Black Cat Crossing

by Richard Sala

Take a walk down a crooked pathway, past the strangely-shaped shadows, the ghostly apparitions. Try to avoid that peculiar gent with the ax. You're searching for some club, some missing piece of the puzzle that's got you perplexed. Duck down that ominous alley, before you know it, you've arrived — at Black Cat Crossing.This is where you'll find over a dozen of Richard Sala's best comic strips.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Comix, Fiction, Mystery

95 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Richard Sala grew up with a fascination for musty old museums, dusty old libraries, cluttered antique shops, narrow alleyways, hidden truths, double meanings, sinister secrets and spooky old houses. He has written and drawn a number of unusual graphic novels which often combine elements of classic mystery and horror stories and which have been known to cause readers to emit chuckles as well as gasps. Although most of his books are written with teens and older readers in mind, his book, CAT BURGLAR BLACK, can be enjoyed by younger readers as well.

To view current art and activity, please visit: http://richardsala.tumblr.com

Note: I am new to GoodReads ~ and I am happy to have a place dedicated to sharing my love of books with other book lovers. Please be patient with me if I seem rather slow and clumsy! Thanks to all my readers over the years!

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While America was falling in love with that douchebag Harvey Pekar I was reading Richard Sala, a man of wealth and taste. If you like creepy horror films from the Thirties you will love Mister Sala. His women are drawn in a strangely sexy manner and his cats are the most sinister looking beasts in the history of comics. A+

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

The jagged stroke was not that easy on the eyes.
But the effects were rather hypnotic.
Psycho Rama was my personal favorite.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Cat Crossing is a collection of brief comics by Richard Sala and was my first introduction to his work, although I also own a copy of Poison Flowers and Pandemonium. Black Cat Crossing is mostly in black and white, as opposed to his generally beautifully colorful works, but otherwise is a perfect introduction to his talent.

I picked this one up specifically for it's early (first?) depiction of Judy Drood, whose further adventures I've been most interested in reading. The Judy Drood strip turned out to be one of my favorites, along with the alphabetical and rhyming "Psychorama." The only two I didn't particularly like were "One of the Wonders of the World" due to dog death and "The Peculiar Case of Dr. V" due to implied animal deaths. These are also just due to personal preferences against animal death, and not to any lack of quality in the stories.

Overall this is a great collection, both for Sala fans and those just getting interested in his work.

[Betzim Gdolot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psycho killers, cults, ignorant characters, conspiracy theories and the occult. This pretty much summarizes what this book is all about and is a very good representation of Sala's work in my opinion.

This collection of short stories gathers pulpy tales written by Richard Sala and compiled from various magazines, showcasing his distinctive artistic vision.
I really enjoyed most of the stories and love how Sala manages to tell his narratives in a pulpy, entertaining way that never takes itself too seriously, yet always features colorful characters and fascinating premises.

A must read for Sala fans and an excellent introduction for those wanting to discover his unique work for the first time.

[Lightwhisper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different stories, some better than others to me, but very imaginative.. creative!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of Richard Sala. Black Cat Crossing seems like it may be older material; this is a very short collection of mostly 1-2 page strips and very short stories, some of which have familiar characters from his more recent and longer works (and in fact that's what makes me think these are older). I prefer his more developed tales, but all the same creepy and kooky elements that I love from the longer stuff are present in Black Cat Crossing - mystery, absurdity, conspiracy, occult themes (usually so bizarre and outré as to be nearly a parody of occult themes, but very light on the sarcasm, which I appreciate) and a general weirdo Halloweentown feel. I bought this used copy recently, and I finally picked up off the recent acquisitions pile last night and blasted through it. I was just teasing myself really - now I wish Sala would put out something new in time for fall!

[Ricky Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Everything about this book was excellent. The art, the campy writing in some parts, the serious noir writing in others. It was all so great! Maybe there's a tinge of nostalgia that's influencing me here because Sala's work seems to have inspired a lot of things I loved when I was younger. Can't wait to check out more of his stuff!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features the obliquely-referenced in MAD NIGHT "secret origin" of Judy Drood, Girl Detective.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most quintessential Richard Sala book in that it showcases his best skills. The art is absolutely top notch Sala style art (which is not for everyone but very unique) with mostly black and white work with some excellent color work included (and he was really great at both styles.) But the real strength is the short form stories that Sala excelled at. In his later years, he seemed to get hung up on campy spy/go-go girl sort of thrillers which were just okay. But these short stories (some only a single page) are a perfect blend of weird horror and mystery. There's just enough information in many of them to leave you thinking with art that you don't get tired of looking at.

[Luke Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slight uneven collection of lesser works by a guy I generally love. Maybe don't start here if you're new to Sala, but still a lot of catnip for me in here. Love his whole deal. RIP.

[Al Capwned · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven work I would say. Not all of the stories are that good but I can appreciate Richard Sala's unique style.

[Al McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sala knew no peer.