Haseen 1

Benazir Haseen

J. Daugherty

English 1102

26 September 2014

Blacksad and Criticism of American Society

Graphic novels have a tremendous influence on pop culture, often portraying superheroes and some even addressing social issues. A recent graphic novel, Blacksad, written by Juanjo Guarnido and Juan Diaz Canales, has been critically acclaimed for itsengrossing narrative and detective-likestructure. The comic is about anthropomorphic humans living in post-World War II America; more specifically, the protagonist is a detective feline name John Blacksad who aims to solve a mystery in every issue. Though Blacksad initially comes off as a Sherlock Holmes style drama, Canales and Guarnido have addressed specific social issues America has faced in the past and present. While most U.S.comics highlight American exceptionalism, Blacksad aims to uproot that exceptionalism and create a judgment of American social structure created by the principles of capitalism. Blacksad is used as a medium to criticize capitalism and uncoverhindrances on social structure within a society thatare sometimes overshadowed by ignorance within the U.S.

Blacksad has a unique style that sets it apart from other graphic novels. It emits a Film Noir atmosphere through the use of water colors and dark tones. Film Noir is a movie genre that “uses German Expressionist style shadowing and horizontal lines to heighten this mood of pessimism and helplessness” (Lindzon). It is a film genre originally created by non-citizens of the U.S. and formed bytheir views on American culture. While Americans identify themselves as strong and moral citizens, Film Noir aimed to show what was going on in the backwaters. Crime ran rampant and there were exceptional differences in social hierarchy, which resulted in even more crime. Lobbying and bribery allowed the higher white class to take charge even to the point at which they were controlling the government themselves. Canales and Guarnido specifically chose this style to convey a message.

These creators are writing about America as outsiders; they are Spanish nationals, but by creating this type of narrative aesthetic, they are able to clarify that Blacksad is an outsider’s view on American culture. Many outsiders view America as a society that is heavily influenced by the wealthy, creating a country where a capitalistic hierarchy is highly valued and rewarded while the rest are merely lower class common citizens trying their best to survive in the world. Canales and Guarnido hope to convey the underlying problems within America instead of overly glorifying Americanideals that so many other pop culture mediums do, offering a different perspective that shows the flaws of American society.

Initially, the anthropomorphic animals in the world of Blacksad are significant in the work. It is noted that the comic is “apsychological profile of American society after World War II” (Booker). There is a psychological term that became prominent in the rise of capitalism known as Social Darwinism. This term is coined from Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, but has since been applied to economic status in industrial America. Americans believe that hard work pays off, and allows one to reach the top. This is emphasized in Social Darwinism because those who work hard and succeed are most adaptive to survive and flourish in the world. The ideology of Social Darwinism creates stark levels of economic classes and hostility among them. In Blacksad, Canales and Guarnido explicitly decided to make the characters animal-like to describe the nature of social hierarchy,emphasizing the animalistic behavior of North American society. The rich are depicted as tertiary consumers while lower class citizens are portrayed as vulnerable creatures like deer and weasels. The wealthy are often posed as predatory creatures with white fur,symbolizing Caucasian supremacy in the nation. Even in contemporary society, most of the government and its policies are controlled by lobbyists with special interests in large corporations and companies. These groups predominately have white male CEO’s that are trying to utilize the government to change policies in order to benefit them. The authors illustrate that capitalism, in hopes of making society civilized and structured, actually does the opposite. In the end, it is a cesspool of uncivilized animals trying to act like civilized humans.

Each unique volume of Blacksad targets a specific issue with class structure in capitalism and its negative effects. The first issue consists of a murder; in the end of the story, Blacksad is able to find the perpetrator, who is a wealthy business man. It is implied that the business man paid the police department to stop further investigation of the crime, and so Blacksad decides to take justice in his own hands. This specific story calls attention to the corruption resulting from social classes. The rich are able to use their money to gain power and sometimes even indirectly controllaw enforcement. This imbalance of power allows the wealthiest citizens to practically be immune to consequences.

The principle of wealth and crime is relevant to the modern-day wealthy individuals in America. Celebrities like Justin Bieber vandalize objects and cause trouble with the police only to be arrested and then bailed out through the high volume of money available to them. In fact, Justin Bieber smirked at the camera during his mug shot because he knew that he would be able to get away with it just like the wealthy business man smirks at Blacksad when he accuses the man of killing the woman. Capitalism, which praises individuals who climb to the very top of society’s wealth standings, facilitates the wealthy to think that they are invincible. Capitalism tells the wealthy that they can do anything and that they are the one percent alienating them from the rest of society. It creates a sense of negative hegemony where people of higher social class view themselves as having more worth in the world than less affluent citizens.

It is no wonder that Blacksad is applauded as one of the greatest graphic novels written in the 21st century. It is not just a graphic novel with cute, fuzzy animals trying to play cops and robbers; it is a satire. Symbolism and narrative intertwine throughout the work to display the inconsistencies among America’s current capitalist lifestyle. Canales and Guarnido have intricately created an artistic masterpiece that aims to uncover the corruption of capitalism.

Works Cited

Booker, Rose T. "People Behaving Like Animals: The Global Psyche Examined through

Contemporary Noir Comics.".Wordpress. Google, 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

Canales, Juan Díaz, Juanjo Guarnido, Anthya Flores, and Patricia Rivera.Blacksad. Milwaukie,

OR: Dark Horse, 2010. Print.

Lindzon, Jared. “The History and Influence of Film Noir." Suite. 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 18

Sept. 2014.