THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2025! It’s been incredibly exciting over the last few years to see the new wave of Scottish creators emerging on the indie and small press scene there. Cat Laird is one such artist whose A Duel of Fools comic has recently seen a sequel, A Duel of Fools 2: Fat Rascal’s Launch Party. Both are comfort reading, escapist reading, designed to be a fun diversion rather than stories that require overt amounts of concentration.
You can see that from the names of the two central characters in the first A Duel of Fools – the warring court jesters Bumblewick the Silly and nemesis Motleyquin Knockjingle. In this tale when Motleyquin becomes the king’s favourite Bumblewick finds himself powerless to regain his previous position of respect. It’s a situation that leads to the two clowns trying to outdo each other in front of their liege. But one key moment may just change the balance of power between them.
This is wonderfully timed in terms of comedic pacing with moments of visual characterisation that are beautifully played by Laird, combining cringingly awkward dialogue with unlikely slapstick to great effect. In A Duel of Fools 2 Bumble and Motley are back as the King attempts to put on a memorable birthday party for his surly teenage son Prince Lionel. As Bumble’s attempts to satisfy the prince’s demands go from bad to worse the jester duo find themselves unlikely allies as a new threat to their positions comes on the scene and they are forced to go to unlikely extremes to see him off…
Laird’s vibrant cartooning on both issues is full of energy and character, bringing the desired levels of silliness to the fore and creating two stories that feel animated and kinetic. A Duel of Fools is consistently funny and entertaining with a likeable cast of characters, despite all their flaws and idiosyncrasies. Let’s hope a third offering is on the cards in the future.
Cat Laird (W/A) • Self-published, £6.00 each
Review by Andy Oliver
Cat Laird will be at Table B15 in the 2000 AD Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2025 runs from November 1oth-16th with the convention weekend taking place on the 15th-16th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2025 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster by Ng Yin Shian
