Comics
Review: ‘Rat Queens’ #4
Having established itself as one of the best new comics to grace the shelves in 2013, Kurtis J. Wiebe, and Roc Upchurch, sucker-punch the New Year with another expectedly kick-ass, and fantastically absurd, installment of “Rat Queens”. In a time where persistently uninspiring and painfully derivative speculative fiction makes up most of the fantasy genre, it’s incredibly easy to be completely charmed by this unconventional, and gut-bustingly hilarious series.
WRITTEN BY: Kurtis J. Wiebe
ART BY: Roc Upchurch
PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Shadowline Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: January 15, 2014
“Rat Queens” #4 picks up immediately after the events of Issue #3, as Betty accidentally discovers the true culprit behind the adventuring party assassinations. Palisade’s disorderly mercenaries have been under relentless attack thanks to Old Lady Bernadette’s fury regarding the continually destroyed state of their town, and Sawyer’s questionable ethics as Captain of the Guard due to his obvious soft spot for the Rat Queens. From there it’s back to the basics with a high-adrenaline chain of limb-severing violence and quick-witted dialogue, as the battle maidens reassemble to stop a swarm of trolls from carrying out a blood vengeance for their troll slaughtering shenanigans from the second installment.
Wiebe takes the narrative in a fiercely energetic, and often times hilariously absurd, direction. He’s successfully developed a popular hit series that doesn’t lose anything for being less introspective, and more rambunctious. That is to say, he could script issue-after-issue of the Rat Queens’ unruly antics, and the fandom would never tire of it. It’s laid-back, yet lively. Light, yet violent and bloody. There’s a powerfully liberating quality to this series, and an undeniable joy in experiencing characters be as bad and ridiculously uncivilized as they want, and choose, to be. That’s definitely one of the best aspects of the book besides Roc Upchurch’s terrific interior artwork.
The artist’s loose and free-flowing illustrative technique really suits the battle-heavy imagery that takes centre stage in this issue. There are panels upon panels depicting extreme action that appear to glide across the pages with an air of mastered fluidity and style. While the setting may seem a bit too contained with only two locations to play around in, it provides plenty of room for Upchurch to effortlessly showcase his talent in an explosion of blood splatter and visual gags.
Part 4 sees the welcomed return of the wonderfully envisioned Braga, the ruthless orc from Palisade’s Peaches guild, who leads the comical charge into battle against the giant troll and her average-sized cohorts. What ensues is some refreshingly entertaining moments courtesy of Wiebe’s natural comedic timing, and Upchurch’s knack for visual storytelling.
“Rat Queens” is destined for comic book greatness, and knows how to sink its bloodthirsty hooks into the growing fandom without succumbing to the over-exhausted and widely problematic tropes prevalent in most Fantasy fiction and art today. This cannot be stressed enough: “Rat Queens” is fantastic, and you should be reading it.
Note: The creative team is now incorporating a letters column into the books, so kindly direct your love and support to this email address: theratqueens@gmail.com
4/5 Skulls
Review 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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