Blacksad

The series is written by Juan Díaz Canales, a Spanish writer and animator who has worked for studios including Warner Bros., and illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido, a former Disney animator who brings a lush, painterly watercolor style to the artwork. Both creators are Spanish, though the series is published in French by Dargaud.

The protagonist is John Blacksad, a hardboiled black cat private investigator who works cases involving murder, political corruption, racism, and nuclear paranoia in 1950s America. He is consistently drawn as an anthropomorphic cat with a white muzzle, reflecting the series' noir visual language.

Six albums have been published to date, beginning with "Somewhere Within the Shadows" in 2000 and continuing with titles including "Arctic Nation," "Red Soul," "A Silent Hell," "Amarillo," and "They Were All Dead." Each volume tackles a different genre and social theme, from McCarthyism to the American jazz scene.

The series has won numerous international awards, including multiple prizes at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France and several Eisner Award nominations in the United States. Juanjo Guarnido's artwork, in particular, has been singled out for acclaim for its cinematic composition and detailed anthropomorphic character designs.