I was lucky enough to get me hands on a signed copy of Bryan Talbots new book GRANDVILLE for my birthday and what a fine gift it was too (Cheers Dave).
The first time I became fully aware of his art was when he took over the art duties from my beloved Kevin O'Neill on Nemesis the warlock during the books Gothic empire phase which considering the high regard I hold his work in wouldve been a tall order but Bryan took the bull by the horns and shook the fucker to death before my very eyes.
His work, like Mister O'Neills, was brilliantly weird, astonishingly designed, beautifully detailed and incredibly violent and I loved it.
Since then I have tried to read everything I could get my hands on with a couple of exceptions the most recent being Alice in Sunderland which was an absolute feast for the brain.
Now he has given us GRANDVILLE and it is a total monster, the book starts with a rip roaring steam carriage chase through a decaying Parisian refinery in which the players are routinely shot, cooked and blown up and it doesnt let up from there.
The Main Character is a burly Badger in the vein of Sin Citys Marv who when he isnt solving the series of crimes that drive the book is dispensing rough justice to all and sundry in a manner befitting of old school Dredd.
There is a scene in which surrounded by rascals our hero nuts Barbar the elephants badboy cousin before setting him on fire!
Personally I couldnt ask for more, Its even got a gloriously melancholy appearance from TinTins four legged companion set in an opium den that first appeared in an etching by Gustav Dore!
Buy this book!
