Grandville and the Anthropomorphic Tradition continues

Another year, another Grandville book and another signing and talking tour by Bryan Talbot.

Granville Mon Amour is the second in the Grandville series but I'm not allowed to read it until Christmas so I'll tell you about the talk instead.

I saw Bryan Talbot give his presentation on Grandville and the Anthropomorphic Tradition continues at the ICA last year but it was worth a second visit and Bryan had told me that it had been updated for Granville Mon Amour which made it even more compelling.

The occasion this time was the Richmond Literary Festival and the venue was the Orleans House Gallery. As the crow flies this is no distance but the Thames denied me that route but even after a detour through Richmond this was still a local event.

It was a cold evening and the gallery is bloody hard to find, even for us locals who have been there before, but a healthy crowd made there way there and enjoyed a glass of wine before settling down for the talk.

We were told to expect a talk of 45 minutes followed by a Q&A session but what we got was a knowledgeable, erudite and passionate talk that lasted for 75 minutes and could have gone on for longer such was Bryan's enthusiasm.

The content was, as expected, much the same as the last time I saw it but it is such an intelligent and interesting talk that the repeat was as rewarding as the original.

And I dare say that I'll see it again when Grandville Bete Noir comes out.

After the talk came the signings and the chance to have a few words with Bryan. He signed my copies of Grandville Mon Amour and Adventures of Luther Arkwright while we joked about him calling me a "cheap git" in a comics forum. At least I'm pretty sure it was a joke...

Bryan Talbot has an exceptional talent for producing comics and another for talking about them. And he's a charming man too.