Grandville [Hardcover]

Bryan Talbot (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2011

Two hundred years ago, Britain lost the Napoleonic War and fell under the thumb of French domination. Gaining independence after decades of civil disobedience and anarchist bombings, the Socialist Republic of Britain is now a small, unimportant backwater connected by a railway bridge, steam-powered dirigible, and mutual suspicion to France. When a British diplomat is murdered to look like suicide, ferocious Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard stalks a ruthless murder squad through the heart of a Belle Epoque Paris, the center of the greatest empire in a world of steam-driven hansom cabs, automatons, and flying machines. LeBrock's relentless quest can lead only to death, truth... or war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Talbot follows up the admirable but abstruse Alice in Sunderland with an engrossing blend of steampunk, Victorian-flavored detective stories, anthropomorphized animals and 9/11 allegory. The storytelling skills that he brought to The Tale of One Bad Rat are firing on all cylinders as he spins the tale of Scotland Yard's bodybuilding badger, Insp.-Det. Archie LeBrock searching for a murder squad, a trail of violent intrigue leading to France. In this alternate historical setting, Britain fell under French rule during the Napoleonic Wars and became the Socialist Republic of Britain, a situation rife with civil disobedience, explosive terrorism and mutual suspicion between the two countries, all simmering elements that could lead to war. The murder LeBrock and his adjunct, Detective Ratzi, are investigating may somehow be tied to a mysterious grand plan, leading to a tightly woven tapestry of sex, violence and political intrigue containing strong commentary on 9/11 and the political machinations that fueled it. The animal-headed characters—alluding to The Wind and the Willows—just add to an entertaining and multileveled whodunit by a master storyteller. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Already famous for creating one of graphic fiction’s most memorable characters, universe-hopping Luther Arkwright, Talbot tries his hand here at creating another, albeit of a very different stripe. And the stripe in this case is literally on the head of Scotland Yard Inspector LeBrock, a muscular, talking badger with a penchant for fisticuffs. The opening installment in a projected five-part series, this beautifully illustrated murder mystery is one part Sherlock Holmes, another part Wind in the Willows, wrapped in a steampunk veneer. Not only badgers, but also rats, dogs, and every other kind of talking animal populate Talbot’s alternate nineteenth-century Britain and France. An increasingly suspenseful plot finds LeBrock and his stalwart assistant, Detective Ratzi (a rat, of course), investigating the murder of a British diplomat. The trail leads across the channel bridge into a second-empire-controlled Paris still reeling from the terroristic destruction of a famous tower. The hirsute pair’s clue-collecting takes them through Parisian back alleys into nightclubs and brothels in which they tangle with assorted gun-wielding canines and uncover a French government plot to launch an even more deadly terrorist attack on its own citizens. Talbot’s masterful attention to detail, down to his character’s muzzles and whiskers, makes every panel a work of art. One of Talbot’s best graphic novels to date. --Carl Hays

Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595823972
• ISBN-13: 978-1595823977
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need a sequel now!, February 10, 2010

By 

Inspector Gadget "Go Go Gadget Reviews" (On the trail of Doctor Claw) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandville (Hardcover)

I came across Grandville by chance in a book store while browsing the graphic novel section and instantly fascinated by its wonderful artwork, brilliant anthropomorphic characters and steampunk Victorian setting. I love a good mystery and detective stories are certainly my thing. I had to have it!

A heroic badger Inspector LeBrock and his sidekick Roderick investigate the death of a British diplomat who appears to have been murdered by a group of French conspirators. In this alternate-history Napoleon (a lion) successfully invaded Britain but begrudgingly gave it up after anarchist attacks. LeBrock's case leads him deep into a mire of deceit and political power-plays that mirror many modern day events such as the 9/11 terror attacks and the mess of the Iraq war.

Only a muscle-bound badass badger cop can save the day.

Grandville is nothing if not ambitious, and yet it pulls off everything with ease. It seamlessly blends the alternate history, steampunk, detective and furry genres. Bryan Talbot glides from scene to scene with not a single extraneous panel.

The book is printed in a lovely, tall hardback with colourful, glossy pages. It's definitely a keeper and I strongly recommend it to any and all comic-book and graphic novel enthusiasts. I eagerly await the sequel "Grandville Mon Amour".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Witless Were Badgered, December 7, 2009

By 

P. M. Cooper (Under the Bed in Alabama) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grandville (Hardcover)

This Grandville is a steampunk'd, anthropomorphic animal'd eurofeast of a funnybook. Mr. Talbot has really created a romp of a story, even managing to weave a shadowy 911 parallel up in there. There are quite a few nods to European comic characters as well. Doppelganger's of Herge's Snowy (Tintin) and Velter's Spirou are the two that stand out the most to me. I'm certain I missed several more, but I DID witness his wink to Spiegelman's Maus in the early village scene. The book also features a wide zoological range, most of them firing weapons of mess destruction and/or horn stabbings. Hopefully, Mr. T will turn this into an ongoing (semi?)annual treat for the comic masses. Loudly Recommendated!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, just great., November 17, 2009

By 

Sergio Carravetta - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grandville (Hardcover)

I have hardly read a graphic novel of this quality before, both in drawings and script. Mr. Bryan Talbot has done magic.