Schedule Monthly, with breaks Number of issues 16 | Format Ongoing series Writer(s) Kurtis J. Wiebe Genre Comic fantasy | |
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Publication date September 2013 – April 2016 Artist(s) Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Šejić, Tess Fowler, Owen Gieni Similar Sex Criminals, The Wicked + The Divine, Bitch Planet, Pretty Deadly, East of West | ||
Taking a look the trade union rat queens vol 1
Rat Queens is an American comic fantasy comic book series written by Kurtis J. Wiebe and published by Image Comics since September 2013. The artwork has been drawn by Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Šejić and Tess Fowler. The series was put on hiatus in April 2016 and is to return in March 2017 with the new artist Owen Gieni.
Contents
- Taking a look the trade union rat queens vol 1
- Rat queens d d episode 1 part 1
- Publication history
- Plot
- Reception
- Collected editions
- TV adaptation
- References
Recounting the exploits of a party of four rowdy, foul-mouthed adventurers, the series has received critical praise, was nominated for the 2014 Eisner Award for Best New Series and won the 2015 GLAAD Media Award.
Rat queens d d episode 1 part 1
Publication history
Writer Kurtis Wiebe described the series as a "love letter to my years of D&D (...) and fantasy" with a modern twist, and the concept as "Lord of the Rings meets Bridesmaids". Originally intended to be funded through Kickstarter, it was picked up by Jim Valentino at Image Comics a week before the funding campaign was to start. Rat Queens was intended to be published at a pace of ten issues per year, with two-month breaks between collections.
After artist Roc Upchurch was arrested on charges of domestic violence in November 2014, Wiebe announced that Upchurch would no longer be illustrating the series. In December 2014, Image Comics announced that Stjepan Šejić would continue the series as artist beginning with issue #9 in February 2015, preceded by a special issue about the orc warrior Braga by guest artist Tess Fowler in January 2015. After Šejić left the series in July 2015 for health reasons, Fowler continued the series as main artist, joined by colorist Tamra Bonvillain.
In April 2016, Fowler left the title, and Wiebe paused work on it. In May 2016, Fowler wrote that Wiebe pushed her out to make room for Upchurch's return after the fourth arc. Wiebe denied this and said that the collaboration not working out creatively was the reason for Fowler's departure and the comic's hiatus.
In July 2016, Wiebe announced that Rat Queens would continue as a webcomic. Early strips in this format would be drawn by Battlepug creators Mike Norton and Cecilia Dupuy.
In November 2016, Wiebe announced that "Rat Queens" would return to print with a new series artist, Owen Gieni.
Plot
The eponymous "Rat Queens" are a rambunctious party of adventurers in a medieval fantasy setting. They comprise the rockabilly elven mage Hannah, the hipster dwarven warrior Violet who shaved her beard before it became cool, the atheist human cleric Dee, who hails from a family of Lovecraftian monster cultists, and the hippie halfling thief Betty, whose idea of a hearty meal is a bag of drugs and candy.
The first five issues follow the group's exploits as they try to defend themselves against assassins intent on killing them and other adventuring groups that have been roughing up their home town of Palisade. The second story arc sees the Rat Queens trying to prevent a vengeful businessman from summoning Dee's people's many-tentacled gods to lay waste to Palisade. The third arc has Hannah return to her sinister alma mater after her father is arrested for attempting a coup.
Reception
Rat Queens received critical praise. It was nominated for the 2014 Eisner Award for best new series, and won the 2015 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for its portrayals of LGBT characters. The first compiled volume, Rat Queens: Sass and Sorcery, was nominated for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
In Paste, Robert Tutton noted that the "rowdy, sarcastic and intensely loyal" personalities of the main characters drive the series, and praised its seamless transitions from "gore to humor, sprawling action to small personal moments", as well as artist Roc Upchurch's skill at portraying facial expressions. Augie De Blieck from Comic Book Resources appreciated the "dark, twisted, and hilarious" series for its fast pacing, Wiebe's witty (and foul-mouthed) writing, and the humanity and personality with which Upchurch infused his drawings. Writing for IGN, Benjamin Bailey described the "mix of D20 adventures and modern angst" as perfecting the formula of injecting humor and wit into sword and sorcery tropes, and praised Upchurch's "expressive and unique" character designs.
Collected editions
The series is being collected into trade paperbacks and hardcovers:
TV adaptation
In 2014, Pukeko Pictures and Heavy Metal magazine announced their intent to adapt Rat Queens as a 30-minute animated television series. There has not been any new information about the development of the series since.