Putting the Sexy back in Large Wholesale Slaughter
On a certain level Rat Queens is your basic Dungeons & Dragons style fantasy adventure; an elf wizard, human cleric, dwarf fighter, and smidgen (read: halfling) thief have adventures. The fact that it is an all-girl band is a nice twist, but nothing worth 5 stars. What makes this book excellent is the characterization and the art.
Hannah is an edgy elf mage who comes across as an angry goth, like a suicide girl with magic powers. Dee is the atheist cleric, on the run from the Lovecraftian faith of her parents, and the shy girl of the group. Violet the dwarf girl shaved her beard before it was cool and drinks wine to avoid dwarf cliches. Betty is the breakout character, an impossibly cute smidgen who can go from adorable sweetness to stabbing machine like the flip of a switch.
I read this through in one sitting and never stopped grinning. A rare graphic novel that deserves a few repeat reads. Looking forward to volume 2 and hoping the creators maintain this level of creativity.