Rat Queens #1

Kick-ass Maidens Get Medieval as Image Dominates the Week in Comics

If you are a comic book fan, especially of Image Comics, you should rejoice in the plentiful bounty of quality stories released this week. Up and down the Image line could be found can't miss books like Jupiter's Legacy #3, East of West #6, Fatale #17, Revival #14, and of course the award-winning Saga #14. It's no wonder that they've become one of the most successful and respected independent comic book publishers in the industry. This week they also introduced two new titles. Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky is a sexy, funny, and thoroughly original mature book that easily could have been this week's pick. A SEX COMEDY FOR COMICS Suzie's a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night she meets John...who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping, couple would do: they rob banks. In the vein of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and BRIDESMAIDS, Image Comics invites you to come along with MATT FRACTION (Hawkeye, SATELLITE SAM) and CHIP ZDARSKY(Prison Funnies, Monster Cops) for the series that puts the "comic" back in "comics" and the "sexy" back in "sex crimes." It was the other newcomer, the one that wasn't released with the same marketing fanfare of Criminals, that really surprised and entertained. Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch is a raucous fantasy adventure with a cadre of sassy maidens ready to throw punches in a bar brawl or kill goblins. Imagine if Aubrey Plaza had been Xena, Warrior Princess, then you'd understand the vibe of the book. It's got snarky humor as well as bloody sword-wielding action. It is entertaining from start to finish. Wiebe's writing has more modern sensibilities than you usually find in medieval fantasy books because there's no pretentious flowery jargon. Upchurch's pencils convey so much with just a look on a character's face that they speak for themselves. It's a beautifully rendered book with characters that you want to hang around with so much more. However, we must wait until next month. Pick it up now!




Here's the official description:

"GOLD, GUTS AND GROG," Part One Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they're in the business of killing all gods' creatures for profit.It's also a darkly comedic fantasy series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Hobbit Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!
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