The Book: With top-hat and cane in hand, Scotland Yard’s DI Stamford Hawksmoor shadows the murky backstreets of London on the hunt for a sadistic serial killer.
In the dying days of the French occupation of Britain, through gaslit, cobbled streets and squalid alleyways, stalks the great eagle Detective Stamford Hawksmoor in search of the homicidal manic whose killing spree claims dozens of seemingly unconnected victims, from random murders to targeted political assassinations.
The deeper he delves, the more he puts himself in mortal danger, pitting himself against unknown antagonists whilst under the scrutiny of the feared anti-terrorist squad, and the more he is forced to resort to working outside the law.
A prequel to Talbot’s pioneering Grandville series, The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor is also an intriguing, labyrinthine stand-alone mystery graphic novel set in a world of hansom cabs and pea-souper fogs, where explosive violence can erupt at any second – and does!
The Review: Ahh yes, that Bryan Talbot gentlemen has been busy again, creating a standalone prequel to the Grandville worldview; a magnificent alternative investigative thriller called The Casebook Of Stamford Hawksmoor.
It starts with the visual impact and heft of a quality hardbound Jonathan Cape affair you could only ever wish for, and it shows oozing quality. But what immediately grabs you is the Talbot trademark: the name of the graphic novel, and the visual punch. Bryan Talbot is so quintessentially British that it hurts, and in a very good way. Immediately recognisable in a world of Marvel-DC copycat slop, his work shines through as truly original. And to seal it with a British gravitas kiss, you have a forward by Phillip Pullman.
The Casebook Of Stamford Hawksmoor is a delight from start to finish. From the rich tradition of Britain being occupied and this time by the French “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” (The Simpsons 1995) which although seems improbable, only adds to the meta layers of humour that Talbot is known for and wields throughout the graphic novel. Stamford Hawksmoor, an extremely well turned out eagle detective, is our main protagonist and erstwhile all round gentleman who is increasingly forced to work outside the law across the investigation into a number of murders, yet he retains an assured calm collective stance, and provides a solid set of eagle-eyes to escort us through this labyrinth(e) of a story.
And not long into this mystery, you don’t even notice that all the characters are animals in the great tradition of Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard (who used the pseudonym, “Grandville”), George Orwell, Lewis Carroll et al.The anthropomorphism enables the narrative to unfold with an ease and deft touch that is often lost when stylistic tropes carry too much weight and smother the plot. Not so here. The characters all breathe, have their own internal logic and you, like me, will not even notice it’s a cat or a seagull or a rhino that Hawksmoor is holding conversation with.
Talbot is a master storyteller and this shines throughout, with a bucketful of rich detail, social commentary, and plot complexity to complete your immersion.
Is this a Steampunk alternative history? For sure, but it’s more, Hawksmoor is rooted in a language of British creativity that is truly unique, a Victorian DNA recreated lovingly with the kind of world building detail that makes it truly real as you join Hawksmoor in this investigation. And, pleasantly lacking in any Unobtanium MacGuffin’s, Talbot has crafted a story with a purpose, an inciting incident(s) and an ending. As if he’s thought it through. Wild.
And what of the artwork? Beautiful naturally; the Talbot touch styling, clean and bold, yet subtle and rich in detail. All created in a sepia ink, watercolour and pen wash providing a monotone of polyphonic visual depth. The visual design is easy to read, the graphical layout and panelling is clean and natural to parse. The overall depth and detail on many-a-page richly rewards both time to linger, and repeat viewing.
The Casebook Of Stamford Hawksmoor is a brilliant romp. I will not indulge in spoilers, but even if I did, reading this review would in no way diminish the dazzling effect this novel has on you. You will be consumed by a world of intrigue, murder, monocles and beaks. I strongly suggest one takes one’s cane and ferrule in hand, stride outbound to your local supplier of vellum bound smutter and purchase The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor quickstep. Don’t dilly dally now, nobody likes a laggard.
Graham Baines
The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor is available for all good bookshops and comic shops from 6th November 2025 | ISBN: 978-1787335516 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | UKBookshop.org Affiliate Link
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Bryan Talbot was born in 1952. He has worked on underground comics, science fiction and superhero stories such as Judge Dredd and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. His books include Alice in Sunderland, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes (with Mary Talbot), the first graphic novel to win the Costa biography award, and the Grandville series.
Earlier this year, he won the 2025 Prix Graphique at Le Prix ActuSF de l’Uchronie for his brilliant Grandville series, awarded the “Prix Graphique”.
• Bryan has been documenting creation of this new novel on his official website
If You Like This, You’ll Want This…
• Order Grandville L’Intégrale from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Beware the Badger! The acclaimed steampunk series from graphic-novel pioneer Bryan Talbot explores an alternate art-nouveau world populated by intelligent animals, a human underclass, and wondrous technology. Within this rich fantastical milieu, the relentless Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard pursues shadowy death squads, psychotic killers, dark political conspiracies, ruthless crime lords, and bloodthirsty cults through the streets of London and the centre of the greatest empire on earth, the Belle Epoque Paris known as Grandville.
• Read John Freeman’s review of Grandville L’Integrale by Bryan Talbot
• Grandville: L’Intégrale can also be pre-ordered from the Penguin site
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