Growing up in Ireland, you can't help
but hear about Finn MacCumhail and the Fianna or the adventures of Cú
Chulainn. In fact, if I remember correctly, I was taught those
stories in primary school and, as far as I know, children still are.
There is a rich history of Irish folklore to be found that could
easily be used to tell an Irish superhero story but, until relatively
recently, the Irish comic book community had yet to do so. (There was
even a Marvel Comics superhero named
Cú
Chulainn but the less said about that the better.
Really. Please don't talk about it). This has changed in recent years
with Rob Curley's
use of Finn as a
member of the superhero group The League of Volunteers
and more recently with Will Sliney's Celtic Warrior.
With
Celtic Warrior,
Will sets out to tell some of the best known stories of Cú
Chulainn and he does this via the Irish tradition of storytelling. As
the armies reach various points in Ireland, a history is revealed to
us that gives us more the background for the events that are
transpiring now. In the first chapter, Courage, we meet the armies of
Munster as they drink to their upcoming victory. Victory is assured,
they believe, because all the men of Ulster are sleeping thanks to
their queen, Maeve. All save Cú Chulainn. One man tries to sound a
warning but Cormac Connloignes, their leader, will hear none of the
stories before his 18,000 men cross Ireland and claim the Brown Bull
of Ulster. So they drink and sleep. The cautious men wakes as he
believes he hears the sounds of beasts. He is mocked but the amy is
attacked by vicious hounds. They defeat them but Cormac recognises
them as the Hounds of Cú Chulainn. We then see the tale of a young
boy called Setanta. 13 years ago, in the court of Conchobar MacNeasa,
they see the boy's great prowess with a hurl. They bring him to the
castle where, whilst defending himself, kills the hound that guards
the castle. He is told he must take her place and raise her cubs
until they are old enough to replace her. He is no longer Setanta, he
is the Hound of Culainn. They have lost 500 men and wonder what lies
ahead of them. In the distance, Cú Chulainn smiles.
In
Chapter 2, Strength, the news of the attack is brought to the armies
of Fergus Mac Roich. Back with the southern army, they have reached
the Gap of Dunloe and are met with the obstacle of an ash tree. They
have no option but to take down the tree. 10 years before, Cú
Chulainn has fulfilled his task of protector of Culainn and is
offered a sword. He picks one but, before he can wield it, is told he
must prove his use by carving a shield. He is warned to stay away
from the ash tree as, even he, isn't good enough to carve a shield
from that. The ash tree gifts you with the souls of Ireland's
fiercest warriors. He goes for an ash tree and it attacks him. Now,
the southern warriors attack the ash tree in their way to little
affect. The warriors of Fergus arrive and together they pull it up by
the roots. Their is a carving underneath “Let no man pass unless he
has the strength to purge this tree by himself.” Not only are they
facing a man that can lift an ash tree by himself but one who wields
a shield made of ash. In the distance, Cú Chulainn looks on,
wielding an ash shield.
In
Chapter 3, Destiny, the armies arrive at the Hill of Tara, seat of
High Kings. 6 years before in this place, Cú
Chulainn witnessed Maeve, goddess of intoxication, betray the gods
and try to kill the Morrigan, goddess of war. She had taken control
of the White Bull and once she takes control of the Brown Bull of
Ulster she will control Ireland. Once Maeve departs, Cú Chulainn
rushes to the war goddess' aid. She tells him that no man will be
able to resist Maeve but she will give him the power to do so. Now,
Maeve reveals that the Kings of Ireland, so under her control, have
beheaded their own wives for her. Among them are Fergus Mac Roich,
foster father of Cú Chulainn and Cormac Connloignes, son of the
great Conchobar MacNeasa, King of Ulster, leader of the Red Branch
Knights whose kingdom she wishes to conquer.
In
Chapter 4, Skill, the armies of Maeve are struggling onwards by sea.
The God of the Sea, Lir, appears to be against them. They eventually
find refuge on the Island of the Scathach. They just need to cross a
bridge to get to the Giant's Causeway. Maeve reveals that they need
Scathach's permission to pass. She reveals that if they can cross the
bridge and defeat one opponent, they may pass. The armies charge and
a lone warrior leaps on to the bridge to face them. Years earlier, Cú
Chulainn and this warrior, revealed to be named Ferdia, trained on
this island. At the end of their training, the Scathach reveals a
dark future where only the Spear of Mortal Pain will separate them.
Now, the warriors are being defeated by Ferdia. Even Cormac is
killed. Maeve takes matters into her own hands and uses her powers to
subdue him. The army marches on. The Scathach reveals that the dark
future is here and wonders if Cú Chulainn knows what he is up
against.
In
Chapter 5, Knowledge, they have reached the Giant's Causeway and face
the giant. We see the story of how Cú
Chulainn faced the the giant. Having showed his bravery, the giant
offers him all the riches he could carry. He shuns them. He just
wants to know how the giant got so big. The army eventually
dispatches the giant on they are finally on Ulster soil. In Chapter
6, War, they face ambushes and attacks before finally seeing Cú
Chulainn face to face. He defeats every warrior he faces going into
his legendary blood rage. Maeve reveals to him that she has his
brother, Ferdia, under her influence. She knew he would defeat her
armies, they were just to protect her as she passed through the
island. Cú Chulainn doesn't want to fight his brother but Ferdia
asks him to kill him so that Maeve won't succeed. He eventually slays
Ferdia but Maeve attacks him from behind, stabbing him through the
chest. He stumbles towards a rock so he can stay on his feet. Maeve
orders her men forward but they won't go near him. The Morrigan, in
the form of a raven, lands on his shoulder. Maeve decides to attack
herself and is stabbed. The Brown Bull attacks her and the men chop
off her head. Fergus, free of the spell, asks if the men, also free
of the spell, will fight on for their queen or honour a man who has
fought for his land. Throughout his speech, we see flashes of future
heroes before ending with a crowd standing around a Cú Chulainn
statue in GPO in Dublin.
I
enjoyed the way the story was structured. Each chapter starts with a
hint of the final battle before we go to the story of the armies'
progress through Ireland. We then get flashes of Cú Chulainn's life
when the progress of the army hits somewhere or meets something that
has some connection to a Cú Chulainn tale. The art also reflects the
different time periods as pages about Cú Chulainn's past and the
flashes of future heroes are shown in what looks like images drawn on
parchment. This affect is also used for the panels and the titles at
the introduction of each chapter. The structure aids in conveying the
pending inevitable tragic destiny of Cú Chulainn and the story is
recreated in an action-packed and interesting way. This is the tale
of an Irish superhero. Another interesting aspect is that this book
is being published by O' Brien Press who have moved into the graphic
novel business. This means that the book is as likely to be seen in a
bookshop as in a comic book shop. It also results in a very nice
package that would look good on anyone's bookshelf.
******
So they've announced the return of X-Factor as part of the All-New Marvel Now books. The Ugly American Report covered the price hike of the new series to $3.99 and the excellent Ryan Lee's feelings on the new series (seriously go read it). His column inspired me to give my feelings on the new book, which come purely from a story point of view, and take a chance to re-evaluate my Marvel pull list as we move towards All-New Marvel Now.
