There’s More Than One Way To Skin A Cat Analogy
Written by Manco
You know a comic is good when you see a stream of Lemmings careening down a crowded street caught up in the paranoia and defeatism of Nuclear hysteria.
Blacksad is what would result if Looney Toons and Phillip Marlowe had a baby. The gritty world of a private detective populated by anthropomorphized animals. Blacksad himself is a black cat with a white muzzle. This seems to be the perfect species for him, the avatar of a noire private eye’s complicated code of honor. The choice for the protagonist to be a cat, an animal known for its own warped ethics and policies, makes Blacksad the consummate gumshoe. He is strong, conflicted and constantly at odds with society over his own personal brand of light-handed justice.
Many other characters in Blacksad, both major and minor, are excellent examples of species choice. The police are almost all dogs or members of the canine family. The criminal element (at least, the low-life criminal element) are mostly cold-blooded lizards or some kind of rodent. A fleet of lemmings become washed away in a tide of McCarthy-ist nuclear frenzy. A politically affluent Polar leads a white-fur power group with an arctic fox as his devious sidekick. A rich, amoral toad enacts a sinister retribution against his perceived enemies. A group dedicated to black power includes a black stallion and a ebony-colored bull. A vapid, unhinged playboy is a grinning, energetic Dalmatian.
The character of John Blacksad himself, a World War Two veteran and all-around badass, is reminiscent of Indiana Jones. He is not the strongest and not the smartest, but he is by no means weak or dumb. It is his combination of tenacity and intelligence that makes him a compelling character. With a black coat and a white muzzle, Blacksad himself literally is a black-and-white character living in a world of gray morals. The dynamic interaction between Blacksad’s morals and his environment helps reinforce the need for a strong ethics in a world of contradictions.
The plots of the three available Blacksad stories are as wide and varied as the animals used for characters. But the stories still hold true to the private eye mythos that western culture has developed. The first story, “Somewhere Within the Shadows” chronicles Blacksad’s journey to avenge a former lover with a sordid past. In “Shadows,” Blacksad explores much more traditional noir themes. The tough to pin down villain, the need for personal justice, a history with the police. And while it is true that such themes have become clichés in the world of the hard-bitten private detective, writer Juan Dias Canales and artist Juanjo Guarnido make it feel fresh all the same. Perhaps it is the inventive use of anthropomorphized animals, but the excellent illustration and snappy, industrial 1950’s-style dialogue reminds readers of authors like Dashiel Hammett, Damon Runyon and Raymond Chandler. Even the characters’ outfits help reinforce the time-period and the general mood of the plot. The story itself reminds one of the futility of constantly fighting an overwhelming opponent as well as the fact that each of us makes a small difference in the lives of others.
Blacksad’s second narrative revolves around the push out to the suburbs after World War Two. “Arctic Nation” is about the not-so-subtle racism and hypocrisies found in these cloistered communities. Not only that, that the quest for revenge may not be as satisfying as one would hope. Finally, “Arctic Nation” reminds us as a culture that the so-called golden-age of American values was perhaps not as happy and perfect as people think. As Blacksad shows us, American culture often meant simply trying to forget certain aspects of our society which were contradictory or upsetting. Blacksad is drawn into this world of lies and hypocrisy (and alleged pedophilia), when he is asked to investigate the disappearance of a young black girl. The plot thickens as racial pride groups are drawn into the scandal. A Black pride group reminiscent of our own Black Panther Movement denies responsibility as a White power movement with ties to the local police force becomes more and more dangerous. Amidst all of this tension, Blacksad must save an innocent young girl.
In his third (and hopefully not final) appearance, “Red Soul,” Blacksad becomes embroiled in Nuclear frenzy and the Communist witch-hunts that infested American politics after Senator Joseph McCarthy decided to capitalize on already festering post-World War Socialist paranoia. McCarthy himself is analogous to Blacksad’s Senator Gallo, a braying rooster who hides his arrogance and megalomania behind a bible. Beyond the overshadowing context of the beginning of the Cold War, comes a personal challenge for Blacksad, who must safeguard an old friend from repeated assassination attempts. Again the hard-bitten private detective must try to separate his personal feelings and aspirations from his profession.
My only qualm with Blacksad is that despite its excellent writing and visually stimulating artwork, the plot is occasionally difficult to follow. Even the usual tell-all reveal at the end of story, there are certain elements in each story that make them seem slightly incoherent. This may sound like a big problem with the series, but in reality barely diminishes the enjoyability of the Blacksad universe.
All told, Blacksad is an excellent comic and has been nominated for three prestigious Eisner awards. It is well worth checking out and is available in digital form on Demonoid.com in English and French, for those of you who are better than the rest of us. So go out my fellow comic fans, go out and download like you have never even heard of a torrent before. And then get ready for some gritty gumshoe action.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:26 am
Important Information…
[…]Here is information about the subject that you won’t want to miss[…]…
November 10th, 2010 at 6:09 am
… track backe bei http://madalenebenthall.codotlab.com/ ……
fine, votre site disposition style est certainement merveilleux , Je suis cherchant pour la nouveau design pour mon moncler doudoune individuels site Web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais à aller recherche le exacte même dispo…
November 10th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
… track backe bei http://chanellehayth.myblogsite.com/ ……
fine, votre site web disposition style est véritablement merveilleux , Je suis recherche pour obtenir un nouveau thème pour mon moncler doudoune propre site Web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais à aller recherche le même dis…
November 11th, 2010 at 8:45 am
… track backe bei http://sanfordrovelto.blogge.rs/ ……
fine, votre weblog thème est véritablement bon , je suis cherchant pour un nouveau thème pour mon moncler doudoune personnel site web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais à aller chercher le même thème !…
November 11th, 2010 at 9:00 am
… track backe bei http://jesustrosclair.wmbomba.ru/ ……
bon , votre blog thème est certainement grand, Je suis chasse tout nouveau design pour mon moncler doudoune personnel blog site, j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais à aller cherchez le exacte même disposition style !…
November 12th, 2010 at 8:18 am
… track backe bei http://gentedefe.com/duncanchiavaroli/ ……
grand , votre site design est certainement grand, Je suis recherche pour la nouveau design pour mon moncler doudoune propre site Web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais aller cherchez le même thème !…
November 12th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
… track backe bei http://brentonmoring.blogth.com/ ……
fine, votre site modèle est réellement nice , je suis recherche pour la nouveau design pour mon moncler doudoune individuels site Web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais aller recherche le identiques thème !…
November 12th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
… track backe bei http://www.pianetablog.com/?w=nellieildefonso ……
excellent , votre site web thème est réellement bon , Je suis cherchant pour la nouveau thème pour mon moncler doudoune personnel site Web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais aller chercher le même thème !…
November 13th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
… track backe bei http://www.welcometoindia.com/user_article.php ……
grand , votre blog thème est certainement nice , je suis recherche pour un nouveau modèle pour mon moncler doudoune propre weblog , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais à aller recherche le identiques thème !…
November 14th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
… track backe bei http://myrlschield.blogrepublik.ro/ ……
fine, votre site disposition style est véritablement merveilleux , Je suis cherchant pour obtenir un nouveau thème pour mon moncler doudoune personnel site web , j’aime vôtre, maintenant Je vais aller cherchez le même dispo…
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:23 am
… trackback …..
Int¨¦ressant doudoune moncler http://johnforhost.journalspace.com/ doudoune moncler Je suis toujours recherchant r¨¦troaction….
January 10th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
“Affordable Webdesign Doesn’t Mean Compromise”…
THE BEST SERVICE EVER AND MY SITE DIDN’T COST ME A FORTUNE….
January 11th, 2011 at 1:42 am
WWW.INSPECTAGADGETS.COM…
REVIEW IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!…
January 12th, 2011 at 12:38 am
REVIEW IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!…
#1 SITE FOR THE LATEST REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGY HITTING THE MAINSTREAM!…
January 14th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
MOST INFORMATIVE SITE FOR ELECTRONICS….
**YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST ELECTRONICS OUT**…
January 16th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
**YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST ELECTRONICS OUT**…
#1 SITE FOR THE LATEST REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGY HITTING THE MAINSTREAM!…
January 16th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
MOST INFORMATIVE SITE FOR ELECTRONICS….
**YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST ELECTRONICS OUT**…
January 16th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
**YOUTUBE VIDEO REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST ELECTRONICS OUT**…
#1 SITE FOR THE LATEST REVIEWS ON THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGY HITTING THE MAINSTREAM!…
February 12th, 2011 at 7:58 am
Habbo Retros…
Habbo Retros are slowly attracting more users with each passing day, most people prefer to play Habbo Retros with pets according to a recent google study, further evidence also supports that Habbo Retros have lead to an annual decrease in revenue for s…
March 10th, 2011 at 4:08 am
Thanks…
This information really helped me, I am sharing with a few friends….
March 18th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Thanks…
I’ve visited many blogs,forums, but this time:How your fantastic forum is . It makes me surprise….
April 16th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Very nice!…
Wow you are very very talented!! keep up the awesome work. You are very talented & I only wish I could write as good as you do :)…
May 30th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Sala de leos…
http://www.Pesquisadoarmariodecozinha.com morden projetos do banheiro…
June 12th, 2011 at 4:30 am
hello…
really good article. Ready to hear more next week,my blog http://talonmpgraham.blog.ca/2011/06/12/adressing-wedding-invites-envelopes-11302585/ Many Thanks….
June 13th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
hello…
really good article. Ready to hear more next week,my blog http://blogtext.org/talonmpgraham/article/548324.html Many Thanks….
June 14th, 2011 at 1:30 am
hello…
really good article. Ready to hear more next week,my blog http://eveningdressesvuv.sweetcircles.com/2010/12/20/low-priced-night-dresses/ Many Thanks….
June 14th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on twitter […]…
[…] Read this remaining post here […]…
June 20th, 2011 at 1:33 am
hello…
Hi there thanks for the quality post! http://pamela11.dokyun.jp/ ,i’d a good read.thank you for your article,My problem has been resolved….
June 20th, 2011 at 5:53 am
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://wsdxj.quebecblogue.com/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
June 20th, 2011 at 5:55 am
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://wxhtg.bloges.org/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
June 20th, 2011 at 8:08 am
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://wsdxj.poker-blogs.fr/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
June 20th, 2011 at 8:08 am
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://bbzgm.honmag.com/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
June 20th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
very helpful…
I preferred to thank you for this good article. http://wxhtg.blogfreehere.com/ I by all odds liked every little bit of it…
June 22nd, 2011 at 2:56 am
Great…
You did a great job! http://www.deanaa.ewebsite.com/articles/3-designers-to-watch–graduate-style-week.html…
June 25th, 2011 at 9:35 am
really…
Fat women and girls always worried because of their ugly shaped bodies. They want to wear expensive and stylish outfits . http://qqwdcf.blogspot.es/ but they can not wear these outwears…
June 27th, 2011 at 3:24 am
You did a great job…
Hi there thanks for the quality post, i had a good read,http://www.shangxin.ewebsite.com/articles/why-koreans-have-less-standard-of-beauty-than-ppl-from-other-countries-.html , thank you for your article,My problem has been resolved….
June 28th, 2011 at 3:59 am
You did a great job…
Hi there thanks for the quality post, i had a good read,http://yanjiren.blogcindario.com/2011/06/00002-which-vera-wang-dress-should-i-wear-to-my-wedding-with-aaron-carter.html , thank you for your article,My problem has been resolved….
June 28th, 2011 at 4:17 am
You did a great job…
Hi there thanks for the quality post, i had a good read,http://shangxin.freeblog.hu/ , thank you for your article,My problem has been resolved….
July 2nd, 2011 at 3:51 am
Great…
love your blog, http://leyanc.simpleblog.org/41280/ ,Thanks again….
September 16th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Hello…
My life,vist it http://xiangcai.sier.no/2011/09/02/minnies-dream-wedding-cake-toppers/ ,Thanks….
December 12th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
{Swimming Pool Design|Designs piscine|Schwimmbad Designs|Piscina Piscina Designs|Swimming Pool Designs|porch design|Designs Porch|Porch Designs Idee|Projetos Sacada|Porche Disenos|outdoor furniture design|design mobilier dexterieur|Outdoor-Mobel-Desi…
http://www.designdemobiliariodeexterior.com - design de mobiliario de exterior…
December 15th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
{Swimming Pool Design|Designs piscine|Schwimmbad Designs|Piscina Piscina Designs|Swimming Pool Designs|porch design|Designs Porch|Porch Designs Idee|Projetos Sacada|Porche Disenos|outdoor furniture design|design mobilier dexterieur|Outdoor-Mobel-Desi…
http://www.barradedisenoideas.com - Barra de diseno ideas…
January 12th, 2012 at 5:55 am
Happy as a Clam…
Am joyous that I found this - thanks muchly….