Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder: The Complete Graphic Noir of Manchette Tardi Vol. 1 by Jean-Patrick ManchetteMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder Volume 1 collects two tales written by Jean-Patrick Manchette and illustrated by Tardi, as well as pages from two more unfinished tales. And it's spectacular.
The older I get, the more I seek out Fantagraphics books, the works that are off the beaten path. I don't remember what originally sparked my interested in the Manchette & Tardi slipcase edition of Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder but I'm glad I scooped it up. I've read a few hundred crime books over the years but I've read very few crime comics. Manchette & Tardi might be changing that.
The first story in the book features a legal advisor/bill collector getting pulled into a tangled web of lies and murder after getting duped into stealing some files. The second features a disillusioned executive getting pulled into a tangled web of murder after saving someone's life.
The plots of the stories are straight out of detective noir books and films. Some guy finds himself balls deep in a hornet's nest of deception and murder and struggles to escape without being stung to death. That's all I'll say to prevent spoilage. The writing and stories themselves remind me of Jim Thompson. Everyone goes to hell in the end.
The art is very striking. Tardi's faces have echoes of Moebius but everything else reminds me of David Mazzuchelli from the Batman: Year One era. I wonder if Tardi was influenced by Mazz or they share some influences. Either way, it's a great looking book with stark blacks, minimalist figures, and bleak Parisian cityscapes.
Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder volume 1 is a great noir work. I'm glad I have volume 2 on deck. Five out of five bullet riddled hitmen.
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