Space Pirates Ltd.

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.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 12:45 am and is filed under Pirate Brew Ha-Ha. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.