Blacksad

Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales, art by Juanjo Guarnido, 176 pages

Told in classic noir style, Blacksad follows the escapades of 1940s-era private investigator John Blacksad as he looks into three separate cases: the murder of a Hollywood starlet (who happens to be his ex-girlfriend); a missing black child during a time of high racial tensions; and a murder-filled Communist plot complete with a McCarthy figure. The stories are interesting, though sometimes a bit too on-the-nose, and the artwork is phenomenal. Guarnido's attention to detail is astounding, and his style is perfect for this noir story.

That said, I wasn't a huge fan of this episodic graphic novel, and that all lies in one issue. Blacksad and the other characters are animals. Rather, their heads are animals, but their bodies are mostly human. Blacksad is a cat, the McCarthy figure is a cocker spaniel, and everything from mice to lizards to polar bears feature in these stories. For some, this isn't a problem (the series, which was originally published in France, has received many accolades), but I couldn't wrap my mind around a mostly nude woman with a cat head.

But if you can get past the human-animal mash-up, this would be great for fans of noir.