Comicon Advent Calendar Day 4: ‘Grandville: Noel’ — Bryan Talbot’s Steampunk Saga At Christmas

Welcome once more to the daily dose of festive comics of all kinds that we gift you this time of year with the Comicon Advent Calendar. Today, a little something from the world of Bryan Talbot‘s Grandville.

Okay, so it’s not the most Christmassy of tales, dealing as it does with religion, cults, racism, crime, and so much more. But it does take place at Christmas at least. And, with the arrival of Apollo the unicorn in Grandville claiming to be the Messiah, there’s just a little bit of the Christmas tale in here – well, maybe. Or perhaps not.

But the Advent Calendar is very much a whatever we want to put in with a link to the festive season sort of thing, which means Grandville: Noel is fair game. Plus, of course, it’s absolutely bloody brilliant.

A little background to Grandville first, just to set the scene for this brilliant series. It’s all set in a world where France won the Napoleonic wars, a world where steampunk tech is everywhere, and where the dominant species running this world are all anthropomorphised animals. Humans, when they do appear, are the ‘doughfaces,’ an inferior race, slaves for the most part, in service to their masters. The only exception to this is in America, where all creatures are seen as equals.

In Grandville, we’re joining in the adventures of Detective Inspector Archibald ‘Archie’ LeBrock – he’s the badger, and his bagman, Detective Roderick Ratzi, the sharply-dressed rat. Both of them work for Scotland Yard, and in Grandville: Noel, are drawn into an investigation of a missing girl, the niece of Le Brock’s housekeeper, who, as have many other animals from all across the world, has joined the cult of The Silver Path, led by Apollo, the shimmering white unicorn who, like so many cult leaders, seems to have the ability to bring all manner of seekers of something more under his wing, all of them willing to provide the cult, and Apollo, with their unwavering devotion, not to mention a lot of money.

So, against this backdrop, we get to follow LeBrock to Grandville (Paris), where he meets Chance Lucas, one of the free ‘doughfaces’ from America, a Pinkerton detective who’s on the trail of Apollo for crimes he committed there.

Between them, they come up against a grand conspiracy, do battle with mobsters and human terrorists, and get involved in the hunt for the true gospels, the ones that finally reveal the species of The Christ. So, yes, there’s your Christmas link right there. The religious overtones of this one are high in the mix, whether in the search for the true gospels or in the cult of Apollo, with Talbot utilising plenty of religious imagery along the way to emphasise his many points.

Grandville, across all five volumes, of which this is the fourth, is a beautiful thing, right from the moment you hold each perfectly formed hardback volume in your hands. But once you crack open the cover, you find Talbot on fine form, crafting pages that are so rich in detail and warmth, this world of strangeness made immediately real for you, such is the manner in which Talbot spins this tale. His artwork, always so perfectly done, is lush and beautiful here, full of the details he’s always brought to every tale he’s told, but here with such richness, such life. And the colours… oh, the colours are simply sumptuous, aided by a last-minute roping in of Angus McKie, Jordan Smith and Alwyn Talbot for colour assists on 27 pages in here – not that you could tell, as every page just looks gorgeous, not a hint of the last-minute colouring required.

Grandville: Noel is a Christmas tale with a difference, one lacking the sentiment that many such tales will be peddling at this time of year. Instead, it’s a story of the worst of the world, of crimes and conspiracies, of cults and confidence tricksters, of violence and prejudice. Talbot takes his world to new heights, exploring complex issues so well, going deeper and deeper into difficult themes, yet always remembering that the story is the thing, and delivering one that enthrals you, draws you in right to the very last. It’s a simply superb book, from a superb series, and one that would do well to be under your Christmas tree this year.

GRANDVILLE: NOEL – BY BRYAN TALBOT

PUBLISHED BY DARK HORSE COMICS IN 2014