Book Review: Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery

RAT QUEENS, VOL. 1: SASS & SORCERY | Kurtis J. Wiebe
Image Comics | 03.26.2014
Rating: 4/5 stars

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 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!