If you are nearer to the beginning of your comics journey and embarking on a long-form narrative my advice has always been to get an early chapter out there in the world to build up interest from a potential audience, look for review feedback and (you never know) get early publisher interest. Céilí Braidwood’s The Cave of Cats Chapter 1 does just that with an exploration of Irish folklore centring on the history behind a real life cave found near Rath Cruachán, the seat of kings in Ireland.
The Cave of Cats uses a traditional framing sequence with Brid, a young girl fascinated by her father’s tales, and that selfsame parent Da as they share in the legend of the warrior Nera. On Samhain night many years before, the court of King Ailill and Queen Medb are sheltering indoors to avoid the spirits who may be roaming outside at this time of year. The ruling pair have a challenge, though, to see who would dare display their bravery by visiting the corpses of three hanged men. Will Nera’s decision to accept of this mission prove to be a courageous or a foolhardy one…?
Firstly, Braidwood’s use of colour here is exemplary in the way it defines the differing mood between framing sequence – all vibrant colours to denote happy domesticity – and the flashbacks to legend where the darker colouring takes on more sinister hues to match its supernaturally charged setting. The relationship between Brid and her father is also beautifully played with sparky dialogue and inquisitive, childlike wonder. The watercolour and ink work is actually gorgeous in its realisation, with sequential pacing drawing us into the happy rhythm of family life as the chapter begins.
When we move into the flashbacks (of sorts!) to the days of myth and legend there’s a small sequence of pages which do become quite text heavy, with an emphasis sometimes on telling over showing. This, of course, is entirely a matter of personal aesthetics – plenty of readers enjoyed that similar approach from such established fan favourite writers as Don McGregor and Chris Claremont – but Braidwood’s art and use of colour is so engaging that you really want to see it getting a chance to breathe on every single page.
Beyond that, though, page layouts in The Cave of Cats are consistently skilfull in the way they guide the reader’s eye – panels set within panels, for example, to create a sense of wider environment, or one sudden move into a double-page spread to mark the sheer horror of one key moment. There’s much promise in this opening chapter and the very fact that I was so eager to see where the story goes next when the inevitable “to be continued…” caption came up speaks volumes.
Céilí Braidwood (W/A) • Self-published, €10.00
Review by Andy Oliver
