Grandville is anthropomorphic steampunk thriller

Today’s graphic novel recommendation: Grandville. It’s like Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond by way of Quentin Tarantino, starring anthropomorphic animals in an alternate Napoleonic Europe.

It’s by Bryan Talbot, who most recently wowed everybody with “Alice in Sunderland” and is the creator of “The Tale of One Bad Rat” and “Tales of Luther Arkwright.”

Grandville stars Detective Inspector LeBrock, a badger with a keen eye for detail who’s handy with both guns and fists.   This Scotland Yard inspector lives in a Britain that’s become a footnote, connected to France by railway, where Paris is the center of the steampunk European world.

A murder puts LeBrock and his assistant on the trail of a giant conspiracy that could affect the entire Napoleonic Empire.

This book works on a number of levels, with interesting allusions to children’s literature and current events, and is beautifully drawn besides.   Talbot’s storytelling remains top-notch.

Talbot is already at work on a sequel, Grandville Mon Amour, which is set for a 2010 release, according to fan site bryan-talbot.com.

- Matt Price