Graphic Novel: Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling, by Tony Cliff

Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling
Tony Cliff
ISBN: 9781626721555
Sequel to Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant (reviewed here and here)
Delilah and Selim's adventures on the continent are cut short by a megalomaniacal officer, landing them in England's high society.

So in the first book, poor Selim was the one who didn't fit in.  This time around, Delilah is back home, and she's fundamentally unsuited for English country squire life.  I read this with the first season of Downton Abbey fresh in my mind (even though the time-periods are different, the society is very much the same) and I cringed at her continual flouting of social norms, and the diffident but pointed tactful comments by all the other members of society trying to nudge her gently back into an accustomed set of behaviors.

The duo has been performing good deeds on the continent, but they're interrupted by the escalating war between England and France, and when they're forcibly picked up (and then framed for spying) by an over-ambitious redcoat, they find it expeditious to return to England for some damage control.  Delilah tries, she really does, but her direct methods don't fit in at all in England, and while Selim's natural diffidence and propriety make him a better fit socially, his utter unfamiliarity with his surroundings (and Delilah's continued inability to explain what is even going on) make him nearly as ineffectual as she is, although slightly less socially problematic.

The whole thing ends with a wild chase and an explosive finale, and ends up with Delilah having made peace with her mother, but also leaving her with her first real long-term enemy.

It JUUUUST came out, and already I want the next one so badly.  Uggghhh.  Patience is not my virtue.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, Tony Cliff (or, how I finally read an adult book this month, dear god in heaven)

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Tony Cliff
ISBN: 9781596438132
Graphic Novel (167 p)
Read Feb 24, 2014

I love it!  Can't wait for the sequel (which will be a while, sadly) Delilah Dirk and the Blades of England (tentative title) - I might have followed Mr Cliff on tumblr so I can keep up with the news of his adventures in sequelae.

So - we begin with this really epically unsuited for his job Janisarry Lieutenant.  Seriously, so mismatched.  Poor Erdemoglu really would be most happy just staying in a tea-shop and being meek and watching the world go by.  He's like a textbook "beta" male.  He gets the piss beat out of him in the weekly scrambles for their paychecks (Was that really a thing?  That sucks!)  He's a bit pathetic, and totally adorable.  And of course, he's going to get wrapped up in some hard-core adventuring, with a very recent prisoner of his court, who manages to get him nearly executed as a traitor during her escape.

So now poor Erdemoglu is stuck with this crazy woman (seriously - she's a killer! she has a flying ship!  she steals treasure from evil pirates!) traipsing across the wilderness with all the discomfort and hardship that entails... until he has a chance to regain a peaceful cozy life, and discovers that Delilah's zest for life is infectious, and just maybe, he's not going to be happy until he's on the run again.

Spunky heroines and clever problem-solving gents for the win!  Very similar in tone to Rapunzel's Revenge by the Hales, or to Girl Genius (if you're comparing the more crazy scenes from here with the less crazy scenes from there).