Detective cats, Irish folklore and legendary beasts

In the vast world of pop culture, what unfolds before those approaching it for the first time is a veritable universe in which to lose oneself amongst dozens of comics, films, TV series, anime, collectable cards, video games, board games and role-playing games. So here is a new weekly instalment of DECODER, the column in "Il Foglio" hosted by Gianluca De Angelis, designed as a guide to help you find your way around this ever-expanding world. Every week, three recommendations, three gateways, three points of reference to help point you in the right direction through this multiverse of diverse languages that now make up so much of our world. 

For the world of comics, this week we recommend a true cult classic: “Blacksad”, the famous comic series published in Italy by Rizzoli Lizard, set in a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, where we follow the protagonist John Blacksad – a black cat and private detective, always with a cigarette in his mouth and a perpetually crumpled coat – as he navigates 1950s America amidst murderers, corruption, nightspots and political wounds very, very close to those of our own history. A brilliant hard-boiled tale that’s an absolute must-read. Also worth checking out is the series’ first spin-off: “Weekly”, illustrated by the Italian Giovanni Rigano.

In the world of film and television, we venture into the realm of horror with “Hokum”, in Italian cinemas from 5 August courtesy of Lucky Red. A film that ingeniously blends the haunted house genre with elements more typical of folk horror, evoking fear even before revealing the sources of that fear. Perfect for those who prefer a more atmospheric brand of horror rather than one based on gore or jump scares.

Finally, our recommendation from the world of gaming is “Beast of Reincarnation”, a video game by Game Freak (the very same developers behind Pokémon) set in a post-apocalyptic Japan where a mysterious contamination has devastated the world, transforming the landscape, reducing humanity to nothing but rubble and ruin, and filling the Earth with cursed creatures. Worth noting is the gameplay, which combines real-time action with role-playing elements in a truly innovative way.

Three works to help you find your way through the world of entertainment and pop culture, a world of imagination, nostalgia and collective desires. DECODER is here to try and decode the present through its new popular myths, piecing together, week after week, episode after episode, a vast map that charts, more than ever before, the infinite nuances and directions of our present. See you next week for another trio of unmissable titles.