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Chicanos #1
Chicanos Volume 1
The smash European series Chicanos arrives on these shores with this first volume of an ongoing series recounting the misadventures of A.Y. Jalisco, Private Detective. Penned by Carlos Trillo and featuring art by fan favorite Eduardo Risso (100 Bullets), Chicanos follows Jalisco, an unattractive, short Mexican woman who follows her dream of becoming a private eye in the U.S. while trying to stay one step ahead of the bad luck which inevitably follows her.
Collects Chicanos 1-8.
Collects Chicanos 1-8.
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 1997
About the author
Carlos Trillo
384 books89 followersCarlos Trillo was an Argentine comic book writer. Trillo began a prolific career as writer already at the age of 20, writing his first story for Patoruzú magazine. Trillo created, together with Horacio Altuna, the strip El Loco Chávez, which appeared every day at the back of the newspaper Clarín from July 26, 1975 to November 10, 1987. After that, the strip was replaced by El Negro Blanco, which he wrote for the artist Ernesto García Seijas until September 1993. He married writer Ema Wolf and had two children. He participated on the creation of several comics including Cybersix in 1992, with Carlos Meglia, and the Clara de noche and Cicca Dum Dum series with Jordi Bernet. He has also collaborated with Alberto Breccia and Alejandro Dolina. In 1999, his work La grande arnaque won the Prize for Scenario at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He died in London on May 8, 2011, while on holiday with his wife.
(Source: Wikipedia)
(Source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 19, 2018
NOTE: I read the individual issues, not the trade paperback, but I assume they’re pretty much identical.
The prevailing wisdom in comics is that a great story can compensate for less-than-great art but great art can’t make up for a lousy story. It’s true, and I’d say “Chicanos,” written by Carlos Trillo and drawn by Eduardo Risso, takes that notion a step even further: astounding art is no match in the face of a shitty story. Though beautiful, “Chicanos” is a sloppy, frustrating, and unsatisfying series.
“Chicanos” is the story of Y.A. Jalisco, a short, ugly, and busty Mexican woman trying to carve out a niche for herself as a private detective in New York City. That unflattering description is not mine; every character in “Chicanos,” including Jalisco herself, repeatedly points out how dumb and unattractive she is. Jalisco is frequently betrayed, beaten, double-crossed, put down, and insulted. She laments her treatment but is ultimately resigned to it because she thinks so lowly of herself. I’m not sure what Trillo is trying to accomplish by making Jalisco endure so much abuse but, given the rest of Trillo’s work in the series, it’s fitting as he seems to have very little idea of what he wants the story to be or say. The easiest reference point would be “100 Bullets,” the gritty crime noir series by Brian Azzarello, because it also deals with criminal acts and features Eduardo Risso as its artist, but “Chicanos” has none of the nuance, clever plotting, or drama of that far superior series. Even worse, Trillo’s stories are astoundingly sexist, misogynistic, and transphobic. I stuck it out because I adore Risso’s inventive, dynamic art but it was a struggle, I’m not gonna lie.
It’s very possible that “Chicanos” lost a lot in translation but, for me, the humor fell flat, the stories were messy, and the series was a big disappointment. Unlike the art, which transcends culture and context, the writing couldn’t make the same leap. It’s a shame because it really is a nice looking series.
The prevailing wisdom in comics is that a great story can compensate for less-than-great art but great art can’t make up for a lousy story. It’s true, and I’d say “Chicanos,” written by Carlos Trillo and drawn by Eduardo Risso, takes that notion a step even further: astounding art is no match in the face of a shitty story. Though beautiful, “Chicanos” is a sloppy, frustrating, and unsatisfying series.
“Chicanos” is the story of Y.A. Jalisco, a short, ugly, and busty Mexican woman trying to carve out a niche for herself as a private detective in New York City. That unflattering description is not mine; every character in “Chicanos,” including Jalisco herself, repeatedly points out how dumb and unattractive she is. Jalisco is frequently betrayed, beaten, double-crossed, put down, and insulted. She laments her treatment but is ultimately resigned to it because she thinks so lowly of herself. I’m not sure what Trillo is trying to accomplish by making Jalisco endure so much abuse but, given the rest of Trillo’s work in the series, it’s fitting as he seems to have very little idea of what he wants the story to be or say. The easiest reference point would be “100 Bullets,” the gritty crime noir series by Brian Azzarello, because it also deals with criminal acts and features Eduardo Risso as its artist, but “Chicanos” has none of the nuance, clever plotting, or drama of that far superior series. Even worse, Trillo’s stories are astoundingly sexist, misogynistic, and transphobic. I stuck it out because I adore Risso’s inventive, dynamic art but it was a struggle, I’m not gonna lie.
It’s very possible that “Chicanos” lost a lot in translation but, for me, the humor fell flat, the stories were messy, and the series was a big disappointment. Unlike the art, which transcends culture and context, the writing couldn’t make the same leap. It’s a shame because it really is a nice looking series.
April 19, 2020
He fits so many intense cases -she's a P.I.- in this long read that took a few sessions to finish. Trillo's engaging "barrio crime" literature of this length needs more time than usual for proper immersion but it's ultimately very rewarding.
Trillo gets the old double tragedy mask action by giving her intrinsic comedy because of her shockingly unique "fugly" looks which beget apathy for all the resultant burdens and sadness. Then he proves she's actually perfect for her work despite common thought process!
He gets the initial "¿Seriously?" then makes her progressively more interesting, believable and human as she finds a place in your heart- all while squirting (ha!) comedy into the drama without compromising the dramatic flow.
It's VIOLENT but not pushing boundaries of reality- someone is committing each of the heinous acts somewhere in this world every day.
I've never been a fan of Risso's art but it's in NO way lacking in skill. He wows me at times but does more to annoy me. He puts too much full blackout space in his panels -even for the detective genre- because it's constantly distracting instead of accentuating the rest of the panels which also routinely suffer from poor sizing choices and awkward positioning.
Trillo gets the old double tragedy mask action by giving her intrinsic comedy because of her shockingly unique "fugly" looks which beget apathy for all the resultant burdens and sadness. Then he proves she's actually perfect for her work despite common thought process!
He gets the initial "¿Seriously?" then makes her progressively more interesting, believable and human as she finds a place in your heart- all while squirting (ha!) comedy into the drama without compromising the dramatic flow.
It's VIOLENT but not pushing boundaries of reality- someone is committing each of the heinous acts somewhere in this world every day.
I've never been a fan of Risso's art but it's in NO way lacking in skill. He wows me at times but does more to annoy me. He puts too much full blackout space in his panels -even for the detective genre- because it's constantly distracting instead of accentuating the rest of the panels which also routinely suffer from poor sizing choices and awkward positioning.
November 10, 2016
Chicanos je skup kratkih priča o Alejandrini Jalisco, vrlo neobičnoj ali izrazito simpatičnoj privatnoj istražiteljici kojoj ne cvjetaju ruže ni na privatnom ni na poslovnom planu, U pitanju su ne previše originalne ali vješto ispričane krimi-pričice s dobrom dozom (crnog) humora. Niti jedna priča ne odskače nešto posebno, no s vremenom mi je sam lik Jolisco postao drag, pa me iskreno zasmetalo sve čemu ju je Trillo u drugoj knjizi izložio. Čitajući ju imao sam osjećaj kao da je prešao iz prikaza/kritike društva u čisto ismijavanje svog glavnog lika. Iako je očito napravio dobar posao natjeravši me da se zbližim s likom, ne mogu mu oprostiti sudbinu koju joj je namijenio. Ono čemu se pak ne može pronaći previše zamjerki je Rissov vrlo dobar crtež. Neobični kutevi i snažni crno-bijeli kontrasti stvaraju dobru atmosferu i s lakoćom drže čitatelja prikovanog za strip, pa na kraju crtež ostavlja bolji dojam nego priča. Ipak, spomenutim zamjerkama unatoč, ni priča nije loša i u pitanju je jedan sasvim dobar strip. Vjerojatno mu se neću vraćati, ali mogu reći da mi je drago što sam ga pročitao.
Want to Read
October 26, 2012Never heard about any other Risso illustrated books besides 100 bullets & Batman Broken City but had o try these out. Absolutely love the storytelling in Chicanos & the play on the detective who always tries to do her best but bad luck always follows her. Great storyelling & panels from Risso; book was in black & white but the story just looks even better this way
July 4, 2012
19.99
February 4, 2013
Još jednom si potvrđujem da su Trillove priče genijalne, samo što Risso nije pravi ilustrator za njega.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews