And with this, I am caught up on Rat Queens trades…at least, until the new run’s first trade comes out.
- In explaining why he put Rat Queens on hiatus and soft-rebooted it with a new #1, Wiebe chalked it up to wanting to get away from the dark, hopeless tone he felt he had wound up in. Even knowing this, I underestimated how dark this arc gets.
- That’s not to say it’s bad—I enjoyed it a lot; but it does stray pretty far from the funny, upbeat tone the book started with.
- A deep dive into character history and backstory earns that tone and keeps it from feeling shocking or gratuitous.
- Tess Fowler and Tamra Bonvillain’s pages also help keep the book looking light, which offsets the seriousness and trauma that Wiebe gets into in “Demons”.
I think the decision to make some breathing room after this arc of Rat Queens is a smart one, but don’t skip it. A tonal departure it may be; but it gets into specific, foundational character information that makes it an engaging read.
Collected in
- Rat Queens, Vol. 3: Demons (#11-15, Rat Queens Special: Braga #1)
Credits
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe | Artist: Tess Fowler | Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain | Letterer: Ed Brisson | Covers: Stjepan Sejic | Editor: Laura Tavishati