- Demons. Kurtis J. Wiebe, Tess Fowler, et. al. The third volume finds our adventure posse heading to Hanna’s alma mater (Mage U!!) to find out what happened to her father. But in the way, quite a few long-hidden secrets come to the light. Some impacting, some humorous… but some, so dangerous they risk tearing the Rat Queens' bonds apart…
Having gone through several memorable battle sequences, this volume goes for a more intimate approach, focusing not just on what makes these characters tick, but on what drives them and, ultimately, what might actually break them. Fowler’s gorgeous art helps make the relatively quiet moments resonate —as well as to keep the action as vivid as ever.
Also included is a special issue detailing the origins of Braga, a fierce orc warrior who also happens to be trans. Itself a remarkable yarn, boosted along by the sympathetic protagonist.
Thus concludes my reading of Rat Queens, as no further volumes are available to me at present. I went into this series knowing nothing except that it was a fantasy story featuring an all-female cast and that it had attracted some controversy.
The controversy in question has to do with one of the co-creators and main artist for the first two volumes being kicked off the book due to legal issues (he was arrested for spousal assault). Since then, the book has been plagued by regular problems with assorted artists and changing formats (from regular comic to webcomic, to a partial reboot).
And yet, the story and especially the cast all have an undeniable charm that makes it quite worth a read and then some.
It’s also made me interested in the entire “Shadowline” section of Image Comics —so many interesting offerings!
In general, this was quite an interesting surprise, and I definitely hope I can eventually continue reading more of it.
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