Chicanos

(IDW, 2005-2006)
™ and © Idea + Design Works LLC

As she puts it herself, Alejandrina Yolanda Jalisco is not like the private detectives you see on TV. That turns out to be a good thing.

The short, pudgy, unattractive chicana works a dangerous, dingy beat in New York City. A conspicuous lack of glamour works to Jalisco’s advantage as she slips by her marks unnoticed. Striving to live out the American dream, Jalisco contends with the lowest of the low in this Chaykin-esque crime noir. Despite the pluralization of the series’ title, Chicanos focuses primarily on Jalisco.

IDW Publishing brought this alternately dark, humorous and occasionally poignant European title to America featuring the longtime creative duo of Carlos Trillo and Eduardo Risso. It would be refreshing indeed if more American writers followed Trillo and Risso’s lead by throwing off the self-imposed restrictions on what female leads in comic books can look like.

— Leland Burrill

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