Rat Queens

Just finished Rat Queens vol 1. I picked this up because the TC podcast crew had talked about it often and with love. Had a little difficulty getting going. I had a similar feeling when I first started reading Saga. I read the first 15 pages and just put it down and felt kinda blah about it. My initial thoughts were oh cool, chicks with potty mouths killing stuff and showing that they're just as cool as men (there should be a sarcastic undertone there with an eyeroll).

Then I listened to another podcast and it was mentioned again. I thought to myself that I have this 130 page volume that I paid for so I might as well just read the whole thing so I at least get my money's worth. At least then I can say that I at least gave it a chance. I hated Saga at first too. Rat Queens, like Saga seemed too unnecessarily vulgar to me which is a huge turn off.

Before I knew it I started caring about the story and the characters. Then I caught myself laughing a couple of times. I felt myself starting to like it then it ended. I knew for sure that I changed my mind when I blinked and the last 60 pages were finished. Then I was sad that I had finished. Saga went the same way. Once I started to get what it was really about, once I started to understand who each of the Queens were I started to care and look past the vulgarity and I found what I believe is something special.

I'll definitely stay with Rat Queens for as long as it stays this good. Thank you to the TC cast for turning me on to another great book!

First, I want to thank Harmonica for championing Sejic. I just finished Sunstone vol. 1 and Death Vigil is firmly locked onto my pull list.  Sejic is now a creator that when he is part of a title, I automatically give it a chance.

With as much love as this book gets and the addition of Sejic, I'm going to have to check this out...

I've heard great things about Rat Queens on the podcast, but I have also heard that the book has strong ties to "Dungeons & Dragons-esque" gaming. I have never really played D&D and am not a card gaming enthusiast (e.g. Magic, etc.). I DO appreciate good story telling and strong art, but I am wondering if these elements of the book are strong enough to carry my interest given that I am not predisposed to the gaming stuff.



Do you have to be into gaming or at least familiar with the basic constructs to enjoy Rat Queens?

Despite the D&D angle being a selling point there is little to no deep reference to it. Maybe just the races and some page credits using the "+5 Stamina" stuff.

Not being a D&D guy, I haven't felt alienated with Rat Queens at all.

I jumped off a long time ago, and it used to be one of my favourite books on my pull list.I bought a couple of newer issues a while ago, during a sale, and it didn't interest me a whole lot anymore.The new art isn't bad, but it doesn't compare to the previous art, in my opinion, especially the Upchurch art.

Agreed in triplicate, and it gives me absolutely no joy to admit to that :/ It was one of my favorite books in the whole of comics for a year (like, Top 5 on the shelves, easy), and I was so excited a year ago for Stjepan to take over, and then that just completely fell apart (I mean, health problems, overworked, it's understandable, I'm not laying this at his feet by any means; it is what it is). It's just a goddamn shame, honestly. Wiebe's a good writer, and I love the characters and the tone, it filled a very special place in my heart, but the book as a whole has really just completely fallen off the table, for me. The prodigious delays and my general sort-of iffiness about Fowler's style have destroyed my enthusiasm for it. Makes me very, very sad. And, ya know, ultimately who's responsible? Upchurch. He and Wiebe had a pitch-perfect thing going on, the character designs and the beats were brilliant, and he had to go and be a total fucking scumbag and get kicked off the book (rightfully so; he left Kurtis and Image no other choice, and his actions, or what we know of them, were appalling and indefensible), and it's been on a sad, slow, downward slope ever since.

I absolutely agree, people. It was with a heavy heart that I stopped my Rat Queens subscription.

I feel like the Upchurch incident really disrupted the flow and - regrettably - tone of the book. I was excited to see Sejic on the book, and then that didn't work out. I feel the jump from Upchurch to Sejic to Fowler has not been a graceful transition in a lot of ways, but mostly in style. I love Tess Fowler as a personality on Twitter, but I don't think her art is a good fit for this book. Or at the very least, when I analysed why I wasn't enjoying the book anymore it was down to the cartoony art.

I think some of the reason is Wiebe has decompressed the story a whole lot, and coupled with new art it almost seems like a new book.