Review: Battlecats By Mad Cave Studios

Battlecats issues #0 through #3 are out now from Mad Cave Studios. This beautifully drawn comic makes for highly interesting reading. We have a review of the entire Battlecats series to date for you, here on ComiConverse. 

Review: Battlecats By Mad Cave Studios

Credit: Mad Cave Studios

Some of the best memories this reviewer has of her childhood involve sitting on the carpet of her family's living room floor and watching Saturday morning cartoons. Thundercats, He-Man and She-Ra, even Gummi Bears. Yes Gummi Bears. If you're a little younger and have no idea what I'm talking about, just think of Warcraft.

If any of the names I've just dropped get you excited, the chances are good that you'll love Battlecats. Over the past few years, ComiConverse has reviewed several comics projects which would be well suited to the development of an animated series; with Tuskegee Heirs being, perhaps, the most effective example. We can now add Battlecats to that list.

I'm ready to learn the theme song and buy the T-Shirt.  This comic has big possibilities.  Allow me to explain.

Battlecats Analysis:

This beautifully portrayed comic begins with Issue #0 which, like most comics of its kind, is designed to introduce us to the world in which our story is taking place. I have no problem pointing out the weaknesses in this introductory issue, because the rest of the Battlecats series is so strong. While the reader is guided through page after page of absolutely stunning artwork, the narrative attempts to walk us though the entire evolutionary history of the Battlecats' word, Valderia, in just under 30 pages. Its an impossible task and one that, perhaps, has bitten off more than it can chew. We do gain a broad understanding of the backstory involving the three kings of Valderia, Eramad I, II and III, in much the same way as George R R Martin lays out the history of the Targaryen kings as background to his Game of Thrones story. There are useful maps included and the reader is introduced to the basics behind Valderia's religion, politics and the ascendency of felines as the planet's ruling class.

Having so many names, places and new terminology thrown at you can be a little exhausting, however, there is always the brilliant artwork of Andy King and Julian Gonzalez to see us through. Even though Battlecats Issue #0 can be a bit daunting, it ultimately serves its purpose in world-building and acts as a useful reference point for the rest of the series. We are also introduced to a character who, one feels, will be rather essential to the story going forward.

Credit Mad Cave Studios

The larger war raging throughout Valderia, which is referred to in the forward, takes a back seat during Issue #1, as we zoom in on the Battlecats' latest mission. The Battlecats are the King's elite guard and are the kingdom's last line defence when big problems arise. Here the dialogue is a little stiff, but we are blessed with page-after-page of fantastic and beautifully drawn action sequences.  As with Issue #0, the climax of the comic will have you reaching for the next issue, as we are gifted with an intriguing moment on the final page.  One gets the sense that, while the Battlecats are imposing warriors, there is something moving behind the scenes that they are, as yet, unaware of.  Here is where the efforts at world building pays off, as many readers will, no doubt, be drawn into the arc of the political situation in Valderia.

Credit: Mad Cave Studios

Its hard to overstate just how good the pencil and art form Alan King is on these books. Each comic comes with a standalone page of King's art and, for fans of the craft, that will be worth the price of the book itself.

Battlecats Issue #2 serves as a character building episode, where we learn more about each member of the Battlecats, those that surround them, as well as the enemies they are up against. What remains unclear to the reader is why, in the midst of a tense war, the greatest warriors in Valderia have been gathered together and sent to an isolated area in a seemingly questionable quest.  The team's enemies seem to know quite a lot of about the Battlecats' movements and the building tension and danger are felt by the reader. At this point, you begin to feel yourself desperately wanting to know what's behind the larger plot of the ongoing war. As with the early parts of The Lord of the Rings series, our heroes are facing multiple dangers, with larger plot answers emerging excruciating slowly.

Credit: Mad Cave Studios

Battlecats Issue #3 poses far more questions than it answers, but finally we are given a few moments to see part of what is moving behind the scenes. The war is not going well for Valderia or for the King. The Battlecats have been sent on, what seems to be, a rather desperate and dangerous quest in order to wipe-out a secret that threatens everything.  Will they return safely? Things are left uncertain.

Credit: Mad Cave Studios

If Mad Cave Studios are intending to turn Battlecats into a long-running series, they are certainly going about things the right way. Each issue to date has successfully, dropped enticingly small pieces of the larger plot, while at the same time providing us pages of glorious Battlecat combat goodness. These felines love to fight!

As the series matures, my only hope is that the dialogue becomes less stiff. The language used by the characters in Battlecats seems to flip back and forth between medieval and modern, with some overly formal document script thrown in.  None of that, however, can detract from the fact that this is a comic which fans of all ages can enjoy reading... and listening to.

Battlecats comes with its own soundtrack, which is setup so that the reader can listen to a specific track when passing through the relevant page of the comic. Its just another cool asset to an incredibly cool comic.

Battlecats is a beautiful and intriguing series, with just a few small areas for improvement. It will surely catch the attention of anyone who picks it up; including, perhaps, major cartoon studios.

I wouldn't be surprised to tune in one Saturday morning, not long from now, and see a Battlecats cartoon marathon.

Battlecats is published by Mad Cave Studios.

To learn more about Battlecats and their other projects visit their website: madcavestudios.com

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