Comics
Review: ‘Rat Queens’ #3
“Gold, Guts and Grog” Part Three not only proves that Kurtis J. Wiebe’s “Rat Queens” has a heart as big as its humor, but also enough respect for its characters to present real emotion without overdoing the drama or sacrificing the laughs.
WRITTEN BY: Kurtis J. Wiebe
ART BY: Roc Upchurch
PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Shadowline Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: November 27, 2013
The latest installment of “Rat Queens” takes a step back from Roc Upchurch’s fantastically illustrated panels of gore and guts, to allow more focus on some significant character building and plot development. While the outrageously entertaining battle scenes were definitely worth savouring from previous issues, it’s the subtle, more personal moments in the script that will really linger with readers. One of those moments is featured on a wonderful splash page — hopefully turned art print! — where Dee is seen giving a piggyback ride to Betty, both perfectly content and enjoying each other’s company. It’s definitely a change of pace from the warring impulses and rowdy behaviour that set an amazingly hilarious and energetic tone to the overall series. Mostly, it’s a reminder that beyond all the violence and absurdity, “Rat Queens” is also an eccentric tale of female friendship at its core, and Part Three really showcases that.
Without providing too many spoilers, this installment follows our favourite battle maidens as they attempt to solve the mystery behind who’s ordered their assassination. Wiebe keeps the girls, as well as his readers, on their toes as the story progresses and the dots begin to connect. Behind the main plotline are a few side storylines involving Betty’s suffering love life, Hannah and Sawyer’s obvious implied romantic connection, and Violet’s family problems. Dee’s yet to be provided with a B tale, but Wiebe consistently provides her with hilarious anecdotes about her blood-drinking, squid-worshiping days as a N’Rygoth cultist, so I’ll let it slide for now.
Roc Upchurch’s artwork is such a massive gift to this entire series. While he’s always been a master of visual storytelling, this might be the first time where his panel designs and placements really help to effectively tell the story and push the narrative along; specifically when Betty’s explaining her and Dee’s investigation of The Merchant’s Guild. His pages are well thought out, and he makes excellent use of space and light. Showing a vast understanding of human emotion, Upchurch continues to successfully paint the Rat Queens’ feelings on their faces, from anger to regret, happiness to sadness, their moods are almost tangible. His large palette of colours is very inviting, and it keeps the tone of the series light. His work on Violet and Dee really steal the show this time around.
Overall, Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch express a deep purposefulness toward the “Rat Queens” narrative — in both script and art — that runs counter to the hyper-sexualised, half-baked nature of most female-driven fantasy comics. Moreover, their work is engaging, entertaining, and downright badass. So for that, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Note: The creative team will be incorporating a letters column into the books, so kindly direct your love and support to this email address: theratqueens@gmail.com
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – ShadowJayd
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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