Description
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 god's creatures for profit. It's also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014-04-18
Physical description
26 cm
Publication
Berkeley, CA : Shadowline/Image Comics, 2014.
ISBN
9781607069454
Library's review
The story follows a group of four women -- an (atheist!) human bard, a dwarf fighter, a smidgen (a halfling / Santa's Elf-inspired creature) thief and an elf mage -- who are very successful adventurers, hated in the community as their days of boredom between quests often turning into drunken
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brawls. The book is a fun riff on roleplaying game tropes -- the kind where the world is original and occasionally inventive, but overall stays close enough to typical D&D fare that until stated otherwise, the reader can assume things work the way they usually do in the genre -- but it mostly shines in the dynamics between the four very different, but very mutually loyal, protagonists. There's banter, there's exciting violence, and there's even a (despite the often sillly tone) rather ominous murder conspiracy behind the scenes. Two thumbs up, bring on volume 2! Show Less
Similar in this library
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Graphic Story — 2015)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
User reviews
LibraryThing member greeniezona
My friend Genny had been recommending this series for a while, so when I started reading this volume I had my usual contrary "but is this really as good as it's made out to be?" resistance going on. Resistance that started thawing right around "What's with men and tentacles? Sick of this shit."
Funny, badass, self-aware, filled with sly D&D references, and characters with fully-formed personalities and back-stories that never feel like cardboard cut-outs. And, oh yeah, the art is fantastic. Dee with her face-markings and head full of curls is swoon-worthy, orc-Dave with his flat nose and beard full of bluebirds (seriously) is strangely. Fight scenes are dark and bloody, but you can always tell what is going on. And black-eyed Hannah is kind of my fave.
Fantastic and fun. I can't wait to learn more about these ladies.
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Resistance that cracked at "You put an arrow in my favourite boob, fuckwit!" And then, I fell in love when Betty, the sex, drugs, and candy obsessed Smidgen brags, "Who's officially scarier than a squirrel now?" after attempting (and failing, I might add) to intimidate a merchant approximately six times her size.Funny, badass, self-aware, filled with sly D&D references, and characters with fully-formed personalities and back-stories that never feel like cardboard cut-outs. And, oh yeah, the art is fantastic. Dee with her face-markings and head full of curls is swoon-worthy, orc-Dave with his flat nose and beard full of bluebirds (seriously) is strangely. Fight scenes are dark and bloody, but you can always tell what is going on. And black-eyed Hannah is kind of my fave.
Fantastic and fun. I can't wait to learn more about these ladies.
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LibraryThing member CareBear36
Absolutely amazing! I loved this graphic novel. It was hilarious. Phenomenal artwork. Interesting plotline. Unforgettable characters. It has it all and it's definitely worth checking out. Would highly recommend (to a mature audience), especially to fans of Saga.
LibraryThing member tldegray
Someone wants to get rid of all the adventurers in town. They're sent out on missions only to find those missions are deadly traps. But the Rat Queens (and a few others) survive and now they're going to find out who set them up and get revenge.
This was awesome. This was D&D with badass ladies who
I'm definitely picking up this comic.
(Provided by publisher)
This was awesome. This was D&D with badass ladies who
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like drinking, candy, and sex. There's adventure, violence, and a few love stories brewing underneath the surface. I'm definitely picking up this comic.
(Provided by publisher)
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LibraryThing member kayceel
This was delightful! Funny, ribald, foul-mouthed, and bad-ass, this one isn't for the faint of heart. However, if you love diverse, ass-kickin' women and dirty-minded humor, read this immediately!!
The Rat Queens, Betty Dee, Hannah, and Violet, are given a chance to get out of jail free (following
Highly recommended!!
The Rat Queens, Betty Dee, Hannah, and Violet, are given a chance to get out of jail free (following
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an ill-advised bar brawl) if they head out on a mercenary mission for the town of palisade, which is more than a little tired of the many mercenary bands causing mischief. However, when the Rat Queens survive an unexpected assassination attempt, they must figure out who's targeting the bands before they are murdered.Highly recommended!!
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: The Rat Queens are a band of adventuring mercenaries - Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarf Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric, and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. They fight hard, and party harder. After one too many bar brawls with other bands of fighters, though,
Review: I enjoyed the heck out of this one. I enjoyed it so much that I bought myself a copy (!) after initially checking it out from the library, and I bought myself a copy of the second volume, sight unseen (!!). (It should be arriving today; hooray!) This book is clearly based on a role-playing game campaign (or at least operating in that universe), but it works almost as well if, like me, you're not a gamer but just want a good fantasy story about a band of women who kick ass. And they do kick some serious ass. (Some with stand-and-point powers, but there's a fair bit of actual physical fighting going on, too.) But my favorite thing about it is that it takes something that is still (sadly) unusual and worth of comment in our society - women characters of diverse backgrounds and body types, who party as hard as they fight, use bad words in mixed company, enjoy having sex, and enjoy each other's company without trying to cut each other down - and treats it as something expected and un-note-worthy. And it's funny. Funny always helps. This volume has a clear story arc that wraps up nicely, but simultaneously sets up future installments, as it's clear that there are plenty of things we don't know yet… and I can't wait to find out. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Definitely worth reading if you like fantasy graphic novels.
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the Mayor of Palisade sends each of the town's bands on a separate quest to get them out of the city and keep them out of trouble. But the quests turn out to be death traps, which only the Queens and a few others survive. Now they must figure out who's ordered their deaths and why… and kick some ass along the way.Review: I enjoyed the heck out of this one. I enjoyed it so much that I bought myself a copy (!) after initially checking it out from the library, and I bought myself a copy of the second volume, sight unseen (!!). (It should be arriving today; hooray!) This book is clearly based on a role-playing game campaign (or at least operating in that universe), but it works almost as well if, like me, you're not a gamer but just want a good fantasy story about a band of women who kick ass. And they do kick some serious ass. (Some with stand-and-point powers, but there's a fair bit of actual physical fighting going on, too.) But my favorite thing about it is that it takes something that is still (sadly) unusual and worth of comment in our society - women characters of diverse backgrounds and body types, who party as hard as they fight, use bad words in mixed company, enjoy having sex, and enjoy each other's company without trying to cut each other down - and treats it as something expected and un-note-worthy. And it's funny. Funny always helps. This volume has a clear story arc that wraps up nicely, but simultaneously sets up future installments, as it's clear that there are plenty of things we don't know yet… and I can't wait to find out. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Definitely worth reading if you like fantasy graphic novels.
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LibraryThing member sraedi
Love it! Hilarious, good art, great characters, and a story I am interested in following. Very entertaining!
LibraryThing member AngelaCinVA
Hilarious! How to describe this? Wildly inappropriate D&D humor with a cast of bad-ass women as the main characters. Laughed out loud repeatedly. Now I can't wait for Vol. 2
LibraryThing member ladycato
I read this as part of the Hugo packet.
There's a lot to enjoy here. It's an unabashed send-up of fantasy tropes, with a vibrant, diverse cast of ladies. The artwork is just plain fantastic. That said, I found the overall tone too crass for my taste. I liked this volume well enough and I'm glad I
There's a lot to enjoy here. It's an unabashed send-up of fantasy tropes, with a vibrant, diverse cast of ladies. The artwork is just plain fantastic. That said, I found the overall tone too crass for my taste. I liked this volume well enough and I'm glad I
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got to see what all the buzz was about, but I don't think I'll read onward. Show Less
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
Read on September 02, 2014
Apparently I didn't love this one as much as everyone else on Goodreads (avg rating is 4.42 at the moment). I like the diversity, the artwork is good, and I am curious about what happens next, but it's also violent (I don't love blood or seeing battle scenes) with random
So will I pick up the next volume? It's a firm maybe.
Apparently I didn't love this one as much as everyone else on Goodreads (avg rating is 4.42 at the moment). I like the diversity, the artwork is good, and I am curious about what happens next, but it's also violent (I don't love blood or seeing battle scenes) with random
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drug use (why?) and lots of drinking (don't mind the drinking as much).So will I pick up the next volume? It's a firm maybe.
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LibraryThing member StormRaven
Imagine a world in which a number of the inhabitants behave like the players in a typical role-playing game, with the same disdain for social mores, other people's property, and other people's lives. Imagine that the protagonists in this world were a collection of sassy, snarky, narcissistic, and
[More forthcoming]
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destructive quartet of women who blast and hack their way through adventures so they can get to the copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, and sex that awaits them thereafter. These are The Rat Queens.[More forthcoming]
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LibraryThing member ragwaine
This was fun, kinda "lite" for me. Extremely lovable characters with very filthy mouths and bad attitudes. If you're not a gamer or a reader of fantasy novels you probably won't get a lot of the humor but if you're not a gamer or reader of fantasy novels you probably wouldn't be reading this book
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anyway. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kellswitch
This was so much fun! I loved the Rat Queens, the Four Dave's, the Peaches, I love the whole world created here. The art is colorful and inviting, each character feels real and distinct and I think I might actually like to visit Palisade...when the Rat Queens are out of town questing.
LibraryThing member Awfki
2015-05-21: A bit gory but quite funny with modern language dropped in a fantasy setting. I think Betty is my favorite but they're all pretty amusing.
LibraryThing member rivkat
The Rat Queens are four mercenaries of differing talents, cultures, and sexualities who are out of favor in a once-lawless, now more lawful town. When they’re attacked by an assassin, they have to figure out who’s behind the assault. But the real pleasures here are in the variety of characters
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and the joy of watching brawling, cussing, vicious women kick ass. I read Vol. 2 first, but now I’m along for the whole ride. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirikayla
Is there such a thing as awesome in a slightly horrifying way? I'm pretty sure Rat Queens is it. I had to pick this one up from the library, but Mike has the rest of the individual comics, so I'll definitely be reading them that way.
LibraryThing member jess_reads_books
Meet the Rat Queens: Hannah the Rockability Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric, and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. Together they form a group of maidens-for-hire who are looking for a good time mixed with a bit of trouble. Recently sent to jail for starting
Each of the Rat Queens harness a unique talent, which they showcase in this battle against the assassin. Upon defeating him and returning back to town, they discover that they were not the only group of adventurers being hunted down. Someone wants all of the trouble-causing adventuring groups out of their town and is willing to stop at nothing to make sure this happens. Can the badass Rat Queens get to the bottom of who sent an assassin after them and defeat this evil villain?
Kurtis Wiebe’s first volume (containing issues #1-5), allows the reader to meet each Rat Queen and start to learn what makes them tick. Snippets of their pasts intermingle with the present, forming a band of women the reader can’t help but want to learn more about. The Rat Queens are a bunch of hard partying, ass-kicking maidens out to live life to the fullest. When the assassination plot arises, you see that they care more about just these things, as they focus on saving their town from an impeding threat. This is a great graphic novel for anyone looking for a fun, action-packed story about strong women. I’m looking forward to grabbing volume 2 on my next comic book store trip and seeing where the story takes me!
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a bar brawl, the Queens have been sentenced to a quest in order to smooth things over with their town. While on the quest, the Queens get more than bargained for when an assassin sent to take the out shows up. Each of the Rat Queens harness a unique talent, which they showcase in this battle against the assassin. Upon defeating him and returning back to town, they discover that they were not the only group of adventurers being hunted down. Someone wants all of the trouble-causing adventuring groups out of their town and is willing to stop at nothing to make sure this happens. Can the badass Rat Queens get to the bottom of who sent an assassin after them and defeat this evil villain?
Kurtis Wiebe’s first volume (containing issues #1-5), allows the reader to meet each Rat Queen and start to learn what makes them tick. Snippets of their pasts intermingle with the present, forming a band of women the reader can’t help but want to learn more about. The Rat Queens are a bunch of hard partying, ass-kicking maidens out to live life to the fullest. When the assassination plot arises, you see that they care more about just these things, as they focus on saving their town from an impeding threat. This is a great graphic novel for anyone looking for a fun, action-packed story about strong women. I’m looking forward to grabbing volume 2 on my next comic book store trip and seeing where the story takes me!
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LibraryThing member WritingHaiku
This comic makes me so happy. I wish I'd had this to read ten years ago when I was a role-play addicted teenager who needed more female characters to look up to in comics. Rat Queens reminds me of the characters my friends and I used to write about together - tough, smart, feminine but kick ass -
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and I adored every minute of it. Pick this one up, you won't regret it. Show Less
LibraryThing member SiempreBailando
Amazing, hilarious, slightly NSFW, full of good messages and just craziness. Everyone needs to pick up this comic, especially if they like anything fantasy.
LibraryThing member lavaturtle
This is a really fun story about a rag-tag band of adventurers in a D&D-like world. All four members of the party are women, which seems to be normal in-world; this makes the story refreshingly different from the usual hack&slash fare. The characters all have very distinct personalities without
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being one-dimensional; they are also drawn to be easily distinguishable even in chaotic fight scenes. Also, there's a good mix of funny (e.g. an adventuring band who are all named Dave) and poignant (some of the main characters' interactions with their family and romantic partners). Looking forward to reading the next volume of this story. Show Less
LibraryThing member empress8411
I was certain I would adore this series the first time I read the title of Volume One - anything with "sass" in the title had to be good. I was right! The writers created a story imbued with both humor and depth. I adored the relationship between the four main characters – it had an authenticity
My only qualm was the art changed in volume three, not for the better. I preferred the style of the first two. But this is a personal thing and doesn’t detract from the story.
Volume one and two are one story, with volume three starting another story arc. I’m eager for volume four – which won’t be out for at least a year, although two of the individual issues are out.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys snarky stories with complex characters. And it’s a must read for any D&D player.
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to it that made it amazing. Even the secondary characters had depth and complexity. The plot complimented the character development nicely – and provided ample spots for sarcasm, snark, and sass. I must have laughed out loud about a dozen times. There was a lovely mixed of tribute and parody of D&D, which as a player, I enjoyed immensely.My only qualm was the art changed in volume three, not for the better. I preferred the style of the first two. But this is a personal thing and doesn’t detract from the story.
Volume one and two are one story, with volume three starting another story arc. I’m eager for volume four – which won’t be out for at least a year, although two of the individual issues are out.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys snarky stories with complex characters. And it’s a must read for any D&D player.
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LibraryThing member teknognome
A fun, light story about a dungeon fantasy RPG-style adventuring party (comprised of four women), set in a fantasy world where such things are common. The plot is fairly light, but but it has enough fighting and partying (and sneaking) to work. The characters and dialog are however what make this;
The art, in general was good. The only thing that bothered me was the Rat Queens' noses; they all look the same, and are frequently colored darker/redder such that the characters look they have a cold.
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the four Rat Queens are decently well developed and distinguished (especially for volume 1), and are all entertaining and likable.The art, in general was good. The only thing that bothered me was the Rat Queens' noses; they all look the same, and are frequently colored darker/redder such that the characters look they have a cold.
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LibraryThing member macha
3 and a half stars. good characters, but just for laughs. laughs are good, but memorable? no. i will say it's a bit reminiscent in its best moments of Fafyrd and the Grey Mouser, though, so if it ever wants to up its game from, you know, adolescent boy there's a path. just sayin'.
LibraryThing member shaunesay
Loved it! Dee is my favorite but I love the other Queens too. must read the rest!!
LibraryThing member SESchend
A tad bloody and violent, but never out of character and almost always hysterical. Highest recommendations for those who like their fantasy a tad out of the ordinary.
LibraryThing member lquilter
Really enjoyed it. Foul-mouthed, ass-kicking, humorous, diverse, and entertaining. Recommended!