Customer Reviews

West Coast Blues

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Whilst staying in france in the early nineties Tardi came on to my radar so i have been waiting for this for years.Previous efforts at translating and publishing have been fitful so this is a welcome attempt by fantagraphics. Tardi is the don of neo noir 'comics'. His clear line style is expressive and bold, the characters jump out the page and the dialogue taut. There is nobody to touch him in the anglo world of comics. This should be on any serious graphic novelistas shelf, and deserves to sell by the truck load. Five stars just aint enough!

This is a superbly drawn adaptation of Jean-Patrick Manchette's Three To Kill. The plotting is peculiar in that it doesn't follow any obvious paths, but also sensible, in that it rings true. It's psychologically complex, with a detached protagonist who -- like any Donald Hamilton lead character -- adapts quickly to a bad situation.

Tardi follows the novel faithfully and his illustrations are detailed, yet loose, giving the characters and their surroundings a lived-in feel. The style accentuates the (darkly) humorous situations, but can easily slip into sudden and brutal bursts of violence. The book also works well for multiple readings, as the apparent simplicity of the style allows you to rush through it the first time around to simply enjoy the story, but when you read it again, there are subtleties and details to be found that only enhance the experience.

One of the best crime comics around, drawn by a modern legend, based on a brilliant novel. If you liked Darwyn Cooke's adaptation of Donald Westlake's Parker: The Hunter, or have any interest in hardboiled fiction... you can't go wrong with this book.

I have known Tardi for his works in his own series Adele Blanc sec, but I thought to explore his earlier works with other authors surprise a true classic Crime Noir in its own ways, Will check out the upcoming book from the same Tardi/Manchette combo in the LIKE A SNIPER LINING UP HIS SHOT