BATTLECATS (VOL. 3) #4 – Review

In BATTLECATS (VOL. 3) #4, available from Mad Cave Studios on October 27th, 2021, the remaining Battlecats hunt for the Blood Priests to break their spell over the land. Meanwhile, Kelthan seeks to make peace with his past.

The Details

• Written By: Mark London
• Art By: Michael Camelo
• Colors By: Tekino
• Letters By: Miguel A. Zapata
• Cover Art By: Michael Camelo
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: October 27, 2021

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Was It Good?

Issue #4 takes a decided upturn in tone for the volume, and it’s a welcome change. Up to now, the volume has been a bit of a bummer. An appropriate bummer that reflected the sense of defeat and hopelessness the Battlecats were feeling, but still a bummer. Now, everyone is taking action to set things right and shake off the funk, and those actions are building a sense of hope that makes you want to dig this story even more.

What helps the story further is a narrower focus on the plot threads. In these sweeping epics, a lot of different threads can happen at the same time and it can feel overwhelming. Here, London keeps the reader effectively focused on just three different plotlines, making the story easier to follow and allowing the developments in each thread to unfold completely. More of this, please, Mr. London.

We’ll get to the details of each thread and their implications in the next section, so keep reading if you want the straight scoop.

Without getting into the details of each plotline, the remaining Battlecats demonstrate they’re doers by reflecting more of their old selves once they get back into the fight against the Blood Priests. Again, you start to feel a sense of hope once the Battlecats start to act a little more like their old selves. Gheeta and her gang keep the evil menace front and center through killing and intimidation, establishing them as a group you love to hate. And Kelthan rips a page out of the best Rocky playbooks to get himself right in the head. Every thread serves a purpose, furthers the story, and tells a complete chapter of the epic in its own ways.

There’s not much to say about the art other than it’s the cream of the crop among everything Mad Cave is producing right now. The linework is excellent. The action is intense, and the colors capture your attention. The minor down point is the color selection on some items and costumes, particularly with large metal objects. Big chains and large throwing weapons made of metal are colored in a deep purple that doesn’t match what you would think of as metal, so it looks odd. The more you look, the more you see there’s a lot of purple in this issue, more than there should be for the backgrounds and textures, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Overall, this is a more hopeful, upbeat issue in the volume and readers will feel like we’re moving towards defeating evil… somehow. The art is phenomenal (except for some odd color choices), and the ending builds up the anticipation for payback.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

There’s a lot going on, so catch up with everyone by reading our BATTLECATS (VOL. 3) #3 review first to find out what happened up to this point.

We begin with Gheeta and her henchmen leaning on the peaceful folks of Fang Bay. She’s determined to find out the whereabouts of the Battlecats, and she demonstrates how much pain she’s willing to inflict to get that information.

Next, Kelthan gets acclimated after returning to his old training grounds on White Marsh Islands. He confronts Master Rautan about the Master’s lack of involvement in the conflict, but we see through a flashback that the Master has a reason for remaining neutral. Regardless, the path forward is clear and readers are treated to a lengthy training montage with Kelthan that rivals any 80s fight training montage. The training is complete when Kelthan learns to overcome the challenge that started his journey years ago.

Meanwhile, the Battlecats ride out to the wastelands of Il-Shavaar to find and defeat the Blood Priests. The fight is lengthy but so satisfying. We conclude the issue with a moonlit hope for Valderia, past grudges settled, and the Dark Oracle receiving an unexpected gift.

Final Thoughts

BATTLECATS (VOL. 3) #4 takes the defeat and grief from the last volume and turns it around to ignite a spark of optimism that evil will be defeated. London wisely pares down the plethora of threads to give the story more room to focus and breathe, and the art is simply the best of everything Mad Cave is offering right now.

Score: 8.5/10

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