Barely having polishing off his morning pancakes, retired dog-detective Stanley is hoping for some much-needed peace and quiet, when he receives an intriguing offer he can’t refuse – not even for a stack of pancakes. The Narlybone Museum has been raided on opening night, and yet… nothing has actually been stolen. Has renowned dog-tective Stanley finally met his match in Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum, a graphic debut from Hannah Tunnicliffe, Erica Harrison and Flying Eye Books?
Upon initial viewing of Detective Stanley, one hopes that its contents will be just as intriguing as its detailed cover (spoiler: it is). With holographic elements highlighting specific detail, the cover depicts the enormity of historical knowledge laid bare in the Narlybone Museum; the level of intricacy is astounding, with mosaic vases, dinosaur skeletons, a suit of armour, a mummy, and planets being just some of the colourful elements readers are enticed by, and directed to, as Detective Stanley’s torch illuminates the mysteries within. Inside, we’re greeted with a much more mundane scene, but one which is just as detailed – Detective Stanley, enjoying his first day of retirement, by having a well-deserved lie-in. Primary, block colours illuminate the city of Narlybone and its residents; the bird couple enjoying a breakfast of worms on their roof, a black cat peeping out from an attic-top window, an eagle delivering the post, and a sweet bunny and daughter sharing a special moment.
Stanley is juuust taking his very first bite of warm, sweet pancake when the cry for help arrives in letter-form from the museum. Reluctantly leaving his pancakes (such sacrifice!), Stanley rushes to the museum, to find it in total disarray (helpfully exemplified by silhouettes to illustrate where items should actually be). Stanley is finally getting a nose for the case, when rival rhino Superintendent Shiro turns up, and, both metaphorically and literally, stomps all over the case in an attempt to assert authority. But Stanley begins to have his suspicions that something much more sinister than a prank is at play, when the first piece of evidence begins to point to HIM as the thief! Can he solve the case and prove his innocence?
There is something so intrinsically heart-warming about a good old-fashioned, simple mystery. Whilst the ideal demographic for Detective Stanley is 5+, its use of humour, visuals and detail make it equally as enjoyable for older readers. This is a mystery story that subtly educates, without coming across necessarily as traditional ‘learning’. Stanley himself is very much a Poirot-esque character, observing all of the evidence before gathering everyone together and revealing the true culprit – fans of Agatha Christie will definitely get a kick out of this doggy homage.
The use of slick, uniform, primary colours gives a wonderfully neat-as-a-pin appearance to the panels, whilst also zoning in on the level of detail; I think my favourite panels were those which showed a first look at an environment, whether that be the museum, prison, or estate where Stanley lives. We get to see every aspect of that environment, peeping into each room and crevice and receiving fun details as a reward, almost like a lift-the-flaps experience, sans flaps. At the rear of the book, Tunnicliffe and Harrison get their serious hats on, exhibiting their knowledge about oil paintings, and the artist they were inspired by, Piet Mondrian. Mondrian’s modernist paintings definitely influenced the art style as a whole, perhaps most obviously in the block rectangle illustrations present on the endpapers.
Most exciting of all is the forth wall break in the very final panels, as Detective Stanley reads a newspaper announcing his next graphic novel: Detective Stanley and the Green-Thumbed Thief. No further news on this as of yet, but whist this is brewing, we hope that Detective Stanley can enjoy some much-needed R&R, and, of course, finally sit down to eat his pancakes. Bring on the sequel!
Hannah Tunnicliffe (W), Erica Harrison (A) • Flying Eye Books £9.99
Review by Lydia Turner
