Welcome to the official website of Bryan Talbot: writer and artist of comics, graphic novels and illustrations
Saturday May 5th:
Bryan and Mary will be in conversation at the Dublin Writer’s Festival on June 9th
Mary and Bryan Talbot will be “In conversation” for a Dotter of her Father's Eyes event at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2 at 2.00 pm on Saturday June 9th. Tickets: €10 / €8: book online at the Dublin Writer's Festival Site.
Sunday April 22nd 2012: Bryan and Mary were featured in the Guardian newspaper with their top 10 graphic novel memoirs.
Sunday April 15th 2012: over on the Bryan Talbot facebook group I recently committed a random act of kinndness: when we reached 500 members I randomly drew a name from the list and asked Bryan to send the winner a free sketch; just as a thank-you to all the fans!
The winner chose a picture of Dream of the Endless... - known to some mortals as the Sandman; I checked with Bryan and the winner and they're both happy for the sketch to be reproduced here.
I will see if I can talk Bryan into doing another such sketch for when we hit a thousand members!
Sunday March 25th 2012: New interview with Bryan over at the Sequential Highway site: "Bryan Talbot answers 15 questions"
Monday March 19th 2012: Bryan and Mary Talbot will be signing in Waterstones, The Bridges, Sunderland next Saturday, 24th March, 2.00 – 3.00pm
Also on Friday 13th April, the Talbots will be in Preston, at The Continental, South Meadow Lane, Preston, Lancashire PR1 8JP, tel: 01772 499425 for reservations & event tickets to give talks on:
Grandville and the anthropomorphic tradition: 8:00pm
Bryan Talbot discusses his graphic novels Grandville and Grandville Mon Amour and the venerable and ongoing tradition of anthropomorphic characters in illustration and comics from which they have grown, pointing out references to this tradition and 19th century art within the Grandville books themselves.
Dotter of her Fathers' Eyes: 9:30pm
Dr Mary Talbot introduces her graphic novel, Dotter of her Father’s Eyes. Part personal history, part biography, it contrasts two coming-of-age narratives: that of Lucia, the daughter of James Joyce, and her own.
Followed by a Q & A with Mary and Bryan Talbot, who illustrated the book.
Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M Talbot & Bryan Talbot, with an exclusive signed and numbered bookplate is available available to British readers from Gosh! and to American readers from Panel To Panel
Sunday March 11th 2012: you saw it here first! - the publicity blurb for Grandville Bete Noire from Jonathon Cape, the publishers!
The Badger is back! At Toad Hall, lair of multibillionaire Baron Aristotle Krapaud, a cabal of industrialists and fat cats plot the violent overthrow of the French state by the intervention of horribly beweaponed automaton soldiers.
Meanwhile, the brutal murder of a famous Parisian artist, mysteriously stabbed to death in his locked and guarded studio, is subject to the investigations of the tenacious Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard, placing him and his faithful adjunct, Detective Sergeant Roderick Ratzi, in pursuit of the mysterious masked assassin stalking the cut-throat commercial world of the Grandville art scene.
Bête Noire signals the welcome return to anthropomorphic steampunk detective fiction of master storyteller and graphic novel pioneer Bryan Talbot with the third stand-alone volume of the Eisner and Hugo Award nominated Grandville series.
As the body count mounts and events spiral exponentially out of control, aided by his brilliant deductive abilities and innate ferocity, LeBrock battles against outrageous odds in this funny, high octane thriller, an adventure shot through with both high art and comic book references, a glorious illegitimate offspring of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming – with animals!
Follow the Badger!
"I have greatly enjoyed the Grandville books. I think they’re superbly designed, beautifully conceived, admirably written – everything about them is terrific. They really show what the form can do. Comics is so rich a medium now that it can accommodate all kinds of wit and irony and self-referentiality without being arch about it. A graphic novel built on the solid foundation of a strong story."
Philip Pullman
Also new today: the Bryan Talbot online shop has got a load of new, original artwork from Bryan available... - this is literally the only place you can buy these masterpieces online: the only other place they can be bought is from Bryan himself at Comics Conventions... have a look at the new Luther Arkwright original artwork and treat yourself to something you've always promised you would buy yourself!
Wednesday February 22nd: Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes at the Lit and Phil!
The Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society are hosting a Dotter event at 6.30pm on Tuesday 28th February, consisting of a Powerpoint presentation by Mary Talbot, followed by a Q & A session with Bryan and Mary. Entry £4/£2 concession (includes entry into the current exhibition Creative Passions). 23 Westgate Road Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne And Wear NE1 1SE, United Kingdom 0191 232 0192
Also Mary was interviewed on Midweek on Radio 4 today!
Sunday February 12th 2012: Bryan Talbot documentary DVD news
Mary and Bryan's Wigan launch of Dotter of Her Father's Eyes at Waterstones was recorded by Digital Story Engine as part of the Bryan Talbot DVD to be released later this year. In between filming at the launch and Talbot related Wigan landmarks, DSE's James Guy and Russell Wall discussed the creative plans for the project with local fans. Rusell said:"We have just completed a short film about Bryan and Mary's creative approach to Dotter of Her Father's Eyes. It features exclusive video interview segments with Bryan and Mary along with extracts from Dotter giving a taste of the co-creators' first Graphic Novel together and the emerging Bryan Talbot DVD.
Comic Historian Paul Gravett, and Dan Franklin, the Publishing Director of Jonathan Cape also discuss Bryan and Mary's innovative storytelling techniques. The Dotter of Her Father's Eyes promotional film will be going live on YouTube early next week with alternative cuts for Waterstones and Dark Horse to follow.
Stay tuned to the fanpage for further announcements as filming proceeds over 2012.
Tuesday February 7th 2012: The launch party for Dotter of her Fathers' Eyes was held at on February 2nd (which is the date on which the present day sequences are set, James joyce’s birthday and the 90th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses - and Groundhog Day!) and here's a video of it from the nice people at Bleeding Cool:
Sunday February 5th 2012:
Bryan Talbot DVD for 2012
I have been talking to Russell Wall and James Guy of Digital Story Engine who are working on the DVD documentary about Bryan and his work, and they've given me an update to send out:
"We plan to complete by late October and get everything ready for shipping by Christmas 2012. Please let the fans know they won't have to wait next year. The project will also take full advantage of the DVD medium providing a cluster of featurette documentaries on Bryan's major works and working process supporting an overview of his career and achievements to date. You can also let people know that we are filming in Manchester and points west this week."
Wednesday February 1st 2012 update: Dotter of her Father's Eyes signings:
Friday 3rd February 5.00pm, Bryan and Mary will be signing copies at Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street London WC2H 7JA tel: 0207 240 0591 where there will also be a month-long exhibition of some of the artwork from the graphic novel.
On Saturday 4th February Bryan will be at the SWALC microfestival all afternoon at The Lord Clyde pub 342 Essex Road, London, N1 3PB Admission free: a chance to mingle, chat and hob-nob: see the front page of the invite and the back page.
Sunday 5th February sees them signing at the London Comic Mart
Saturday 11th of February 2pm at Waterstone’s, 6 The Grand Arcade, Wigan, WN1 1BH tel: 01942 497095. Wigan, of course is where roughly half the book is set.
Also read the glowing review of Dotter in todays Guardian.
Cherubs news!
You may not realise that Bryan wrote this graphic novel, drawn by Mark Stafford and published by Desperado in 2007, as it received virtually no publicity. This was actually the first half of the story - "Paradise Lost" - although it could be read as a stand-alone. Cherubs! is a supernatural comedy-adventure about a bunch of gonzo cherubim on the loose in New York on the eve of the apocalypse. Mark Stafford has nearly finished the art for the second half of the story - "Hell on Earth" - and the whole story will be published by Dark Horse Books in 2012.
I'll post more info - and especially the cover - as soon as possible!
Dotter Interview
On 20th January at the First Fictions festival in Brighton, Bryan and Mary Talbot were interviewed by Nicola Streeten (writer/artist BILLY, YOU AND ME) about their collaboration on Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes. The graphic novel is to be published by Jonathan Cape in the UK and Dark Horse Books in the USA. You can listen a podcast of the interview here.
The 2012 Arvon catalogue is now out, which includes details for the Creative Writing for Graphic Novels residential course Bryan co-tutors annually. This year it takes place June 25 - 30th. You can download the catalogue directly from their site. I'm giving anybody who might be interested a shout now as last year it sold out pretty early. Also there are a limited number of grants available to pay for the Arvon courses and these go very quickly after the courses are announced.
Sunday January 15th 2012: here's a nice flyer for the signing that Bryan and Mary will be doing at Friday Orbital Comics 8 Great Newport Street London WC2H 7JA tel: 0207 240 0591 on 3rd February 5.00pm, where there will also be a month-long exhibition of some of the artwork from the graphic novel.
Also, Joe Gordon over at Forbidden Planet has just posted the "Directors Commentary" of Dotter!
Sunday January 8th 2012 : Also you can now read The Naked Artist, Bryan’s prose book on the outrageous urban legends of the comic industry, on Kindle! Only $2.98 (Under 2 quid!)
Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes will be published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on the 2nd February and in the USA by Dark Horse on the 8th February.
Friday 3rd February 5.00pm, Bryan and Mary will be signing copies at Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street London WC2H 7JA tel: 0207 240 0591 where there will also be a month-long exhibition of some of the artwork from the graphic novel.
Sunday 5th February sees them signing at the London Comic Mart
Saturday 11th of February 2pm at Waterstone’s, 6 The Grand Arcade, Wigan, WN1 1BH tel: 01942 497095. Wigan, of course is where roughly half the book is set.
Friday 2nd March - 5:00pm - Forbidden Planet 5-6 Crampton Quay, Dublin 2 tel: 0035 3167 10688
3rd & 4th March, they are guests at Dublin’s Phoenix Con
On Saturday 4th February Bryan will be at the SWALC microfestival all afternoon at The Lord Clyde pub 342 Essex Road, London, N1 3PB Admission free: a chance to mingle, chat and hob-nob: see the front page of the invite and the back page.
Sunday January 1st 2012: Happy New Year everyone!
Monday December 5th 2011: First Fictions Festival
Along with many others, including Ian Rankin, Bryan and Mary Talbot are guests at the First Fictions launch weekend 20-22 January, 2012 at the University of Sussex. This is a series of events designed to celebrate and champion first novels, past and present. The results of Myriad Editions'competition for a first graphic novel in progress, of which Bryan is one of the judges, will be announced there (entries are now closed). Grandville Bete Noire Progress report
This weekend Bryan finished the inking of page 49, meaning that the half the book is now pencilled and inked. 11 pages are fully coloured and the ones up to page 47 have all been colour flatted, from page 11 onwards, by Chrissie Harper.Book Four in the series Grandville Noel, is already scripted and Book five is roughly plotted out.The Unwritten #31.5
Bryan has pencilled and inked a 6 page story, Copy Errors, for The Unwritten, penned by the series author, Mike Carey. The chapter is set in medieval Germany. Other stories in the issue are drawn by Michael Kaluta and Rick Geary. The issue is now on sale.
Sunday December 4th 2011: Dark Horse just sent me over the link to read Grandville and Grandville: Mon Amour online as a digital comic! - and so, seeing as how they also kindly sent over a graphic to advertise it, I've added it onto the sidebar for each page!
Tuesday November 15th: On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Bryan discusses Art Spiegelman’s Maus and the new companion book, Metamaus.
The news item before it is quite funny. An instance of breaking and decorating!
All of the older announcements of news and events have been moved to the old announcements page.