Blood of Palomar contains one of the creepiest and bloodiest stories of the Love & Rockets line.

Oh, it all starts out innocently enough. This collection, the eighth in the series, begins with "Sugar 'n' Spikes," a brief character sketch of the young tomboy Pipo through the eyes of a childhood chum, followed by "Space Case," which introduces some of Palomar's younger set to cosmic concepts beyond their ken.

But the bulk of this volume is "Human Diastrophism," which shakes the Palomar world to its core.

The small, Latin-American village of Palomar might want to remain remote and cut off from the modern world and its influences, but the world has a way of creeping in. In this story there are American surfers and foreign archeologists to contend with, as well as Tonantzin's growing worry with global politics -- which, one must admit, she truly does not understand despite her sincere concerns.

But the semi-insulated world of Palomar comes crashing in when a serial killer appears and no one is safe.

Blood of Palomar isn't a mystery; readers will learn the killer's identity midway through the book. But that doesn't lessen the horror as his terrible crimes continue. And, in a masterful stroke of plotting genius, Gilbert Hernandez weaves the growing artistic wonder and talent of one young man into the story. What should have been a bold revelation to Humberto is tainted by his self-absorbed silence after witnessing one of the murders -- a necessary concession, he believes, to letting his art speak for itself.

The plot builds to a fevered pitch, with a frantic resolution that is a landmark in dramatic storytelling in the graphic arts.

And just when it all seems over, one more tragedy befalls the tiny town and one of its beloved inhabitants.

This is a landmark volume that belongs in the collection of any collector of graphic novels or, for that matter, any form of quality storytelling. This is one of those books that can change people's minds about the medium.

- Rambles
written by Tom Knapp
published 28 February 2004