Agent Gates and the Secret Adventures of Devonton Abbey

December 24, 2012
Something is amiss at Devonton Abbey—something even more troubling than the hedge maze’s too-easy reputation. Gates, the valet to Lord Granville and secret agent for the Crown, has uncovered a plot to plunge the world into war. Aided by his own steam-powered leg and his fellow agents at Devonton—including the dowager countess, Devonton’s leader of secret operations—Gates must stop the villains while maintaining his cover and keeping things running smoothly in the upstairs/downstairs world. Subhiyah creates a credible, paranormal spy story that stands on its own—with an added layer of humor as a parody of the popular Downton Abbey. Familiar characters are taken to their extremes, and the story’s over-the-top conceit highlights even more clearly the absurdities of their normal lives. Hilton’s illustrations are spot on, accurately portraying the actors from the television show while also capturing the atmosphere of steampunk spy action with the deadpan execution of popular web comics such as Wondermark.

May 15, 2013

Television's popular period drama Downton Abbey follows the aristocratic Crawley family and its servants under King George V. This puckish spoof reenvisions the Dowager Countess plus some of the "Crawhill" servants as undercover agents serving the British Secret Intelligence Service. All have unusual powers connected with the Philosopher's Stone, which is kept at SIS headquarters in London. Agent Gates (based on Downton Abbey valet John Bates) sports a distinctly steampunk leg of biofusable titanium. For her part, the Dowager Countess boasts powers of vision rivaling those of Medusa. Unfortunately, the team must constantly maneuver around the clueless and witless Earl, who is more prone to ordering his incoming correspondence to be ironed for neatness than sussing out the impending threat posed by a German visitor. The rest of the Crawhills are similarly out to lunch except the eldest daughter, whom the Dowager Countess takes into her confidence about the SIS. VERDICT This dryly straight-faced spin-off in spare, realistic black-and-white art makes entertaining reading as tongue-in-cheek espionage that can be enjoyed even by those unfamiliar with the TV show. Recommended for adult spy-saga fans and for teens.--M.C.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
There are plenty of ways to go with a takeoff on Downton Abbey. The way this graphic novel does it is a crimewell, crimes, espionage, and the future of the empire. In this version of Devonton Abbey, manservant Gates is an agent for the Secret Intelligence Service, with his high-powered contact a surprising member of the household. It is up to them, and a few others upstairs and downstairs, to thwart the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand when he visits. All the while, there are all sorts of amusing twists on the original: Lady Sybilhere Lady Cynthiais a crusader who insists on fair-trade tea but pouts because the maid hasn't shortened her trousers. Thanks to a complicated entail to the will, the estate can stay in the family's hands as long as the pet dog has a pup. And the plain sister, Lady Ethel, is told what everybody on the show has been thinking, Nobody cares what you think, Ethel. The art neatly catches the personalities of the TV characters but adds its own clever twists. A nonpareil parody.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)