Grandville (comics)
Grandville | |
---|---|
Publisher | Jonathan Cape (UK) Dark Horse Comics (US) Milady (France) Comma 22 (Italy) Schreiber&Leser (Germany) Jemma Press (Greece) Astiberri (Spain) Comics Centrum (Czech Republic) Darkwood (Serbia) |
Creative team | |
Writers | Bryan Talbot |
Artists | Bryan Talbot |
Original publication | |
Issues | 5 |
Date of publication | 15 October 2009 - November 2017 |
Language | English |
Grandville is a
The plot of the first book, entitled Grandville and published on 15 October 2009, sees LeBrock investigating a
In the second volume, Grandville Mon Amour, published on 2 December 2010, LeBrock attempts to track down an escaped serial killer that he previously brought to justice. Grandville Bête Noire was published in 2012. The fourth volume, Grandville: Nöel, was published on 6 November 2014. The fifth and final volume, Grandville: Force Majeure, was released in November 2017.[1]
Development
Talbot writes in his book that Grandville is inspired by the work of
Grandville makes several references to modern day political events. There are references to the
The books contain references to other works, such as The Adventures of Tintin.[3] In Bete Noire, a cameo is made by the character Professor Philip Mortimer, who is immediately killed off by the antagonist. Well-known anthropomorphic animal characters make cameo appearances and some of the panels are humorous nods to well-known 19th century paintings, such as The Absinthe Drinker by Edgar Degas,[5] Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte, The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte,[6] Work by Ford Madox Brown[7] and The Awakening Conscience by William Holman Hunt.[8]
Setting
Grandville is set in a
In this world, Britain lost the war with
The
Following independence, Britain became "The Socialist Republic of Britain" and is now linked to the French Empire by the Channel railway bridge. However, a considerable degree of animosity remained between French and British people. Paris, the capital of the French Empire, is the biggest city in the world, known by the nickname of "Grandville".
The vast majority of individuals in Grandville are anthropomorphic animals although humans do exist. Most French humans are from
Main character
The main character in the series is Detective Inspector Archibald "Archie" LeBrock, a large, heavily built badger. He works for Scotland Yard and is assisted by Detective Roderick Ratzi, a dapper, monocle-wearing rat.
In the comics it is revealed that, as a youth, LeBrock was part of a British resistance group known as the "Brixton Irregulars". In his early years in the police he was previously married for two years to another badger, Florence, who was murdered by the psychopathic Cray twins.[Note 2] LeBrock killed one twin, Eugene, in revenge and in the line of duty; the other twin, Stanley, was jailed but it is mentioned in Grandville: Bête Noire that he is soon to be released.[13] LeBrock has two children by Florence, boy and girl twins who live in Cumberland with LeBrock's mother and uncle for safety.[14] In the original Grandville book LeBrock falls in love with Sarah Blairow, a badger performer at the Folies Bergère, who is murdered in the first book.[15] He then falls in love again, with Billie, a prostitute, in Grandville: Mon Amour because of her strong resemblance to Sarah. In Noel, Billie reveals that she is pregnant with his child.
Volumes
The first book was released in October 2009 as a
Title | Publication date | Plot summary |
---|---|---|
Grandville | 15 October 2009 |
Following the murder of British diplomat Raymond Leigh-Otter, LeBrock and Ratzi travel to Paris in order to find the killer. During their investigation they uncover a political conspiracy to start a new war between Britain and France. |
Grandville Mon Amour | 2 December 2010 |
Three weeks after the events of Grandville, LeBrock learns that old adversary, serial killer Edward "Mad Dog" Mastock (previously a hero of the British Revolution), has escaped from the Tower of London moments before his execution for murdering several prostitutes. After being told he is off the case due to his long absence, LeBrock quits his job to track down Mastock himself. |
Grandville Bête Noire | 9 December 2012 |
Ten weeks prior to the story, France experienced a revolution following the death of his locked and guarded studio .
|
Grandville: Nöel | 18 November 2014 | Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard again returns to Grandville. This time, he is following the trail of his housekeeper's 16-year-old niece, who has run away from home to join a religious cult. The cult leaders, a unicorn messiah and his con-men cronies, are already responsible for mass murder in the United States; they now have their sights set on a take over of political power in France. |
Grandville: Force Majeure | 14 November 2017 | Tiberius Koenig, the most powerful Crime Lord in all of France, plans to take over the British Criminal Underworld, but first, revenge on LeBrock. LeBrock also clashes with British gangster Stanley Cray (the brother of his wife's murderer). |
Reception
The Grandville series has received positive reviews.
Ryan Agee from The Skinny gave the first volume, Grandville, four out of five stars, writing: "Corny puns abound, but this is a stunningly well drawn book with a compelling mystery, and a great detective team at it's [sic] heart. Great stuff."[17]
Neel Mukherjee in
Rich Johnston from Bleeding Cool wrote that: "I love this comic. It's big, bold, brash, insanely detailed and has badgers torturing frogs. There are steam powered carriages and robots, gratuitous violence, big explosions, lots of kicking, a decent ending and Inspector LeBrock finding himself a long, long way from Wind In the Willows. It can be appreciated on so many levels and with so many potential fanbases basically performing bukkake upon the pages, it should appeal to a lot of people. even those who have a problem with a talking snobby French fish butler with legs. Also, don't try to work out the evolutionary timelines. It will just mess with your head. But do enjoy."[19]
Joe McCulloch from The Savage Critics was less positive however, writing: "This doesn't automatically lend itself to a tremendous amount of depth, frankly, and the somewhat stale, vengeful nature of Talbot's plot leaves it teetering on the edge of embarrassing-silly instead of fun-silly."[20]
Grandville Mon Amour was reviewed by Michael Moorcock for The Guardian, who said "[a]lthough Talbot's narratives lack the complexity or originality of Alan Moore's, he brings a rare subtlety, even beauty, to his medium. His drawing is first class and his dialogue superb, adding credibility to his characterization while moving the story along at a laconic lick."[21]
Grandville Mon Amour won the 2012 Prix SNCF for Best crime fiction in the Comics category.[22][23]
Grandville Bête Noire has been nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for best graphic story.[24]
Notes
- ^ In real life, the venue of the well-known, annual Angoulême International Comics Festival.
- ^ A reference to the real-life Kray twins
References
- Citations
- ^ "Grandville". The Official Bryan Talbot Website. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Talbot (2009), p.10
- ^ a b "Review of Grandville by Bryan Talbot". The Official Bryan Talbot Website. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Manning, Shaun (25 August 2010). "Bryan Talbot's "Grandville Mon Amour"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-62115-228-6.
- ISBN 978-1-63008-119-5.
- ISBN 978-1-62115-601-7.
- ISBN 978-1-63008-119-5.
- ^ "An interview with Benjamin Berton". The Official Brian Talbot Website. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
- ^ Talbot (2009), p. 17
- ^ Talbot (2009), p. 19
- ^ Talbot (2012), p. 60
- ISBN 978-1-59582-890-3.
- ^ Talbot (2012), p. 95
- ^ Talbot (2009), p. 74
- ^ Ó Méalóid, Pádraig (December 17, 2014). "Bryan Talbot Talks About Grandville Noël". www.comicsbeat.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ Agee, Ryan (12 October 2009). "Grandville by Bryan Talbot". The Skinny. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ Mukherjee, Neel (14 November 2009). "Grandville by Bryan Talbot and Stitches: A Memoir by David Small". The Times. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ Johnston, Rich (11 August 2009). "Review: Grandville By Bryan Talbot". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ McCulloch, Joe (8 October 2009). "The Political Fursona". The Savage Critics. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ Moorcock, Michael (December 11, 2010). "Grandville Mon Amour by Bryan Talbot – review". The Guardian. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ Sykes, Nicholas (5 November 2020). "SNCF". SNCF. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Bryan Talbot : Prix du polar SNCF 2012 ! | le Blog de Milady".
- ^ "2013 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0224084888.
- ISBN 978-0224096249.
- Grandville at the Grand Comics Database
- Grandville at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links
- The Grandville homepage at Bryan Talbot's official website
- Bryan Talbot explains his artwork on Grandville, in Italian and English