issues displaying sharper, higher-quality colour and fewer grainy lines. Cameos The series occasionally features anthropomorphic versions of famous people, most notably in Red Soul. Adolf Hitler is portrayed as a cat (possibly in homage to Art Spiegelman's Maus), Senator Joseph McCarthy as Senator Gallo (a rooster), Mark Rothko as Sergei Litvak (a bear), the president as an eagle, and Allen Ginsberg as Greenberg (a bison), while Otto Liebber (an owl) bears a strong resemblance to many of the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. Main characters John Blacksad – hardboiled private investigator. Blacksad was raised in a poor neighborhood and spent much of his youth running from the police. This and his service in World War II likely account for his above-average marksmanship and fighting skills. He also spent a year in college as a history major before being expelled. Like other hardboiled detectives, Blacksad narrates his stories, adding cynical commentary on the evils of the world around him. Unlucky in love, he never seems to be able to form a lasting relationship, often due to circumstances beyond his control. He usually wears a dark suit and trench coat, and uses the alias John H. Blackmore on several fake IDs, including debt collector, FBI agent and customs officer. Weekly – Blacksad's occasional sidekick. A red least weasel who does not like soap and water and has an odor problem, he has a near-constant optimistic attitude, working as a muckraker for a tabloid called the What's News. Smirnov – Police commissioner and friend of Blacksad. A brown German Shepherd, Smirnov sometimes helps Blacksad to reach the rich and powerful which he himself cannot touch due to "pressure upstairs". Volumes The first three volumes listed here are released by Dark Horse Comics as a single publication titled simply Blacksad. Somewhere Within the Shadows Blacksad investigates the murder of the famous actress Natalia Willford, whom he used to be involved with – first as a bodyguard, then in a more intimate capacity. Blacksad's first inquiries lead him to screenwriter Léon Kronski, Natalia's last known lover, who has disappeared. He finds Kronski already dead and buried under a pseudonym. After Blacksad is severely beaten by two hired thugs, the police arrest him. Smirnov, a police commissioner, explains to Blacksad that because of "pressure upstairs" he himself cannot investigate the matter any further. Smirnov offers him a deal, advantageous to both sides.