Written by John Ferguson
Art by Tone Julskjaer & Gary Welsh
Published by Diamondsteel Comics
Saltire is a hero unlike anything I’ve seen. He’s a primal force created by the elders of the clans of Scotland and summoned by their children with the sole purpose of protecting his motherland. Books #1 & 2 tell his origin story and show just how awesome his power is when Scotland faces a threat unlike anything they’ve seen before. What will the clans do when faced with the threat of Roman invasion? They call upon the primordial power of the land; one that summons their protector. They call upon Saltire
These books are one part Braveheart and one part Lord of the Rings and the combination works beautifully. John Ferguson has created Scotland’s first superhero in a fictional book, but a good chunk of the story seems more like folklore than a comic book which is something I’ve never seen before. . It’s definitely not a hero comic in the sense that Batman is a hero comic. When reading it I felt more like Saltire was a person that’s existed before; while he may not have had powers, his actions grew his legend into what we’re reading in the book. Much like William Wallace, Saltire is a hero that not only protects the land and freedom of his people; he inspires them as well. The tone of this story is a breath of fresh air in a genre that tends to phone it in more often than it should. My only small gripe about the first two issues is that I feel like their numbering should’ve been flipped around. Book #1 tells the story about Saltire’s exploits in battle while #2 tells this origin. It’s not a game-changer or anything, but I would’ve liked to have seen his origin before I saw what he was capable of!
The painted art in this series is absolutely beautiful. Tone Julskjaer and Gary Welsh have taken the beautiful Scottish countryside and added a very mystic tone to it. While the battle sequences were great, what really caught my eye throughout the entire book was how beautiful they made nature. The swirling colors in the sky caught my eye more often than anything else and that was only matched in beauty by the vast Scottish countryside. I can’t wait to see more of it!
Saltire is dubbed “the first Scottish superhero” but he’s much more than that. What the team from Diamondsteel Comics has created is a legend. The legend of Saltire has many, many more tales to tell and I can’t wait to see how the legend will continue to grow. I hope now that we’ve seen what he’s capable of and where he came from, Ferguson and his team can think of some really dark beings for him to deal with. Dragons? Demons? Who knows? What I do know is I can’t wait to find out; and I can’t wait to see where the Legend of Saltire goes from here!
4 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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