Grandville, by Bryan Talbot

[Wanderlust]

Steampunk French-controlled Britain... with animals.

Brought to my attention by the ever-useful Judge Dredd: The Megazine, this graphic novel comes from the same stable as Luther Arkwright, and Heart of Empire - both of which I've yet to read, but sound immensely appealing.

Grandville deals with Britain as a French colony - one that is utterly despised by it's occupiers. We see Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard (a badger) leaving the Socialist Republic of Britain for France via the Railway Bridge the French used to annex Britain to it's Empire...

And, well, that's all I've seen so far. That and a Horse in a studded leather harness showuing 'BLOW THIS COG-SUCKER AWAY!'.

Does anyone know what I'm on about?

Do they ever?

Well, have some linkage anyway.

http://www.bryan-talbot.com/grandville/index.php#grandvilleart

Edit: I should probably point out that this shouldn't be dismissed, for those with a want of doing so, as 'Furryism'. It's more along the lines of fantasy. Fantasy steampunk at that. Just with animals for the characters.

 

[Ivan Druzhkov]

Edit: I should probably point out that this shouldn't be dismissed, for those with a want of doing so, as 'Furryism'. It's more along the lines of fantasy. Fantasy steampunk at that. Just with animals for the characters.

So, in other words, like a Jason comic, only without the existential despair.

(Oh, and I bought Heart of Empire the other day. I'm not that familiar with Talbot's work, so do I have to do any prior readings before I start this one?)

 

[Landshark]

While I support steampunk and badger based law enforcement I have to say: FRENCH RULED BRITAIN!?! NO BRYAN TALBOT, NO!!!

Also the artwork for this doesn't seem to have the rawness of his earlier stuff.

 

[Wanderlust]

I think Luther Arkwright is the first part of Heart of Empire, but Grandville is unrelated. I've not actually read any of 'em in full yet. Only Alice in Sunderland.

 

[Wanderlust]

While I support steampunk and badger based law enforcement I have to say: FRENCH RULED BRITAIN!?! NO BRYAN TALBOT, NO!!!

Also the artwork for this doesn't seem to have the rawness of his earlier stuff.

Britain got independence though.

Is this a good time to tell you about my timeline where Ireland Rules Britain and sacrifices it to draw the French socialist Empire into an island-wide Stalingrad?

 

[Ivan Druzhkov]

Ah, here we go. It appears that Grandville is a reference to this fellow, a famous 19th-century French caricaturist who worked under the pen name of J. T. Grandville. It appears that he works with animal-based caricatures, which explains that.

Picked this up yesterday, and I'll probably get to it once I've finished Leviathan and Why Are You Doing This?

 

[B_Munro]

Hmm...not sure if I like the art style. An intellegent badger shouldn't have such human-looking hands. It's vaguely disturbing in a man-with-the-head-of-a-chicken way.

Bruce

 

[Ivan Druzhkov]

Well, I read it about a week ago, and it was all right. Nice art, plenty of action, and not at all creepy. Was a little disappointed at the story, which involves a secret cabal in the French government with a plot that won't elicit any surprise to anyone who's been on the Internet since 2003, but it's probably for the best if you don't take it too seriously.

Oh, and there's also a few weird Tinitin references that are relevant to the plot, which is always amusing in a graphic novel.