, pero una monja se lo roba.

Laine y Grove consiguen que Cass Pollack, un músico de jazz y ex heroinómano perseguido por la mafia, robe el carrete a cambio de que ellos le proporcionen una coartada que le libre de ser sospechoso del asesinato de su mujer e hija.

Laine y Grove (que son idénticas) proporcionan a Pollack una pista sobre dónde se encuentra el carrete tras la muerte del padre Murtaugh en una explosión. La investigación de Pollack le lleva a una librería ocultista llamada "El Juramento de Incannabulata" donde roba una copia de un libro sobre la misteriosa "Orden de Bonifacio". Después de la librería, acaba en una funeraria llamada "Tanas", donde encuentra a una serie de famosos que se acuestan con cadáveres.

Buscando entre las pertenencias de Murtaugh, Pollack encuentra una invitación a la próxima reunión de la "Orden de Bonifacio". Asiste a ella y descubre que la Orden se formó al principio de la era cinematográfica de Hollywood y que rinden culto a Charles "Bubba" Kenton, una estrella de cine de los años veinte que también estuvo casada con Beverly Grove. Kenton obligó a Grove a entregar a su hija Sophie poco antes de que Kenton se convirtiera en vampiro. Ya convertirdo en vampiro, Kenton forma la Orden y convierte a muchos de sus seguidores en vampiros, entre ellos Beverly Grove. Esto da a Grove la oportunidad de vengarse por la pérdida de su hija y matar a Kenton.

Sin embargo, La Orden quiere el carrete de película, ya que muestra a Beverly Grove y Bubba Kenton juntos en una película pornográfica que demuestra que Grove es mucho mayor de lo que dice ser al mundo. Esperan que pueda convertirlos en vampiros y darles así la eterna juventud.

Sin embargo, una de las integrantes de La Orden, una joven llamada Magda, quiere que Grove sólo la convierta a ella en vampiro. Esto se debe a que ella es la nieta de Grove, además de la monja que robó el carrete del Padre Murtaugh anteriormente en la historia. Pollack se ve atrapado en medio mientras todos a su alrededor intentan ganar, dejando a Pollack en una posición en la que parece incapaz de sobrevivir.

Segunda parte.

A su vez precuela y secuela de la primera parte. Son distintos episodios que forman un mosaico de la vida y el origen de los protagonistas de la primera parte. A pesar de ser muy diferente en fondo y forma a la primera parte, es igual de transgresora. A su vez, sirve tanto como epílogo de la narrativa como punto y seguido. Permite al lector conocer dónde están los personajes en la actualidad, dejando abierta la posibilidad de seguir explorando este curioso mundo.

Valoración final:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ de 5.

No es una obra redonda y busca algunas veces impactar al lector con imágenes violentas algo innecesarias. No obstante, ha resistido bien el transcurrir de los años y sigue siendo un referente imprescindible del cómic erótico con clase alejado de la zafiedad reinante en este mundillo. Chaykin no busca moralizar en ningún momento y ello engrandece aún más la lectura de esta obra maestra.

Creo reconocer muchas temáticas de Valentin@ en esta obra. La obsesión/adoración por los miembros grandes de hombre como el misterio y los secretos que guardan bajo la alfombra muchos de sus personajes principales.

Curiosidades:
El personaje de Cass Pollock es un homenaje a los personajes clásicos gemelos de Castor y Pollux.

El personaje de Dagmar está inspirado en una actriz y celebridad de los cincuenta que llegó a cantar con Frank Sinatra.

Parece ser que la película de Shane Black, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang guarda más de un similitud con Black Kiss.

Existe una tercera parte titulada Black Kiss XXX Mas in July Special que aún no he tenido la suerte de leer que se publicó en Julio del 2014 en lugar de Navidades para tocar los "huevos".

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPKulturowy Kociołek:

Akcja rozgrywa się w Los Angeles w latach 80. XX wieku. Mieście przepełnionym zbrodnią, narkotykami, prostytucją i wszystkim tym, co najgorsze. W takich realiach musi funkcjonować powracający z odwyku muzyk Cass Polack. Niespodziewanie zostaje on wciągnięty w sam środek przerażającego szaleństwa. Wystarczyła tylko jedna przejażdżka z urodziwą pasażerką, aby jego i tak trudne życie przerodziło się w koszmar wypełniony seksem i śmiercią.

Album Black Kiss tom 1 to dzieło mieszające elementy thrillera noir, horroru, komiksu erotycznego (momentami wręcz pornograficznego) i wątków nadprzyrodzonych. Jest to więc mieszanka dość wyrazista, umiejąca przyciągnąć uwagę dojrzałego odbiorcy, mająca jednak również swoje pewne zauważalne niedoskonałości.

Scenariusz Chaykina potrafi być bowiem dosyć nierówny. Narracja opierająca się na schematach thrillera noir jest dość skomplikowana (może momentami trochę za bardzo). Duża w tym również zasługa klimatu miasta przepełnionego mrokiem i przemocą. Ten element historii jest więc angażujący i zachęcający czytelnika do przewracania kolejnych stron. Problem pojawia się w momencie wkroczenia na scenę wspomnianych wątków nadprzyrodzonych. Pomysły autora w tej kwestii mocno trącą myszką i są delikatnie pisząc kuriozalne. Na dodatek ma to wyraźny wpływ na całą intrygę, która staje się przewidywalna. Nie jest to co prawda drastyczny spadek jakości komiksu, ale i tak trudno tych niedociągnięć nie zauważyć.

Sytuację ratują całkiem nieźle nakreśleni bohaterowie. Nie są to jednak postacie, które można lubić. Nie ma tu klasycznego podziału na dobrych i złych, a tak naprawdę wszyscy skrywają w sobie jakiś mrok, który tylko czeka na uwolnienie. Całkiem nieźle wypadają również dialogi pomiędzy nimi. Są jednak sceny, w których jest ich zdecydowanie za duża ilość i są one niepotrzebnie przegadane.

Zdecydowanie najmocniejszą stroną albumu (i jednym z głównych powodów, dla którego warto sięgnąć po tytuł) jest jego oprawa graficzna...

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/black...

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howard Chaykin crafts a hard-boiled erotic crime thriller with his 12-issue Black Kiss series, first published by Vortex Comics and later collected by Eros Comix and Dynamite Entertainment in the years that followed. I first read the story in the form of Big Black Kiss #1-3 which square-bound together four chapters at a time together. Despite the raunchy and heavily over-sexed nature of the plot, Chaykin does manage to eek out a relative intriguing psychological thriller. The sex stuff is plentiful, but Black Kiss is dialogue heavy enough to carry with it a meaty plot. Centered around a trans prostitute named Dagmar Laine and her lover, Beverly Grove, a 1950s film actress, the pair get caught up in a plot involving a missing reel of film taken directly from the Vatican's private collection. Cass Pollack, a jazz musician and recovering heroin addict, joins up with them as he tries to evade the organized crime group hunting him whilst also trying to escape the police who believe he is responsible for the recent murders of his wife and daughter. The story takes on themes of cults and the supernatural as the plot progresses, with copious scenes of sex intermixed.

Chaykin's primary use of dialogue instead of captions shows that he was definitely ahead of the curve with respect to the rest of the medium. It's perhaps at times a little too dialogue heavy, lending to some wordiness that covers up chunks of Chaykin's alluring and noir-influenced art style. He tries to escape the denseness of panels by sometimes having only one character visible at a time, with the off-screen character's dialogue being positioned accordingly, but this formatting does lead to some confusing layouts. It is a challenging read for this reason, something that I think some further editing could have trimmed down a bit on. Nonetheless, Black Kiss is a unique entry in Chaykin's diverse catalog of comics, one that provides a highly differentiated type of story in the medium.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was interesting...

Chaykin's book is primarily of importance for pushing the limits and breaking down barriers regarding sex within the comic format. Judged purely on it's own merits, however, this is a bit of soup sandwich. Chaykin is a talented guy, primarily as an artist, and he blends disparate genre elements into something that I had never really seen before, but oh boy, is it messy. I can't really go into details regarding plot without falling into spoiler territory, but there are some really ugly, problematic elements here. There are also some smart subversive moments within the first half, as well as a few panels that lean so hard into the absurd that you have to laugh (one late night chase scene in particular comes to mind).

As other reviewers have noted, on an execution level the art is not Chaykin at his best. Every black and white panel is packed full of content, to the point where it is often hard to follow. The color scheme makes sense because of the hard-boiled, noir aspects of the story, but it heightens the visual confusion. Panels and dialogue bubbles are not always laid out in logical, easy to follow ways; sometimes it seems that Chaykin either doesn't know how to compose a scene, or is frantically trying to cram content into a limited page count. The result can be very tiring to read.

In summary:
Is Black Kiss "good"? No.
Offensive? Frequently, but not for the reasons you might initially think.
Batshit crazy, surreal and completely unique? Absolutely.
If you're looking for something shocking and different, aren't easily offended and don't mind dated, non P.C. elements, this might be worth checking out. Just be prepared.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of the first two Black Kiss series from the 1990s, plus two specials the author did over the last twenty years. Black Kiss is a not a book for everyone. It is a graphic novel, emphasis on the graphic, filled with sex and violence. Hardcore sex and violence. Nothing is left to the imagination. There are no heroes here. No good guys. It is filled with villains doing villainous things to each other, with out main character being the worst of the bunch. Lots of group sex, lots of gang rape, lots of men getting their genitals ripped off.

At first it seems as if it will be straight forward gory crime thriller, but then the supernatural element creeps in, and before you know it a full blown demonical influenced character emerges to destroy everyone. The second story takes the supernatural and runs with it. But the supernatural element is not why you read the story. In Black Kiss you keep reading to see how far the author will go, how many taboos will he cross. The answer, pretty much all of them.

So while this book is not for everyone, it is for those looking for an extreme graphic novel.

[Enron84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really invested in the first two acts of this book. It painted a grimy picture of old Hollywood, in a crime story soaked in sex and violence. The characters, including our protagonist were all morally corrupt and despicable, but that's what made them interesting.

The last third of the book's pacing started to go off the rails. The vampire stuff was rushed into, and made too obvious, when it could have played with subversion and maybe never really given us the reveal. This almost would have been more rewarding to use the allusions that were sprinkled throughout the story, and left the rest up to interpretation. I mean, garlic bullets? Really?

The reason this book still gets four stars is for the art and visual storytelling. The panel layouts and scene transitions made the best use of every page. Chaykin's perspective shots and expressive figures always draw you into whatever story he's crafting. The inking doused in thick blacks really illustrate the darkness and ugliness of this world.

I will still probably read the sequel, but there is better Chaykin work out there.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Be warned: This is X rated. I knew that going in. The problem with this isn't the full frontal nudity, the graphic sex, the graphic violence, or the language (lots of swear words, lots of derogatory words, especially for homosexuals). There is good artwork that is too busy, and doesn't seem noir-ish in black and white, when darkened tones of color would have been so much better. But the story is too much. What starts out solid, as an old 1940's Hollywood mystery, quickly becomes an outdated transgender sexfest, which becomes a vampire story. Absolutely horrible story and not great story telling. I would have given this one star, except that it did start out on the right foot. Then it just fell on its face.