Red Soul takes place not long after Arctic Nation. Arctic Nation ended with Blacksad keeping a promise by scattering a man's ashes in Las Vegas. Now Blacksad finds himself low on cash with no work as a detective. To make some money, he becomes a bodyguard for a rich old tortoise named Hewitt Mandeline, a New Yorker on vacation in Las Vegas. Las Vegas doesn't seem to be Blacksad's preferred city as he seems mostly annoyed with the place, especially the lookalike contest for an old flame who was murdered during Somewhere Within the Shadows. Blacksad and Mandeline aren't there for too long, as they go back to New York and Blacksad must accompany Mandeline to an art museum. There he runs into Commisioner Smirnov and they exchange a few friendly words. It's not until Blacksad finds a leaflet for lecture that the story really begins. A lecture on nuclear energy is going to be given by his old friend/professor from Columbia University, Otto Liebber.
It's at this lecture that the story truly begins. As the lecture is going on, people with anti-communism signs are clearly visible outside of the building through the windows. On stage is the outspoken dalmation, Samuel Gotfield, a wealthy communist in charge of a scientific research foundation. Blacksad describes his first impression beautifully with one word, "Asshole." After trying to charm his way past the lovely Alma Mayer, he greets his old friend Professor Liebber. After their short chat, Gotfield invites him to a party at his mansion before taking off with Liebber.
At this party are a group of leftist intellectuals that call themselves the twelve apostles. This is also a section that introduces us to some characters that have parallels in our own universe. There is the beat poet, Abraham Greenberg, who is reading Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (Greenberg will be playing a major role in the upcoming Blacksad: Amarillo) and there is the artist Sergei Litvac, who is a parallel to the artist Mark Rothko. Also seen in this story are Joseph McCarthy, portrayed by a rooster called Senator Galloway, and Hitler portrayed as a cat. Previous Blacksad stories felt like they could easily take place in our universe but Red Soul takes it a step further by introducing more detail specific history into the mix.
At the end of the party, a completely wasted Gotfield is rescued from drowning himself in the ocean and everybody heads home after some tension between a few of the apostles arises. Otto Liebber gives the chemist, Laszlo Herzl his hat to keep his head warm after rescuing Gotfield from the ocean. This is very unfortunate for Laszlo because a very terrifying crocodile hitman was sent to kill Liebber. Since Laszlo and Liebber are both owls and Laszlo was wearing Liebber's hat, a little mistake is made that leads to Laszlo's death. Knowing that Liebber's life is in danger, Blacksad takes it upon himself to help his old friend and find out who is trying to kill Liebber and why.
Red Soul does an amazing job at setting the feel for the topic and time period of the story. The Red Scare and the threat of nuclear war are a constant pressure in this story in the way that feels similar to what I imagine those who lived through those times had felt. In Las Vegas there is a terrifying image of the city life with a mushroom cloud nuclear explosion in the background of a distant darkened desert. During the story, Gotfield takes a major shift from his first impression and becomes mad with terror, digging away to create his own shelter for what he believes to be an inevitable nuclear war. It's a truly terrifying idea that the younger generations, myself included, take for granted.
As far as the story goes, it's one I felt unsure about at first. Arctic Nation told a very tight story with an almost complete resolution to the story. The lives of the characters went on and you weren't sure how they would carry on, but the part of the story that Blacksad was involved with had ended and he had to move on. As this series is told through his perspective it tells the reader that they too must move on. The lives of the characters in The Line would be play little part in Blacksad's future. Red Soul does the exact opposite. While the mystery itself gets solved, there area few characters who could still be very important in Blacksad's life who have unresolved endings in this story. Red Soul marks a major shift in the series. Stories will stand alone, strong as ever, but the characters stories continue on. While I can't confirm that we'll see a continuation of Blacksad's newfound love, we know that Greenberg will be heavily featured in Amarillo. I wasn't quite satisfied with Red Soul after I first read it. I felt like it was a little too bleak in its ending, it had a mystery that wasn't quite as enticing as Arcitic Nation, and the pacing was much slower than both of its predecessors.
Maybe I was starting to feel a little fatigue when I read it at one in the morning right after reading Somewhere Within the Shadows and Arctic Nation. after reading it for a second time, it felt much better. While my points in the last paragraph still hold true, I feel they actually worked to its advantage. It's meant to be a much slower burn than the previous stories and it is more depressing. It's very difficult to feel very happy at the conclusion of this story. While it still has a very distinct noir style, I didn't feel like the mystery was the most important aspect.
The major highlights of Red Soul are actually in the characters. This is the first time we really get a feel for John Blacksad. Somewhere Within the Shadows introduced him as a very typical but strong noir protagonist and this didn't change at all in Arctic Nation. Through Red Soul we get some insightful glances into Blacksad's character. We know that he attended Columbia University as a history major for year before getting expelled, most likely because of his infamous delinquency that professor Liebber always talks about. We also see how Liebber helped Blacksad in his growth as an adult, giving him a very understandable and realistic explanation for his occupation and ideals. We also see a more emotional side as he develops a relationship with the writer Alma Mayer. Although Blacksad spoke of Natalia through flashbacks in Somewhere Within the Shadows, I never felt like that part of him was explored beyond the typical noir protagonist. Without spoiling too much, I will say that his romance with Alma is very well written and gives us deeper insight into Blacksad as a human. Catman might be the correct term.
We also learn a lot about Blacksad's old professor, Otto Liebber. Again, I'll try not to spoil too much, but we do learn about his dark past. Despite his choices in life, we still see him as a fully realized character. His hopes and dreams along with the effect of his choices in the past are explored and this has given him many regrets. There is an absolutely wonderful scene where he silently walks through the slums, the homeless lying on the street and children committing small crimes, heading to an old broken down church where some homeless have sheltered themselves. He then falls to his knees and cries, without a single spoken word. It's an absolutely beautiful and tragic scene. A very intelligent man facing his past, wanting salvation from his past mistakes yet unsure whether or not he even deserves it.
As far as the story goes, it's one I felt unsure about at first. Arctic Nation told a very tight story with an almost complete resolution to the story. The lives of the characters went on and you weren't sure how they would carry on, but the part of the story that Blacksad was involved with had ended and he had to move on. As this series is told through his perspective it tells the reader that they too must move on. The lives of the characters in The Line would be play little part in Blacksad's future. Red Soul does the exact opposite. While the mystery itself gets solved, there area few characters who could still be very important in Blacksad's life who have unresolved endings in this story. Red Soul marks a major shift in the series. Stories will stand alone, strong as ever, but the characters stories continue on. While I can't confirm that we'll see a continuation of Blacksad's newfound love, we know that Greenberg will be heavily featured in Amarillo. I wasn't quite satisfied with Red Soul after I first read it. I felt like it was a little too bleak in its ending, it had a mystery that wasn't quite as enticing as Arcitic Nation, and the pacing was much slower than both of its predecessors.
Maybe I was starting to feel a little fatigue when I read it at one in the morning right after reading Somewhere Within the Shadows and Arctic Nation. after reading it for a second time, it felt much better. While my points in the last paragraph still hold true, I feel they actually worked to its advantage. It's meant to be a much slower burn than the previous stories and it is more depressing. It's very difficult to feel very happy at the conclusion of this story. While it still has a very distinct noir style, I didn't feel like the mystery was the most important aspect.
The major highlights of Red Soul are actually in the characters. This is the first time we really get a feel for John Blacksad. Somewhere Within the Shadows introduced him as a very typical but strong noir protagonist and this didn't change at all in Arctic Nation. Through Red Soul we get some insightful glances into Blacksad's character. We know that he attended Columbia University as a history major for year before getting expelled, most likely because of his infamous delinquency that professor Liebber always talks about. We also see how Liebber helped Blacksad in his growth as an adult, giving him a very understandable and realistic explanation for his occupation and ideals. We also see a more emotional side as he develops a relationship with the writer Alma Mayer. Although Blacksad spoke of Natalia through flashbacks in Somewhere Within the Shadows, I never felt like that part of him was explored beyond the typical noir protagonist. Without spoiling too much, I will say that his romance with Alma is very well written and gives us deeper insight into Blacksad as a human. Catman might be the correct term.
We also learn a lot about Blacksad's old professor, Otto Liebber. Again, I'll try not to spoil too much, but we do learn about his dark past. Despite his choices in life, we still see him as a fully realized character. His hopes and dreams along with the effect of his choices in the past are explored and this has given him many regrets. There is an absolutely wonderful scene where he silently walks through the slums, the homeless lying on the street and children committing small crimes, heading to an old broken down church where some homeless have sheltered themselves. He then falls to his knees and cries, without a single spoken word. It's an absolutely beautiful and tragic scene. A very intelligent man facing his past, wanting salvation from his past mistakes yet unsure whether or not he even deserves it.
Like every Blacksad story, there is always more that could be said. The attention to detail is breathtaking so there is always more to discuss. Instead of spending several more pages on Red Soul, I'll just give some final thoughts on the story as a whole. In comparison to Somewhere Within the Shadows and Arctic Nation, Red Soul is a much slower story. The best way to enjoy it is to take it slow. Stop and look at each frame and really let it sink in. I previously thought that none of Blacksad stories could be as good as Arctic Nation, but after closer inspection, I have come to love Red Soul just as much. It's just as good as Arctic Nation, but in its own way. Sometime in the future I might want to do a full review of the Blacksad series, full of spoilers. It would be several pages for each story because there is just so much to discuss. If you still haven't had a chance to read Blacksad, find a friend who has or buy the first collection from Dark Horse. It's well worth the price.
Final Purrdict: Purrrrrrfect!
