A review by rosseroo
Black Blizzard by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
3.0
This gorgeously produced reprint of a 1956 pulp story by Japanese legend Tatsumi is a diverting enough 20-minute read, but doesn't contain a whole lot of depth. You learn why at the end of the book, where a brief interview with the author reveals that he wrote and illustrated it in three weeks when he was 21. Pretty impressive, but as a result the art and story definitely feel rushed. The story is a kind of hoary one that Tatsumi says was inspired by a story he read in a pulp fiction magazine. You know you're in for something minor when the author admits to being embarrassed by its republication some 50 years later.
The story revolves around two criminals, who are being transported to jail in a train that derails, allowing them to escape. One is a young pianist convicted of murder, but uncertain of whether he actually did it, the other is an older man, convicted of murder for the second or third time and headed for a life sentence. Unfortunately, they are handcuffed together and there's a blizzard, so they have to survive the elements while evading the police dragnet. Looming over them both is the issue of whether they will be able to eventually split up without someone losing a hand.
It seems the pianist became involved with a girl from a circus, and encouraged her to pursue her musical dreams. However, her father discouraged her, and when he turns up dead, the pianist is arrested and convicted. The art telegraphs the groaner of a plot twist that is revealed at the end, and the whole thing ends up feeling kind of cheap. So, although the atmospheric elements of the storm are fairly evocative and cinematic, the story itself comes across as third-rate film noir. Due to the rapid production schedule, there's not much subtlety in the artwork. On the whole, if you're interested in graphic fiction, it's probably worth the very brief time it takes to read, but don't go out of your way to track it down.
The story revolves around two criminals, who are being transported to jail in a train that derails, allowing them to escape. One is a young pianist convicted of murder, but uncertain of whether he actually did it, the other is an older man, convicted of murder for the second or third time and headed for a life sentence. Unfortunately, they are handcuffed together and there's a blizzard, so they have to survive the elements while evading the police dragnet. Looming over them both is the issue of whether they will be able to eventually split up without someone losing a hand.
It seems the pianist became involved with a girl from a circus, and encouraged her to pursue her musical dreams. However, her father discouraged her, and when he turns up dead, the pianist is arrested and convicted. The art telegraphs the groaner of a plot twist that is revealed at the end, and the whole thing ends up feeling kind of cheap. So, although the atmospheric elements of the storm are fairly evocative and cinematic, the story itself comes across as third-rate film noir. Due to the rapid production schedule, there's not much subtlety in the artwork. On the whole, if you're interested in graphic fiction, it's probably worth the very brief time it takes to read, but don't go out of your way to track it down.