My morning started with a rumor that the extraordinary Dark Horse edition of Blacksad was out of print.
After being convinced by me that she *needed* the Díaz Canales/Juanjo Guarnido masterpiece, my friend went to a local shop, only to be told that the book was out of print and Dark Horse had no plans to reprint the edition.
It was only last month that I anointed Blacksad as number 4 on my annual Nexus Graphica best graphic novels of the year countdown.
| Quote: |
| 4. (Rick) Blacksad Written by Díaz Canales, Art by Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse) Perhaps the most acclaimed French comic of the new century, Canales and Guarnido cleverly combine the seemingly disparate elements of anthropomorphic animal and 50s crime fiction into their wholly original creation, Blacksad. Private eye cat John Blacksad uncovers the often filthy depths of mysteries involving child abductions, nuclear secrets, racist hate groups, and of course murder. Guarnido evokes the period through his evocative and elegant art while Canales’ script successfully recalls the era’s moods and attitudes through a contemporary lens. One of the best books of the year, Blacksad more than deserves its abundant praise. |
The beautiful Dark Horse hardback volume collects the first three adventures at an affordable $29.99. Considering the amazing quality of the work combined with the fact that the previous English-language editions of the first two tales were selling in the neighborhood of $100 each and that this edition contained the FIRST English language edition of the third story "Red Shoes", this book was a steal. No wonder it’s in high demand.
My friend messaged me about her disappointment. Surprised, I contacted Dark Horse Publicity Coordinator Jim Gibbons directly about the rumor. He promptly replied:
| Quote: |
| It’s been through a few reprints so far and we’ll certainly keep it up. We love that book, too! What’s even better, a lot of people seem to love it and as they recommend it—as you have—we want to make sure new readers can get their hands on it.
Those rumors are definitely bunk. JIM |
That makes me (and my friend) happy. She ordered a copy online and I’m now free to once again to continue recommending Blacksad with abandon!