Dark Noir In ’The Far South’

Guest post by Matthew Ilseman

Sometimes the best comics I find are ones I pick up without knowing anything about. This was true of horror comic The Rush. It is also true of The Far South, a title I found in my local shop emblazoned with Crooks, Pimps, and Gauchos.

Having been fascinated by gauchos since I first discovered them by reading Borges, I had to pick this up. The comic takes place in early 20th century Uruguay. It is by author Roldolfo Santullo and artist Leoandro Fernandez.  I was suitably impressed by the three stories in the first issue. I pre-ordered the second. Both will be collected in a graphic novel.

The central setting to the comic is Montoya’s a bar visited by the before mentioned crooks, pimps, and gauchos. It is watched over by the mysterious and stoic owner of the same name. Montoya runs the bar and listens to his patrons tells of crime and corruption. They are a motley and colorful group. The most interesting is a seemingly omniscient thief known as Capybaras Lopez. Not much is shown about Montoya. He is silent and known as a man of honor. If so, he is the only one in the book. Capybaras Lopez is even more mysterious. It is left to the reader to determine if he even exists or is a legend that just sprung up. (When interviewed by a reporter on a thief, Montoya says “When the legend becomes fact. Print the legend.” He says he heard this from a one-eyed gringo. So director John Ford apparently visited Montoya’s.)

The story, published in two issues and to be released as a single graphic novel, is made up of smaller stories. There is a tale of man seeking vengeance on Montoya, a boy who may have had an encounter with Capybaras Lopez, Lopez’s robbery of an evil rancher. Also important is the back ground element of a truckers strike. This plays an important part in the bloody conclusion.

I must say I like Fernandez’s artwork. His style is gritty. It is stylized to a certain extent, but not to the point of being too cartoony. It fits well with the themes of the book.

I would suggest this to people looking for a raw, gritty crime story set in an interesting location. Fans of Frank Miller’s Sin City would probably enjoy it.

South Uruguay is not a setting often seen at least in North America. I don’t know much Uruguay’s history. I imagine like so many frontier countries it has a history of violence.

I would avoid this if you are looking for a comic that is family friendly. This is a story about corruption where few are innocent. In the main storyline involving the strike, neither the union nor the corporate heads come out as good. People are driven by base motives like greed and lust. So, this is noir and pretty dark noir at that. That said it is a series of wild tales with great art. It seems that it has not gotten as much press as the latest massive superhero crossover. That’s a shame since comics are a medium that can tell any type of story.

The Far South is a tale well told. So come to Montoya’s, pull up a stool, and keep your eyes open. If you do you might just survive the night.