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Steampunk

Eh? Sorry? What Was That?

Dragon Whisperer is a new full-color comic miniseries from Red 5 Comics. “In a world of clockwork and steam, cursed airship captain, Alexander Faulk, endures his centuries-long quest for an end to his torment: A Dragon! His ceaseless pursuit bears scarce reward, that is until Faulk discovers the bridge between the world of man, and the world of monsters. Her name is Rosalinda Eberhardt, and she is the Dragon Whisperer.” Written by Alex Deluca and illustrated Glen Fernandez, issues should be available now as comic stores slowly re-open.

image c. 2020 Red 5 Comics

 

The Black… Kitty

Braden Duncan is an illustrator who creates watercolor-style works under the name Clockwork Art. According to her web site, her main artistic muse is a black kitten named Diesel. The kitten certainly turns up in much of her artwork! (There are a pair of grey kittens who just joined the household, and they’ve been making appearances too.) She also has an affinity for birds — and, as you can probably guess from her moniker, a thing for steampunk. Much of her work is available as prints or ‘fridge magnets from her Etsy Store.

image c. 2018 by Braden Duncan

The Return of Inspector LeBrock

Steampunk and furry fans may both rejoice as writer/artist Brian Talbot brings us the latest edition of his anthropomorphic alternate history series in Grandville Noel, coming this November in hardcover from Dark Horse Press. “With his trusty adjunct, Detective Sergeant Ratzi, away for Christmas, there’s no holiday for Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard as he embarks on an investigation into the disappearance of his housekeeper’s niece, Bunty Spall.  The trail leads to a growing religious cult, where a charismatic unicorn messiah and his con men cronies, already responsible for mass murder in the United States, are about to lead a crusade for the ethnic cleansing of the French Empire’s doughfaces – the derogatory nickname for humans used by the majority, animal-headed population. Teaming up with Chance Lucas, a gun-slinging operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and reigniting his steamy love affair with the voluptuous Parisian badger prostitute Billie, LeBrock clashes with both cult fanatics and doughface terrorists, uncovering in the process a centuries-old religious conspiracy that threatens to plunge the world into bloody civil war.” Find out more about this full-color series at Brian Talbot’s blog page.

image c. 2014 Dark Horse Press

image c. 2014 Dark Horse Press

The Return of Inspector LeBrock

Bryan Talbot from the UK has become quite well known among furry fans and comic book fans for his graphic novel series Grandville. Set in an an alternate steampunk universe of talking animals, where Britain is under the rule of France, the series follows the adventures of the deadly badger detective Inspector LeBrock.  Recently, Mr. Talbot announced the upcoming release of the third book in the series, Grandville: Bete Noir. “The baffling murder of a famed Parisian artist in his locked and guarded studio takes the tenacious Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard and his faithful adjunct, Detective Ratzi, into the cutthroat Grandville art scene to track the mysterious assassin. As the body count mounts and events spiral out of control, the investigation points to Toad Hall, where a cabal of industrialists and fat cats plot the overthrow of the French State . . . by use of steam-driven automaton soldiers!”  Dark Horse Press will release Grandville: Bete Noir in hardcover on December 12th. Check out The Fandom Post for a preview.

image c. 2012 by Bryan Talbot

The Escape Goat

It’s not too soon to start thinking about Free Comic Book Day this year. Not with titles like The Intrepid Escape Goat coming our way. If you’ve not heard, every year during the first weekend in May, comic book publishers from all over flood your local comic book shops with miniature versions of their upcoming titles to give away for free to prospective buyers. There’s a web site dedicated to the event where you can find out all about it. And this year one of the titles to look for is an anthropomorphic steam-punk adventure written and illustrated (in full color) by Brian Smith, Mike Raicht, and Charles Paul Wilson III. It’s published by Th3rd World Studios. “It is the dawn of the 20th Century, and one brave soul dares to walk the line between the worlds of science and the arcane; he is Thomas Fleet… The Intrepid Escape Goat! Touring with his ward and assistant Isis (a 2,000-year-old mummy girl), Escape Goat performs to sold-out crowds around the globe… but it’s what happens off-stage, when locals call upon him to solve the paranormal mysteries plaguing their cities, that provides the most peril! Also in this issue: A special preview of The Stuff of Legend Volume 3, continuing the saga of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel!” The Stuff of Legend, of course, is Th3rd World’s continuing series about an army of loyal toys out to save their missing master — and children the world over — from an invasion of nightmare demons.

image c. 2010 Th3rd World Studios

Monkeys at the Mountains of Madness?

Chet Phillips is an artist and writer who has created something that combines aspects of steam-punk, pulp adventure novels, and H.P. Lovecraft… with monkeys. Here’s how he describes it: “The Society of Sinister Simians explores the mysterious world of an evil collection of vicious and power hungry primates that held sway over the land centuries ago. Thanks to the efforts of the ill-fated Sourcrust archeological dig of 1887, details of this foul organization have finally come to light. In this book you will learn of The Society’s immortal leader, his powerful and brutal cadre of ministers and advisors as well as a variety of assassins, spies, soldiers and frightful supernatural figures.” The Society of Sinister Simians is available as a 122-page full-color paperback book, and also as a trading card set with a poster puzzle on the reverse side. A signed, limited edition hand-bound hardback edition is currently out of print (as of this writing), but you can visit Mr. Phillips’ web site to find out when it might be reprinted. There’s also examples of Chet’s numerous other funny-animal art projects.

image c. 2010 Chet Phillips

Grandville is back for more badgering!

The second hardcover, full-color graphic novel in the  Grandville series is due out this coming October 20th, once again written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot. We’ll let the publisher, Dark Horse Comics, describe it: “Convicted psychotic killer and extremist fanatic Edward ‘Mad Dog’ Mastock violently escapes the guillotine’s blade in the Tower of London to once again terrorize the Socialist Republic of Britain. But dogging Mastock’s bloody footsteps is his longtime adversary and nemesis, Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock, at odds with Scotland Yard and intent on bringing Mastock’s horrific murder spree to an end, once and for all. Aided by his friend and colleague Detective Roderick Ratzi, LeBrock follows the trail of carnage to Paris, otherwise known as Grandville, the largest city in a world dominated by the French Empire and the prime target of Mastock’s sadistic terrorism. Can LeBrock capture the Mad Dog before he can mete out his final vengeance, or will LeBrock’s own quest for redemption be dragged to ground by the demons of his past? The badger is back! Set three weeks after the finale of GrandvilleBryan Talbot’s critically acclaimed steampunk graphic novel–Grandville Mon Amour explores an alternate art-nouveau world populated by intelligent animals, a human underclass, robot automatons, and advanced steam technology that power everything from hansom cabs to iron flying machines.”

image c. 2010 Dark Horse Comics

Steampunk Badger

Grandville is a new full-color steampunk anthropomorphic graphic novel, written and illustrated by Bryan Talbot (The Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland). Created in England, it’s being released in North America by Dark Horse Press (in hardcover) this coming October. Here’s the story: After 200 years of French rule (having lost the war to Napoleon), the Socialist Republic of Britain is now a backwards, backwater land “connected by railway bridge, steam-powered dirigible, and mutual suspicion to France”. When a British diplomat (an otter) is murdered, and the deed made to look like a suicide, fearless detective LeBrock of Scotland Yard (a badger, of course) steps in to solve the case.  But doing so will bring him muzzle-to-muzzle with a ruthless murder squad. The brave badger’s quest for answers will take him far and wide through this world of steam-driven hansom cabs, automatons, and flying machines.  Want to see a preview? Visit Bryan Talbot’s Grandville site.