Juanjo Guarnido

A terrific read. I'd procrastinated on checking out "Blacksad" for nearly a decade -- really, there are so many highly recommended comics out there, you can't get to it all -- but man, was it worth the wait. The first story in this three-story colelction is at the face of it very basic noir fare -- an old girlfriend turns up dead and the sullen private investigator can't help but get to the bottom of it -- but it still gripped me due to the fantastic artwork and great execution. The other show more two stories -- a child kidnapping in the middle of a small town race conflict, and a conspiracy amid Cold War paranoia and prosecution -- are much more inventive and complex, and in particular the middle story makes use of the anthropomorphic animal world in surprising ways. I've been trained to expect fiction that uses animal people like this to rarely if ever really reference that the characters are all (different) animals, but "Blacksad" does so frequently and with impressive effect. I will definitely be buying the fourth and fifth volume as well, and no doubt join the eager wait for the long-delayed sixth and seventh, the first of which is currently rumoured to finally be due in October 2021. Fingers crossed. This is great stuff. show less

Perhaps the most acclaimed French comic of the new century, Canales and Guarnido cleverly combine the seemingly disparate elements of anthropomorphic animal and 1950s crime fiction into their wholly original creation, Blacksad. Private eye cat John Blacksad uncovers the often filthy depths of mysteries involving child abductions, nuclear secrets, racist hate groups, and of course murder. Guarnido evokes the period through his evocative and elegant art while Canales' script successfully show more evokes the era's moods and attitudes through a contemporary lens. One of the best books of the year, Blacksad more than deserves its abundant praise. show less

Blacksad in New Orleans - what more could I ask for? Well, I could be greedy and ask for a longer story, but gotta be happy with what I get, eh? It's a good tale, with some shady characters and some cool jazz, and good ol' Week riding shotgun! The volume I read also had two short, short stories (2 pages each!) - one good, one cheesy.

A very cool graphic novel! Sort of like if Philip Marlowe was snooping around the back streets of "Zootopia"! I love this kind of noir, and the three stories in here do it justice! The artwork is crisp and engaging and the characters own their roles! The white vs. black "animals" is pretty deep, especially when a young zebra is shown in one of the panels. And any graphic novel that includes an excerpt from "Howl" has got my vote! This is one beautiful collection!