{"id":35469,"date":"2026-05-11T17:40:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35469"},"modified":"2026-05-11T17:40:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T17:40:35","slug":"the-detection-club-parts-1-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/05\/11\/the-detection-club-parts-1-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Detection Club parts 1 & 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Jean Harambat<\/strong>, coloured by Jean-Jacques Rouger<\/strong> translated by Allison M. Charette<\/strong> (Europe Comics)
\neISBN: 979-1-032809-95-2 (part 1), 979-1-032809-96-9 (part 2)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> included for dramatic and literary effect.<\/em><\/p>\n

Apparently, everybody loves mystery to chew on. With that in mind, here\u2019s a brace of superb cartoon conundrums from the continent, based on an unlikely but actual historical convocation.<\/p>\n

As seen on Wikipedia, – The Detection Club<\/em> was a literary society of British crime writers, founded in 1930, with the likes of G.K. Chesterton<\/em>, Dorothy L. Sayers<\/em> and Agatha Christie<\/em> as early Presidents. In 1936, American \u00e9migr\u00e9 John Dickson Carr<\/em> became the first non-Brit elected to the august body; and probably pretty snarky elitist gathering.<\/p>\n

They did stuff, wrote stories, held events and upheld (Ronald) Knox\u2019s Commandments<\/em> which detailed the proper rules of mystery writing. The group is the basis of later media McGuffin\u2019s such as Batman<\/strong>\u2019s Mystery Analysts of Gotham City<\/em> and every bunch of screen authors matched against evil geniuses everywhere…<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty sure the story here collected in two volumes by award-winning cartoonist, screenwriter, graphic novelist, historian, philosopher and journalist Jean Harambat (Les Invisibles<\/em><\/strong>, Ulysses, the Songs of Return<\/strong>, Operation Copperhead<\/strong>) is apocryphal, but you never know\u2026<\/p>\n

Originally released in 2019, our case du jour opens in a prologue, with the reciting of those Knox commandments and the confirmation of Mr. Dixon Carr at a slap-up feed at London hostelry Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – a pub that doesn\u2019t seem to mind the odd celebratory gunshot\u2026<\/p>\n

Present are President Chesterton, Dixon Carr, Christie, Sayers, Baroness Emma Orczy<\/em>, Major<\/em> A.E.W. Mason<\/em> and Monsignor Ronald Knox<\/em> himself, and – as the posh repast winds down – proceedings are somewhat disturbed by the arrival of a flying, talking robotic bird bearing a strange invitation\u2026<\/p>\n

Eccentric man of means Mr. Roderick Ghyll<\/em> wishes the company of the sagacious society at his extraordinary domicile on April 1st<\/sup>. Briarcliff House is situated on a private island where Ghyll wishes to celebrate the future through his latest contrivance, therefore promising \u201cchallenges\u201d, \u201cenchantments\u201d and \u201cthe renaissance of crime fiction\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

Chapter I opens with the scribes and scribblers approaching \u2018An Island in Cornwall\u2019<\/em> and still heatedly debating the motives of the mystery man. Ghyll greets them effusively before zooming off in a bizarre electric unicycle leaving them to make their way to his palatial manse: a gleaming tribute to sleek, tripped down modernism – if not actual futurism\u2026<\/p>\n

Apart from the domestic staff chef Alphonse<\/em>, maid Madeline,<\/em> implacable (not to say positively \u201cinscrutable\u201d) Asian manservant Fu<\/em>, and stepdaughter Millicent<\/em>, the only other human present is technical assistant Dr.<\/em> Zumtod<\/em> and Ghyll\u2019s haughty beautiful wife Honoria<\/em>. A future generation would call her a \u201ctrophy\u201d…
\n\"\"
\nThe old plutocrat is a deeply unpleasant and smugly overbearing host who boasts of one more personage that the sharp-minded, brain-testing authors must meet. With smugness and great ceremony he introduces Eric<\/em>: a mechanical man with more than human insight who can outwit any mortal and easily determine the culprit in any tale they might concoct\u2026<\/p>\n

Although challenged with the details of a string of classic novels – which Eric easily and correctly concludes with the name of the perpetrators – the writers remain insulted and unconvinced. Dixon Carr even oversteps the bounds of polite decency by probing the automaton in search of a pre-prepped dwarf or amputee and the display is halted for dinner where Ghyll continues to advocate a world filled with his \u201cmetal friends\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

The evening wears on with the usual social distractions balanced by heated argument on many topics sparked by Eric\u2019s existence and the magnate\u2019s pronunciations that art and literature must make way for a machine-run world. At last, the affair breaks up with the guests retiring to their assigned rooms in a state of high dudgeon\u2026<\/p>\n

That all ends in esteemed literary tradition, with screams and the writers breaking into Ghyll\u2019s savagely disarrayed bedroom to discover electronic Eric inert in a chair and clear evidence of \u2018The Billionaire Out the Window\u2019<\/em>. Far below, a dressing gown sinks beneath choppy waves and subsequent frantic searches result in no sign of their host\u2026<\/p>\n

Well-versed if not actually experienced in investigation, the writers set about interviewing the staff and then the residents. Zumtod then suggests the painfully obvious: turning Eric loose on the problem. The response is as rapid as the answer is shocking\u2026<\/p>\n

While waiting for the outer world to re-establish contact with the isolated isle, \u201cQueen of Crime\u201d Christie bonds with the presumed widow and probes the step-daughter, whilst Chesterton continues to scour the entire vicinity. He\u2019s suspicious of everything – including whether there has been any crime at all – and rapidly unearths many unsuspected secrets even as each writer cleaves to their particular speciality, makes their own assessment and forms a personal hypothesis.
\n\"\"
\n…And then a body washes ashore\u2026<\/p>\n

The Detection Club<\/strong>\u2019s second volume begins with third chapter \u2018Seven Amateur Detectives\u2019 <\/em>and an armada of late-arriving constabulary. Led by Inspector Widgeon<\/em> they proceed to interview the drawing room sleuths. Mounting tensions, contrary theories and wounded pride quickly drive all concerned into fractious conflict, even as potential heir Millicent\u2019s banished and outcast twin Watkyn<\/em> re-emerges. Has he only returned because of his despised step-father\u2019s demise or was he actually back just before<\/em> it happened?
\n\"\"
\nEvents seemingly come to a head when Christie expounds her latest theory and provokes a minor hostage crisis until the villain is apprehended through unlikely team work. As the constabulary step in with the handcuffs however, new evidence emerges that sets the cogitators back on the murder-trail… until straightforward ratiocination leads one author to the only possible solution\u2026<\/p>\n

Wry, witty, and decidedly well-plotted, with smart characterisations and devastatingly sharp, catty dialogue (kudos to translator Allison M. Charette), this lively, lovely lark is also charmingly limned: a grand and glorious tribute to days gone by and superb stylists who tested our wits and expanded our entertainment horizons. This is a tale no whimsy-inclined crime fan can afford to miss.
\n\u00a9 2020 – DARGUAD – HARAMBAT. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Today in 1911, Canuck-by-migration Ed Furness<\/strong> (Freelance<\/strong>, Commander Steel<\/strong>, \u201cCanadian Whites publications\u201d era) was born, followed by Dick Tracy<\/strong> collaborator Mike Curtis<\/strong> in 1953; Matt Feazell<\/strong> (Amazing Cynicalman<\/strong>) in 1955 and original Men in Black<\/strong> artist Sandy Carruthers<\/strong> arrived in 1962.<\/p>\n

On this date we lost Chester Gould <\/strong>(Dick Tracy<\/strong>) in 1985 and Italian megastar artist Ferdinando Tacconi<\/strong> (Journey into Space<\/em> and Jeff Hawke<\/strong> in Junior Express<\/strong>, Sciusci\u00e0,<\/em> Susanna<\/em>, Gli Aristocratici<\/em>, Uomini senza gloria<\/em>, L’uomo di Rangoon<\/em>, Nick Raider<\/em><\/strong>, Dylan Dog<\/strong>) in 2006. Pioneering Filipino artist Tony DeZu\u00f1iga<\/strong> (Black Orchid<\/strong>, Outlaw<\/strong>, Jonah Hex<\/strong>, practically every character at DC & Marvel) died in 2012.<\/p>\n

After 1269 weekly issues UK girls comic Mandy<\/strong> folded today in 1991. It had debuted on 21st<\/sup> January 1967.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jean Harambat, coloured by Jean-Jacques Rouger translated by Allison M. Charette (Europe Comics) eISBN: 979-1-032809-95-2 (part 1), 979-1-032809-96-9 (part 2) This book includes Discriminatory Content included for dramatic and literary effect. Apparently, everybody loves mystery to chew on. With that in mind, here\u2019s a brace of superb cartoon conundrums from the continent, based on … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Detection Club parts 1 & 2”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,75,418,214,125,225,111,107,385],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-crime-comics","category-detective-stories","category-european","category-humour","category-mystery","category-satirepolitics","category-science-fiction","category-sea-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9e5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35469"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35475,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35469\/revisions\/35475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}