Grandville Mon Amour

Grandville #2

by Bryan Talbot

Convicted psychotic killer and extremist fanatic Edward "Mad Dog" Mastock violently escapes the guillotine's blade in the Tower of London to once again terrorize the Socialist Republic of Britain. But dogging Mastock's bloody footsteps is his longtime adversary and nemesis, Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock, at odds with Scotland Yard and intent on bringing Mastock's horrific murder spree to an end, once and for all. Aided by his friend and colleague Detective Roderick Ratzi, LeBrock follows the trail of carnage to Paris, otherwise known as Grandville, the largest city in a world dominated by the French Empire that is the prime target of Mastock's sadistic terrorism. Can LeBrock capture the Mad Dog before he can mete out his final vengeance, or will LeBrock's own quest for redemption be dragged to ground by the demons of his past?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Steampunk, Fantasy, Mystery, Crime, Science Fiction

104 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2006

About the author

Talbot 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

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2nd volume of Grandville is even batter than the first. Detective Inspector LeBrock is a Sherlock Holmes type in a anthropomorphic, steampunk world. He's on the case when an old enemy escapes the guillotine and goes on a murder spree of prostitutes. But is there more going on?

Bryan Talbot's unique world is brilliantly rendered with detailed crowd scenes and lush interiors.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychotic murderer is condemned to hang for his crimes but he somehow escapes and makes his way from Blighty to Grandville where he begins to wreak a furious vengeance on a series of prostitutes. But what do these women have in common? Inspector LeBrock returns to Grandville hot on the heels of "Mad Dog" Mastock to stop his killing spree and bring him to justice. But what he finds as he begins to investigate the murders takes him back to the past when Britain was fighting for independence against the French, to an event called the Brick Lane Massacre, his own father, and a terrible conspiracy reaching to the highest echelons of power...

Bryan Talbot follows up his hit comic book "Grandville" from last year with "Grandville Mon Amour", the sequel. For those not familiar with the series, the characters are mostly animals in human-ish form, in a steampunk reimagining of the Victorian era with robots and flying machines thrown into the mix.

Talbot's art is nothing short of masterful. Each page contains a stunning array of illustrations, from detailed crowd scenes to richly coloured interiors. Talbot's writing is also of a very high standard with the plot hurtling forwards at all times making for a terrifically exciting read.

"Mon Amour" is a welcome return to the wonderfully realised world of "Grandville". It's a crime thriller but with darker overtones to the first book. Fantastic art, fantastic story, a great comic book from a true artist and storyteller, and a great read.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bryan Talbot's second graphic novel (in a five book series) featuring badger Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock is as much fun as the first. There's plenty of fast paced action in London & Paris, & page after page of wry humour.
Talbot's storytelling & artwork are first rate, & he beautifully blends steampunk with the flavour of old fashioned detective stories. Guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face, even a cynical old bugger like myself.

[Walome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opět finále přitažený za vlasy a opět velmi naivní odhalení zkaženosti jednoho politika (ačkoli v tomhle případě ne tak jednoznačná a nebýt Grandville správňácká žánrovka, směju se nahlas).
Přišlo mi, že Talbot zalitoval, že v předchozím díle zabil Sáru a rychle vymyslel druhou jezevčici. Ale proč ne, u fantasmagorie to ani nevadí.
Mě to bavilo, Vzteklej pes byl správně hnusnej a paní Hrochová vtipná.

[Memorin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myslím, že překlad to má skvělý, chválím aforismy a příměry.
Sexy jezevčice Billie. <3 je můj další komiksový crush.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare that I pre-order a book, but I did for this graphic novel back in June. The first volume was excellent and this one didn't disappoint. Set in an alternate history in which Britain lost the Napoleonic War and became part of the French Empire, only to gain independence through terrorism, and somehow this led to a steampunk civilization. And anthropomorphic animals rule the earth with humans as their servants. Whatever. All that is hand-wavy stuff to set up the story, in which Inspector Lebrock of Scotland Yard hunts down an escaped murderer through lots of intimidation and violence. The story was pretty satisfying, but the really delightful part of these books are the illustrations. Nearly every panel is worth studying for the rich background details. Sometimes it's just some cool steampunk stuff in the background, sometimes little visual jokes, and sometimes sly references to famous art. The skill in crafting these panels is what really charmed me in this book. For $13, I feel I got my money's worth.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story now moves on from the first book and however now the leading characters and the world have been established the history can be explored more and the things start to get fleshed out - yes ideally you want to read the books in series (who does not) but you can pick it up from here.

I was lucky enough (or foolish enough you decide) to buy them as they came out - now I see there is a collected edition which sort of defines the reading order - however the book itself is a standalone story that all feed in to a much larger narrative.

Again filled with in jokes and other animal humanoid references this is as much an Easter egg hunt as it is following the storyline - one of the reasons why reading the book again and again does not loose any of its appeal

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent second graphic novel, featuring Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock of Scotland Yard, an English badger who investigates complex crimes in a strange world where England only recently gained its independence from France, after losing the Napoleonic Wars. The world is run by anthropomorphized animals and humans are only occasionally spotted in the background, serving as doormen and cutpurses. As others have said, Talbot invests all of this with a warmth and lovingly-rendered steampunk environs. It all adds up to a truly satisfying mix and I, for one, hope there will be more volumes of Grandville to come.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these stories. And it's funny that they have so much going against them: the animal characters look so awkward, the stories are so basic and by-the-numbers and most of the characters are ridiculous. But it does so many more things right: every panel has an incredible amount of detail that builds on a fleshed-out world that's like one of those alternate history sci-fi stories and it's populated by anthropomorphic animals. It's filled with action, steam-punk guns and machines, and so much blood. If you don't like strange or creative stories, steer clear. But if you like your stories to be creative, this might be a fun read.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that this installment was a bit more dialog heavy and kept the action sequences to when they were necessary and exciting. Everything about this book was phenomenal, except how transparent and obvious the "mystery" of the story was. The "grand reveal(s)" were neither grand nor all that revealing. That was the only reason it didn't get that fifth star. With the second installment, I am becoming more familiar with and more excited to go on more adventures with LeBrock and Roderick.

[Joe Bogue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I need to read the first volume, cause despite their supposedly being standalone stories, the two Grandville's I've read so far haven't bothered to explain the world in which they are set. How are the anthropomorphic animals connected to France wining the Napoleanic War? And why, in a world of anthropomorphic animals, are there also humans, regular animals, and robots? Great alt history concept but incredibly poorly executed/derivative of classic mysteries...Classics, I might add, that don't have to rely on gimmicks like talking animals to be interesting

[Mendousse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second tome de cette série uchronique, dans un monde animalier où Napoléon a gagné sa guerre avec l'Angleterre...
Un régal, tout me plaît ici !
Passé le choc du premier tome, l'histoire se développe et l'on en apprend plus sur ce monde et sur notre héros. Les méthodes expéditives de l'inspecteur Lebrock et ses excès se retournent souvent contre lui, mais c'est un régal !
Vivement la suite !

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

DI Lebrock and his partner, the loyal and proper Ratzi, continue to entertain in this adventurous series that imagines how England’s history might have gone if Napoleon had triumphed (and if humans weren’t the dominant species). The artwork isn’t exactly pretty, but it’s striking, and in the action scenes, it’s nice be able to tell what’s going on.
An imaginative series to try if you’re looking for something different. Don’t let the humanoid animals freak you out.

[Annie Yotova · Rating 5 out of 5]

200 years ago Napoleon won his wars and France conquered the world. Britain became a backwater province of the big empire until 23 years ago when a violent revolution kicked out the French and established the Socialist Republic of Britain. But that is not everything that Talbot changed in history - in his story humanity never made it to the top of the evolutionary chain - it was all the other animals that did that - although by the time we hear about, humans had evolved somewhere in France (but are considered second-rate and are not granted citizenship).

The second volume in Talbot's Grandville opens 6 weeks after we left DI Archibald LeBrock and his faithful companion Detective Roderick Ratzi after they managed to prevent a war between England and France while killing the emperor Napoleon XII and starting a revolution in France before getting back home to England. You don't need to have read that first story to enjoy this one but there are some spoilers so if you plan to read both, you probably should read them in order.

LeBrock had spent the last 6 weeks hiding in his room - he may have prevented a war, found the truth about a conspiracy and kick-started a revolution but he lost a woman he fell in love with in the process and he still blames himself for it. When he finally emerges (after Roderick drags him back into the world of the living), it is because one of the craziest villains he had ever captured had managed to escape during his own execution - and it appears that he is across the Channel in France and back to his old murderous habits. Except that his commander in Scotland Yard does not want to give him the case - which LeBrock solves in the usual way for a detective in pretty much any detective novel one can read - he resigns and goes on working on the issue at hand. Roderick decides that he will help (he has days off after all) despite his 26 (on last count) kids and Mrs. Razzi who need his salary (oh, did I forget to mention that Razzi is a rat and LeBrock is a badger?) and off they go on the train over the railroad bridge across the Channel and back to France and the City of Light. And before you know it, our heroes are elbows deep into yet another conspiracy.

Talbot's world is a mirror of ours - except for France having had the Empire and the animals evolving before the humans. There is no real species differentiation (except for the people who are anti cross-species relationships) although in a lot of cases the species of the animal and their occupation match our preconceptions - the Mad Dog criminal is actually a dog; the dancers and prostitutes we meet are mostly cats, the madam is a sow and so on. Talbot does not cast specific races or professions into the same animals - all animals evolved and mixed up (Napoleon XII who lost it all in the first volume was a lion; we see walruses and all kinds of other animals in both books). Even if you remove the whole animal evolution, this would have been a pretty decent alternative history tale. But having the animals on top of the chain and having France winning the war allows for a much slower development of the technology and science (England never gets its overseas empire and France conquers most of Europe instead) and the history drifted in an almost believable way.

By the end of this volume, LeBrock manages to uncover the truth about some of the more disturbing parts of the revolution that liberated Britain 23 years earlier, got a few more important people killed and got his job back in the process - after all, this world is just like ours so why would a detective novel follow any different patterns.

And the art is gorgeous (albeit very dark - both literally and in its topics) occasionally.

On to part three of the story for me.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuff I Read - Grandville Mon Amour by Brian Talbot Review

After Grandville, I wasn't quite sure where the series would go, because that book got rather insane, and by the end the action and plot were such that the entire world of the setting would have been changed utterly. I guess it is to my relief that the series found a way to maintain it's incredibly high drama levels, though it does so using a few devices I feel could have been avoided. Still, it is a very fun book, just as violent and fast-paced as the first volume, and, really, it's anthropomorphic animals in an alternate history steampunk setting. It is good times, plain and simple.

I was a little bothered that LeBrock was so upset about Sarah's death in the last volume, though. It's completely a device to create some tension for the character and give him a reason for being depressed and having a harder time with women, but to my knowledge he only met and knew Sarah for something like two days before she was murdered. Given, it was because of him, and perhaps the trauma made her seem more important to him, but the book makes her seem like the love of his life and, come on. But I suppose this follows the action movie style of the series as a whole. As the male protagonist anyone he sleeps with is by default the love of his life, more so if they die because of him. Still, it seemed like the weakest part of the story, especially because Sarah gets replaced fairly easily.

The story, though, is adequately ridiculous and amazing. A serial killer escapes but as LeBrock chases him and investigates it turns out that he's not quite what he seems, which leads to someone else, which leads to someone else, each time ratcheting up the drama and the stakes. Which is much like the first book, and works with the setting and the mood. The art is beautifully rendered and the characters are memorable. They might not be the most subtle, but they definitely stick in the mind. The humor is still in full prominence as well, with little jokes and a wry wit running throughout.

And in the end this book was just a lot of fun. The reveals worked and while it might be a little dubious that LeBrock would be able to get away with everything he is able to do in the volume, it's no harder to swallow than what happened in the previous volume. And it works. It works quite well, in that I enjoyed myself reading it and want to continue on in the series. It might not be perfect, but that doesn't stop me from giving it an 8/10.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Grandville a few years ago and was immediately impressed by the vivid and quite stunning artwork, the sense of scale, the world-building of the alt-history, oh, and the random anthropomorphic animals. This sequel lives up to its predecessor in all those respects and more.

This time Detective Inspector Le Brock must chase down a dangerous fanatical criminal, who was once a hero of the British rebellion against their French masters. "Mad Dog" Mastock has escaped from the Tower just before his execution and Le Brock must pursue. The trail leads him, and his faithful sidekick Detective Sergeant Ratzi, back to Grandville: the great city of Paris, where high-class prostitutes are being murdered and a conspiracy that stretches back to the liberation of Britain.

The art continues to enthral me. Both the style and the vividness are a joy to behold. The anthropomorphised characters always keep you slightly off-balance, in a good way, and I quite like the fact that it's never really commented on, except in an occasional good-natured insult ("Catch, Beaky" to a vulture, for example). The world itself is deepened as we see more of the history between Britain and France and the war of independence.

The book isn't long, I finished it in just under an hour, but it is definitely worth savouring. I'll definitely be rereading the series and I look forward to picking up the next volume in the series as well.

[Ondřej Puczok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ještě lepší ilustrace, ještě více odkazů na klasického Sherlocka, ještě zajímavější skryté detaily, ještě hlubší ponoření do světa Grandville... Ano, zakončení (pointa "případu") je pro mě překvapivě až příliš stejné, i tak je to ale skvělá zábava.

Poznámka: Při čtení prvního Grandville jsem si to neuvědomil, ale je podivuhodné vidět antropomorfní krysu a o stránku dál krysu normální. Nebo vidět rybu číšníka a hned o kousek vedle vycpanou rybu živočišnou. Nevadí třeba lidským prasatům, že se jí slanina z jejich zvířecích příbuzných? Jak se cítí skoro lidská kočka krmící kočku zvířecí? A když jsou v příběhu i lidští lidé (i když pravda v podřízeném postavení), budou někde i lidé zvířecí (např. šimpanz/gorila s lidskou hlavou)? Život ve světě Grandville musí být prostě plný zajímavých zdaleka nejen etických otázek...

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jätkuvalt kuld! Olles pool (siiani ilmunud) Grandville sarjast läbi lugenud, tuleb tunnistada et siiani mingeid väsimuse märke ei ilmne ja sari on ühtlaselt kõrgel tasemel. Lahe antropomorfsete loomadega aurupunk/crime noir, julgen soovitada kõigile.

[NyxShadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2016/03/gra...

[Tom Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually that big on anthropomorphic characters but the magnificent artwork, dynamic alternate-history steampunk setting and action-packed plot totally sucked me in. If you like subversive plots like V for Vendetta, you should appreciate Grandville.
Grandville Mon Amour is the second book in what will soon be a five-volume series of graphic novels. On my Series ranking scale¹ I give the Grandville series rating of three. The series has a substantial and evolving backstory and they are best read in order but readers without the inclination or access to previous books in the series will still be able to enjoy this book.
Hint: If you are looking for a copy of these books, check with your local library to see if they have access to Hoopla digital content.
¹ A Note on Series:Some people insist on reading series in order starting at the beginning. I believe that this is absolutely necessary with some series and unnecessary in others. In my reviews I assign books in a series a score of one to five in which the higher score denotes increased importance of reading the book in order. A series with returning villains, an ongoing story arc, and evolving family dynamics will rate higher than one where the plot in each book is totally unrelated to the others. As an example, a Nancy Drew book would be a one. There is no evolving story arc. Nancy hasn’t grown any older in fifty years and, face it, Ned is never going to propose to her. The Lord of the Rings, on the other hand, is a five. Reading the trilogy in order is essential to fully understanding and appreciating the story. One book picks up right where its predecessor leaves off and Fellowship of the Ring contains information that readers of The Two Towers really need to know. Besides, Tolkien originally wrote it as a single volume.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two hundred years ago Britain lost the Napoleonic war. As with the rest of Europe, it was invaded by France and the members of its royal family were guillotined. It had been a part of the French Empire until twenty-three years ago, when it was begrudgingly given independence after a prolonged campaign of civil disobedience and anarchist bombings.

Six weeks ago, France experienced a revolution following the death of the Emperor Napoleon XII and is now ruled by the Revolutionary Council.

I've wanted to read this for some time as I have always liked Bryan Talbot's style. It really lived up to all my expectations.

Steampunk meets Victorian mystery meets alternate history meets The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes meets anthropomorphic animals in a wonderful blend that will not disappoint!

Detective Inspector LeBrock, of Scotland Yard, is still suffering the after effects of our previous outing when the infamous serial killer Edward 'Mad Dog' Mastock escapes from maximum security prison on the day of his scheduled execution. Aided by his faithful sidekick, Detective Roderick Ratzi, LeBrock must return to Grandville in the hunt for Mastock where he will uncover a plot that will shake the British hierarchy to its core.

Amazing. So fun and a joy to read. This will be treasured and reread many times! 5 stars.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the last one. This book stays firmly within the Grandville world I was introduced to in Volume 1 but, in the process, it forgets about the Steampunk element. That is especially vexing because of the quality of the artwork. The art in this book is, once again, both detailed and imaginative, but it lacks the steampowered vehicles and unique qualities that so impressed in the first installment. The story is also unimaginative, involving an escaped criminal, our hero quitting the force, and a plot that is too bloated to sit well with me. It also lacked any sense of tension or urgency as our hero badger bumbles along with out any real leads in his pursuit. The story could have been lifted from any '70s cop show minus the cool cars and pretty girls. I hope this series returns to its root idea and will immerse me in an alt-history, steampunk universe and not fall into a formulaic cop series with talking animals.

[Oliver Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me s lot of Blacksad, athough the tone is probably even more hard boiled than that, with the wariness and strength of the Badger main character, giving this a chainsaw edge compared to the playfulness and suave of Blacksad.

A feature of this work is the playfulness with the setting- it’s in an alternate time line (not just one with anthropomorphic animals!) where Britain has just hot independece from a powerful French empire, and the plot weaves through the aftermath of political groups who fought for that independence, and even amongst themselves for a say in the slicing up of the pie. It is not so central to the story that you are constantly thinking, ‘how does this timeline work??’ but it was interesting enough to pique interest, and to leave me less sure footed about how the alliances and intrigues would play out, which was a plus!

[One Flew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, the artwork. When it comes to comics, I'm a story over art man, I appreciate that both need to work together to make a great graphic novel, but I prefer substance over style. That said, I was bowled over by the beauty and style of this book, I would have happily have read Grandville even if the story was trash. Luckily the story is a sherlock holmes esque wonderfully aburd detective set in an alternate history universe with anthromorphic creatures. The core mystery of the plot isn't that deep, but the story as a whole is brilliant. Strange, interesting and beautiful.

[Tammie Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I could just look at the art in these books all day long. Mon Amour is another great installment in the Grandville series that's set in a world in which Napoleon stayed in power...and in which all the main characters are anthropomorphic animals.

In Mon Amour, a villain has just escaped from jail and it's up to LeBrock, not only to stop him, but also to figure out who may have helped him escape. It's not as riveting as the first installment, but still a great read.

[Andy Dainty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a by-the-book crime novel with no surprises; escaped convict chased down by previous arresting officer leads to the uncovering of an old conspiracy. Albeit set in a Wind in the Willows-Steampunk mash-up world.
My favourite part was probably the commentary on resistance vs terrorism. There were also a couple of graphic Easter eggs in the images (possibly more that I am missing).

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granville: Mon Amour.
A madman escapes death row, flees to France and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.
Detective LeBrock, the badger policeman who originally caught the suspect, is hot on the trail but discovers more than he bargained for, unwillingly embroiled in a political conspiracy.

I rather enjoyed this book. The story and characters were engaging and interesting.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

ma ei tea, kas ma teise osa põhjal veel nõus olen, et need lood "järjest paremaks" lähevad, aga halvemaks ka igatahes mitte. selles siin oli vahvaid Londoni vaateid ja paks sigariga Briti peaminister.

[Janka · Rating 4 out of 5]

dobré. ak to malo naväzovať na prvý diel, tak ten som si nepamätala a vôbec na nič som sa pri čítaní nerozpamätala, ale príbeh bol super a štandarne prítomné prvky detektívky boli fakt pekne spravené.

[Aaron White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title kind of says it all. It’s a steampunk take on a Sherlock Holmes type mystery, set in an alternative history England that lost the Napoleonic Wars and only gained independence from France in the late 20th Century. Also all the characters are animals.