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Grandville #1-5
Grandville Integral
Beware the Badger!
The acclaimed steampunk series from graphic-novel pioneer Bryan Talbot explores an alternate art-nouveau world populated by intelligent animals, a human underclass, and wondrous technology.
Within this rich fantastical milieu, the relentless Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard pursues shadowy death squads, psychotic killers, dark political conspiracies, ruthless crime lords, and bloodthirsty cults through the streets of London and the Belle Epoque Paris known as Grandville, the center of the greatest empire on earth. Grandville Integral collects all five Grandville novels in one deluxe hardcover volume accompanied by voluminous author notes never before in print.
Collects Grandville , Grandville Mon Amour , Grandville Noël, Grandville Bete Noire , and Grandville Force Majeure .
The acclaimed steampunk series from graphic-novel pioneer Bryan Talbot explores an alternate art-nouveau world populated by intelligent animals, a human underclass, and wondrous technology.
Within this rich fantastical milieu, the relentless Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard pursues shadowy death squads, psychotic killers, dark political conspiracies, ruthless crime lords, and bloodthirsty cults through the streets of London and the Belle Epoque Paris known as Grandville, the center of the greatest empire on earth. Grandville Integral collects all five Grandville novels in one deluxe hardcover volume accompanied by voluminous author notes never before in print.
Collects Grandville , Grandville Mon Amour , Grandville Noël, Grandville Bete Noire , and Grandville Force Majeure .
608 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2021
12 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Talbot
286 books187 followersTalbot began his comics work in the underground comix scene of the late 1960s. In 1969 his first work appeared as illustrations in Mallorn, the British Tolkien Society magazine, followed in 1972 by a weekly strip in his college newspaper.
He continued in the scene after leaving college, producing Brainstorm Comix, the first three of which formed The Chester P. Hackenbush Trilogy (a character reworked by Alan Moore as Chester Williams for Swamp Thing).
He started The Adventures of Luther Arkwright in 1978. It was originally published in Near Myths and continued on over the years in other publications. It was eventually collected together into one volume by Dark Horse. Along with When the Wind Blows it is one of the first British graphic novels.
In the early to mid-eighties he provide art for some of 2000 AD's flagship serials, producing 3 series of Nemesis the Warlock, as well as strips for Judge Dredd and Sláine.
The Tale of One Bad Rat deals with recovery from childhood sexual abuse.
Talbot moved to the American market in the 1990s, principally for DC, on titles like Hellblazer, Sandman and Batman. He also produced the art for The Nazz by Tom Veitch and worked with Tom's brother Rick Veitch on Teknophage, one of a number of mini-series he drew for Tekno Comix.
Talbot has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.
He has also illustrated Bill Willingham's Fables, as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with Heart of Empire. He has also worked on The Dead Boy Detectives.
In 2006, he announced the graphic novel Metronome, an existential, textless erotically-charged visual poem,written under the pseudonym Véronique Tanaka. He admitted that he was the author in 2009.
In 2007 he released Alice in Sunderland, which documents the connections between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and the Sunderland and Wearside area. He also wrote and drew the layouts for Cherubs!, which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure."
His upcoming work includes a sequel to 2009's Grandville, which Talbot says is "a detective steampunk thriller" and Paul Gravett calls it "an inspired reimagining of some of the first French anthropomorphic caricatures". It is planned as the first in a series of four or five graphic novels.
Source: Wikipedia
He continued in the scene after leaving college, producing Brainstorm Comix, the first three of which formed The Chester P. Hackenbush Trilogy (a character reworked by Alan Moore as Chester Williams for Swamp Thing).
He started The Adventures of Luther Arkwright in 1978. It was originally published in Near Myths and continued on over the years in other publications. It was eventually collected together into one volume by Dark Horse. Along with When the Wind Blows it is one of the first British graphic novels.
In the early to mid-eighties he provide art for some of 2000 AD's flagship serials, producing 3 series of Nemesis the Warlock, as well as strips for Judge Dredd and Sláine.
The Tale of One Bad Rat deals with recovery from childhood sexual abuse.
Talbot moved to the American market in the 1990s, principally for DC, on titles like Hellblazer, Sandman and Batman. He also produced the art for The Nazz by Tom Veitch and worked with Tom's brother Rick Veitch on Teknophage, one of a number of mini-series he drew for Tekno Comix.
Talbot has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.
He has also illustrated Bill Willingham's Fables, as well as returning to the Luther Arkwright universe with Heart of Empire. He has also worked on The Dead Boy Detectives.
In 2006, he announced the graphic novel Metronome, an existential, textless erotically-charged visual poem,written under the pseudonym Véronique Tanaka. He admitted that he was the author in 2009.
In 2007 he released Alice in Sunderland, which documents the connections between Lewis Carroll, Alice Liddell, and the Sunderland and Wearside area. He also wrote and drew the layouts for Cherubs!, which he describes as "an irreverent fast-paced supernatural comedy-adventure."
His upcoming work includes a sequel to 2009's Grandville, which Talbot says is "a detective steampunk thriller" and Paul Gravett calls it "an inspired reimagining of some of the first French anthropomorphic caricatures". It is planned as the first in a series of four or five graphic novels.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 23, 2021
This collects all of the Grandville miniseries along with annotated notes in the back from Bryan Talbot. These are pretty great as Talbot includes a ton of Easter Eggs such as a drunk Paddington Bear walking down the street or the Cat in the Hat working as a mime.
Grandville is an anthropomorphic, steampunk world where Napoleon conquered most of Europe 200 years ago and England has just recently regained its independence. Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. Talbot has created an inventive original setting for his stories of mystery and adventure. His art is detailed and inventive. I'm all in for Grandville.
Reviews for each story are below:
Grandville
Grandville: Mon Amour
Grandville: Bête Noire
Grandville: Noël
Grandville: Force Majeure
Grandville is an anthropomorphic, steampunk world where Napoleon conquered most of Europe 200 years ago and England has just recently regained its independence. Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. Talbot has created an inventive original setting for his stories of mystery and adventure. His art is detailed and inventive. I'm all in for Grandville.
Reviews for each story are below:
Grandville
Grandville: Mon Amour
Grandville: Bête Noire
Grandville: Noël
Grandville: Force Majeure
April 27, 2023
I got to read an ARC of this book. I’m surprised I’m the first reviewer but it’s a reprint of an series I hadn’t read yet so the fans have already seen everything… For the rest of us-
I liked this but I enjoy steampunk and I do like a good Sherlock Holmes tribute. I think this won’t be the book for everyone though. The men are Men and the women are very period appropriate… There’s also the occasional bit of language that will probably offend more delicate sensibilities but again, it’s period appropriate and not every character is a terribly nice being.
I did get a kick out of the occasional Easter egg character in the background. Why shouldn’t there be a Paddington Bear walking down the street, or rather stumbling drunkenly down the street?
The main character is a gruff badger detective with a good heart somewhere deep beneath the bared teeth and fisticuffs, very Holmes in his deductive powers, his dapper rat sidekick makes a good Watson. If you also like mysteries and steampunk this one is worth reading.
I liked this but I enjoy steampunk and I do like a good Sherlock Holmes tribute. I think this won’t be the book for everyone though. The men are Men and the women are very period appropriate… There’s also the occasional bit of language that will probably offend more delicate sensibilities but again, it’s period appropriate and not every character is a terribly nice being.
I did get a kick out of the occasional Easter egg character in the background. Why shouldn’t there be a Paddington Bear walking down the street, or rather stumbling drunkenly down the street?
The main character is a gruff badger detective with a good heart somewhere deep beneath the bared teeth and fisticuffs, very Holmes in his deductive powers, his dapper rat sidekick makes a good Watson. If you also like mysteries and steampunk this one is worth reading.
December 8, 2025
I had this bad boi on hibernation waiting to continue the series with Grandville Noel (because I always meant to read it around Christmas time). It was so good I got sucked back in again and finished out the whole saga. What a series. Bryan Talbot’s art and writing are masterfully done. A classic.
November 29, 2025
Heerlijke graphic novel.
September 11, 2022
Let's be clear here, this is only not a 5 star review because its a steampunk setting. That's just grumpy old me knocking a half mark off because I have 'issues' with that type of setting. Otherwise this was glorious.
I had a couple of the smaller graphic novels of this back in the day that went in the great 'skip dump' of 2015. I had a vague recollection of not being too impressed by them when I read them but as that was probably over a decade ago it was a different me. Today me was much more impressed.
I bought this on paper and it is a weighty tome indeed. Too heavy to actually hold comfortably. It had to be thumped on a table like a grimoire, most satisfyingly as well. As I still have limited room for paper books these days, this was a worthy use of some of that room.
This is pretty much a mash up of Sherlock Holmes and James Bond in an alternate history world where France won the Napoleonic wars. Oh, and the world is populated and ruled by anthromorphic animals. Humans exist, but only as a despised minority. It leans fully into the premise and is pretty much just a straight up action adventure. This is in contrast to Talbot's other work which tends to have more depth. Not a criticism at all. Sometimes a good old potboiler is just the ticket.
Highly recommended.
I had a couple of the smaller graphic novels of this back in the day that went in the great 'skip dump' of 2015. I had a vague recollection of not being too impressed by them when I read them but as that was probably over a decade ago it was a different me. Today me was much more impressed.
I bought this on paper and it is a weighty tome indeed. Too heavy to actually hold comfortably. It had to be thumped on a table like a grimoire, most satisfyingly as well. As I still have limited room for paper books these days, this was a worthy use of some of that room.
This is pretty much a mash up of Sherlock Holmes and James Bond in an alternate history world where France won the Napoleonic wars. Oh, and the world is populated and ruled by anthromorphic animals. Humans exist, but only as a despised minority. It leans fully into the premise and is pretty much just a straight up action adventure. This is in contrast to Talbot's other work which tends to have more depth. Not a criticism at all. Sometimes a good old potboiler is just the ticket.
Highly recommended.
January 10, 2024
A few years ago I was pondering over how the pulp genre could be revitalized in this day and age without falling into the trap of romanticizing the past that would inevitably render such a revival reactionary. And here it is: steampunk alternate history with anthropomorphic animals, in which Bryan Talbot merges two of Britain's most important cultural exports: Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. It's perfect. Genuinely couldn't have started 2024 with a better book than this.
January 23, 2026
Grandville L'Integrale is the collected series of the Grandville graphic novels by Bryan Talbot, author and artist of Alice in Sunderland and The Tale of One Bad Rat. According to the author interview supplied at the back of the book, Talbot was inspired by the art of Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard, a caricaturist in the early-to-mid 1800s, who worked under the name J. J. Grandville. Gerard was well known for political satire depicting various figures and factions of French politics as animals, and the art style used in this series is similar to his work.
L'Integrale also features an appendix listing many other puns and references Talbot worked into the series which readers may have missed. For some readers, the puns might distract from the seriousness of the story, but I didn't mind - I like spotting references. The complex art style allows Talbot to work in many references and jokes in the backgrounds which readers might miss the first time through, hence the appendix. My only serious objection to the art is that the humanoid animals aren't drawn with tails, which I find disappointing because tails are cute, but I can imagine they'd be a hassle when posing characters in the scene. A bushy tail could obscure most of the rest of the character. I do very much enjoy that the female characters are drawn with the same clearly-animalian heads as the male ones, unlike the similar comic Blacksad and Disney's Goof Troop in which female animal characters are basically humans with weird noses stuck on.
Grandville is a steampunk detective series starring anthropomorphic animals (can be referred to as "anthros" or "furries" in internet slang, though "furries" is also the term for actual people who are fans of art featuring anthro animals). This is the source of a lot of the puns and references, e.g. a business council of literal "fat cats", a newt named Isaac, etc. In this fictional world, sapient animals and humans coexist; humans are an oppressed minority, known as "doughfaces", and show up rarely, mostly as servants. As well as this major change, the world's history is different; France won the Napoleonic War, leading to Britain becoming part of the French Empire and only seceding and becoming a socialist republic twenty-three years prior to the first book. "Grandville" is a nickname for Paris, the capital of the French Empire.
The star of the series is Detective Inspector Archibald LeBrock, a badger who was born into a working-class community in London and worked his way up the ranks of the police force by merit and effort despite classist opposition. As a teen he participated in the rebellion against the French Empire, during which his father was killed. He is strong, smart, and determined, but extremely violent - Judge Dredd is cited by Talbot as an influence. LeBrock kills freely and in graphic detail, even torturing suspects and murdering some of his enemies after they're defeated and pose no threat anymore, which might put some readers off.
In book one, Grandville, LeBrock investigates the murder of diplomat Raymond Leigh-Otter, and we get most of the worldbuilding setup which carries on through the series; the setting, characters, etc. The murder leads into the uncovering of political intrigue, including the plot which destroyed the Robida Tower the previous year. ("Robida" was another pseudonym of Gerard.) I generally dislike the "woman in refrigerator" trope invoked with music hall performer Sarah Blairow (a flash-in-the-pan love interest killed to motivate the male hero), but her death actually does set up and tie into future subplots involving a woman who survives, so it's not so bad here. I'm not completely comfortable with how closely the Robida Tower attack appears to be based on the real-life 9/11 attacks, considering how it turns out to have been a governmental inside job. It's a little too close to real conspiracy theories. However, I've seen no evidence Talbot actually buys into those theories outside the comic, so I'm probably overreacting, and the story was definitely enjoyable. The opening action scene in which Leigh-Otter flees assassins and the climactic action scene in which LeBrock battles for control of a crashing dirigible are both exciting and skilfully drawn, and the book is overall an excellent first issue for the series.
The second installment, Grandville Mon Amour, opens with the escape of canine terrorist and serial killer Edward Mastock from the guillotine scaffold outside the Tower of London, then cuts to LeBrock being forcefully pulled from a weeks-long depressive state by his landlady Madame Doyle (a guinea pig) and his assistant Detective Sergeant Ratzi (a rat, rare to see on the heroic side in fiction, so he pleases me - I love rats). It seems odd at first that he's this depressed over the loss of Sarah, whom he knew for only a few days, but we find out as the story progresses that she's not the first loved one he's lost. When he returns to work, he discovers the Mastock case has been given to an incompetent coworker and, when forbidden from investigating it himself despite having been the one to bring Mastock in originally, quits the police force to investigate independently. This book also introduces the recurring love interest, sex worker Billie, who was orphaned by Mastock. She provides information and can stand up to the violence of LeBrock's life, getting involved in the action scenes as much as Ratzi. I'm quite fond of her.
Book three, Grandville Bete Noire, introduces the main villain right away, being more of a thriller than a mystery. (According to the classifications of storygrid.com, a mystery is about finding who committed a crime, while a thriller is about discovering how a known villain is going to enact their plan in progress.) Said villain is Baron Aristotle Krapaud, described by Talbot as an evil take on Wind in the Willows' Mr Toad, whom Talbot has always disliked for his selfishness and portrays here as a greedy industrialist. His plan, as revealed, involves pitting abstract and representational artists against each other, which, as Talbot notes, has happened a surprising amount in 20th century history. Various reasons have been given for each style being better representative of various political stances, which is fitting; abstract art can be interpreted in whatever way the viewer wishes, and so can be used for anyone's purpose.
Book four, Grandville Noel, reveals that in this universe not only normal animals but mythical beings and extinct species are represented among the population as occasional throwbacks. The antagonist Apollo is a unicorn, an extraordinarily rare creature blessed with the power of extreme charisma. In a scene based heavily on the real life Jonestown incident, he amasses a cult in America and tricks them all into drinking poison, then sets his sight on Europe. LeBrock discovers this when his landlady's niece runs away to join his new cult branch, the Silver Path, and in his pursuit discovers they and a professor friend of his French counterpart Chief Inspector Jules Rocher (a raccoon) are seeking the "True Gospels", lost books of the Bible which reveal the species of this world's Jesus Christ. Apollo, of course, is convinced Christ was a unicorn. Meanwhile, humans are battling to achieve citizen's rights, which they've already achieved in America via the War of Independence, as we learn from Chance Lucas, a human detective who followed Apollo from the States, and Apollo's cult plans to encourage the riots as a distraction and scapegoat. I honestly found one of the reveals at the end far too predictable, but I've read an awful lot of human-and-animal-coexistence fiction and am able to spot the patterns pretty well, and really I'm not sure there's any other convincing way it could have gone. The real twist was much better played though, and it is hinted at but I'd forgotten the hints on the assumption they were unimportant, so it took me by surprise as a good twist should. This book also drops more hints about the existence and actions of Tiberius Koenig, the big bad of the final book who was briefly mentioned as a gang boss in the prior books, and finally properly introduces him at the end with another big reveal I shan't spoil. One reveal relevant to the next book, though, is that Billie is now pregnant with LeBrock's child (or cub, perhaps) and they plan to marry quickly.
Book five is the longest of the series, Grandville Force Majeure. In the original single-story publication it contained the entire appendix, and the story is also the most complex of the five. Tiberius Koenig, the ultimate villain of the series, has consolidated all the gangs in Paris into his own business and attempts to do the same in London, while planning to kill all of LeBrock's loved ones in revenge for LeBrock having killed his brother Gaius. Meanwhile, Stanley Cray (a literal crayfish), the brother of the gangster who killed LeBrock's first love Florence, has been released from prison and LeBrock is seen threatening him in public, leading to opportunities for Koenig's gang to use against him. Gang warfare rages between Cray's fish and Harry Feather's birds until Koenig's reptiles stamp down on both, and when Cray and his wife are killed, it appears that LeBrock did it, leading to him going on the run, forced to battle the gangs from outside the law, while trying to protect Billie and their unborn child. All in all, a very exciting, action-packed story, leading up to an appropriate and satisfying ending for the entire series. My primary objections are that Koenig was already more than sufficiently getting across that he was evil without putting a real-life racial slur in his dialogue (one which doesn't even technically apply the way he uses it) and I don't like white authors throwing those around. I also don't like how Koenig's mouth and teeth are drawn - his teeth appear to be growing from the outside of his lips.
Overall I give Grandville a four out of five. There are a few things I would change, but in general I love it and would strongly recommend it to anyone who can handle the violence.
L'Integrale also features an appendix listing many other puns and references Talbot worked into the series which readers may have missed. For some readers, the puns might distract from the seriousness of the story, but I didn't mind - I like spotting references. The complex art style allows Talbot to work in many references and jokes in the backgrounds which readers might miss the first time through, hence the appendix. My only serious objection to the art is that the humanoid animals aren't drawn with tails, which I find disappointing because tails are cute, but I can imagine they'd be a hassle when posing characters in the scene. A bushy tail could obscure most of the rest of the character. I do very much enjoy that the female characters are drawn with the same clearly-animalian heads as the male ones, unlike the similar comic Blacksad and Disney's Goof Troop in which female animal characters are basically humans with weird noses stuck on.
Grandville is a steampunk detective series starring anthropomorphic animals (can be referred to as "anthros" or "furries" in internet slang, though "furries" is also the term for actual people who are fans of art featuring anthro animals). This is the source of a lot of the puns and references, e.g. a business council of literal "fat cats", a newt named Isaac, etc. In this fictional world, sapient animals and humans coexist; humans are an oppressed minority, known as "doughfaces", and show up rarely, mostly as servants. As well as this major change, the world's history is different; France won the Napoleonic War, leading to Britain becoming part of the French Empire and only seceding and becoming a socialist republic twenty-three years prior to the first book. "Grandville" is a nickname for Paris, the capital of the French Empire.
The star of the series is Detective Inspector Archibald LeBrock, a badger who was born into a working-class community in London and worked his way up the ranks of the police force by merit and effort despite classist opposition. As a teen he participated in the rebellion against the French Empire, during which his father was killed. He is strong, smart, and determined, but extremely violent - Judge Dredd is cited by Talbot as an influence. LeBrock kills freely and in graphic detail, even torturing suspects and murdering some of his enemies after they're defeated and pose no threat anymore, which might put some readers off.
In book one, Grandville, LeBrock investigates the murder of diplomat Raymond Leigh-Otter, and we get most of the worldbuilding setup which carries on through the series; the setting, characters, etc. The murder leads into the uncovering of political intrigue, including the plot which destroyed the Robida Tower the previous year. ("Robida" was another pseudonym of Gerard.) I generally dislike the "woman in refrigerator" trope invoked with music hall performer Sarah Blairow (a flash-in-the-pan love interest killed to motivate the male hero), but her death actually does set up and tie into future subplots involving a woman who survives, so it's not so bad here. I'm not completely comfortable with how closely the Robida Tower attack appears to be based on the real-life 9/11 attacks, considering how it turns out to have been a governmental inside job. It's a little too close to real conspiracy theories. However, I've seen no evidence Talbot actually buys into those theories outside the comic, so I'm probably overreacting, and the story was definitely enjoyable. The opening action scene in which Leigh-Otter flees assassins and the climactic action scene in which LeBrock battles for control of a crashing dirigible are both exciting and skilfully drawn, and the book is overall an excellent first issue for the series.
The second installment, Grandville Mon Amour, opens with the escape of canine terrorist and serial killer Edward Mastock from the guillotine scaffold outside the Tower of London, then cuts to LeBrock being forcefully pulled from a weeks-long depressive state by his landlady Madame Doyle (a guinea pig) and his assistant Detective Sergeant Ratzi (a rat, rare to see on the heroic side in fiction, so he pleases me - I love rats). It seems odd at first that he's this depressed over the loss of Sarah, whom he knew for only a few days, but we find out as the story progresses that she's not the first loved one he's lost. When he returns to work, he discovers the Mastock case has been given to an incompetent coworker and, when forbidden from investigating it himself despite having been the one to bring Mastock in originally, quits the police force to investigate independently. This book also introduces the recurring love interest, sex worker Billie, who was orphaned by Mastock. She provides information and can stand up to the violence of LeBrock's life, getting involved in the action scenes as much as Ratzi. I'm quite fond of her.
Book three, Grandville Bete Noire, introduces the main villain right away, being more of a thriller than a mystery. (According to the classifications of storygrid.com, a mystery is about finding who committed a crime, while a thriller is about discovering how a known villain is going to enact their plan in progress.) Said villain is Baron Aristotle Krapaud, described by Talbot as an evil take on Wind in the Willows' Mr Toad, whom Talbot has always disliked for his selfishness and portrays here as a greedy industrialist. His plan, as revealed, involves pitting abstract and representational artists against each other, which, as Talbot notes, has happened a surprising amount in 20th century history. Various reasons have been given for each style being better representative of various political stances, which is fitting; abstract art can be interpreted in whatever way the viewer wishes, and so can be used for anyone's purpose.
Book four, Grandville Noel, reveals that in this universe not only normal animals but mythical beings and extinct species are represented among the population as occasional throwbacks. The antagonist Apollo is a unicorn, an extraordinarily rare creature blessed with the power of extreme charisma. In a scene based heavily on the real life Jonestown incident, he amasses a cult in America and tricks them all into drinking poison, then sets his sight on Europe. LeBrock discovers this when his landlady's niece runs away to join his new cult branch, the Silver Path, and in his pursuit discovers they and a professor friend of his French counterpart Chief Inspector Jules Rocher (a raccoon) are seeking the "True Gospels", lost books of the Bible which reveal the species of this world's Jesus Christ. Apollo, of course, is convinced Christ was a unicorn. Meanwhile, humans are battling to achieve citizen's rights, which they've already achieved in America via the War of Independence, as we learn from Chance Lucas, a human detective who followed Apollo from the States, and Apollo's cult plans to encourage the riots as a distraction and scapegoat. I honestly found one of the reveals at the end far too predictable, but I've read an awful lot of human-and-animal-coexistence fiction and am able to spot the patterns pretty well, and really I'm not sure there's any other convincing way it could have gone. The real twist was much better played though, and it is hinted at but I'd forgotten the hints on the assumption they were unimportant, so it took me by surprise as a good twist should. This book also drops more hints about the existence and actions of Tiberius Koenig, the big bad of the final book who was briefly mentioned as a gang boss in the prior books, and finally properly introduces him at the end with another big reveal I shan't spoil. One reveal relevant to the next book, though, is that Billie is now pregnant with LeBrock's child (or cub, perhaps) and they plan to marry quickly.
Book five is the longest of the series, Grandville Force Majeure. In the original single-story publication it contained the entire appendix, and the story is also the most complex of the five. Tiberius Koenig, the ultimate villain of the series, has consolidated all the gangs in Paris into his own business and attempts to do the same in London, while planning to kill all of LeBrock's loved ones in revenge for LeBrock having killed his brother Gaius. Meanwhile, Stanley Cray (a literal crayfish), the brother of the gangster who killed LeBrock's first love Florence, has been released from prison and LeBrock is seen threatening him in public, leading to opportunities for Koenig's gang to use against him. Gang warfare rages between Cray's fish and Harry Feather's birds until Koenig's reptiles stamp down on both, and when Cray and his wife are killed, it appears that LeBrock did it, leading to him going on the run, forced to battle the gangs from outside the law, while trying to protect Billie and their unborn child. All in all, a very exciting, action-packed story, leading up to an appropriate and satisfying ending for the entire series. My primary objections are that Koenig was already more than sufficiently getting across that he was evil without putting a real-life racial slur in his dialogue (one which doesn't even technically apply the way he uses it) and I don't like white authors throwing those around. I also don't like how Koenig's mouth and teeth are drawn - his teeth appear to be growing from the outside of his lips.
Overall I give Grandville a four out of five. There are a few things I would change, but in general I love it and would strongly recommend it to anyone who can handle the violence.
January 12, 2022
Amazing book with amazing art... highly recommend it!
And don't get fooled by the "fluffy animals"... the themes are very adult
And don't get fooled by the "fluffy animals"... the themes are very adult
August 27, 2021
Recent Reads: Grandville L'Integrale. All of Bryan Talbot's Grandville graphic novels in one (massive) volume, detailing Inspector LeBrock's adventures in an alternate steampunk anthropomorphic London and Paris. Angry badger cop in action! Glorious art and compelling stories.
April 9, 2023
প্যাস্টিশ (pastiche) বলতে কিন্তু শুধু অনুকরণই নয়। এই পদ্ধতি ব্যবহার করে কোনও আর্টস্টাইল, কোনও বা কারুর লেখনী পদ্ধতি, বিশেষ কোনও যুগের সংস্কৃতি... সমস্ত কিছুকে উদযাপন করা সম্ভব, এবং তাতে আধুনিকতার রেশ ঢোকানোও সম্ভব। প্যাস্টিশের কাজ গুরুগম্ভীর হতে পারে (ম্যাসন ট্রিলজি - কৌশিক মজুমদার), আবার ক্যাম্পিও হতে পারে (কিল বিল ডুয়োলজি - ট্যারেন্টিনো)।
মোদ্দা কথা প্যাস্টিশ প্যারোডি (parody) নয়। প্যারোডিতে আর্ট, সাহিত্যকে ব্যাঙ্গাত্মক আলোতে দেখানো হয়। প্যাস্টিশ ভালোবাসা থেকে উঠে আসে।
এত কপচাচ্ছি কারণ ব্র্যায়ান ট্যালবটের "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" (Grandville) গ্রাফিক নভেল সিরিজের পটভূমি জানার পর অনেকেই সিরিজটাকে প্যারোডি হিসাবে ধরে নিতে পারে। মানে গল্পটা আসলে একখান ব্যাজার (সেই ব্যাজার মুখের ব্যাজার নয়, badger নামক প্রাণী) ডিটেকটিভকে নিয়ে, যে কিনা কিছুটা শার্লক হোমসের মত, কিছুটা জেমস বন্ডের মত, আর অনেকটা হলিউডের সুপারকপের মত। "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" এর দুনিয়াতে শুধু অ্যানথ্রপোমর্ফিক জানোয়ারদের রাজত্ব। শেয়াল, ছুঁচো, ঘোড়া, হাতি, পায়রা, চিংড়ি, সব্বাই মানুষদের মত শরীর নিয়ে ঘুরে ফিরে বেড়ায়। কিন্তু জানোয়ারদের এনে ব্রায়ান টালবট ডিটেকটিভ আর স্পাই জনরাকে প্যারোডি করেন নি। বরং তাঁর ওয়ার্ল্ড বিল্ডিং-এর ক্ষমতা দেখে প্রেমে পড়ে গিয়েছি। তিনি শার্লক হোমস ভালোবাসেন, ভালোবাসেন পুলিশ প্রসেডিউরাল ড্রামা, ভালোবাসেন ফেম ফ্যাটাল দের। সেই ভালোবাসা থেকে উঠে এসেছে এই বই।
তবে এইসব জু-টোপিয়া মার্কা জিনিস সারাজীবন তো দেখে আসছি, তাই না? সেই মিকি মাউসের যুগ থেকে। তারও আগে অ্যালিসের গল্প থেকে। তবু বলব "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" অনেকটা আলাদা, কারণ এই সিরিজের ওয়ার্ল্ড বিল্ডিং দুর্দান্ত, আর অনন্য। স্টিমপাঙ্কের দুনিয়া, তাই অসাধারণ সব কলমানব, যানবাহন, আর স্থাপত্যের ডিজাইন রয়েছে, যেগুলো দেখে আমার চোখ টেরিয়ে গেছে৷ তার উপর এই দুনিয়ার সময়প্রবাহ অনেকটা আমাদের মতই। যিশু খ্রিষ্ট এই দুনিয়াতে ক্রুশবিদ্ধ হয়েছে, ব্ল্যাক ডেথের জন্য লাখ লাখ জানোয়ার মারা গেছে, রেঁনেশার তেজে ইউরোপ উদ্ভাসিত হয়েছে, ইত্যাদি, ইত্যাদি। শুধু পার্থক্য এই যে, নেপোলিওনিক যুদ্ধে ফরাসি মিলিটারি ব্রিটিশদের হারাতে সক্ষম হয়। ফলস্বরূপ, পৃথিবীতে এখন ব্রিটিশ এম্পায়ার নেই, রয়েছে ফরাশিদের রাজ। কলোনিয়ালিজমের গুঁতোতে তাই ব্রিটেনে কেউ খুব একটা ইংরেজিতে কথা বলে না, ইতালিতে ইতালিয়ান ভাষার চল নেই। চতুর্দিকে শুধু ফরাসি ভাষার ব্যবহার।
গল্পের দুর্বলতা বলতে প্লট। একটা ডিটেকটিভ সাবপ্লট ছাড়া বাকিগুলোর প্লটের মোচড় অনেক আগেই ধরে ফেলেছিলাম। কিন্তু তা বলে কী খুব হতাশ হয়েছি? না, মশাই। আমাদের গল্পের নায়ক ডিটেকটিভ-ইনস্পেক্টর লেব্রক যখন নিজের বাটামের মত দুখান হাত দিয়ে গুন্ডা প্যাঁদায়, বা মেশিনগান দিয়ে শয়তান সুপারভিলেইনদের ঝাঁঝরা করে মেরে ফেলে (হ্যাঁ, পুরো ডার্টি হ্যারি ইস্টাইল), তখন আমার মনে পড়ে স্কুলের সেইসব দিনগুলোর কথা যখন আমি লুকিয়ে লুকিয়ে HBO আর Star Movies এ অ্যাকশন মুভি দেখতাম।
ট্যালবটের গল্প শুধুমাত্রই বিনোদনের জন্য লেখা। এর মধ্যে ইন্টেলেকচুয়ালিটির কোনও মোড়ক নেই, দেখনদারি নেই।
Just for fun.
মোদ্দা কথা প্যাস্টিশ প্যারোডি (parody) নয়। প্যারোডিতে আর্ট, সাহিত্যকে ব্যাঙ্গাত্মক আলোতে দেখানো হয়। প্যাস্টিশ ভালোবাসা থেকে উঠে আসে।
এত কপচাচ্ছি কারণ ব্র্যায়ান ট্যালবটের "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" (Grandville) গ্রাফিক নভেল সিরিজের পটভূমি জানার পর অনেকেই সিরিজটাকে প্যারোডি হিসাবে ধরে নিতে পারে। মানে গল্পটা আসলে একখান ব্যাজার (সেই ব্যাজার মুখের ব্যাজার নয়, badger নামক প্রাণী) ডিটেকটিভকে নিয়ে, যে কিনা কিছুটা শার্লক হোমসের মত, কিছুটা জেমস বন্ডের মত, আর অনেকটা হলিউডের সুপারকপের মত। "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" এর দুনিয়াতে শুধু অ্যানথ্রপোমর্ফিক জানোয়ারদের রাজত্ব। শেয়াল, ছুঁচো, ঘোড়া, হাতি, পায়রা, চিংড়ি, সব্বাই মানুষদের মত শরীর নিয়ে ঘুরে ফিরে বেড়ায়। কিন্তু জানোয়ারদের এনে ব্রায়ান টালবট ডিটেকটিভ আর স্পাই জনরাকে প্যারোডি করেন নি। বরং তাঁর ওয়ার্ল্ড বিল্ডিং-এর ক্ষমতা দেখে প্রেমে পড়ে গিয়েছি। তিনি শার্লক হোমস ভালোবাসেন, ভালোবাসেন পুলিশ প্রসেডিউরাল ড্রামা, ভালোবাসেন ফেম ফ্যাটাল দের। সেই ভালোবাসা থেকে উঠে এসেছে এই বই।
তবে এইসব জু-টোপিয়া মার্কা জিনিস সারাজীবন তো দেখে আসছি, তাই না? সেই মিকি মাউসের যুগ থেকে। তারও আগে অ্যালিসের গল্প থেকে। তবু বলব "গ্র্যান্ডভিল" অনেকটা আলাদা, কারণ এই সিরিজের ওয়ার্ল্ড বিল্ডিং দুর্দান্ত, আর অনন্য। স্টিমপাঙ্কের দুনিয়া, তাই অসাধারণ সব কলমানব, যানবাহন, আর স্থাপত্যের ডিজাইন রয়েছে, যেগুলো দেখে আমার চোখ টেরিয়ে গেছে৷ তার উপর এই দুনিয়ার সময়প্রবাহ অনেকটা আমাদের মতই। যিশু খ্রিষ্ট এই দুনিয়াতে ক্রুশবিদ্ধ হয়েছে, ব্ল্যাক ডেথের জন্য লাখ লাখ জানোয়ার মারা গেছে, রেঁনেশার তেজে ইউরোপ উদ্ভাসিত হয়েছে, ইত্যাদি, ইত্যাদি। শুধু পার্থক্য এই যে, নেপোলিওনিক যুদ্ধে ফরাসি মিলিটারি ব্রিটিশদের হারাতে সক্ষম হয়। ফলস্বরূপ, পৃথিবীতে এখন ব্রিটিশ এম্পায়ার নেই, রয়েছে ফরাশিদের রাজ। কলোনিয়ালিজমের গুঁতোতে তাই ব্রিটেনে কেউ খুব একটা ইংরেজিতে কথা বলে না, ইতালিতে ইতালিয়ান ভাষার চল নেই। চতুর্দিকে শুধু ফরাসি ভাষার ব্যবহার।
গল্পের দুর্বলতা বলতে প্লট। একটা ডিটেকটিভ সাবপ্লট ছাড়া বাকিগুলোর প্লটের মোচড় অনেক আগেই ধরে ফেলেছিলাম। কিন্তু তা বলে কী খুব হতাশ হয়েছি? না, মশাই। আমাদের গল্পের নায়ক ডিটেকটিভ-ইনস্পেক্টর লেব্রক যখন নিজের বাটামের মত দুখান হাত দিয়ে গুন্ডা প্যাঁদায়, বা মেশিনগান দিয়ে শয়তান সুপারভিলেইনদের ঝাঁঝরা করে মেরে ফেলে (হ্যাঁ, পুরো ডার্টি হ্যারি ইস্টাইল), তখন আমার মনে পড়ে স্কুলের সেইসব দিনগুলোর কথা যখন আমি লুকিয়ে লুকিয়ে HBO আর Star Movies এ অ্যাকশন মুভি দেখতাম।
ট্যালবটের গল্প শুধুমাত্রই বিনোদনের জন্য লেখা। এর মধ্যে ইন্টেলেকচুয়ালিটির কোনও মোড়ক নেই, দেখনদারি নেই।
Just for fun.
November 30, 2023
A bit Sherlock Holmes, a bit modern action movie (not my favorite part - that's one resilient badger!), a bit steampunk period piece, a bit exploration of anthropomorphic comic book stylings (I thoroughly enjoyed the semi-frequent nods to animal-as-people comic book/strip history) - Grandville is a five book series about Inspector Detective LeBrock of Scotland Yard. Each book is largely self-contained, but each one also builds on relationships (particularly with Billie) and small players (each successive villain is introduced in a small role in the previous volume).
Talbot is an outstanding cartoonist. The action is very cinematic, and the storytelling is rock solid. Talbot's also a terrific colorist - he uses effects to convey action, movement, foreshortening so effectively.
I only gave four stars because, honestly, LeBrock's detection skills are almost too Holmesian at times (there's only one Arthur Conan Doyle) and I found some of the action a mite too "80s action hero." LeBrock's body count could give Stallone or Schwarzenegger a run for their money.
Talbot is an outstanding cartoonist. The action is very cinematic, and the storytelling is rock solid. Talbot's also a terrific colorist - he uses effects to convey action, movement, foreshortening so effectively.
I only gave four stars because, honestly, LeBrock's detection skills are almost too Holmesian at times (there's only one Arthur Conan Doyle) and I found some of the action a mite too "80s action hero." LeBrock's body count could give Stallone or Schwarzenegger a run for their money.
June 21, 2023
A book that I think is trying to juggle too many genre tropes to let me fully immerse. Alternate history where Napoleon was never defeated and conquered the rest of Europe, plus Steampunk, plus Anthropomorphic world, plus Victorian style mystery (though I can't tell if it is set in modern times or Victorian times), plus there are actually humans within the Anthropomorphic and real animals and the Anthropomorphic characters eat animals. The stories and characters are fun adventures with beautiful storytelling. But you sort of have to let your brain go out of focus and not try to make things fit into any logical system.
October 19, 2025
Une pépite steampunk !
J’ai adoré l’intégrale de Grandville de Bryan Talbot.
Tout y est : des enquêtes palpitantes, un héros charismatique (le + que classe inspecteur LeBrock), des vilains mémorables, et un univers foisonnant où se mêlent polar, satire politique et ambiance rétro-futuriste.
Le dessin est superbe, chaque planche regorge de détails, et le monde anthropomorphe imaginé par Talbot est d’une richesse incroyable.
C’est à la fois intelligent, percutant, drôle et profondément humain.
Une œuvre complète, cohérente et visuellement magnifique.
Bref : un chef-d’œuvre de la BD britannique, à lire et à posséder absolument.
J’ai adoré l’intégrale de Grandville de Bryan Talbot.
Tout y est : des enquêtes palpitantes, un héros charismatique (le + que classe inspecteur LeBrock), des vilains mémorables, et un univers foisonnant où se mêlent polar, satire politique et ambiance rétro-futuriste.
Le dessin est superbe, chaque planche regorge de détails, et le monde anthropomorphe imaginé par Talbot est d’une richesse incroyable.
C’est à la fois intelligent, percutant, drôle et profondément humain.
Une œuvre complète, cohérente et visuellement magnifique.
Bref : un chef-d’œuvre de la BD britannique, à lire et à posséder absolument.
February 21, 2023
Overall was a fun read. More of a corrupt Bond type than a Sherlock type. Lots of interesting twists but the political stuff got a bit boring and preachy.
(Some of it felt like a commentary on the British Empire and Ireland wanting freedom through some terrorist methods.)
This is multiple stories in one book but they all connect up to one larger story.
Some things kinda just happen without much lead up though.
Art is nice, lots of cameos of well known characters in the backgrounds.
Was it enjoyable, yes. Did it blow me away, sadly no.
(Some of it felt like a commentary on the British Empire and Ireland wanting freedom through some terrorist methods.)
This is multiple stories in one book but they all connect up to one larger story.
Some things kinda just happen without much lead up though.
Art is nice, lots of cameos of well known characters in the backgrounds.
Was it enjoyable, yes. Did it blow me away, sadly no.
June 2, 2024
Having read each book in the Grandville series as they were published, I decided to buy this compendium because of the notes at the back. Talbot highlights details that you might have missed, and generally I had, plus where various images were copied from. Occasionally, it was frustrating that an image in the background of a scene was printed so small that I couldn’t see the detail that was being pointed out. Of course, I would have loved never more notes than we get, but isn’t that always the case.
January 31, 2025
Absolutely outstanding. I was buying a copy of Blacksad in a comic book store when the cashier asked me if I'd ever read Grandville and recommended it to me. I'm so, so happy this happened. The volumes of Grandville collected here in the Integrale edition are astounding. Deep with references and an attention to detail the likes of which I've rarely seen. A real labour of love. I loved them and I can't recommend them enough. If you like comics at all and you've enjoyed Blacksad, you'll love this even more, I think. The wordplay and characterizations are astounding.
September 15, 2025
Grand
5/5
A triumph of art & storytelling for fans of Sherlock Holmes & Arsene Lupin:
Likes
+ Art Nouveau!
+ Steampunk!
+ Crisp animation!
+ Excellent storytelling & plots!
+ Anthropomorphism with clever humor, puns galore, & social commentary/historical fiction twists!
Dislikes
- N/A
Summarily, an excellent collection that is innovative but accessible -- it has very adult themes/violence but also hooks other readers through animal-based characters & great artwork. Highly recommended!
5/5
A triumph of art & storytelling for fans of Sherlock Holmes & Arsene Lupin:
Likes
+ Art Nouveau!
+ Steampunk!
+ Crisp animation!
+ Excellent storytelling & plots!
+ Anthropomorphism with clever humor, puns galore, & social commentary/historical fiction twists!
Dislikes
- N/A
Summarily, an excellent collection that is innovative but accessible -- it has very adult themes/violence but also hooks other readers through animal-based characters & great artwork. Highly recommended!
January 2, 2022
Selling for £40 or under this is a huge bargain and a massive treat.
Superbly illustrated and written by one of the truly great graphic novel creators.
5 separate tales with plots and characters which would stand up in any 'conventional' scifi or fantasy novel. Absolutely the best you could get out of comics at this price!
Superbly illustrated and written by one of the truly great graphic novel creators.
5 separate tales with plots and characters which would stand up in any 'conventional' scifi or fantasy novel. Absolutely the best you could get out of comics at this price!
January 6, 2026
Really creative in mixing inspirations (classic police investigation, history, steampunk) and choice of animals to impersonate characters. Some uneven episodes and too chatty for a comic (my personal taste).
Read
December 6, 2023Integral Grandville.
January 10, 2026
Really enjoyed Grandville. Steampunk vibes, political conspiracies, badgers with guns. Pick it up if you're a fan of Blacksad.
January 17, 2025
Qué suerte haber leído este Grandville Integral, con todo el material publicado hasta ahora junto, y no las historias que lo componen separadamente, a medida que fueron saliendo. Leer la edición integral de Grandville permite apreciar su evolución, siempre ascendente. Todo va mejorando en cada nueva entrega: el dibujo, las tramas, los contenidos, los personajes.
En ningún caso llega a tener la clase de Blacksad ni la densidad de referencias históricas y literarias de The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, pero Bryan Talbot maneja bien los tópicos de las novelas de espías, de detectives y de gángsters y su ambientación steam-punk en un s. XIX anglofrancés lleno de animales antropomórficos es sólida. Además, es un artesano de la composición. La distribución de los dibujos en cada página es magistral, pura narración compositiva.
En ningún caso llega a tener la clase de Blacksad ni la densidad de referencias históricas y literarias de The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, pero Bryan Talbot maneja bien los tópicos de las novelas de espías, de detectives y de gángsters y su ambientación steam-punk en un s. XIX anglofrancés lleno de animales antropomórficos es sólida. Además, es un artesano de la composición. La distribución de los dibujos en cada página es magistral, pura narración compositiva.
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