Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass & Sorcery

The art and creative concept are great, but I wasn't drawn in by the narrative the way I'd hoped. I got mostly the impression of a series of events and not a lot of overall intrigue. I'll probably read more in the series to see if that trend continues.

LOVED IT! MY wife had to come into my bedroom to see why I was laughing so much. I am glad I purchased both volumes because I read Vol 2 next. I am handicapped and sleep in a separate room she has read the books and wants to know when the Animation is going to come out.

This review is about this collection, not the series. The series itself for me is one of the gems of the century, ten out of five stars. Since I had been late for the single issues I read the series in trade paperback. And since the Braga special has not been included in the reprints I decided to buy this hardcover too.
What can I say? When you buy a hardcover of material you own already by a high percentage you have some expectations. The first disappointment for me was that the collection does not contain all of the stories from the available-only-virtually preview. Especially one of my favorite short stories, where what seems to be a fierce battle is just a big Rat Queens hangover, is missed sorely.
The second point I have is that the structure of the stories is not well presented. The editors decided to reprint each 5 issue story line without chapters with the covers at the end and no signs where a single issue ends and the next one begins. This does not work for me. A cliffhanger is an important stylistic device in comics and when the story just continues this takes rhythm out of the tale. I would have reprinted the original covers between the chapters and only the alternates at the end.
My third issue is that there is no introduction or preliminary remarks to the book. You learn nothing why the co-creator Upchurch had to leave the series. Especially with a series that has caused so much web discussions about diversity and women in comics it would have been appropriate to learn some background about the series and its creators. The Braga special does not make me confident that new peniciller Tess Fowler will be up to the task to follow the big footsteps of Upchurch and Sejic.
All in all: One of the best series of the last decade, but you might prefer to buy the much cheaper trade paperbacks.

I picked this up on a recommendation from a couple of friends, but I can't say that I share their enthusiasm for this book. I went in not knowing a lot about it other than it had female characters and that they had some diversity in the characters. This is a good thing.
The plot is fairly engaging and the dialogue is funny and not overly cliché. I have not read action comics in a long time and I was a bit put off by the amount of gore/blood. I know that is subjective, but I was not expecting it and I believe that less is more as far as violence is concerned.
Unfortunately, the writer(s) seem to believe that "less is more" in terms of character development. This is not the case. I appreciated being thrown directly into the story, but I didn't get a strong sense of depth to the characters by the end of the book. There are glimpses of distinct personality traits, but no complexity. I didn't feel particularly engaged with the Rat Queens.
The art was okay. It is good when the artist wants it to be and downright lazy in some panels. It either looks like it was sketched digitally or digitally colored over a pencil sketch in some places. The bar scene in Chapter Two is particularly sloppy. There is a lot of emphasis on digital effects - blurring action lines, muting the background - which is fine in an action scene but is really overused. I am shocked that reviewers say that the art is "gorgeous" when it is really variable in quality and is sometimes basically sketched and then colored in. Hopefully they will find a new artist, particularly since Roc Upchurch is off the team after being arrested for domestic battery.
I have to say I'm disappointed! I might read a future trade paperback to see if it improves down the line, but I didn't connect with the characters enough to really want to continue.

For those easily amused by juvenile humor, look no further. What's actually funny about this book is how many people seem to like it. While the characters are original, there is not much character development. And from the glimpses of hints of sneak peeks at the relationships between characters, it seems like the girls neatly fit into a few tropes not unique to comic books. The leader seems to have some lame relationship problems (how about someone makes a female character who can handle a bunch of orcs and a steady relationship? that would be actually new) and all the midget girl does is talk about sweets whenever she isn't fighting. Also, I found a few errors and mistakes in the writing. All in all, a purchase I sorely regret.

OK, I admit I came late to the party. When I first saw this solicited , I thought this was just another anthropomorphic comic. "Looks like a Mouse Guard rip off" I incorrectly believed. Luckily my comic loving friends kept recommending Rat Queens to me or I really would have missed out on this fun and beautifully illustrated book.

For those of you not in the know, the Rat Queens are a not rats but rather a quartet of female adventurers. They are Hannah the tattooed eleven mage. Betty the mighty mite who equally loves drugs, Sex and candy. Violet the dwarven warrior who needs to shave her beard. And lastly Dee , who's family worship a Lovercraftian Squid Deity. The book reads like a high octane D&D module with a ton of humor and wit thrown in.

This book is a either a fantastic introductory volume or a great upgrade to your trades. It is an oversized with larger pages and better paper then the regular trade edition. It also features a glossy laminated cover with a silver foil embossed Rat Queens logo. The combined page count of the first two Trades are 264 pages while this volume runs 304 pages giving you 40 additional pages including the complete Braga one shot comic plus several one page stories . Plus covers and alternative covers , design work and samples.

The first five issues form the inaugural story which introduces the Rat Queens and a plot by an undisclosed source to eliminate all the adventuring groups from their medieval hometown of Palisade. This first story is pretty light hearted despite all the bloody carnage.

It was really the second arc that really won me over. This storyline ran in issues #6 through #10 and features the tenacled God from Dee's home town. In this arc we see several flashbacks to their pre-Rat Queens days. So we see a lot more character development as the Queen's personalities get fleshed out.

Likewise the Braga solo story is about her past life.

Canadian author Kurtis J. Wiebe has been making a name for himself with his unique books all coming out of Image Comics like Peter Panzerfaust and The Green Wake. Roc Upchurch has a brilliant painted style which is both beautiful and whimsical. Unfortunately his legal problems caused an early departure from the comic after issue #8. Issues #9 and #10 featured the work of Croatian Artist Stjepan Sejic who has a very similar style as Upchurch. I enjoyed his work just as much. Tess Fowler who completed the Braga one shot has a much more traditional art style.

By the time I consumed this volume , I had become completely enamored by the Rat Queens and eagerly await their further adventures.

My Highest Recommendation.

This volume collects the first five comics in the Rat Queens series. I couldn't find much in the way of a description or review of the Rat Queens, so I went right to this collection to get the full story.

Well, the bottom line is that this is the first sword-and-sorcery action comic collection I've seen, ever, that is really and truly funny. The four Rat Queens, a band of maiden mercenaries, are, more or less: 1) Dee, a reformed squid cult member, 2) Hannah, conjurer and the daughter of a twisted pair of necromancers, 3) Betty, who acts like an airhead party girl, and 4) Violet, who uses her sword ironically.

Early on the four are sprung from jail, in which they've been held because of excessive brawling and troublemaking, and sent away to clean out a goblin cave. On the way the Queens get very upset with Betty when they find out that all she has packed in the food bag is candy and drugs. That sort of gives you an idea of this series' vibe.

That said, the real plot is that someone is trying to wipe out all of the mercenary bands in town, including the Rat Queens. It's time for them to take matters into their own hands. Actually, it's always that time. The rest of the story, (no SPOILERS here), is all mayhem and wisecracks.

Each of the Queens has personality to spare. This is not one of those comics where all of the characters look alike and each figure has the same expression no matter what's going on. These are well drawn and expressive characters, with clean and clear action sequences and a nice sense of movement and place. The cursing is very creative and the insults that get hurled all over are even more creative. This is funny, bawdy, ripe stuff which, if anything, is highlighted by a few quieter and more touching scenes. Each Queen has an interesting backstory which is teased out through the tale. By the end you have four very distinct and engaging characters, to whom you feel a real connection. How often can you say that about a comic series?

So, this is a collection with energy and wit and action to burn, and a very nice find. It accomplishes what most buddy-action efforts can only attempt - memorable and engaging characters, a real sense of camaraderie, a driving narrative, and real wit. I'll remember and look for further Rat Queen adventures.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

After buying SAGA, this book came recommended so I decided to give it a try. The artwork and setup (four women warriors) is pretty good but the story wasn't working for me at all. One third into the book, I had a hard time continuing simply because what was happening was not compelling at all. A lot of deus ex machina and stuff happening for no apparent reason other then to fill a couple of more pages. It's possible that the next volumes explain the story more and that the series starts to make more sense but this first volume didn't make me want to buy the others at all.

Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Peter Panzerfaust, Green Wake) with art by Roc Upchurch, Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery is something I picked up on a whim, liking both the cover art and the idea of an all-girl fantasy adventuring group. As it turns out, it was money well spent.

The town of Palisade has a problem: too many adventuring groups hanging around and generally getting into - and making - trouble. And the most notorious group of all is the Rat Queens, an all-female troupe of adventurers consisting of:

Hannah - an elven mage who casts attitude even more than she casts spells

Dee - a human cleric with god-issues (her family worships a giant flying squid)

Violet - a kick-ass dwarven fighter who just can't seem to get her battle-cries right, much to her chagrin

Betty - a cute smidgen (read 'halfling') thief who likes gold, getting wasted... and girls

Wiebe makes things interesting in his writing in a number of ways, by respecting the traditions and conventions of RP-based fantasy literature and culture on the one hand while playing with and satirizing them on the other, and at the same time working in odd but fun little references to other genres, like when the group is attacked by an assassin who causes tentacles to spring up at them from the ground:

Dee: "Tentacles. Of course."
Hannah: "What's with men and tentacles? Sick of this s**t."

While Rat Queens does not take itself overly seriously, Wiebe and Upchurch do put a lot of effort and detail into a number of key scenes, making them much more than just filler or throwaways. I particularly like how they used Betty in the fight scenes and in one scene where they're casing a place for a burglary, giving her character some genuine credibility as a thief by showing just exactly what she was observing and how it led her to interpret things.

Betty and Violet are far and away my two favorites among the Rat Queens for having the most depth and originality. Besides the scenes I already mentioned, Betty also has a couple of rather sweet and touching scenes with a punkish elf girl named Faeyri who likes her but doesn't necessarily want the drama her friends bring with them. Violet has some complexity as well, particularly when she's trying to come up with epic-sounding commentary... and failing miserably:

Violet: "We can sit around and bitch or we can make some monsters bleed. And my sword is hungry for blood."
Betty (raising a dubious eyebrow): "Really?"
Violet: "I've been sitting on that one for a week. It's terrible, isn't it?"
Betty: "The worst."

The other thing I really like about Violet is the way Upchurch draws her. Of all the Rat Queens, she's the one who actually looks like a real woman, with proper hips and thighs and some believable body proportioning. Of all the characters, Violet is the one who might actually resemble someone you know. Or would like to know, as she has the best facial expressions. Not to mention freckles to die for.

Also worth mentioning is my other favorite character, a one-eyed female orc fighter named Braga who's a member of a rival group, the Peaches. The scene were she and a rather startled Betty lead the charge in a fight is funny and kind of awesome at the same time. Also, she had the line I quoted in the title of this review.

Recommended to anyone looking for an original and colorful fun take on the light fantasy genre.

Meet the Rat Queens who are a mercenary group in Medieval times who are known for their barroom brawls. There's Betty, a hippie halfling thief whose idea of a meal is drugs and candy. Then there's Hannah, a rockabilly elven mage, and Violet a dwarven warrior who shaved her beard. Then there's Dee, an atheist human who is skilled in combat has magic abilities, and can heal, who comes from a family who worships a squid deity. The Rat Queens and the other mercenary groups including the Peaches, Four Daves, Brother Ponies, and Obsidian Darkness have found themselves run afoul of the Mayor for their rowdy and drunken brawling behavior and have been told to do some task.

The Rat Queens have been assigned to clear the goblins out of Hindman cave. When they arrive an assassin awaits them to take them out. They go in to attack him but a giant troll smashes him. They are forced to fight the troll in order to save themselves and kill him. They go in search of the others and find what is left of the Peaches: Tizzie and Braga and they help them out, though Hannah and Tizzie go at each other and try to kill each other like always.

The Obsidian Darkness was wiped out, the Four Daves survived whole, while the Brother Ponies suffered some losses. The Rat Queens are determined to find out who is behind the assassination attempt. They believe it is the Mayor, but Sawyer Silver, the head of the Guard insists that it wasn't and he has always been on the Rat Queen's side. So who wanted the mercenaries dead? Also, they will have to face the consequences of their actions of killing the troll earlier. The Rat Queens are a real kick-ass, hard drinking, a hard loving group of female rats who in the end can be depended on to do the right thing. I adored this comic. It had an amazing story and great art. I cannot recommend it enough.

Where has Rat Queens been all my life? Seriously, this was spectacular, especially for someone who has played D&D campaigns that have lasted years! I was instantly attached to all four of these women, and they became my little babies and I wanted no harm to come to them!

I will say that is not a PG book by any means! Go into this knowing that there will be swearing, drinking, drug use, and sex, lots of sex.

So who are the Rat Queens?

We have Betty, the cutest little drug dealin', candy addicted, rogue Smidgen you've ever seen. Because of her size, she plays such a big role in being very sneaky for the other members of the group, but also does some insane damage.

Then we have Hannah, our Elvish sorceress who is rocking a pinup aesthetic that is to die for. She can also tap into some pretty dark magic; that I'm sure will come out more in future installments.

Next, and maybe my favorite, is Dee who is a human necromancer with a healing proficiency. If I had to guess, and if we were actually playing D&D, I'd actually say Dee is a cleric and N'Rygoth used to be her deity.

Finally, our last member of this adventuring guild is a dwarf warrior named Violet. She seems to be running from her past, but slowly becoming the woman she wants to be. She can also grow a beard, and is pretty proud of it. How awesome is that?

Besides the characters being excellent, the content is suburb as well. This graphic-novel is five single issue comics, that are packed full of adventure, humor and action! Yet, one of the biggest shining lights is the sex and body positivity in this. And all of these wonderful concepts are surrounding these amazing female friendships that involve girls who are actually diverse! I mean, talk about a hidden gem! It was such a whimsical but refreshing read. I need to get my greedy little hands on Volume Two as soon as possible!

And the art! Holy moly, the art is so aesthetically pleasing to me. The colors, the lines, the dramatic points, all so perfectly executed. Each new chapter had a new drool-worthy full size picture that I was in utter awe of. I think I need to go buy some of Roc Upchruch's art now.

***I'm now going to break down each chapter in this five volume bind up. There will be SPOILERS, so please use caution in continuing if you have not read this graphic-novel!***

CHAPTER ONE:
Five groups of mercenaries are sent on five different missions. If a group fails their mission they will be banned from the city, Palisade. The four groups are: Peaches, Four Daves, Brother Ponies, Obsidian Darkness, and, of course, Rat Queens. Once the Rat Queens venture off on their quest, they find an assassin instead of their objective.

This is not only the first installment, but also the first glance at how heavily influenced this comic is by D&D. The "Surprise! -4 penalty to initiative" made me seriously school girl squeal.

CHAPTER TWO:
Someone has hired assassin to kill the mercenaries. The girls are suspecting Mayor Kane. They find Brage and Tizzie, the last remaining members of Peaches, after they have finished off their own personal ambush. Then, all four members of Four Daves show up, and the group realizes they are the last of the adventuring parties left in Palisade.

CHAPTER THREE:
Sawyer, Captain of the guard, tells Hannah that the Merchant's Guild gave the Mayor the quests, therefore, the mayor is innocent. We also start to see subtle hints that Sawyer and Hannah totally are diggin' each other. After Hannah gives the girls the news about the Merchant's Guild, Betty and Dee pay them a visit, and we find out about Mr. Lake, his business, and just how sneaky Betty's hands really are. Upon another sneak arrival to Mr. Lake's office, we find out the big bad guy lady is!

CHAPTER FOUR:
A whole army is at Palisade's gates, and they want the Rat Queens! Braga leads the charge, and the girls show how powerful they really are. Then, The Daves come in and help clean up all the intruders.

I don't know who the hell Gary is, but I was literally laughing out loud at his cameos in this chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
With the invaders defeated, the girls throw a part in celebrate. All the girls, except Dee, are having a distracting time, but Dee is looking over some of the scrolls that Betty stole from Mr.Lake's office. Dee soon realizes that the God she used to worship with her family, N'Rygoth, soon will play a much bigger role in this story.

This graphic-novel was so immersive and addicting! I would recommend this to fantasy lovers, feminists, anyone who has ever played D&D, or even WoW, or any RPG for that matter! Hell, I just recommend this because it's freakin' brilliant, heartwarming, and all-encompassing! I don't read a ton of graphic-novels, but Rat Queens is, hands down, my favorite.

If anyone has read and enjoyed a webcomic called ‘Order of the Stick’ then this strikes exactly the same humour notes, just with fully fleshed out people rather than adorable stick figures. The book is filled with Dungeons and Dragons allusions and while it is not necessary to get those to enjoy this book, I expect joke lines such as ‘+5 to kill Garys’ would get a few blank looks.

This book hits on the level of humour which is so perfectly placed you would think it had been written with me in mind. It is not laugh out loud funny, very few comics manage that, but it is non stop, constantly poking fun at the subject material which makes it an utter pleasure to read. The adventuring parties are making such a mess of the town that they get an ultimatum of ‘undertake a task, or get out of town.’ The tasks are the usual heroic ones such as ‘clean out the goblins caves’ or ‘take care of these bandits’ but thrown in as well are the ‘cleaning of the privies at the barracks’ which got a chuckle out of me. It all goes wrong when black clad assassins turn up and start decimating the parties.

The rest of the book is a tongue in cheek ‘whodunit’ but it is more window dressing for the group to beat up monsters, drop rocks on people and generally get cut to within an inch of their lives. There is a wonderful feeling of ‘history’ in the book as everyone seems to have lives that have gone on in the background which bring a sense of character and realism to an otherwise completely unreal story.

The art in this book is a pleasure to behold. All the lead characters are immediately identifiable, both from a distance and to their roles within the ‘game.’ We have a dwarven fighter who has apparently shaved her beard to look like a normal woman, but squashed and stretched; a pixie like diminutive thief; a dark skinned priestess who does not believe in gods; and the prerequisite tall slim magic using elf. Putting aside the swords and sorcery they act like a bunch of 20-something girls on a night out, racing to get drunk and throwing themselves at attractive men (or women).

If you like swords and sorcery with a sense of humour, especially if you have done any role playing before, then this is definitely a book you will want to read. If not, I wonder if it will have quite the same effect, if the jokes will simply fly over peoples heads. Then again, I expect that pretty women beating the living crap out of monsters and then getting roaring drunk probably plays to a much wider audience than I give it credit for.

Kurtis Weibe's Rat Queens is at times a fun and hysterical read that any fantasy fans will enjoy and also at times a tumultuous one that was thrown off by behind the scenes drama with the creative team (specifically volume three). The book starts here on a solid note and introduces the town of Palisades and the Rat Queens: a group of four female adventurers who are foul-mouthed, violent, party-lovers who are also committed to one another and their friendships. Hannah is an elven mage and necromancer, Dee is a cleric raised by a family that believes in a Cthulhu-like deity, Violet is a dwarf and team fighter, and Betty is a smidgen (halfing) thief and mushroom fiend. In the first arc the Queens, as well as the other various mercenary bands in town, are sent out on a variety of quests only to be set up and attacked by assassins. The Queens survive and return home to find out who set them up and why. The art pops in this first volume though it is a bit uncomfortable to look back on it as Upchurch (the artist for this book) was later revealed to have a violent past and a domestic assault charge against him, which led to Wiebe removing Upchurch from the book going forward. Looking at the book as a piece of art independent of the allegations against Upchurch, however, it is a great read especially for D&D fans as the book often parodies tropes from the fantasy genre and the pens and paper game. The friendships between the characters are great and the world immediately comes to life in a fun way.

The ad I read for this made it sound like it was this great story with strong, unique, awesome female characters. It's really more like inane dialogue from one-note characters that someone copied down from a late night, teenage D&D game. You know, the kind where the GM didn't have much in the way of story but no one really cared because they were all drunk or stoned or something. (Not that that can't be fun sometimes, I just don't want to PAY to read that since I can do it myself any time. And I need to save my money for the booze if I'm gonna do it.)

The characters seem very shallow for "strong, kickass women" (yes, there IS ass-kicking in the book, but if there's a such thing as "meh" ass-kicking, I'd categorize it as that, sorry.), maybe eventually they will plumb depths of the soul or at least do something interesting, but so far it's just violence, sex, drugs and candy. Again, nothing wrong with that, it's just been done and done to death unless you do something fresh with it.

This is like most of the games I've played with "bad GMs" back in the day. I no longer spend time with bad GMs. If they don't have a story that knocks my socks off and keeps me engaged, well, life's too short. :P

On a positive note, the artwork is decent. So hey, there's that.

Here's hoping they pull it out and make it into something amazing later on down the road, but unless I learn it improves dramatically, I'm going to have to pass on future issues. My quest for the awesome female comic continues!

'Rat Queens Deluxe Edition Volume 1' by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Stjepan Sejci, Tess Fowler and Roc Upchurch is a funny irreverent comic about 4 adventurers and the trouble they get in. I've read some before, but this book represents a pretty complete story arc,

The Rat Girls are Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. They are just one group of adventurers in the town of Palisade, a city named after a short defensive wall. Other groups include the Four Daves, Peaches, Brother Ponies and Obsidian Darkness. There are a lot of gangs, so the city decides to send them out on tasks. Any group that doesn't complete the task will be forced to leave the city. It all seems fine for the Rat Queens, but they discover that it's a set up and all of the city's gangs fall into it. This leads to a bigger investigation and a very large problem. Before it's over there will be epic battles and parties, flashbacks and monsters. Along with the main story, there is a back up story about Braga.

It's a really fun series. It blends a lot of things that I've seen not work together in other things, but here the writing and pace keeps it all running along nicely. There is a modern sensibility that could be out of sync in a fantasy series, but it just clicks here. Included is a cover gallery and some fun shorter comics featuring individual characters. There is a hilarious recurring character named Gary ("shut up, Gary") and he even gets a nod at the very end of the book, kind of like the scene you get at the end of the credits in movies. Just a fun series all around.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributor and Image Comics in return for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Place yourself in a world where it's constant mayhem, full of baddies, assassins, monsters, and groups of gangs who thrive off quests and conquering. Massacres, gore, and filthy language abound emitting from a wily pair of individuals who look more like fantastical pinups diversified in a town of distinct races. The Queens are Betty, Dee, Hannah, and Violet, and their title they go by is the Rat Queens.

After a string of violence occurs in a place named the Palisades the governing officials gather to express their alarm. The killings and destruction threatens to grow unless a worthy or totally unworthy group can stop it. The Mayor Kane asks each band of warriors to take on quests to help clean up the streets. They don't get to pick what their tasked with, these groups are the Peaches, Four Daves, Brother Ponies, Obsidian Darkness, and of course, the Rat Queens.

Between the very inappropriate diction to the outrageous, unfiltered personalities of each character, and the issues they encounter along the way—it's wickedly compulsive. It's a very sarcastic and dark humored story paired with ferocity and adventure. Rat Queens is the absolute definition of a GRAPHIC novel and should be only in the hands of an adult. It has many sexual references, cussing, and illicit behavior. If you are all for that type of storytelling by all means indulge!

Their is the beginnings of development in each of the Queens' story-lines. Plenty of dirty secrets cropping up that'll be exciting to see how each are carried out in future issues. I enjoyed each and every one of the characters as they are all so different and fun in their own individual ways. Hannah is my favorite due to her kick-ass nature and usage of language, also she's got a lot cool powers. I feel like she can easily take a walk to the dark side if not kept in check by her gang. Also, the artwork by Upchurch is phenomenally illustrated. The visual presentations are beautifully done. One of my biggest problems with comics is when the writing doesn't reflect the art but in this particular series they imaginatively compliment one another.

In all honesty, I thought this graphic volume was terribly violent but the narrative worked with it in a way I wasn't expecting. It gave you just enough of conspiracy, raunch, wit, and bite to get you invested. I can see their is much growth left, and that is worth sticking around for. Rat Queens isn't for the faint of heart, but the beautiful chaos and fascinating warrior women will keep you involved and impatient to see what's next in their exploits. I strongly prompt readers who aren't effortlessly offended to give it a chance.

This review is about this collection, not the series. The series itself for me is one of the gems of the century, ten out of five stars. Since I had been late for the single issues I read the series in trade paperback. And since the Braga special has not been included in the reprints I decided to buy this hardcover too.
What can I say? When you buy a hardcover of material you own already by a high percentage you have some expectations. The first disappointment for me was that the collection does not contain all of the stories from the available-only-virtually preview. Especially one of my favorite short stories, where what seems to be a fierce battle is just a big Rat Queens hangover, is missed sorely.
The second point I have is that the structure of the stories is not well presented. The editors decided to reprint each 5 issue story line without chapters with the covers at the end and no signs where a single issue ends and the next one begins. This does not work for me. A cliffhanger is an important stylistic device in comics and when the story just continues this takes rhythm out of the tale. I would have reprinted the original covers between the chapters and only the alternates at the end.
My third issue is that there is no introduction or preliminary remarks to the book. You learn nothing why the co-creator Upchurch had to leave the series. Especially with a series that has caused so much web discussions about diversity and women in comics it would have been appropriate to learn some background about the series and its creators. The Braga special does not make me confident that new peniciller Tess Fowler will be up to the task to follow the big footsteps of Upchurch and Sejic.
All in all: One of the best series of the last decade, but you might prefer to buy the much cheaper trade paperbacks.

Rat Queens is pretty danged adorable. Four life-long, perpetually-young friends in a self-aware sword and sorcery 'verse (with a pinch of Lovecraft) get by on mercenary pay and drunken brawls.

The first five issues collected here provide a good setup with a fair share of weaknesses. It reminded me a lot of a foul-mouthed version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season -- all four characters are walking one-liners that embody different Strong Female Character(TM) roles. This leaves their dialogue and sense of humor feeling forced and fake -- especially in the first issue, in which the dialogue is exclusively one-liners -- but impossibly likable. Under Wiebe's authorial weaknesses, Hannah et al. are a crew I know I could come to love for their stupid jokes and stubborn loyalty (and despite the slightly-crappy, ignorant pseudo-feminism behind them).

The "Sass & Sorcery" arc is mostly a set-up for the characters and the subsequent arc, "The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'Rygoth." Our heroes are targeted by assassins, leading to bloodthirsty encounters with trolls, goblin armies, rival mercenaries, and Vol. 2's tragic, tentacle'd conspiracy. It's a lot of fun, and most of the weaknesses are shed immediately in Vol. 2. Definitely worth checking out if you're hankering for dumb fun.

I'm confused about these the store reviews. This is a review for the most recent issue 1 of Rat Queens, which came out in March of 2017. I have never read any previous incarnation of Rat Queens so I have no knowledge of the connections between this one and the old ones.

Whereas Bridesmaids was the female answer to The Hangover, Rat Queens seems to be the female answer to male-dominated D&D adventures. Because, really, that's what this is. The beginning of a D&D adventure, complete with a mage and a half-orc barbarian and plenty of bickering. Just as the gals in Bridesmaids are allowed to be hilariously gross, these girls are allowed their drunkenness and hangovers, though where Bridesmaids has broad appeal, strong characters, and well-written humor, Rat Queens is just mildly amusing, and probably more amusing for those who play Dungeons and Dragons and can make their own connections to the story.

The art is nice enough, and it is great to see comics diversifying their characters. This is a rare female-led comic, and these are not females who are scantily clad (for the most part, though there is a male character less covered than she is, later on, to be fair). They are handled with respect. Yet this is not enough to elevate this above mild amusement. The characters are barely distinguishable in terms of personality, and the comic's tone feels uncertain. The comic teeters towards light-hearted comic action fantasy, but provides occasional slips into an edgy darkness, and it doesn't really work. One-dimensional characters are okay for light-hearted comedy, but not so much for dark fantasy. In the end, I felt no real affinity for or against the comic - just meh.

** spoiler alert ** Quick heads up that this graphic novel series is definitely geared for a more mature reader. (Gore, language, sex talk, etc)

Why did it take me so long to finally read this!? I am already in love with this universe and art style.

Rat Queens is a fantasy story about these four badass women who discover that there is an assassin attacking the five teams (Rat Queens, Peaches, Four Daves, Brother Ponies, and Obsidian Darkness) that are assigned quests by the captain of the guard. This volume is about them trying to find out who hired the assassin but also dealing with things in their personal life.

This art style is great. It's got this realistic look to it I always love seeing and the way the gore was drawn is really cool. The story is also one that was really easy to slip into. Sometimes fantasy stories, especially in graphic novels where info is being crammed into every little speech bubble, can be hard to follow but this one wasn't. I found myself laughing so hard and I audibly gasped at one point. I was completely engaged in the story.

My favorite part about this graphic novel are the characters. All four of the women have distinct personalities that all work together. My favorite of the four is definitely Dee but all four are great. I love that they don't only act all tough and badass but they also show it. On the other side, they also show vulnerability when we read about Violet and her brother or Betty and her love interest.

I can't wait to read the next volumes in this series. I'm officially hooked.

I din't find this as entertaining as I hoped.

Really what saved this from a lower rating was the ending. I quite enjoyed that. That and the diversity in the characters shown.

Overall, the story is okay, nothing special just some random assassination plot with some scheming government thrown in, but I just didn't get what was going on enough in the beginning to be as engaged.

I did like the art style, but don't base it all on the cover. The interior artwork is a lot more gritty and dark than the cover would have you think. The color pallet is more grays and neutral brown tones than anything else.

I don't think that I will be continuing with the story even though I did like this volume enough.

This month I wanted to review a format that I personally read a lot of but have never reviewed before with a view to encouraging you, gentle reader, to enjoy the F out of something you may or may not have picked up on your own. Yes, the humble comic book, or ‘graphic novel’ if you prefer.
As a woman who cut her teeth on Tank Girl, Rat Queens made me very happy indeed. The universe it is set in is well-thought-out and not vastly different from ours, the plot is consistently riveting, and the characters: well, let’s talk about them shall we?

The four women who make up the band of mercenaries are fully realised as individuals as well as being a kick-ass awesome team. There is a tendency towards ‘Spice Girls’-esque characterisation of women in groups, where each one has to be a certain ‘type’ and fulfill a certain role, and ostensibly the same criticism could be levied at Wiebe. However, I didn’t feel that way when reading it. More the plot was an extended D&D Dungeon crawl, with each of the character classes filled by females. Indeed, the depiction of women was such that gender meant not a jot to me as I read this awesome comic. The band kick butt and play equally as hard in their down time. They are each given complex and intriguing back-stories, and frankly, it’s impossible to not love a Smidgen.

I can’t recommend this collection enough (there are currently 3 collected volumes with a fourth delayed due to artist problems). If you have never read a comic before, this is a great one to start with, and if you do already like comics: you need Rat Queens in your life.
Also, if you’re reading this, Mr. Weibe, Sejic is the best artist you’ve had, please bring him back :D

Rating: 9/10 I read all 3 volumes before the bubbles went flat.

Review by Vikki Heaven @ Escapology Reviews.com

I’ve been trying to read more graphic novels in the past few years, and Rat Queens has fascinated me for a while. I have to admit that I didn’t really know anything about it before I started reading. I just read the first two sentences of the synopsis. And it was GLORIOUS. I absolutely loved it. Before the actual story line starts, it has little portraits of each Rat Queen and who they are which is so handy! Each Rat Queen is so different, and I think from a different race (fantasy-wise) and different background. For example, Hannah was raised by 2 necromancers, and she’s an elf. Dee, a human, was raised in a cult that worships a giant octopus? I love the diversity here.

This was a fun, action-packed graphic novel with beautiful illustrations. I think Dee’s portrait is one of my favorite graphic novel illustrations ever. The Rat Queens are basically mercenaries, taking on a task for payment. This leads to some pretty dangerous (and hilarious) scenes. I loved the interactions between the characters and the overall story line. Plus, their witty banter is genius. I will say that if you are not comfortable with drinking, swearing, violence and/or sex, this graphic novel is not for you. All 4 are present here, so skip on reading this if those topics make you feel uncomfortable. When I finished this one, I couldn’t wait to read the second volume!

Rat Queens Volume One: Sass and Socery by Kurtis Wiebe

Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: April 8 2014
Genre: Graphic Novel - Fantasy
Source: Purchased copy from Indigo
Link to the author: [...]

You can read my full review at [...]

My thoughts:
This was my very first graphic novel, as such I wasn't sure what to expect. It was so much fun! Four feisty women who like to have a good time and slay monsters. There wasn't a lot of information at the start, you felt 'dropped' into the story, is it like that with all graphic novels? There was some back story for each character later and that left me more invested. Graphic novels sure can be more liberal with the language and content, but I enjoyed that. Where as in other books strange and diverse topics might be avoided, Rat Queens crammed in all the weird, wacky, and unusual without hesitation. We have Violet, a dwarf who left her kind, shaved her beard, wields a big ass sword and beds orcs. Dee, a cleric with amazing hair, reads while the others party and whos parents worship a big squid. Betty, a hobbit who loves candy drugs and orgasms. And lastly Hannah, a kick-ass elven mage, who has a thing for the town peace keeper. My favourite character was Violet, the hipter dwarf, but honesty I loved them all! The story is interesting so far, but it felt like a TV show episode, sort of wrapped up at the end but with an on-going story line as well. Which is probably how graphic novels are supposed to be, but seeing as this is my first it simply isn't something I'm used to. I did like all the action and LOVED the sarcasm and SO MUCH SASS.

While I don't consider myself a feminist or a "social justice warrior," I do think there's a serious lack of good female protagonists in graphic novels. Sure, we get "strong" female characters like Black Widow and other female superheroes, but anymore it feels like all these characters are the same -- stoic sexpots who brood quietly when they're not beating people up and who often still need a man to make their lives complete. Even recent attempts to create good female characters in a graphic novel series, such as "Lumberjanes," have fallen flat. After being disappointed by "Lumberjanes," the store helpfully suggested "Rat Queens," and I figured I'd give it a shot. If nothing else, I could enjoy a goofy sword-and-sorcery romp even if the characters proved to be a disappointment, right?

To my delight, "Rat Queens" proved to be much better than I was expecting. It's bloody and full of swearing and sexual humor, but also has no qualms about making fun of fantasy and Dungeons-and-Dragons tropes along the way. And the characters are actually fun to read about as well.

"Rat Queens" takes place in your typical "start of adventure" town, Palisade... and stars one of the local adventuring groups, an all-female band of crude and violent fighters known as the Rat Queens -- rockabilly elven mage Hannah, hipster dwarven warrior Violet (who shaved off her beard before it was cool), atheist and antisocial cleric Dee, and the bawdy and boozing smidgen thief Betty. When missions go awry and result in most of the towns' adventuring bands being slaughtered by assassins, the Rat Queens set out to get to the bottom of things. Their suspicions fall upon the town's mayor, the merchant's guild, and local business owner Old Lady Bernadette ("I'm only thirty-nine years old!")... but a troll attack cuts their investigation short. Can the Rat Queens save Palisade, uncover the culprit behind the assassinations, and find time in between to get good and drunk without getting skewered in the process?

I tend to like a more stylized look to my graphic novels, as too often a realistic art style falls into uncanny valley for me. But the artist of "Rat Queens" manages to achieve a realistic look without hitting that valley. The action scenes are dynamic and fun, the expressions are energetic without being over-the-top, and the artist manages to avoid the dreaded Same Face Syndrome (where every character has the same face, only in different colors), a complaint that seems to afflict many artists in the comics industry. Sadly, I've learned that Roc Upchurch will no longer be illustrating the series, so I can only hope his replacement does just as good a job.

The story is a lot of fun as well -- one that wouldn't seem out of place in a DnD campaign or pulp fantasy novel, but is still fun to read. It helps that the author isn't afraid to poke fun at the more ridiculous aspects of the setting, making the book half parody and half love-letter of these types of DnD and sword-and-sorcery tales. There's plenty of humor to leaven out the more serious moments, and it's refreshing to read a fantasy story where characters talk like real people instead of in a stuffy, formal tone. There IS quite a bit of foul language and gore, however, so I would recommend parents read through this and approve it before giving it to a child.

I do admit that at first, the characters annoyed me. They all seemed to begin with one personality between them, and it was an unpleasant one to boot. But as this book progressed, the characters began to develop their own quirks and means of dealing with things, as well as intriguing snippets of backstory that will hopefully be fleshed out more in future volumes. And yes, they do swear, drink, have casual sexual encounters, and talk trash to their enemies... but they're still decent girls, and are genuinely concerned for the fate of Palisade and their fellow adventurers. Even if they do eat candy and mushrooms for dinner, swear up a storm, and shout things like "you shot my favorite boob!" in the heat of battle...

Reader discretion IS advised for this graphic novel, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 14-15 years of age. Still, it's a lot of fun, and a great fantasy romp leavened with humor and a healthy dose of self-mockery. If you enjoy fantasy and DnD-esque adventures and don't mind a read that pokes fun at those things, or you just want a graphic novel with a set of GOOD female characters, give "Rat Queens" a read.

I feel like still, having read the first volume, I am not completely filled in on the mythology of the world which made the plot a little harder to follow. There are so many species of beings and so many intricacies that have to do with interspecies relationships that I was a little confused. But I also saw a lot of ways in which it's hinted that they will be explored in depth further, so I stopped worrying and just enjoyed the story. Besides, I love Betty so much, I'm willing to forgive anything. And I'm definitely so pumped to read further.

it was a great first volume and for not reading graphic novels very much it was easy to jump right into. The cover reminded me of being in the middle earth realm which is why we used this throw blanket as a backdrop but it also reminded me of the show Rwby with the fighting and the secrets and the 4 girl group. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of it and the fun times that ensued as well as the art style. The only complaint I have is the number of times the f word is written which I understand why it's there but at the same time it made me unhappy to see it where there could be something different. Overall i give this novel 4 out of 5 stars!!

This was one heck of a way to start a series! It’s like the craziest Dungeons & Dragon session you could imagine with a really chill dungeon master who lets you do pretty much whatever you want. You’ve got 4 kick ass, mostly drunk, kinda gay (and one actual gay) women mercenaries trying to “protect” their town, though they seem to do more damage than good.

I love everything about this and can’t wait to read Volume 2, just as soon as I find it. If you’re looking for a rough-housing, drunken band of ladies with foul mouths and high sexual expectations, then you’re in the right spot!

It was only in November 2012 that I discovered the series that awakened me to the wonderful world of comics: ‘Saga’ by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Since first meeting Marko, Alana and bub Hazel I’ve become obsessed and now buy single-issues because I simply can’t wait for the Volumes.

But there is a downside to having been spoilt rotten with my introdiction to comics – and that is finding other, equally enthralling, series’ to get hooked on. I’ve had some luck with ‘Ms Marvel’ and enjoy the ‘Peter Panzerfaust’ series – but nothing comes close to my ‘Saga’ obsession … until now.

Comic fantasy series ‘Rat Queens’ is created by the man behind ‘Peter Panzerfaust’, Kurtis Wiebe and published by my favourite, Image Comics. Roc Upchurch does the art, and ‘Saga’ favourite Fiona Staples the incentive covers.

‘Rat Queens’ Volume 1 is the collection of issues #1 to #5, and follows a group of female monster-hunters for hire – Hannah, Violet, Dee and Betty – who work hard and play hard (to the point of destroying the very town they’re often hired to save). When we meet them in issue #1, the Rat Queens are being given various monster clean-up assignments, along with groups of other mercenaries who have angered Mayor Kane with their violent revelries. But while on assignment cleaning up goblins, the Rat Queens are ambushed by an assassin and nearly murdered – they later discover the other mercenaries were similarly set-upon, and from there the arc becomes a ‘whodunit’ of who would want these lovable screw-ups eliminated.

I bloody love this series! And my love is getting up there with my ‘Saga’ obsession, if my impatience for issue #8 (due out on September 3) is any indication.

I love this series because it’s so funny – and mostly of the rude and crude variety. The awesome foursome who make up the Rat Queens are delightfully detestable – Hannah is an Elven Mage with an attitude problem; she’s most likely to throw the first punch and when she gets mad, she gets scary. Violet is a blood-thirsty dwarf with family issues. Dee is a healer with some serious skeletons in her closet, and miniature Betty is a lesbian smidgen who loves mushrooms and brawling. These women feel a little like anti-heroes, insofar as they really do cause a lot of unnecessary violence and havoc in their town and it’s entirely believable that someone would be so fed-up with them they’d want them dead … but it’s because they’re this amazing mix of vulgar and sassy that I love them. They booze, brawl and bang their bed-heads – but they also have each other’s backs in the thick of battle, and are each dealing with personal problems that are slowly being teased out.

Hannah has an inconvenient dalliance going with Mayor Kane’s head of police, the luscious Sawyer (against his better judgement and good sense). Betty is crushing hard on a girl who can’t see past her violent friends. Violet’s family are a mystery and painfully shy Dee has some secrets up her sleeve. I love that it takes a few issues for readers to start chipping away at the armour each woman wears, but the glimpses we see of vulnerable underbelly hint that this series and these protagonists have a long life in them …

And this series is funny – often juxtaposing gore-splattering, blood-soaked violence alongside awesome one-liners and the types of running jokes that Joss Whedon was known for.

I’m obsessed with ‘Rat Queens’, and I can see why this comic series has taken off in such a big way (it was voted for best new series in the 2014 Eisner Awards). It’s rowdy and rude, heartfelt and gory with four lovably riotous female protagonists who I both want to be best friends with, and would recommend crossing the street to avoid.

This is a darker comic with strong language. It is one that you really just need to dive into, so I won't give any of the plot away. I will say that the storyline was simple, but captivating. The entire volume was action packed with bits of humor sprinkled in.

I thought that the characters were all wonderfully developed and their personalities are very interesting. I can't wait to read more about them! I haven't yet decided if I have a favorite character; they are all so unique.

The artwork in this collection is absolutely stunning! It’s so detailed and very, very gory at times. One comic panel actually made me flinch because it was so graphic (if you've read this, I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about).

This volume collects Rat Queen issues 1 through 5. The Rat Queens cast spells and slay trolls and talk about sex at every opportunity while not having much of it. They also drink quite a bit. All of that makes the Rat Queens my kind of mercenaries.

Someone is trying to kill all the "adventuring parties" in Palisade, including the Rat Queens. The plot, which mostly consists of random violence, has the Rat Queens finding the person responsible. To do that, they engage in lots of mayhem.

Although bloodshed dominates, the story is written with a large helping of wit. The four Rat Queens get along with each other but, like any family, they quarrel and bicker and tease each other. Their interaction is a source of substantial amusement. The story actually starts to gain substance at the end, although whether that promise will be fulfilled in later issues remains to be seen. Not that substance is necessary in a work that is essentially a parody of sword-and-sorcery tales, but it will be interesting to see what else can be drawn from the premise.

If you are a fan of adorable elves, ugly trolls, blood, and swordplay, you'll like the art. Even if you aren't a fan, you'll probably like the art. The art is good.

Okay, this review is about to get super specific, but I felt it necessary given how it's hard to articulate just why I didn't like the book. And I hate saying that I just "didn't like the book". I feel like anyone who puts in as much time and effort into something as people obviously did with Rat Queens it deserves a little more than a "meh".

There's a movie called 'Begin Again' with Keira Knightly in it and it starts with an audio producer listening to some sample tracks from artists looking to make it big. Before he rips the CD from his dashboard and throws it into the street, there's a song that goes, "Yeah Yeah I follow the trends but I got my own style..." And it's terrible, right? That's why he throws it out the car. Because what does that even mean? You follow the trends but you got your own style? What?

That's basically in essence how I felt about Rat Queens. It wasn't terrible like the song, in any shape form or fashion, but I was really underwhelmed. (Hundreds of five-star reviews, obviously others felt different, which is fine. You probably will too). The art was phenomenal, but the story was severely lacking. For some weird reason, it felt like a Monster of the Week TV show. There's some ass-kicking, some sexual tension, typical rising action and enough foreshadowing so that the reader is interested but not really invested. Nothing new or surprising going on there. The ending is pretty much: "And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you rotten kids!" Which might have been funny, had I cared about the characters at all.

The characters I had my own beef with. I really wanted to like this comic. Comics are severely lacking in real ass-kicking gals who aren't portrayed as some ambassador for all people with vaginas or damsels who might be able to take down a whole army but still need that special someone to feel vindicated. And there's none of that here- which is cool! But there's also nothing really special. Hence the three stars. There's the earthy-type girl, the leader-type girl, the girl with social anxiety, and the girl who makes everyone work together. I felt like the author was trying to pander to today's popular female tropes. The stoner-slacker, or the girl who can't figure it out with her ex, or the the girl who's trying to live her life SO LET ME FOCUS ON MY ART MOM. (Okay, that was a bit heavy-handed) Oh, the stoner-type likes candy, haha, what a special little snowflake! (Okay, that was just mean). These characters play like they have their own style, but they're just following the trends of what the 'modern young woman' is. And I suppose it just feels like I'm being talked down to.

If I had to tell the author one thing, I would be to make these women unique. An atheist from a religious family? The leader a shallow-can't-let-my-walls-down gal who can't get it together with her ex? A dwarf who seems to serve no other purpose than to make people get along? come on. These aren't complex or original. You can do better.

But the art and page design is A++. Keep it up!

Set in a fantasy world of trolls, smidgens and loads of mythical creatures, this sexy and bloody romp is the tale of a group of female mercenaries of all types, continually finding someone to fight and their various quests and interaction with other groups. There’s an extra story at the end of this deluxe edition as well as the usual background material.

Certainly not serious, it is a lot of fun, nicely illustrated and well-conceived. The characters are developed and the plot doesn’t dawdle. Too many flashbacks for my liking, especially as they are not “announced” in any way. Recommended to all lovers of fun fantasy (unless you are adverse to lots of swearing, a fair amount of sex and lots of blood).

I saw this on NetGalley for review and it looked like something I would really love. It’s a graphic novel that is a blend of Dungeons and Dragons type of adventure with some really hilarious and quirky characters. The description of Lord of the Rings meets Tank Girl is very apt. I had a great time reading this graphic novel. In fact I am having trouble writing a review that will do this book justice...it just was an absolutely butt-kick graphic novel.

The Rat Queens are a merc group who are routinely hired by the city to protect it from monsters. They are one of four adventuring parties in the city and the problem is that now that the monsters have been taken care of the adventuring parties are kind of tearing up the town with their brawls and parties. The Rat Queens consist of Betty (the halfing flower child who loves booze and drugs), Dee (a priestess of sorts whose parents worship a strange squid god), Hannah (the rockabilly sorceress who parents are seriously scary necromancers), and Violet (dwarven fighter who has turned her back on dwarves and started shaving her beard off).

The Rat Queens along with the other adventuring parties are finally sent out on new jobs after brutally destroying a tavern during a particularly wild brawl. The other adventuring parties are The Peaches, The Four Daves, The Brother Ponies, and Obsidian Darkness. Yep, this is that kind of book. Just the names of the other adventuring parties had me laughing my butt off.

This book is hilarious, raunchy, violent, and just so hilarious (it is seriously so funny you have to call it hilarious more than once). I seriously was laughing until I was in tears a number of times. That being said this is also a very adult graphic novel . There is loads of swearing, oodles of dirty jokes, and tons of talk about sex (although really no nudity).

Hannah was my favorite character, she can seriously kick some butt, she has a lot of style, and she’s not afraid to say exactly what she’s thinking (which usually isn’t something that can be repeated in polite company). But all of the characters are absolutely wonderful. They are quirky, creative, and you never know what is going to come out of their mouths next. Not to mention they are loyal, vindictive as hell, and just awesome to watch in action.

Even the side characters are excellent. I love how the adventuring bands compete against each other, but when the town is seriously in danger they band together to help do what needs to be done to save the town from rampaging trolls.

The action scenes are gory and bloody and exceedingly well done. The Rat Queens are not afraid to get dirty (in more than one way) they get the crap beat out of themselves a number of times, but they get the job done. The illustration is full color and incredibly well done. The characters are captured well as are their emotions, the action scenes are easy to follow. The illustration added a ton to the story and I never had trouble following the frames or seeing what was going on.

Overall I really really loved this graphic novel, it is my absolute favorite of the year so far. I highly recommend to all of the fantasy graphic novel fans out there, especially to those who enjoy a little grittiness and some twisted humor. If you are easily offended this is not the graphic novel for you. However if you like reading about kick-butt adventurers, who are quirky, hilarious, and don’t mind getting a bit gorey definitely pick this up! It was so much fun to read.

Rat Queens is a humorous take on D&D starring a all female group of mercenaries/monster slayers who like booze and 'shrooms. I am a fan of fantasy, but it is unfortunately not often done right. So the setting sits well with me, traditional fantasy setting with a fun twist.

The heroins have very distinctive voices, personalities, and I had no issue believing that they were actually friends. Each heroin follows a typical RPG archetype (human cleric, dwarf warrior, elven mage...) but the authors kind of play with it to make it so that they don't feel too stereotypical. The characters did come off as likable and off putting at the same time. Weird mix, but it kind of works here. Though, I did find the protagonists over the top at times, for the sake of being over the top.

So, the characters are pretty interesting to follow, if a bit one dimensional, what about the story?

Problem is besides the pretty good characterization of the foul mouth - bad mannered group of heroins, there is not much in terms of story. This first volume is really just here to introduce characters, go on small quest, and that's pretty much it. Very straight forward plot, even though it remains enjoyable.

The art is really nice, and fits the humorous tone perfectly. No nitpicking here, it's great.

So this pretty much it for the first volume: a lot of fun following a group of friends kicking asses in a very standard typical fantasy setting. I will probably check out the second TPB to see if it improves in terms of story. For now, the main drive of this book remains its fun over the top characters.

3.5 stars

Firmly set in the fantasy realm of magic and dragons, our heroines are: Hannah the Elven Mage with Amy Winehouse hair, Violet the Dwarven warrior (who’s shaved her beard off), Dee the human cleric who doesn’t believe in the gods her parents worship, and Betty the Smidgen thief, a teeny tiny girl with the ability to quaff major amounts of beer and ‘shrooms. Together, they are the Rat Queens, a band of mercs who quest hard and play hard!

Except the playing has gotten out of hand lately in the town of Palisade and after a particularly heavy night of drinking and brawling, the Queens and the other mercs are sent on missions that are setups to get them wiped out once and for all. Will the Rat Queens survive and discover who’s behind the arranged assassinations?

D&D, fantasy, and stuff like that generally isn’t my bag - I enjoy Game of Thrones and a few other things like that but I’m not a huge fan of the genre. And here’s the thing about Rat Queens - it’s definitely generic but it’s different because its a character driven story and Kurtis Wiebe has done a marvellous job of writing some of the most likeable and entertaining characters I’ve ever read in fantasy.

They are initially tough to like - they drink, use drugs, behave callously and exactly like the young people with money they are, and normally that would put me off them. But somewhere around the second or third issue I began to really like these characters in spite of their off-putting behaviour. They are distinctly their own characters with their own voices and personalities and it’s remarkable how quickly and effortlessly Wiebe establishes this. Even though there’s magic and goblins and whatnot, it doesn’t feel like you’re reading a fantasy comic; you’re reading a group of real friends having a laugh and having adventures who happen to be in a fantasy world.

I recently read Jim Zub and Edwin Huang’s Skullkickers which is another fantasy comic and, while it’s not a bad book, I never connected with it and I think that’s because the barbarian and dwarf characters were more or less archetypes rather than unique characters (they didn’t even have names, they were simply “barbarian” and “dwarf”!). Skullkickers has a fantasy framework and the characters are part of that framework; Rat Queens has a fantasy framework but the characters transcend the framework to become something else, something much less generic.

The plotlines work really well and develop interestingly - I love how there are consequences to their actions in the most unexpected ways. While on their main quest, they get sidetracked which plays into later issues where in the one scene when they kill a troll, the troll’s girlfriend shows up later with an orc army to besiege Palisade and avenge her fallen man.

It also feels like a very lived in world that’s very relatable to ours. The magic Dee uses derives from a cult she has left behind but her parents are still in, like most young people with religious upbringings choosing secular lifestyles, while Violet’s fashion choices seem decidedly hipster-ish in a charming, and not annoying, way. Betty’s love troubles are very sweet - hell, her entire character is really sweet and I was rooting for her to get her girl in the end! - as is Hannah’s. Ah, awkward romance!

Roc Upchurch’s (and what a great name!) artwork is really excellent, lots of strong lines and great placement of characters in panels - he’s always doing something interesting with every character - and his comic timing perfectly suits Wiebe’s style (my favourite scene being when “old lady” Bernadette yells “I’m only 39!!!” and Hannah’s response is to stare at her for a moment and then burst out laughing in the next). I know artists hate comparisons but if I said Upchurch’s style is reminiscent of Fiona Staples’, I hope this book’ll get some more attention from the Saga community (for whom this book is really well suited actually)!

This book has a great plot but to be honest by the end I was so invested in the characters, I wouldn’t mind if Wiebe eschewed it in the next book to focus on the everyday lives of the Rat Queens - that’s how well he writes them and how enjoyable they are to read about!

I suppose if you’re a fantasy fan you’ll love Rat Queens but I don’t want to recommend it to a niche audience only as it has enormous wide appeal to readers outside of the genre. It’s got great characters who’re tons of fun, has a great balance in tone between fun and dramatic, it feels strangely contemporary and has great writing and art. Rat Queens is an undeniably awesome comic, guys, check it out!

It’s irreverent, filthy, funny, and touching. Did I mention it was filthy? There is cussing and mention of all kinds of shenanigans. This is definitely not one for the kids!
Volume One: Sass and Sorcery introduces the four Rat Queens, who are a band of mercenaries living in a typical fantasy world.
There is Betty, a smidgen (think really raunchy hobbit or halfling). She’s the thief of the party.
Dee, a reformed blood-drinking squid cultist who channels divine spells despite being an atheist because she’s just that awesome.
Hannah, an elven mage with a serious attitude problem.
And Violet, a dwarf with no beard and the general fighter for the party.

I pretty much love all of these ladies.
The book starts with a town meeting that is discussing the problem with all the mercs in town now. Palisade has been rid of all the goblins, bandits, and various marauding bad guys, but this leaves the four teams of adventurers to drink too much and get into massively destructive bar fights. So, all four teams are given mandatory quests. If they fail, they’re exiled from Palisade.
Of course, the quests are a set up and there are assassins waiting at each of the locations. Wackiness ensues.

dragondogI love this book. Not just because it’s about four attractive ladies kicking some serious butt. There are some amazing moments dotted throughout. Betty has to deal with a possible romantic interest who just can’t deal with her line of work. Dee and Violet have both rejected their parents’ beliefs and traditions. Hannah is in love with the Captain of the Guard, who is supposed to keep her from doing all the insanely violent things she wants to do. It’s a really complex book, full of heart and questions. Also swearing and funny Orcs with beards full of bluebirds.
Also, there is a dragon-doggie and I want him to come live with me!
(This review first appeared at www.medusaslibrary.com)

I’ve been curious about Rat Queen since I first saw them on the ‘new releases’ shelf at my local comic book store, but I for some reason I never picked them up. Now I’m in the middle of regretting that decision and I plan to add this to my monthly list.

Rat Queens is set in a fantasy world that is reminiscent of an MMO or an RP game, it has all the same visual charm and similarities but it also has that added snark thanks to the ‘players’ or in this case characters. The Rat Queens is a group of 4 women who go on adventures, kick ass, and cause trouble…which is exactly what they are doing in the first issue. They drink, they curse, and they are not afraid to go toe to toe with anyone. As you can see from the characters description in the summary these woman are not easily pushed into a single category. Hannah is an Elven Mage with serious attitude and a penchant for causing trouble, Violet is a Dwarven fighter who doesn’t like being grouped with the mainstream so she’s shaved off her beard and only drinks wine, Dee is a cleric who doesn’t believe in the religion she supposedly draws power from and she fails at being social, and then there is Betty the smidgen who is incredibly adorable, loves candy, mushrooms and sex….It’s an odd group, but they are hilarious.

In fact the humor is one of the major selling points for this. The humor ranges between outright snarky to dark, with a few awkward induced chuckles in between. The story is actually pretty good and even held some surprisingly deep elements like romance, finding who you are, and being comfortable in your decisions. These first five issues give you a fantastic taste for what’s to come in future issues of Rat Queens. We see the start of some great character development, a few budding romances, and an overall plot that starts off sort of silly but promises to be something pretty fun and epic.

Overall I’m really happy that I decided to request this for review and I can’t wait to start reading farther into the series! If you like funny adventures with a lot of sass then Rat Queens has you covered.

Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe (Writer) and Roc Upchurch (Art) is a D&D comic with a refreshing cast composed of strong women complimented by incredible art. As with many such fantasy stories, killing is part of the comic and so you'll come across the occasional gore. Nothing too drastic and never simply for the sake of gore, but nothing for children or the faint of heart. All others I can only encourage to take a closer look at this comic.

The story revolves around a guild of adventurers with our protagonists Betty, Dee, Hannah, and Violet. They come from various races and have classes in the style of D&D games. They are a rather unruly group of adventurers and definitely not the heroes in shining armor. They are prone to start fights while drinking in taverns and it's no wonder the mayor of the city has them complete tasks as reparation for their misdemeanor. But the happy hike to a cave to slaughter some goblins turns out to be something else entirely. With danger looming in the shadows, how will our heroes stay alive?

The comic plays with a familiar seeming D&D setting and takes it a couple steps farther. What might at first seem like only a silly take on a Dungeon and Dragons story with over the top characters and plot develops into a realistic and quirky new take on a known setting. The great art enlivens the characters and the sassy women will conjure a smile on your face. The creators find a great balance between funny and brutal and I've as much laughed while reading the comic as I've gripped the pages in tension.Rat Queens Picture

This is not only a comic for those interested in D&D. You certainly don't need any prior knowledge to enjoy it, though some details can be more accessible with some knowledge in D&D and fantasy in general. It's a comic for everyone interested in the fantasy genre. The quirky female protagonists are an added bonus. Those at home in D&D and fantasy will find a great afternoon of immersion into their love. All others can find the same if they delve into this world.

It's an interesting beginning to a hopefully vast story. If the quality of the writing and the art stays this high throughout the next volumes, this comic has the potential to rise high and become a must-read for everyone interested in fantasy. I've not in the least regretted my purchase and will await the next volume eagerly. Having read the volume, I can understand why it has garnered so many glowing reviews. Just wanted to add my own voice into the chorus.

Rat Queens was reviewed over on the Bibliosanctum some weeks ago, and I loved the sound of it then. Browsing NetGalley a few days later I found the arc available to read and downloaded it in a burst of excitement. However I never got around to reading it, caught up in outside life for a few weeks. I finally finished the arc last night and I am feeling the shame of not having read it previously. The story reminds me of those old adventure comics or stories that had everything necessary to tickle a man’s fancy. A foul mouthed cast, unworried of making friends, and with goals besides that of a noble quest. Now, instead of a party typically made of men put in women. But try to stick to your stereotypes to a degree. We have a dwarven warrior, an elf mage, a smidgen (this world’s Halfling/Hobbit) rogue, and a human cleric. The stereotypes take a blundering fall to the face past that point and the characters bloom. Our mage has a worried family concerned with seeing her settled, the rogue is a minor drug dealer on the side packing mushrooms and candy for lunch instead of real food, the cleric subscribes to no god instead saying she is goddess enough for herself, and our dwarven warrior is a hipster with enough brains to stop their enemies without her double blades. This is the tip of the gory, hilarious, and entertaining world of Rat Queens.

We meet the Queens leaving the confines of a dungeon/prison cell. They’re given a quest along with three other merc groups. Complete each quest and the their crimes will be forgiven, allowing the mercs back out on the streets. Anyone who has ever played a game of any variety or read an adventure novel knows nothing goes as planned in these situations. The Queens fight their way into trouble on top of trouble making friends and taking names, and mushrooms, in the process. Through it all we see the bits of the characters besides the blades, magic and general badassery. Betty, the hippie smidgen, is struggling in her relationship with a beautiful elf back in town. Violet the dwarven warrior is being hounded by a twin brother who is determined to drag her back home for some unrevealed reason and the guard captain and Hannah’s, the mage, past makes things awkward and heated.

I think the best part of this was it was just right for me. It hit just enough of each trope and device to make me smile and in some cases throw my head back in laughs that dislodged my cats from my shoulder and legs. At other places it turned things on the head. One of my favorite bits was the rage filled conversation between Violet and Hannah about the what they expected of one another because of stereotypes. I flew through the digital copy I received wishing I had the physical one to lend out. This is the type of adventuring, slightly cheesy humor my table-top gaming friends would love.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to pay for the physical issues so I can reread this beauty again and support it the good old fashioned way.

P.S. I've discovered a new story arc begins May 7th, mark your calenders!

Rat Queens just became one of my new favorite comic series. This group of badass women should be everyone's new favorite heroes.

Putting a new spin on on the tried and true fantasy genre, this series focuses on the exploits of the Rat Queens, four feisty women who know how to party and are always up to no good. This arc focuses on the Queens trying to discover just who is attempting to kill them after they're ambushed while going on a quest to appease their town's lawmen.

I found myself laughing out loud reading Rat Queens far more often than I do with other funny series. Kurtis J. Wiebe has created a team of amazingly powerful women who you just can't not like. The dialog is hilarious, this situations absurd, and the alcohol and drug content high. I'm sorry I was late to the party, but I'm sticking around to the end.

Betty, the smidgen(Similar in stature to a kender from Dragonlance) thief who loves candy and drugs. Dee, the human atheist cleric. Hannah, the elven wizard with a serious temper. Violet, the hipster dwarven fighter. These four adventures make up the Rat Queens which is a drunken group of mercenaries who have a tendency to get into a lot of trouble. Rat Queens follows the group of mercenaries in their antics of getting drunk and boozing it up.

With this first trade paperback edition of Rat Queens only containing the first five issues of the series it's hard to get a good sense of the Rat Queens personalities as of yet but each Rat Queen has a hilarious one so far. The series is crude with lots of blood and profanity but it fits the story. I've been wanting a good fantasy series that is a comedy and Rat Queens fills the need. I look forward to the next volume to see what trouble the Rat Queens get into next!

I found this collection at a bookstore and I fell in love with the Rat Queens. 1. Deep is a reformed flying squid worshipper, 2. Violet is a dwarf who shaves and uses her sword to its fullest ability, 3. Betty is the Bubbles of the group but loves sex, booze, and drugs, and 4. Hannah is a magic user birthed from the loins of twisted necromancers. The story starts off with the women being sprung from jail and assigned b.s. duties because of their fighting and to be able to stay in the city and not be kicked out.

Loved the first volume so much that I ordered the other two. My favorite character is Deep because she reminds me of me.

Well this was certainly a lot of fun. Fantastic group of female warriors who are different humanoid species with different abilities and powers. They are a kick-ass team who doesn't take any bull. Joining them in the field and on battles are the remains of another female team that includes a huge female orc and an all-male group called the Daves, since they all have the first name "Dave". This is typical sword and sorcery fantasy questing but it doesn't take itself too seriously with a fair amount of tongue-in-cheek humour and one-liners. This is rated mature not because of any sexual content, though there is some innuendo, but because of the violence. It's quite bloody and messy while still funny at the same time. This is the third book I've read by Wiebe and, while not my favourite, I've been impressed with everything I've read of his. The art on the other hand was ok, not bad, but I found facial expressions became repetitive and unattractive. Otherwise a great read!

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this book! I wasn't sure what to think based on the reviews. The sense of humor seems pretty solid for anyone of varying levels of maturity, and I really liked the artwork. The story line is decent enough. Not particularly compelling, but the characters themselves and their personal development makes up for that, and seems to be the main point anyway. I had a lot of fun with it and will definitely be continuing!

SUMMARY
This series is about an adventuring group of four female mercenaries who cause a lot of trouble in their home village, Palisade. Hannah, a elven mage; Betty, a smidgen thief; Violet, a dwarven fighter and Bee, a human cleric take a quest of killing monsters, during which they find out that someone is plotting against them in order to eliminate all the adventuring groups in Palisade.

DESCRIPTION IN TERMS OF OTHER STUFF
Take The Lord of the Rings, throw in some alcohol, boisterous parties, sex, pubs, a lot of cursing, and butt-kicking females, and then top it all off with the wit and sass of Brian K. Vaughan’s Saga.

[You all know how appropriate these types of descriptions are – like all the annoying “If you’re a fan of Twilight, you’re going to love this“-stickers – so please don’t take it too seriously.]

ARTWORK
I highly enjoyed the artwork, so, immediately after finishing the trade, I had to check if if he is working on any other series.

The images are colourful, detailed and all in all remarkably beautiful to look at. I especially love the artwork for Hannah and Betty. The latter has a huge head in comparison to the rest of her tiny body. It looks adorably cute, and moreover, it’s rather comical and ironic, considering the fact that she throws curses around all the time.

Since there are several fight scenes that don’t involve a lot of talking in this volume, the images serve to tell the story just as much as the text does.

Each page consists of an average number of panels (~5) that are neatly arranged. During fight scenes, the shape of the images differs from their otherwise rectangular form, which conveys a sense of movement.

MY OPINION
This was extremely entertaining and fun to read!

The four protagonists are very charismatic and funny. Although they are all quite different in character, they are equally compelling and feisty, and I quickly grew attached to them. I don’t often come across ladies who are as independent and strong-willed as these ones – at least not in comics.

I really enjoyed that you are thrown right into the middle of the story, and you have to discover the background of the characters step-by-step. That way, it seems as if Rat Queens has been around for ages, and as if you’ve known these characters just as long. I hope Kurtis J. Wiebe is going to elaborate a lot more on Sawyer Silver (captain of the guard) and Hannah’s shared history in further issues – there’s some unresolved sexual tension for sure. : )

The only thing that bothered me was that, even though the narrative is fast-paced, I think it would have benefitted the story to cut the fight scenes a bit shorter. I found myself skimming through these particular pages at times. But that might just be my personal preference.
Also, I wouldn’t advise anyone under the age of ~14 to read this, since it contains a fair share of violence. Nothing disturbing, but, you know – you don’t want to scare the little ones. They probably wouldn’t get some of the jokes, either.
This series comprises a lot of swearing and dirty humour without being primitive, and I absolutely love that. It was hilarious! But if you have a problem with it, this might not be for you.

Rat Queens has the potential to become one of my favourites, and I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the second trade.

NOTE: This review has also been posted on my blog, bibliophilic geek.

I really cannot say enough good things about this series. A friend of mine lent me Rat Queens along with Bandette when I flew over for a visit, and I found myself absolutely enthralled. It's fun, actually funny, exciting, interesting, and honest. It hits that sweet spot between not taking its D&D fantasy setting all that seriously (there's goblins and demons and all the usual dungeon-crawl biz), and taking it seriously enough for it to still be a believable and persistent living world. I actually care a lot about all of the characters introduced, and not even just the main cast.

People act like people, and they make choices like people would. They're more heroic than usual, but it feels less comic-book-heroey than it does real-people-living-in-a-dangerous-world. Also really dig the chances they take with, for example, an active demon-summoner who is practically an atheist, and a dwarven brawler trend-setting by shaving her beard. It's cool.

This is just a really cool series.

Ever want to read an inversion of fantasy tropes? A dwarf that likes wine and is a hippster?! A Rockabilly elf who likes tavern brawls?! An atheist cleric!? A unchaste halfling type woman who loves to get stone and sleep around?! All of them attractive but not sexualized women!? Then this is the comic for you! It has a great sense of humor and is well paced and written. Has some awesome art as well! Try it!

So. Freaking. Hilarious. Much like Saga does for the Sci Fi genre, the contemporary dialogue in Rat Queens cranks up the awesomeness by like 10x. But there's more - the characterization is actually really deep and well developed. I'm super impressed by how well these women sound like real people, very relatable. The art also breaks out of the typical "same body different coloring" mold. My favorite character so far is the dwarf mom warrior who trounces all the champions and inspires Violet to shave her beard. This series is only going to get better, my friends.

As the previous reviewer explained the details of the title. I would like to give you my intake. This volume containing the first 5 comics of the Rat Queen series is an action pack story. Why do I repeat this? I prefer getting the whole story at once rather than waiting for exact part to come out. The story flows with the gorgeous illustrations. I like that the Rat Queens being strong and can think for themselves as well as working together cohesively. I am so glad I got to read this!

The illustrations reminded me of the (others--not this title) of the earlier action pack comics--only this is more modern, sharper edge. I love this graphic novel!

I am grateful to Netgalley.com for giving me the opportunity to read this great title.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This medieval fantasy sees 4 women team up for adventures and debauchery. The group consists of Hannah; the elven mage, Dee; a cult goddess who has lost her faith, Violet; a dwarven warrior and Betty; a smidgen thief who loves the party lifestyle. The group, along with others, are given missions by towns but often end up destroying the town they're supposed to help with their hard partying ways, something that doesn't sit well with the locals.

Someone sets out to rid the town of Palisade of all the groups, sending them out on bogus missions, only to have an assassin waiting for them. The group have to figure out who is behind it and stop them before they destroy not only them but Palisade as well.

I really loved this comic, first of all the group it has some amazing characters in it, the rat queens is made up of four equally bada** woman. They are diverse in looks, background and personalities, whilst most of them had back stories fleshed out a little there's still plenty to be explored especially Betty. The dialogue is snappy and extremely funny at times and I laughed out loud on several occasions whilst reading this, Betty is an absolute hoot and her dialogue was, for me, the funniest. I loved the art, it was nicely detailed and the panels pop with colour.

It's easy to tell that this is more geared towards female comic readers, whilst I love Vampirella and Sonja, it irks me that they have to appear with next to nothing on. The RQ are all covered up for battle, not wearing a few inches of fabric to appease and engage male readers, it's refreshing and goes to show that females in comics can be (almost) fully clothed and still be able to sell a story.

If you liked foul mouthed, hard partying characters and a story that is soaked with sex and violence, this might be right up your alley.

Highly recommended.

I honestly can't pick a favorite Rat Queen. Each of them are established as complex, individual characters in the VERY first installment, but come together to form a gruesome, gory girl gang. And they're diverse and well represented, too! Of the Rat Queens, one is black and another is a lesbian whose relationships are explored in the story.

comes in every size, shape and color! The Rat Queens - and their mercenary friends - seem torn between keeping the town of Palisades safe from monsters on the outskirts and creating as much mayhem as they try to prevent. Sex, drugs, booze and magic work as well in the Queen's universe as swords, arrows, maces, clubs, hard heads, and fisticuffs. Good rollicking fun of the bloody flying limbs genre.

If you've ever played D&D with a bunch of extroverts, this will feel very familiar.
Hilarious, terrific and consistent art, and perfectly poised references to D&D. I laughed entirely too loudly at this, but despite being wonderfully humorous, there is a solid, well-paced story here.
If you haven't played tabletop pen-and-paper games like D&D, you probably won't enjoy this half as much. If you aren't into sword and sorcery, foul-mouthed humor, and excessive gore, leave this one alone.

I didn't like this as much as I expected to and that is probably because this story was very hyped up. I think I have to read a little farther to understand why people like it so much. Hope I won't be disappointed.

This volume was very funny and introduced some memorable characters, who are immediately likeable. The Rat Queens are a band of brave and funny female adventurers and mercernaries who love a good fight and getting wasted at a party afterwards. The artwork goes perfectly with the story. I would definitely like to read more books with these characters.

'Rat queens' follows a group of mercenaries named Betty, Dee, Violet, and Hannah as they seek to earn money, drink, do drugs, and party their way through life in classic MMORPG fashion. There's magic, sword battles, grand quests, candy, and sex jokes. Something for everyone, is what I'm saying.

The humor is clearly the selling point of this series. There's nothing to say other than it's hilarious, like a good episode of 'American Dad'. But the humor can be a crutch. The series clearly doesn't want to be taken completely seriously. Outside the four main characters and the most important side characters, most people seem to be there to set up a joke and don't feel like real people. But they don't really need to be, as long as jokes keep rolling.

For anyone who likes fantasy, baddass ladies, and graphic novels, this book is a must read! It's hilarious, well-written, and full of complex and likeable characters. And as a women who reads comics, it was a breath of fresh air to see women with different body types, sexual orientations, personality traits, and clothes that are functional (and actually fabric) for a fantasy world. I will warn people that it has incredibly nasty language (which I personally like and was more often than not for comic purposes) and there are some gory moment that were a little graphic. Overall, though, such a great story and so much fun to read!

I would have not gotten into this if it was not for my boyfriend. A friend of ours let him borrow it and he knew I would love it. So glad we got to read these. I love all the characters and can't wait for Vol 3 to come out in April!

Fun story and interesting characters.

This volume introduces the mercenary band the Rat Queens as they perform civil service work for their drunken brawling the previous night. The volume setups up a bit about each member of the group and there leaves room to learn more about them.

Best part about this book is the group of maidens that make a profit off of searching bounties and killing but this volume lacked a storyline for me. It was just a small set up to what might be told in future volumes but not enough to hook me.

Fantastic writing. Clever, witty and entertaining. The women are all written beautifully and seem completely fleshed out from the start. Beautiful art, great action scenes which can be notoriously difficult to illustrate. I don't know what else to say except that it really is a terrific comic.

Fantasy books usually put me off, but this one is how you frickin' do a cross-over sensation. This is the kind of book that will attract hardcore fantasy readers AND people who would normally pass up anything that involves spells/dragons/dwarven magic/etc. The characters feel and talk like real people that exist today without sounding like extras from a bad teen movie.

Plus there's drugs, partying, drinking, killing, more kililng, swearing, sex, violence and all kinds of awesome art.

Rat Queens are a gang of four young brawlers and troublemakers. They are sent on a mission under some guise of a plot/story but really, it felt just like an excuse to get these ladies to square off against monsters, kick some butts, smash some heads and swear a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book a lot and I’ll get the second trade when it comes out, but I liked it for the humour, bad language and their (very real and human) personalities, not necessarily the depth of story. That just might have been the point.

Wonderful, colorful, violent and engaging.
I fell in love with the Rat Queens. Each is charming in her own twisted way. The plot is a surprising combination of whimsy and horror.
And the beautiful art compliments the excellent writing.

Amazingly hilarious and just a fun read! The art as well is fantastic and I am very anxious for the next volume.

I was VERY unhappy though with the way the store packaged and shipped this though.

I read the physical copy, along with the rest of the series. These are some seriously badass ladies, and awesome adventures. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, strong women, rich story telling, or epic badassery.

I can't speak for the collection, as I pick this up in floppy form, but this series is amazing.

It's fun, has a ton of heart, amazing art, tight writing, laugh out loud funny, and fantastic characters.

Buy this book!

Let me start by saying Roc does amazing art. WOW.

Now the bad. There isn't much story here. There's beginnings of relationships and thats totally cool with me for the first graphic novel. But they are a little run of the mill. I'm hoping they get better.

Now the writer Wiebe really changed up the D&D world we're used to… Well he added crass and silly curse words. The jokes were okay, but it feels like a bad CW show.

Im not writing off this series. Gonna buy the next graphic novel.

I think it has tons of potential and I'm hoping the writer steps it up and comes up with a plot - if not I'm out.

These girls are amazing right from the start. No need for meet/cute's, no need for boys to come to the rescue, no need for s*** except their swords, staffs, and brains. I can't wait for further tales of the Rat Queens!

Rat Queens is an absolute blast. The characters are all interesting and unique, the art is gorgeous, and the book is hilarious. If you think you'd enjoy reading about a group of badass women adventurers who get into some hijinks while they absolutely destroy things, you'll love the book.

this a fairly fun take of the fastasy style, but the art saves it. its a little too hipster for my taste.I gwt the impression that the writer is trying to be funny and failing at it.but the artist is very talented. kind of underwelled by the hype.