Manuel Montano - a Graphic Novel Review

“They offer a fortune for the person who finds something for them. What was it again? Oh yes, the source of the night! ”

You have one of those things, you want to do something and every time something else comes up. Private detective Manuel Montano now also has that. Montano, which has considerable rent arrears, can make good use of the promised capital. And as a detective, he is often on the road at night. So finding the source of the night should be a breeze for him, you would think. But every time an other case comes up. If he didn't lose the money he earned with cards, he would not need that fortune that could be made by finding the source of the night. Although he is intrigued by the night, he doesn’t get around to solve the mystery surrounding the source of the night.

"Manuel Montano" contains a large number of short stories. Montano has to investigate especially small things that make him end up in the strangest places and where he meets the strangest people. Although he seems to take on the image of Humphrey Bogart with his trench coat and Fedora, he certainly does not want to be a "troubled detective" like Philip Marlowe. I like the little investigations that seem unimportant that Montano is involved with. Although it is not a humorous album, funny things happen that make me smile. They are the things from the daily life of a private detective. All stories are also more about the life of Montano himself than about solving a mystery or even discovering things for which he was hired.

I think Fernando Luna has written fun stories. By the way, I wonder if Luna is his real name. Luna is Spanish for moon, could he be the source of the night? As far as I know he only wrote this graphic novel.
The drawings are from Miguelanxo Prado. He probably loves women because he draws them quite realistic. The men are a bit more caricatural. But for me, a comic or graphic novel doesn't always have to look realistic and polished.

As far as I know this is the only Manuel Montano album. As far as I am concerned I wouldn’t mind if there were more. I certainly enjoyed myself with “Manuel Montano".