Rat Queens

Rat Queens is an American fantasy comic book series created by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch, published by Image Comics. The series was written by Wiebe until Ryan Ferrier took over in mid 2019. Rat Queens The original 2013–2016 run was drawn by Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Šejić, and Tess Fowler. The series was put on hiatus in April 2016 and returned in March 2017 with the new artist Owen Gieni.[1] Currently, Priscilla Petraites is the ongoing artist.

Rat Queens
Cover of Rat Queens #1, featuring, clockwise from the top: Dee, Betty, Hannah, and Violet.
Publication information
PublisherImage Comics
ScheduleMonthly, with breaks
FormatOngoing series
Genre
  • Comic fantasy
Publication dateSeptember 2013
Creative team
Created byKurtis J. Wiebe
Roc Upchurch
Written byKurtis J. Wiebe (#1–16, Vo. 2 #1–15)
Ryan Ferrier (Vol. 2 #16–present)
Artist(s)Roc Upchurch (#1–8)
Stjepan Šejić (#9–10)
Tess Fowler (#11–16)
Owen Gieni (Vol. 2 #1–15)
Priscilla Petraites (Vol. 2 #16–present)
Letterer(s)Ryan Ferrier
Colorist(s)Tamra Bonvillain (#11–16)
Marco Lesko (Vol. 2 #16–present)
Collected editions
1. Sass and SorceryISBN 9781607069454
2. The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’RygothISBN 9781632150400
3. DemonsISBN 9781632157355
4. High FantasiesISBN 9781632158994
5. The Colossal Magic NothingISBN 9781534306776
6. The Infernal PathISBN 9781534310698

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[2] and won the 2015 GLAAD Media Award.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] After Šejić left the series in July 2015 for health reasons, Fowler continued the series as main artist, joined by colorist Tamra Bonvillain.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

In November 2016, Wiebe announced that Rat Queens would return to print with a new series artist, Owen Gieni.[10]

On Reddit, Wiebe clarified that issue #16 (When Beards Collide, Part 1) would not be considered canon following the reboot. Apparently he found it too difficult to wrap that arc up and put the series back on track.[11] He later found a way to reference #16 while writing #9 of the reboot series, but reiterated that #16 will not be collected. The reference is an Easter egg for those that read #16.[12]

Wiebe and Gieni ended their work as the series' writer and artist in March 2019, with issue #15.[13] A new creative team of Ryan Ferrier (writer), Priscilla Petraites (artist), and Marco Lesko (colorist) resumed work on the series in June 2019.[14]

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 (here called "smidgen") thief Betty, whose idea of a hearty meal is a bag of drugs and candy.[4] They were later joined by Braga, a transgender Orc warrior.

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.

Characters
Hannah Vizari
A black-haired Elven necromancer who made a pact with a demon named Hazirel[15] and was cursed by the demonic Necrius magic[16] he bestowed upon her, which among other things made her grow horns, which she tries to hide under her haircurls.[17] Later, the corruption causes her to be split into a good and evil half.[18] Initially she has a conflicted relationship with Sawyer Silver, captain of the Palisade city guard, but then finds new love with Sadie, an old Druid acquaintance of the Rat Queens transformed into a birdwoman.[19]
Violet ("Vi") Blackforge
A redhaired Dwarven fighter of the Blackforge Clan who became tired of her father's adherence to old-fashioned traditions, which disallowed Dwarven females from becoming warriors even though Violet had the talent. After beating up a guest of her father's who made a slur at her, she banished herself from the clan, cutting off her beard as a sign of rebellion against tradition,[20] although she would let it grow back later. She has a relationship with Dave, an Orc healer,[21] whom she later marries.[19] Her twin brother Barrie, her rival for her father's approval even though he dearly loves his sister, later becomes the leader of a copycat imitation of Violet's team called "Cat Kings".[22]
Dee (Delilah)
A dark-skinned Human ex-high priestess of a monster cult who left her faith and her family after she became disillusioned with the horrors they worshipped.[21] She still continues to use her powers, especially for healing, despite her falling-out with her dark deity.[16] She was once married with Mezikiah, another cult member.[16][23] At one point she is called into the realm of the gods and granted the powers of a dwindling deity.[24] Although shy in social situations and gloomy about her choices in life, she loves the company of her fellow Rat Queens and will do anything to keep them safe.
Betty
A fun-loving Smidgen thief whose major vices in life are candy, hallucinogens, and large servings of alcoholic drinks. She is also a lesbian, with a long-lasting relationship with a human woman named Faeyri.[25] Formerly called Petunia Harvestchild, she was the leader of a Robin Hood-type group called The Five Monkeys, who were framed for robbery and all - except Betty - thrown into prison; as a result, the other members of the Five Monkeys, unaware that Betty has been scapegoated, are out for revenge on her.[15][26] In combat she is a vicious fighter, using her small size and agility to fullest advantage.
Braga
A huge, one-eyed transgender Orc and former member of the Peaches, another adventuring team which was wiped out during the first Rat Queens story arc.[27] Assigned male and named Broog at birth, Braga was the oldest child and heir to of her tribe's chieftain, but she didn't believe in her people's constant warring. Her ambitious younger brother Voon attempted a coup to eliminate her and take up the chieftainship; after her best friend and lover Kiruk was slain by Voon's minions, Braga crippled Voon in revenge and left her tribe,[28] although Voon would later return, imbued with demonic powers, to plague Braga anew.[24] Her transition is not shown in the books but appears to have happened in between when she left her family and when she arrived in Palisades as a mercenary. Already a good friend of the Rat Queens, she later joins them full-time in their exploits.[22]
Madeline
The teenage daughter of a retired bard who works as a barmaid in her father's tavern. She has long admired the Rat Queens and wants to be a fighter.[29] After Violet's marriage and subsequent retirement, she takes over as the group's apprentice fighter.[30]

Reception

Rat Queens received critical praise. It was nominated for the 2014 Eisner Award for best new series,[31] and won the 2015 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for its portrayals of LGBT characters.[32] The first compiled volume, Rat Queens: Sass and Sorcery, was nominated for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[33]

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.[34] 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.[35] 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,[36] and praised Upchurch's "expressive and unique" character designs.[37]

Issues
Issue Title Release date Story Art Colors Cover
Rat Queens
special preview		 Sep. 9, 2013 Kurtis J. Wiebe
Meg Dejmal		 Roc Upchurch
#1 Sass and Sorcery Sep. 25, 2013 Kurtis J. Wiebe Roc Upchurch Roc Upchurch
Fiona Staples (variant)
#2 Oct. 23, 2013 Roc Upchurch
#3 Nov. 27, 2013
#4 Jan. 15, 2014
#5 Feb. 26, 2014
#6 The Far Reaching
Tentacles of N’Rygoth		 May 7, 2014 Roc Upchurch
#7 Jul. 16, 2014
#8 Oct. 1, 2014 Roc Upchurch Tyler Jenkins
Michael Avon Oeming (v.)
Braga #1 The Once Prince, Now Bastard Jan. 14, 2015 Tess Fowler Kelly Fitzpatrick Tess Fowler
Roc Upchurch (v.)
#9 The Far Reaching
Tentacles of N’Rygoth		 Mar. 4, 2015 Stjepan Šejić Jenny Frison
#10 Apr. 8, 2015 Stjepan Šejić
#11 Demons Aug. 19, 2015 Tess Fowler[38] Tamra Bonvillain Stjepan Šejić
#12 Sep. 16, 2015
#13 Nov. 18, 2015[39]
#14 Dec. 30, 2015[40]
#15 Mar. 16, 2016[41]
#16 When Beards Collide May 4, 2016[42] Tess Fowler
and Tamra Bonvillain
“SOFT REBOOT”
#1 Cat Kings and Other Garys Mar. 1, 2017[43] Kurtis J. Wiebe Owen Gieni
#2 Apr. 12, 2017[44]
#3 May 24, 2017[45]
#4 Jul. 5, 2017[46]
#5 Aug. 16, 2017[47]
Orc Dave #1 Sept. 27, 2017[48] Max Dunbar Tamra Bonvillain Fiona Staples
#6 The Colossal Magic Nothing Nov. 22, 2017[49] Owen Gieni Owen Gieni
Sweeney Boo (v.)
#7 Jan. 3, 2018[50] Owen Gieni
Jim Valentino (v.)
#8 Feb. 28, 2018[51] Owen Gieni
Mindy Lee (v.)
#9 May 16, 2018[52] Owen Gieni
Leila Del Duca (v.)
#10 Jul. 11, 2018[53] Owen Gieni
Joseph Michael Linsner (v.)
Special Neon Static Jul. 18, 2018 Will Kirkby
#11 The Infernal Path Sep. 12, 2018[54] Owen Gieni
#12 Oct. 24, 2018[55]
#13 Dec. 19, 2018[56]
#14 Feb. 13, 2019[57]
#15 Mar. 13, 2019[58]
Special Swamp Romp Apr. 10, 2019[59] Ryan Ferrier Priscilla Petraites Marco Lesko Priscilla Petraites
#16 The Once and Future King Jun. 19, 2019[60]
#17 Jul. 31, 2019[61]
#18 Sep. 11, 2019[62]
#19 Oct. 23, 2019[63]
#20 Dec. 11, 2019[64]
#21 The God Dilemma Mar. 25, 2020[65]

Webcomics

To promote the return of Rat Queens, Kurtis Wiebe ran a series of webcomics on his blog.[66] The first 10 comics were later released as a digital comic issue.[67]

# Title Release date Story Art Colors
#1 "Magesitting" Nov. 23, 2016 Kurtis Wiebe Mike Norton Sweeney Boo
#2 "Goodbye" Nov. 30, 2016 Isaac Goodhart
#3 "Trippin’" Dec. 7, 2016 Sweeney Boo
#4 "Social Warrior" Dec. 14, 2016 Justin Osterling
#5 "Whackball" Dec. 21, 2016 Max Dunbar Sweeney Boo
#6 "The Absent King" Jan. 11, 2017 Ben Rankel
#7 "Rat Queens Inc." Jan. 18, 2017 Kyle Charles Sweeney Boo
#8 "Bedtime Stories with Braga" Jan. 25, 2017 Will Kirkby
#9 "Girls’ Night Out" Feb. 1, 2017 Stjepan Šejić
#10 "Bad Omen" Feb. 10, 2017 Sedona Parnham
#11 "Identity" Mar. 22, 2017 Linda Šejić

Collected editions

The series is collected into trade paperbacks and deluxe hardcovers. However, Rat Queens #16 will never be collected. Weibe commented on Reddit: "I hated that issue. It was a reminder of how bad things had gotten creatively."[68]

Trade paperbacks
Trade paperbacks
Title Release Date Collects Cover ISBN
Rat Queens, Volume 1
Sass and Sorcery		 March 26, 2014
  • Rat Queens #1–5
 Fiona Staples 9781607069454
Rat Queens, Volume 2
The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’Rygoth		 May 6, 2015
  • Rat Queens #6–10
 Stjepan Sejic 9781632150400
Rat Queens, Volume 3
Demons		 April 13, 2016
  • Rat Queens #11–15
  • Braga #1
 Tess Fowler
and Tamra Bonvillain		 9781632157355
Rat Queens, Volume 4
High Fantasies		 October 11, 2017
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2 #1–5
 Owen Gieni 9781632158994
Rat Queens, Volume 5
The Colossal Magic Nothing		 July 25, 2018
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2 #6–10
  • Orc Dave
 Owen Gieni 9781534306776
Rat Queens, Volume 6
The Infernal Path		 May 15, 2019
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2 #11–15
  • Neon Static
 Owen Gieni 9781534310698
Rat Queens, Volume 7
The Once and Future King		 February 12, 2020
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2 #16–20
 Marco Lesko
and Priscilla Petraites		 9781534314665

Deluxe hardcover edition

While Wiebe considers Rat Queens, Volume 3: Demons canon, he said he would not collect the arc in the deluxe hardcovers because of his falling out with the artist, Tess Fowler.[68]

Deluxe hardcovers
Title Release Date Collects ISBN
Rat Queens Deluxe Edition, Volume 1 December 2, 2015
  • Rat Queens #1–10
  • Braga #1
 9781632154927
Rat Queens Deluxe Edition, Volume 2 November 20, 2018
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2 #1–10
  • Orc Dave #1
 9781534310254

Other media

TV adaptation

In 2014, Pukeko Pictures and Heavy Metal magazine announced their intent to adapt Rat Queens as a 30-minute animated television series.[69]

Dungeons & Dragons

Issue #14 of the digital D&D magazine Dragon+ features The Hangover, a role-playing adventure written by Kurtis Wiebe.[70]

Roleplaying stream

Since 2019, the Twitch channel "Hyper Rabbit Power Go" (Hyper RPG) is streaming a tabletop RPG series based on Rat Queens. Participants include Emily Jacobson as the game master, Jessica Lynn Verdi as Hannah, Laurie Jones as Violet, Aliza Pearl as Dee, Michelle Nguyen Bradley as Betty, and Riley Silverman as Braga.[71][72]

gollark: Just saying the chemical formula isn't really "what it is".
gollark: Wow, rude. You will be converted into sulfur hexafluoride immediately.
gollark: Yes, there are infinitely many of them, which is why I did so very fast.
gollark: Your asking is irrelevant. I pre-asked all questions.
gollark: Imagine having shoulders.

References
  1. Ching, Albert (22 November 2016). "INTERVIEW: Rat Queens Starts Fresh with a New #1, New Artist". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. "2014 Eisner Award Nominees Announced". Comic Book Resources. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  3. Washington, Arlene (21 January 2015). "26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Nominees Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. Esposito, Joey (2 May 2013). "Rat Queens Pays Homage to D&D". IGN. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  5. Pitts, Lan (21 November 2014). "Roc Upchurch Off RAT QUEENS After Domestic Violence Arrest". Newsarama. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  6. "Image Comics/Shadowline welcomes new artist on RAT QUEENS". Image Comics. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. Johnston, Rich (1 July 2015). "Tess Fowler, The New Ongoing Rat Queens Artist, With Tamra Bonvillain". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  8. Jude Terror. "Fowler Speaks on Rat Queens Departure, Upchurch's Return; Wiebe Denies [Updated]". The Outhouse.
  9. Johnston, Rich (2016-07-13). "Kurtis Wiebe Continues Rat Queens As A Webcomic For Now, With Mike Norton, Cecilia Dupuy And More". Bleeding Cool.
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  13. Rat Queens #15 Brings an End to an Era of Fantasy Comics
  14. Chiu-Tabet, Christopher (January 26, 2019). "Ferrier, Petraites and Lesko Taking Over "Rat Queens"". Multiversity. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  15. Rat Queens Vol.1 #12
  16. Rat Queens Vol.1 #7
  17. Rat Queens Vol.1 #10
  18. Rat Queens Vol.2 #8-10
  19. Rat Queens Vol.2 #15
  20. Rat Queens Vol.1 #8
  21. Rat Queens Vol.1 #5
  22. Rat Queens Vol.2 #1
  23. Rat Queens Vol.1 #6
  24. Rat Queens Vol.2 #12-15
  25. Rat Queens Vol.1 #3
  26. Rat Queens Vol.2 #10
  27. Rat Queens Vol.1 #1-2
  28. Rat Queens Special #1: Braga
  29. Rat Queens Vol.2 #6
  30. Rat Queens Vol.2 #16
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  62. "Rat Queens #18". Image Comics.
  63. "Rat Queens #19". Image Comics.
  64. "Rat Queens #20". Image Comics.
  65. "Rat Queens #21". Image Comics.
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  68. Johnston, Rich (2018-09-04). "Rat Queens #16 Will Never Be Reprinted". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  69. Graser, Marc (13 June 2014). "Heavy Metal, Weta Workshop's Pukeko Pictures to Adapt 'Rat Queens'". Variety. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  70. https://dnd.wizards.com/dragonplus/issue14
  71. "'Rat Queens' Live Play RPG Coming From Hyper RPG". Comics.
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