Far from the Amarillo Great

This fifth volume is in fact loosely based on the Jack Kerouac Hippie trio, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs and references supply the narrative (Route 66, the novel written on a roll of 30 m, the passion for Burroughs guns ...).

This tribute to the Beat generation is an opportunity to bring the character of Blacksad, sun Tulsa (Oklahoma), Amarillo (Texas), Capulin Volcano or Raton (New Mexico). The sun bathes the bulk of the album, aptly called Amarillo (yellow in Spanish).

From the beginning, the story follows two characters that will evolve almost in parallel, until the denouement.

On one side we find Blacksad, feline detective who naively aspires to a little peace and on the other, Chad Lowell, a clueless writer, on the run.
This is when the chance will cross their paths, the trouble will start.

The set is a bit disappointing.

Both the 1st volume were great, so I find that the series loses a little in quality over the outputs.

The scenario of Juan Diaz Canales is not overwhelming. The references discussed above are more of a solid frame clapboard Wave. All in all, I liked the diversion of the codes of the US hard-boiled crime fiction of the early albums.

But it is at the drawing jémettrai more reserves.

For the 1st time, the bias of lanthropomorphisme characters (Blacksad is a cat (or a puma?) Lowell a lion ... a bit like Robin Hood Walt Disney) bother me.

I could not see what he had brought too far, but there is worse. At one point, the scenes take place in a circus, with normally "real" animals. Except that printing is weird. There are no animals to speak of, but a mixture of species with humanized artists (they hold rights, have "hands") and others not.

Anyway, I thought it was a bit wobbly.

Another disappointment was the quality of the design. Guarnido is a great designer, but it gives the impression of having a little shoddy work. Some thumbnails are still very average, barely sketched (the last boxes from page 23 of Pétillon -hommage resemble jack Palmer?, Disassembly circus Page 37 ...).

An album that is very commendable, but feels a bit the end of a cycle (one color).

I am afraid that at this pace, Blacksad time.