In 2000, unknown Spaniards Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido created a sensation in the European comics market with the first story about the detective cat Blackshead. Readers and critics were amazed at the amount of time and talent the authors put into their brainchild. The short, 46-page story was the result of years of painstaking work – you could feel it in everything from the spectacular neo-noir script to the incredibly detailed color graphics. This is the style they have maintained in the sequels of Blacksiders.
The main advantage of “Blacksed” – incredibly deep elaboration of a unique neo-noir world, populated by anthropomorphic beasts. Every character here corresponds to a species. Blacksed the cat is able to unravel any case thanks to his natural instincts. Smirnov the German Shepherd serves the law faithfully in a police department that is rotten from within. Weakley the ferret chases journalistic scoops and constantly sticks his nose into the wrong business. If a lizard, he’s a slippery and suspicious character, if a gorilla, he’s a big guy and a bouncer, and so on.
The authors put all these unusual characters in a traditional adult Sin City, with dirty politicians and petty crooks, with racists and communists, with missing children and fatal beauties. An unusual combination, don’t you think? Each tale turns out to be a traditional detective story with a crime, an investigation and a slightly sad conclusion – one cat can’t change this immoral world, but you can make it a little better.
“Blacksad” is an example of great work not only by the screenwriter, but also by the artist. It is one of the most beautiful and detailed graphic novels. Each frame of the comic book is an individual work of art. Every character is drawn with incredible anatomical precision and has its own unique features. The interior of each apartment is thought out in detail and reflects the character of its inhabitants. And the city is populated by a huge number of diverse passers-by and therefore looks completely realistic. And most importantly, the picture is so charming that you just can’t help but fall in love with Blackshead. This level of drawing doesn’t exist in Marvel or DC Comics.