Blacksad: R-Rated Disney

Imagine a lavishly illustrated comic book starring human-looking animals (cats, dogs, crocodiles, weasels...) in film noir-inspired crime yarns set in the 50s and you get Blacksad. Created by Spanish authors Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist), this award-winning book chronicles the dirty cases of John Blacksad, a tough black cat private investigator. The stories are like a very adult Raymond Chandler novel, cinematically drawn by a renegade Disney animator. It is, without any doubts, one of the best all-around graphic novels on the market today. The buzz is that a big budget film adaptation is planned for 2009, but don't hold your breath. Every comic book in the world is currently in development and the real edgy stuff usually stays on the printed pages anyhow. Blacksad's first three volumes appeared in French, with the Spanish version following shortly thereafter. Last time I looked, only the first two were available in English.