Cork in 50 Artworks: Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn, by Will Sliney
A detail from Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn, by Will Sliney.
Becoming a Marvel or DC Comics creator is the pinnacle for many an aspiring comics artist or writer, and Ballycotton’s Will Sliney achieved that dream in 2013. He surpassed it the following year when he signed an exclusive Marvel contract to become the artist for Spider-Man 2099. He has also contributed to the Star Wars universe. Could anything surpass illustrating some of the most recognisable characters in popular culture?
Yes. The same year in which he realised a lifelong ambition to work for Marvel saw the publication of his great passion project, Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn. Published domestically by O’Brien Press, this is a subject that holds a sentimental attachment for the artist as the hero is a character he wanted to bring to life since childhood.
“I think for me he was the closest thing to an Irish superhero,” says Sliney. “If I wanted to have someone in my mind that was the Irish version of let’s say Spider-Man, Batman or Superman, for me that came with our myth and legends.”
Sliney’s mainstream comics work may have a global reach, but Celtic Warrior is a truly personal project. Not only did he draw and write the story, he also coloured and lettered it.
“Which I will never, ever do ever again,” he cheerfully declares. “It was an awful lot of work.”
At that point, the O’Brien Press graphic novel series had depicted historical figures and events. Celtic Warrior marked their entrance into myth and legend. Sliney relished the opportunity to bring his imagination to bear on the story of Cú Chulainn and the Cattle Raid of Cooley.
“There’s a lot of stuff in there that I would have completely come up with myself. Like chapter 2 is about the shield that he gets, and that was completely out of my head.
“So I definitely enjoyed that and I leaned into that. The whole idea is there are plenty of fantastic versions of it out there. I wanted to do mine as if it’s very much in the superhero comic book style. There’s a mixture of his origin story and the big battle. Even the villain in it being Maeve very much leans into that whole kind of comic-book baddie.
"I guess it’s almost like combining the Cú Chulainn story with all of the influences of the American-style comic books that I really enjoyed reading at the time and was very much involved in as well at the time too.”
Cú Chulainn’s impressively ripped abs are very much in keeping with contemporary renderings of superheroes and a young, comics literate audience were able to connect with its brisk pacing. It was a huge success, becoming the first Irish published graphic novel to hit the Top 10 bestseller list in Ireland. Sliney’s association with Marvel amplified the excitement around it, but it also energised Cork’s nascent comic creator community.
While local illustrator Alan Corbett had released the well-received The Ghost of Shandon the previous year, Will Sliney’s success demonstrated the medium’s possibilities and taught local creators to aim higher.
“It’s hard not to see it as a massive achievement really,” says Chris O’Halloran, another Cork artist who has followed in Sliney’s footsteps to work with Marvel. “The fact that it exists and so many people bought it is a testament to his vision and hard work.
“It showed that in Ireland if comics about our myths, legends or broader are going to be made then they don’t have to be squeezed into this educational or public service type prism that so often happens. They could be straight up entertaining and creative and wonderful.” Looking back, Sliney is reminded of a lovely moment in time when he and his long-struggling Irish peers began to achieve success in the comics industry. He’s also reminded of the time he broke his leg playing soccer.
“If you can see the last chapter, I drew a good bit of that in hospital, believe it or not,” he reveals. “So whenever I see the last chapter I can see a little bit of a dip in the quality of the illustration. I remember I drew two of those pages literally on a trolley in the waiting area of the hospital with a broken leg.”
He also allows himself a little smile whenever he revisits these pages as he stuck those local friends who were helpful to him at that time into those panels.
But there is one metric of success he has achieved with Celtic Warrior that he has never experienced with any of his other works.
“I’ve never seen a book with so many dog ears on it to sign than this book,” he laughs. “Little kids are just reading it and reading it and reading it. Which is lovely.”
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