Week 9: A Wide World of Comics

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed reading some of the Blacksad stories this week. When I randomly clicked on the title off of the course resource list, I was immediately deterred by the whole "anthropomorphic animals" thing, having come to associate those images with a more... deviant side of internet culture (which was, hilariously, even mentioned by our professor in class). However, I couldn't deny that the art style was certainly beautiful, with expressive characters and full color rendering. That alone was enough for me to give Blacksad a try.

I found the story "Amarillo" to be very engaging, and I was already engrossed after only a few pages. For me, the characters were the most appealing part. Despite being short story, there is a very large cast, and the readers are able to grasp the personality of each new character in as little as a single drawing. We come to care for each of them, even some of those presented as antagonists to the main character. I loved the wide variety of animals used in the story too, including lions, hyenas, buffalo, penguins, koalas, and so much more. Each animal fits their character perfectly, yet often in unexpected ways. Can a pink flamingo be a hardened criminal? Yes, and it actually works really well.

It is hard to imagine that a story taking place in the United States, and playing off of very specific American archetypes could be written by two Spanish authors, Juan Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, for a French audience. If I had not known this beforehand, I would have never even suspected it. I supposed that this just goes to show that comics are an extremely universal form of media, that can be appreciated by nearly anyone around the world. I would recommend Blacksad to anyone who is interested in more adult-oriented comics. The stories are thrilling and the art is gorgeous. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it this week.