Insanity in Black and White: Borderline by Trillo & Risso

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Borderline, Carlos Trillo, collection, Dynamite Entertainment, Eduardo Risso, first issue, Indie Comics

Four paperback volumes collect Borderline by Eduardo Risso and Carlos Trillo, the artist/writer team of Chicanos. Many fans know Risso from 100 Bullets. This science fiction serial overflows with weirdness, mental instability, assassination, and spying, rendered in Risso’s incredible high-contrast black and white style.

Not for the little tykes, Borderline graphically depicts sex and violence in the course of twisted psychological and combat games the characters play. Trillo and Risso grind out a super-gritty, futuristic drama for publishers Dynamite Entertainment.

Reading Borderline in collected form like a novel can be frustrating, as each snippet is more of an individual work of art than a device for advancing the plot. Yes, a kind of over-arching plot unifies the stories, and the set does have a final resolution to its story. But, the storytellers seem more concerned with immersing the reader in the madness of the drama than moving it forward. If anything, it reminds us of Spy Vs. Spy cartoons by Antonio Prohías – except deadly, horrifyingly serious.

We recently sold our set on eBay, but collectors can usually pick up the four Borderline Trade Paperbacks for about $10-$15 a piece.