Blacksad is Back - Guest Blog by Reed Beebe

06/26/2012 10:37am

I first saw detective John Blacksad in a public library.  He was in the graphic novel section, on the cover of a hardbound book (a “European-style album”, I would later learn). The cover was striking – a suave-looking anthropomorphic cat in a suit and tie, lighting a cigarette for a sexy catwoman, his lighter casting an eerie orange light across the cover in the form of a radiation warning symbol.  The book’s title was in Spanish – “Alma Roja”. I didn’t speak Spanish (I knew the title translated as “red” something or other, but that was my limit). 

I cracked the cover, and with no understanding of Spanish, it was the gorgeous art that kept me turning the pages.  It was like discovering a lost noir cartoon that examined the darkest corners of 1950s America, Disney’s The Jungle Book as directed by Raymond Chandler.  Curious, I checked the book out, along with a Spanish-English dictionary. 

My translation efforts were slow going, but the pictures helped me, giving me some context.  The book was a puzzle, one I hoped to solve.  Blacksad used his smarts and his fists to solve his mysteries. Fists weren’t an option, but I did have the Internet.  

I researched Blacksad.  I confirmed that my amateur English translation of the book’s title as “Red Soul” was correct (muy bien!)  I learned that Red Soul was the third album in a series.  That the Spanish book that I found in an American library, and that I was doing my best to translate into English, was created by two very talented Spaniards, Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, and that the album was first published in French.  Wow – international intrigue! 

The library book was my first clue that there was this bigger, beautiful series from Europe that I had to have. The library didn’t have the first two albums. Internet searches for copies of the previous albums (in any language) were hard to find and expensive. I had run out of options. But then Dark Horse put together all three albums in one big book, and they were kind enough to translate everything to English (gracias!) 

I bought the Dark Horse collection real quick.  I read every page, over and over.  I loved reading Red Soul, in particular, as I got to see how close (or off the mark) my translations were.  I returned the Spanish-English dictionary to the library, a little sad that my investigations were over. 

What’s that?  There’s a fourth Blacksad album? Thanks for the tip.  Excuse me while I put on the trenchcoat and tie.  I have to go out, you see, and find a copy of A Silent Hell. 

 

Reed Beebe

Blacksad Fan

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