Big Glasgow Comic Page Review Saltire Invasion

The Big Glasgow Comic Page So… Comfy? Good. Let’s begin… You may have read other reviews, but hear at BGCP we love you guys so much we wanted to give you not just 1 review, but 3, so you can make a well informed decision on whether or not to part with your hard earned pennies. For the release of “Saltire-Invasion”, the introduction of Scotland’s first real Superhero, 1 little review just wouldn’t do it justice. My reviews are normally focussed on horror related comics and I love a good baddie as much as I love a kickass hero, so here’s my take on things. Who is “Saltire”? He’s a mighty Scotsman, an immortal protector of a nation, a ginger heided berserker with dual swords made of “Diamond Steel” (who needs Adamantium?), Scotland’s first real superhero and a fantastical embodiment of William Wallace. He’s also a brilliant possible mascot for Irn-Bru. As the feared and respected leader of Scotland’s armies, William Wallace, once said, “Strewth, throw another shrimp on the barby, ya flamin’ galla?” But enough about historical fact, I’m guessing you want to know if this “Saltire” story is any good? “Saltire-Invasion” written by John Ferguson is a brilliant read, it’s one of these wee boy fantasy epics, with good guys, bad guys, swords, fighting and some mythical creatures thrown in for good measure. The story sees the warrior elite, 10 representatives from the different Scottish tribes under 2 banners, “Highlands of Shadow” and “Valleys of Light” come together under the leadership of a big, blue, immortal badass, to fend off the oncoming Roman Legions, who dare to invade Scotland. Even an Immortal warrior must seek guidance and inspiration from some place and he turns to the wisdom of the “Immortals” by crossing to both the Ethereal realm and Otherworld to consult with them. Look out for “Sloan” of the Otherworld. I really wanna see more of this guy! Why would you not get excited about this??? The 10 mortal warriors must put aside their petty squabbling and unite behind “Saltire” to kick some Roman arse. It’s like a three way crossover, between “The Avengers”, “The Expendables” and “Asterix”. That being said, please don’t imagine this is just, Rock’em Sock ‘em, Mc Robots. There is more to it than that. If it was just about kicking arse, then the uniqueness, the Scottish-ness of it would be pointless. “Saltire” draws upon the rich and deep cultural, historical and mythical background of Scotland. Everything that makes your average American person, desperate to have even the weakest of family roots in Scotland. “My sisters, cousins, uncles, nephews pet iguana is Scattich!” Well…what apart from the name, makes it Scottish? The gorgeous and vibrant artwork certainly gives it a Scottish identity. Amazingly, the team behind the beautiful artwork were discovered through a competition at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee to find the best emerging talent in the country. As winners, Gary Welsh and Tone Julskjaer were given the almighty feat of bringing John Ferguson’s big, blue, ginger badass to life. They have done a hell of a job, the characters are detailed and unique in design, the landscape and depiction of rural Scotland is also very appealing and the vibrancy of the colour pallet used is fantastic. The artwork, depicting the action packed climax of this story initiates an automatic response in the reader; a fist pump in the air followed by an appropriate vocal exclamation, “YAAAAAS!” Aw aboot the banter! When threatened by the Roman God Warrior invoked by the enemy commander during battle, Saltire cries, “Come ahead!” I loved that, I really did and for me it sums up what is so likeable about this comic. It’s Scottish identity. The dialogue is peppered with wee Scottish phrases without going all “Rabbie Burns”, which I fear would have made it more inaccessible to your average non-Scots reader. I’m proud to be Scottish, (still voting no, as I can’t stand Fat Eck), but I’m proud to be Scottish nonetheless. “Saltire-Invasion” puts Scotland on the Superhero map with a carefully crafted character I can really invest in. Now, this is entirely related to my own reading experience from a review copy so it should not have any effect on your enjoyment. The review copy I had was comprised of “Saltire-Invasion” and a 2nd book named “Inception”. The one perhaps negative point I would make is that as a continuous reading experience, the 2nd book felt a bit flat. The glorious artwork remains and the universe and characters are expanded upon exponentially, but it just felt a bit slow after reading through the rollicking, action and adventure of “Invasion”. Its definitely good reading but either take time between reading the stories or perhaps read “Inception” first. I also think it’s important to express the fact that you don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy this. If you are a fan of action, adventure and/or fantasy titles like “Slaine”, “Conan” or even the mighty Thunder God “Thor”, you’ll get a kick out of “Saltire-Invasion”. Best read while listening to the Queen soundtrack from “Highlander”. Long live “Saltire”! Cannae wait to see whose gettin’ it next. Stay tuned as the next exciting review will be up around 4pm (Jordan)