Black Beast
On Friday evening I headed to Foyles after work for the world premiere of Bête Noire, the third in Bryan Talbot's series of Grandville graphic novels. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Grandville is set in a steampunk alternate past in which Napoleon conquered Britain - oh, and almost everyone is an anthropomorphic animal/bird/fish. There are robots and sex and violence and unlicensed cameos.
At a previous talk, Talbot had announced that the next instalment in the series would be 'James Bond style', so I'd been greatly looking forward to it. I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but the cover, and the panel we saw during the talk which featured Paddington Bear, promise great things.
Halfway through, Bryan's wife Mary joined him to discuss Dotter of her Father's Eyes, a memoir comic about her own childhood and that of James Joyce's daughter. Then it was time for Q&A.
Somebody asked what sort of voice Talbot heard for LeBrock in his head, and he said that he'd had Gene Hunt from Life on Mars suggested. This is how I shall imagine him speaking from now on. My favourite question, however, came from Kim Newman in the interviewer role: "How do you make animals sexy?" Apparently he is unaware of that sizeable subculture which sees nothing unusual in admiring the musculature on an anthropomorphic badger.
What with the ticket, the book and a couple of Christmas presents picked up incidentally, Foyles did rather well out of me. I also learned during the introductory speech that Posy Simmonds - POSY SIMMONDS! - will be doing an event this Wednesday evening, the 14th. I have purchased my ticket.
At a previous talk, Talbot had announced that the next instalment in the series would be 'James Bond style', so I'd been greatly looking forward to it. I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, but the cover, and the panel we saw during the talk which featured Paddington Bear, promise great things.
Halfway through, Bryan's wife Mary joined him to discuss Dotter of her Father's Eyes, a memoir comic about her own childhood and that of James Joyce's daughter. Then it was time for Q&A.
Somebody asked what sort of voice Talbot heard for LeBrock in his head, and he said that he'd had Gene Hunt from Life on Mars suggested. This is how I shall imagine him speaking from now on. My favourite question, however, came from Kim Newman in the interviewer role: "How do you make animals sexy?" Apparently he is unaware of that sizeable subculture which sees nothing unusual in admiring the musculature on an anthropomorphic badger.
What with the ticket, the book and a couple of Christmas presents picked up incidentally, Foyles did rather well out of me. I also learned during the introductory speech that Posy Simmonds - POSY SIMMONDS! - will be doing an event this Wednesday evening, the 14th. I have purchased my ticket.