Advanced Review: The Stoat

Review by David Ferguson

Art by Jason Browne
Written by Ciaran Marcantonio
Letters by Phil Roe

I am quite amazed at the productivity of Jason Browne. Not only only is drawing The Wren (issue 11 recently released), Artos and Thimble, he has added The Stoat to his list. Adding another title to the world of Hibernia could easily thin the waters but as always he manages, this time with the help of writer Ciaran Marcantonio, to break new ground. With The Stoat, Buttonpress appears to be moving more into horror. The characters origin story is thus far steeped in darker magic and comes from a quite original direction (no spoilers). Being set in Hibernia, the book has little nods to the other series which, as a regular reader, added to my experience. I’m interested in the mythological origins of The Stoat (I actually looked up stoats and Irish mythology but there are different folk stories to choose from). The issue is a great start and I thought the idea behind The Stoat’s origin was clever and opens different avenues for the creative team to explore. Clever ideas with the great art you’d expect from a Buttonpress book.

The Stoat goes on sale at Dublin Comic Con (August 6th and 7th).