El Borbah is a graphic novel by Charles Burns that compiles five stories featuring the titular character, a 400-pound private investigator who dons a Mexican wrestler’s mask and tights. Renowned for his tough demeanor, El Borbah navigates a dystopian, noir-inspired city filled with punks, mad scientists, and bizarre subcultures. The narratives blend science fiction and detective genres, tackling themes like body modification, cults, and societal decay. Originally published in the early 1980s, these stories showcase Burns’ distinctive art style and dark humor, offering a satirical take on pulp fiction tropes.
.
.
Charles Burns crafts eerie, hyper-controlled illustrations that probe the grotesque undercurrents of adolescence, identity, and disease. Best known for Black Hole, a haunting tale of teens afflicted by a sexually transmitted mutation, Burns fuses horror, surrealism, and suburban malaise in narratives that are as psychologically disturbing as they are visually exacting. His signature thick linework and stark black-and-white compositions amplify the unease within his stories. Deeply influenced by EC comics, punk zines, and pop surrealism, Burns helped redefine the aesthetic of independent comics, creating a uniquely unsettling body of work that lingers long after reading.
_the PATH forward:

.
Charles Burns crafts eerie, hyper-controlled illustrations that probe the grotesque undercurrents of adolescence, identity, and disease. Best known for Black Hole, a haunting tale of teens afflicted by a sexually transmitted mutation, Burns fuses horror, surrealism, and suburban malaise in narratives that are as psychologically disturbing as they are visually exacting. His signature thick linework and stark black-and-white compositions amplify the unease within his stories. Deeply influenced by EC comics, punk zines, and pop surrealism, Burns helped redefine the aesthetic of independent comics, creating a uniquely unsettling body of work that lingers long after reading.
El Borbah is a graphic novel by Charles Burns that compiles five stories featuring the titular character, a 400-pound private investigator who dons a Mexican wrestler’s mask and tights. Renowned for his tough demeanor, El Borbah navigates a dystopian, noir-inspired city filled with punks, mad scientists, and bizarre subcultures. The narratives blend science fiction and detective genres, tackling themes like body modification, cults, and societal decay. Originally published in the early 1980s, these stories showcase Burns’ distinctive art style and dark humor, offering a satirical take on pulp fiction tropes. Comix, Charles Burns, Fantagraphics, 2010 Fantagraphics 978-1560976936 Charles Burns 2010