Mad Cave Studios 2018
Written by Mark London
Illustrated by Andy King
Coloured by Julian Gonzalez
Lettered by Miguel Zapata & Christian Ospina
Previously in Battlecats…..
The Battlecats have finally arrived in La Marque and come face to face with their prey, the Dire Beast. An intense battle ensued and our heroes appeared to have been bested until Kelthan, empowered by Zaphyra’s moonlight, was able to confront and subdue the creature. However, right before Kelthan delivers the final blow, he has a glimpse of the past…..
This is an origin story and it’s not just one origin that we get as Mark takes us on a journey though the world of Valderia and how it came into being. The history of the planet, the rise of the feline as the dominate race how the Lion God had a hand in all of this. Then to see how different races among them were so warlike reminding me of the way mankind rose and formed nations of our own. That Mark took the time to tweak an origin for this world based on what we know and believe regarding our own and then the supposition of how a feline species would adapt is spectacular. This my friends is how complicated and wonderful it is to see someone create a world that is not only viable, see believable, but one that sparks the imagination.
Mark does an excellent job with structuring the book and how we see Kelthan learn the origins of all. There is some mystery to the beginning of this and I like that but it isn’t the kind that lingers long though it is an odd time in the run here for us to learn this. There is a reason for I know, there has to be or we wouldn’t be getting the tale. So that mystery will have to wait a while to unravel. Still what the issue does for me is make me wonder, not only about what is presented to us but what isn’t.
For example we learn the origin of the world and the place of these Battlecats within it so my mind is going into overdrive to figure out why. What is happening in the world that Kelthan would recall this memory I the midst of battle? A good story will take you to the brink and then you allow you to jump off in your own direction. It not only lets us have great ideas running through our heads but it ensures that we will be back if for nothing to see if we’re even remotely right. Though the quality of this book, the writing, the story development and characterisation do a fine job of wanting to come back on our own.
God the interiors here are beautifully done. The vibrancy of the colours here is amazing and just solid. The utilisation of the linework here is phenomenal and as we see the varying weights manipulated to create those soft and subtle moments to big and bold ones is mesmerising. How we see the page layouts and the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a wonderful eye for storytelling here. How the pages are filled makes me so very happy as it isn’t often we don’t see the panels full of work, so no blank backgrounds really, and then the creativity and imagination on display here is stunning that page with regions named after the moons, sigh. Those images made me want to learn more about them.
I keep saying that small/indie press books are ones that you need to be reading and it’s for reasons like this one right here. The way this creative team works together to bring this story to life has an intensity and passion that we can see and feel.