Blacksad Review: The Most Beautiful Noir in Comics
A full review of Blacksad, the French animal-noir series by Canales and Guarnido that looks better than almost anything on the shelf.
By Web Admin
Some comics you recommend for the story. A few you recommend just so people can see how gorgeous the medium can get. Blacksad is both. Written by Juan Diaz Canales and painted by former Disney animator Juanjo Guarnido, this French series began in 2000 and has been collected in English by Dark Horse Comics. It stars John Blacksad, a black-furred cat who works as a private detective in a stylized 1950s America where everyone is an animal. It sounds like a gimmick. It reads like the best hardboiled crime novel you never got around to.
This is our full review of Blacksad: what it is, how the stories hold up, which edition to buy, and why the artwork alone justifies the price. Fair warning up front for the squeamish, because this is noir and it does not flinch.
What is Blacksad?
Blacksad is a series of graphic albums in the European “bande dessinee” tradition, written by Spaniard Juan Diaz Canales and illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido, both of whom cut their teeth in animation. It is published in French by Dargaud and in English by Dark Horse Comics. The conceit is simple and total: the world is populated entirely by anthropomorphic animals, and species maps loosely onto character. Blacksad himself is a big, weary tomcat cut straight from the Humphrey Bogart mould.
Each album is a self-contained case, roughly 50 to 60 pages, so the series reads less like an ongoing serial and more like a shelf of tight crime novellas. Guarnido paints every page in watercolor, which is part of why the books took years apart to appear and part of why they look like nothing else in comics.
The stories: a case per volume
There are six main albums to date. “Somewhere Within the Shadows” (2000) is a classic murdered-lover mystery that introduces Blacksad and his weasel informant sidekick, Weekly. “Arctic Nation” (2003) is the standout for many readers, a searing story about race and segregation told through white and black furred animals in a small town. “Red Soul” (2005) turns to the Red Scare and McCarthy-era paranoia among intellectuals. “A Silent Hell” (2010) heads to New Orleans and the jazz scene. “Amarillo” (2013) is a road-trip story across Route 66, and “They All Fall Down” (2021, released as two parts) moves into New York theater and city politics.
What impresses across all six is how seriously Canales takes his genre. These are not parodies of noir with cute animals pasted on top. They are proper hardboiled stories about power, prejudice, obsession, and the compromises a decent man makes to survive a rotten system.
The art: why Guarnido changes the game
Let us be blunt: Juanjo Guarnido is one of the finest artists working in any comics tradition, and Blacksad is his showcase. His animation background shows in every gesture, the way a cat’s shoulders slump or a fox’s eyes narrow, and his fully painted watercolor pages give the 1950s setting a warmth and grime that line art simply cannot match. Rain-slicked streets, smoky jazz clubs, snow-blanketed towns, each is rendered with the confidence of a film production designer.
This is the rare comic where the physical edition is not just nice to have but the entire point. Printed large on quality paper, Guarnido’s color work is worth the cover price by itself. If you only ever read digitally, this is the book that will change your mind.
The animal-noir conceit, and why it works
A reasonable first reaction is that talking-animal detectives sound childish. In practice the device does something clever. By casting a species for each character, Canales lets you read personality and social position at a glance, and he uses that shorthand to tackle heavy themes, most pointedly racism in “Arctic Nation,” without the story ever feeling like a lecture. The animals let hard subjects land sideways, which is often how the best allegory works.
- John Blacksad — the black cat gumshoe, principled but bruised.
- Weekly — a scruffy weasel reporter who tags along and lightens the mood.
- Commissioner Smirnov — a Saint Bernard cop and one of Blacksad’s few honest allies.
- A rotating cast of femmes fatales, mobsters, and true believers.
Content warning: this is adult noir
Set expectations before you hand this to anyone. Blacksad is a mature crime series with on-page violence, murder, sexuality, and unflinching treatment of racism and political persecution. “Arctic Nation” in particular deals with hate crimes and abuse. None of it is gratuitous, but this is a book for grown-ups who read crime fiction, not a family-friendly animal cartoon.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Arguably the best-looking comic in print, full stop
- Genuinely great hardboiled crime writing
- Self-contained cases, easy to dip into
- The animal device makes heavy themes land cleanly
Cons
- Mature content and real-world violence
- New volumes appear years apart
- Individual albums can feel short at 50-60 pages
How Blacksad compares to other noir comics
If you love crime comics, here is how Blacksad stacks up against the other titles we most often recommend to noir readers.
| Book | Style | Length | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksad (collected) | Painted animal noir | ~200 pp | ~US$30 | Beautiful, humane crime |
| Sin City | Stark black-and-white | Varies | ~US$20 each | Pulp brutality |
| Criminal (Brubaker) | Modern crime | ~150 pp | ~US$17 | Heist and grift stories |
For the wider field, see our guides to the best crime and noir comics and the best European comics. If you want the bleaker, pulpier end of the genre next, our Sin City review is a good companion.
Which edition should you buy?
Dark Horse has published Blacksad in a few configurations. Here is how they compare.
| Edition | Collects | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksad (hardcover) | First three stories | ~US$30 | The best starting point |
| Blacksad: A Silent Hell | The New Orleans story | ~US$20 | Continuing readers |
| Blacksad: Amarillo | The Route 66 story | ~US$18 | Continuing readers |
| They All Fall Down | The two-part New York story | ~US$20 each | Latest arc |
The collected hardcover of the first three albums is the obvious way in, and it is one of the best-value beautiful books in comics.
AmazonCheck price on AmazonThe verdict
Blacksad is the book we hand people who insist comics cannot be sophisticated. It is smart, adult crime fiction wrapped in some of the most accomplished painted artwork the medium has produced, and the animal conceit turns out to be a feature rather than a gimmick. It belongs near the top of our best graphic novels list and is a permanent fixture in the indie and creator-owned hub. Buy it in print, and buy it big. It is also a natural pick for anyone browsing our best standalone graphic novels, since each case stands on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read Blacksad in order?
Not strictly. Each album is a self-contained case, so you can start almost anywhere, but the collected hardcover of the first three stories is the ideal entry point and reads in publication order.
Is Blacksad appropriate for children?
No. Despite the talking-animal cast, this is a mature noir series with violence, sexuality, and heavy themes including racism. For younger readers, see our best indie graphic novels for gentler picks.
Is Blacksad finished?
No. Canales and Guarnido continue to produce new albums, though they appear several years apart because every page is hand-painted in watercolor.
What other animal comics are like Blacksad?
The closest tonal cousin with an animal cast is Stan Sakai’s samurai epic, which we cover in our Usagi Yojimbo review. For more European craft, see our Incal review.
