Celtic Knights #1 / #2 – The Best of What’s Left
Written by: Stephen Coffey
Art: Mike Kennedy
Publisher: Self published
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Hell no! It’s the latest offering from Irish comic writer Stephen Coffey!
“Celtic Knights: The Best of What’s Left”, is something very unique, as a huge fan of the super powers genre I have to say this is definitely something very different for me. There are fights, there are super powered individuals both good and bad, there is intrigue and mystery, all the usual traits of a super hero comic but Celtic Knights handles it all so very differently. How? Well you’ll just have to see for yourself but to help you understand what I mean here is a little synopsis of the story;
The series opens inside the International Mega Human Headquarters outside Dublin, it is here we learn that 90% of the Mega Human population have been wiped clear off the face of the Earth all at the hands of an individual known only as ‘The Broker’. With Ireland and the rest of the World now at the mercy of villains and terrorists, the realisation that desperate times call for desperate measures, leads to the establishment of a new super hero team composed of heroes that … well that didn’t make the cut first time round. This rag tag team consists of ‘Fallout’, a bulletproof muscle man who can’t seem to get the handle of flying, ‘Rubenette’, a flirtatious Goddess who packs a punch and a few pounds, Fire and Ice, a husband and wife duo with a marriage as hot and cold as their powers, Rapid, fastest hero alive with an interfering Irish mammy and Junker, a hero with an attitude as bad as his odour.
Between the first and second issue there is no rest for the team, with no defence to speak of they are thrust into the thick of it having to pick up the trail and uncover the identity of the Broker while defending against super powered villains.
Celtic Knights dances between the serious and the comical and it’s a pretty good dancer. The artwork by Kennedy is clean and sharp with detailed fights and expressions that help bring the action to life. The artwork for the cover of Issue #2 is fantastic detailing the Junker in all his glory, bloodied and angry. Stephen’s knack for creating likeable characters is still alive and well as I instantly took to the characters of Fire and Ice and hold a special place in my heart for Rapid’s poor mother. The characters are nearly all well written and fleshed out enough for the reader to gain an instant rapport with The Knights (the only exception I have to this really is the Afro-Caribbean Doctor but that’s possibly because I read all his dialogue in the stereotypical accent).
Is it perfect? No! First introduced to Fallout we’re given a snippet of information including his details, list of powers and real identity, something we appreciated but wasn’t applied to the other heroes that are quickly thrown at us panel after panel. Comparisons can also easily be drawn between Junker and Marvel’s Deadpool but that’s hardly a criticism and for us the real comic of the series is Ma, playing her role of an Irish mammy a little too well.
Celtic Knights Issue 2 ends dramatically and admittedly we’re hooked and eager for the showdown by the haphazard Celtic Knights and The Broker so we’re looking forward to it’s release!
However the last pages of issue two are dedicated to ‘Herocide’, a clever piece detailing a final brawl in Temple Bar between super heros Centurion and The Bulk and villain Professor Crime. Written from the perspective of a bystander capturing it all the action by Instant Messenger and an RTÉ photojournalist, it’s a fantastic short we can’t wait to see continue.
The Celtic Knights: The Best of What’s Left Issues 1/2 are out now and a must have for any fan of super hero comics! Available in Forbidden Planet Dublin and Dublin City Comics at the extremely reasonable price of €3, you have to get your copies today!
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‘Celtic Knights are Ireland’s last worst hope… the best of what’s left and that’s not saying much!’
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
