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Princeless (Collected Editions) #2
Princeless, Vol. 2: Get Over Yourself
A new collection of the adventures of everyone's favorite runaway princess, the incomparable Adrienne. This time she's out to rescue her older sister Angelica, the most beautiful princess in the world. It won't be easy though. Not only does Adrienne have to deal with Angelica's legions of admirers and their sibling rivalry, but the King has hired a band of ruthless mercenaries to track her down. Can she save Angelica? Does she want to? And how will she deal with these deadly knights who are after her head?
122 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2013
14 people are currently reading
1592 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Whitley
406 books337 followersJeremy Whitley is the son of two teachers and the husband of a third.
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Born in La Mesa, CA, Jeremy went to high school in Lenoir, NC and college at The University of North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelors in English, and a minor in Creative Writing.
Jeremy lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife Alicia and his two daughters Zuri and Amara.
Jeremy is the writer/creator of the comic series Princeless, Raven the Pirate Princess, School for Extraterrestrial Girls, and The Dog Knight. He is also the writer of the acclaimed Marvel series "The Unstoppable Wasp". His other works include extensive work for Marvel, the "Sea of Thieves" comics, and over sixty issues of My Little Pony comics.
Awards and Nominations:
3 time Glyph Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
May 16, 2016
I have to say, I'm a little ensaddned by this volume.
I thought that the writing would be better by now. It's not. It might actually be getting worse.
Like with the first compilation, this is perfect for its intended audience. Kids are going to eat this up! And that is awesome! However, it's always my hope that when a reader reads something, little lessons are planted in the brain. How to write well will not be one of those little lessons in this case and that makes me sad.
Example: Right off the bat, on the first page: Gentlemen, my wife and I have been having some rather vexing problems. Her worries are so great she has taken abed all this last week
Now to be nitpicky: Really? She’s been taking beds? No. She has taken TO her bed or she IS abed, but she cannot take abed. "Abed" means she is lying down in her bed. He is saying “She has taken lying down in her bed all week” and that makes no sense. It’s made to sound old fashioned but this speech pattern is never consistent so this just winds up sounding silly.
Worse (still on that first page): Four days ago, a knight came to the tower of my daughter Adrienne. He somehow turned the dragon who protected her. Then this man had such audacity as to come to my castle and attempt to kill my youngest daughter, Appalonia. I drove him from my castle, but the story does not end there. He set fire to half of the town and fled to gods know where.
He meant to say, “Four days ago, a knight went to my daughter Adrienne’s tower and turned her dragon against her. Then he had the audacity to come here in order to kill my youngest daughter, Appalonia. I drove him from my castle but he set fire to half the town before fleeing."
Where are the editors? Why aren't they editing?
Yes, yes, I KNOW this is really putting too fine a point on it all, but come on. Let smart girls read smart stories. Kids don't need to have everything simplified and they certainly don't need their tales dumbed down. It's ok to be concise and mildly nuanced, consistency is good, strong writing will be appreciated.
*sigh*
The art is better in this volume, more appropriate to the story. It's fun and engaging, happy, colorful, and a bit silly (I will say, though, I liked the original mom better than the one here) The trade-off? Now all the people are well-built and beautiful. Somehow, the dwarven child (half-dwarf?), Bedelia (yes, like Amelia) is now super tall and slim instead of being roughly the same size as Adrienne. And you should see the sex-pot sister! This all directly detracts from the message being given via the storyline because now we are focused on body image.
I did like that even though Adrienne does not agree with Angelica’s lifestyle of being worshipped for her beauty, nothing is made of it. It's ok for females to understand that they're pretty and to appreciate their own beauty. It's not like Angelica spends hours looking at herself; she'd be considered high-maintenance but who cares? She's happy, her followers are happy, and they're not hurting anyone with all the worshiping of Angelica's beauty.
On the other hand, the whole prettiness thing is handled in a clumsy way, especially since this is something that females contend with all the time. It’s insidious. The message in this story is that girls can take care of themselves and are not the weak, fragile things we may have been told we are, right? That anything boys can do, girls can also do? But Adrienne, who has decided that the traditional role of femininity is not for her, goes right ahead and freaks out when her new friend grows a mustache. Oddly, Bedelia, the tall, skinny dwarf with a morning mustache, freaks out equally when she sees that Adrienne’s hair has turned frizzy in the night. I get that this is the first time either of them has seen the other's morning side but...ok, let’s go back to our first sleepovers. Anything different the next morning was just noticed, maybe puzzled over, but no one freaked out because everyone was in a vulnerable state and you knew you had no room to judge. Drool, ratty or frizzy hair, a mustache, clothing on inside out and backward...none of it mattered. You noted the differences, laughed about them later, and made it an inside joke to commemorate the evening. That’s how friendship works. And that’s where maybe having a guy writing this tale doesn't always fly.
I’m not sure he understands how deeply prettiness cuts and how necessary acceptance is among a group of girls at 8am on a Sunday.
Adrienne gets a couple of panels where she talks about how she’ll never be as pretty as her sister and it pisses her off and then nothing else is mentioned. The reader knows Adrienne does not embrace Angelica's lifestyle and Angelica continues to be confident in her perfect beauty and it’s great that she’s allowed to know she’s pretty (because how irritating is it when a character is all, “Don’t tell me I’m beautiful because I’m NOT” sobsobsob) Readers are left judge whether Angelica's being vain or confident. But, remember, she was drawn as a sexy, big-eyed, well-maintained, tall, and model-esque woman. She’s the ideal of beauty by American standards.
Let me tell you something: Those standards are destructive. It’s why so many people are trying to push the whole “There are many kinds of beauty and they are all equally amazing” thing because even if you don’t care about how you look, even if you’re perfectly confident in your appearance, even if your looks are the last thing on your mind, there’s always that time you found yourself resentful of beauty, either because you wanted it and didn't have it and you felt you lost out on something or because your looks impede everything else and no one takes you seriously because you're just too pretty. I don’t know a female who hasn't felt that in some degree at some point in her life, usually when she was young. Sometimes, it's just a "I wish I were pretty" and sometimes it's a lot of tears. Sometimes, it's "I wish I weren't pretty" because not all people like the attention and/or judgement beauty brings them. Beauty can hurt, it sucks, and that psychological trauma is not mirrored here.
I’m becoming more critical of this story as it goes. I know what it is meant to do and this is a valiant effort but I’m not convinced it is the best effort. I think it could be better and I want it to be better because I want the younger version of me to be able to read this and get the messages her young mind needs to hear even if she doesn't yet understand what is being planted in her psyche.
I thought that the writing would be better by now. It's not. It might actually be getting worse.
Like with the first compilation, this is perfect for its intended audience. Kids are going to eat this up! And that is awesome! However, it's always my hope that when a reader reads something, little lessons are planted in the brain. How to write well will not be one of those little lessons in this case and that makes me sad.
Example: Right off the bat, on the first page: Gentlemen, my wife and I have been having some rather vexing problems. Her worries are so great she has taken abed all this last week
Now to be nitpicky: Really? She’s been taking beds? No. She has taken TO her bed or she IS abed, but she cannot take abed. "Abed" means she is lying down in her bed. He is saying “She has taken lying down in her bed all week” and that makes no sense. It’s made to sound old fashioned but this speech pattern is never consistent so this just winds up sounding silly.
Worse (still on that first page): Four days ago, a knight came to the tower of my daughter Adrienne. He somehow turned the dragon who protected her. Then this man had such audacity as to come to my castle and attempt to kill my youngest daughter, Appalonia. I drove him from my castle, but the story does not end there. He set fire to half of the town and fled to gods know where.
He meant to say, “Four days ago, a knight went to my daughter Adrienne’s tower and turned her dragon against her. Then he had the audacity to come here in order to kill my youngest daughter, Appalonia. I drove him from my castle but he set fire to half the town before fleeing."
Where are the editors? Why aren't they editing?
Yes, yes, I KNOW this is really putting too fine a point on it all, but come on. Let smart girls read smart stories. Kids don't need to have everything simplified and they certainly don't need their tales dumbed down. It's ok to be concise and mildly nuanced, consistency is good, strong writing will be appreciated.
*sigh*
The art is better in this volume, more appropriate to the story. It's fun and engaging, happy, colorful, and a bit silly (I will say, though, I liked the original mom better than the one here) The trade-off? Now all the people are well-built and beautiful. Somehow, the dwarven child (half-dwarf?), Bedelia (yes, like Amelia) is now super tall and slim instead of being roughly the same size as Adrienne. And you should see the sex-pot sister! This all directly detracts from the message being given via the storyline because now we are focused on body image.
I did like that even though Adrienne does not agree with Angelica’s lifestyle of being worshipped for her beauty, nothing is made of it. It's ok for females to understand that they're pretty and to appreciate their own beauty. It's not like Angelica spends hours looking at herself; she'd be considered high-maintenance but who cares? She's happy, her followers are happy, and they're not hurting anyone with all the worshiping of Angelica's beauty.
On the other hand, the whole prettiness thing is handled in a clumsy way, especially since this is something that females contend with all the time. It’s insidious. The message in this story is that girls can take care of themselves and are not the weak, fragile things we may have been told we are, right? That anything boys can do, girls can also do? But Adrienne, who has decided that the traditional role of femininity is not for her, goes right ahead and freaks out when her new friend grows a mustache. Oddly, Bedelia, the tall, skinny dwarf with a morning mustache, freaks out equally when she sees that Adrienne’s hair has turned frizzy in the night. I get that this is the first time either of them has seen the other's morning side but...ok, let’s go back to our first sleepovers. Anything different the next morning was just noticed, maybe puzzled over, but no one freaked out because everyone was in a vulnerable state and you knew you had no room to judge. Drool, ratty or frizzy hair, a mustache, clothing on inside out and backward...none of it mattered. You noted the differences, laughed about them later, and made it an inside joke to commemorate the evening. That’s how friendship works. And that’s where maybe having a guy writing this tale doesn't always fly.
I’m not sure he understands how deeply prettiness cuts and how necessary acceptance is among a group of girls at 8am on a Sunday.
Adrienne gets a couple of panels where she talks about how she’ll never be as pretty as her sister and it pisses her off and then nothing else is mentioned. The reader knows Adrienne does not embrace Angelica's lifestyle and Angelica continues to be confident in her perfect beauty and it’s great that she’s allowed to know she’s pretty (because how irritating is it when a character is all, “Don’t tell me I’m beautiful because I’m NOT” sobsobsob) Readers are left judge whether Angelica's being vain or confident. But, remember, she was drawn as a sexy, big-eyed, well-maintained, tall, and model-esque woman. She’s the ideal of beauty by American standards.
Let me tell you something: Those standards are destructive. It’s why so many people are trying to push the whole “There are many kinds of beauty and they are all equally amazing” thing because even if you don’t care about how you look, even if you’re perfectly confident in your appearance, even if your looks are the last thing on your mind, there’s always that time you found yourself resentful of beauty, either because you wanted it and didn't have it and you felt you lost out on something or because your looks impede everything else and no one takes you seriously because you're just too pretty. I don’t know a female who hasn't felt that in some degree at some point in her life, usually when she was young. Sometimes, it's just a "I wish I were pretty" and sometimes it's a lot of tears. Sometimes, it's "I wish I weren't pretty" because not all people like the attention and/or judgement beauty brings them. Beauty can hurt, it sucks, and that psychological trauma is not mirrored here.
I’m becoming more critical of this story as it goes. I know what it is meant to do and this is a valiant effort but I’m not convinced it is the best effort. I think it could be better and I want it to be better because I want the younger version of me to be able to read this and get the messages her young mind needs to hear even if she doesn't yet understand what is being planted in her psyche.
July 7, 2014
I was so sad when this volume ended...this collection was awesome! It's empowering to see as a POC that if you want to be
1) Heroic (battle-ready) Princess
2) Gothic-Emo Princess
3) Cute Princess
4) Beautiful Muse---just-stand-there-and-look-good Princess
5) Can't remember the other sister portrayals.
It doesn't matter:
You can be not only any type of princess you chose, but any type of label classification you want to be... I like the talk about 'looking nice' whether its for yourself, or the poet you just met---and I LOVE the girly mustache. :) Its so much fun to see a rich world of characters of all colors, love interests, come together to add a richness in fairytales---and more importantly in any POC's comic life.
I am always talking up Princeless, passing on my purchased books---and telling my library's graphic novel selector to purchase them. :) I do Reader's Advisory SUPER hard on this book! I'll forever be a Whitley fan because of this awesome comic. Thank you!
I need more stories from this world....
I hope there's a book 3 coming out soon----
1) Heroic (battle-ready) Princess
2) Gothic-Emo Princess
3) Cute Princess
4) Beautiful Muse---just-stand-there-and-look-good Princess
5) Can't remember the other sister portrayals.
It doesn't matter:
You can be not only any type of princess you chose, but any type of label classification you want to be... I like the talk about 'looking nice' whether its for yourself, or the poet you just met---and I LOVE the girly mustache. :) Its so much fun to see a rich world of characters of all colors, love interests, come together to add a richness in fairytales---and more importantly in any POC's comic life.
I am always talking up Princeless, passing on my purchased books---and telling my library's graphic novel selector to purchase them. :) I do Reader's Advisory SUPER hard on this book! I'll forever be a Whitley fan because of this awesome comic. Thank you!
I need more stories from this world....
I hope there's a book 3 coming out soon----
April 1, 2015
Still just as much fun as the first volume, if a bit less pointed in its commentary. Adrienne is starting to get the hang of this adventuring thing, and heads off to rescue older sister Angelica. Her plans go awry when she finds that Angelica doesn't want to be rescued at all.
Angelica herself is a poke at the Fairest of them All princess. She's so beautiful that it's all she does, and she's happy with that. Somewhat surprisingly, she isn't all that bad. When she gets to tell her own story, it becomes obvious that being an object of admiration for her entire life has shaped who she is, and it's kind of sad. It's no wonder that she views her beauty as the most important thing about her, and the only thing worth cultivating.
I really hope that there's more coming in this series. I've gotten attached to Adrienne, and I want to meet her gothy sister, Angoisse. And all of her sisters, for that matter.
Angelica herself is a poke at the Fairest of them All princess. She's so beautiful that it's all she does, and she's happy with that. Somewhat surprisingly, she isn't all that bad. When she gets to tell her own story, it becomes obvious that being an object of admiration for her entire life has shaped who she is, and it's kind of sad. It's no wonder that she views her beauty as the most important thing about her, and the only thing worth cultivating.
I really hope that there's more coming in this series. I've gotten attached to Adrienne, and I want to meet her gothy sister, Angoisse. And all of her sisters, for that matter.
June 17, 2020
Another great volume!
I love seeing Adrienne and Bedelia work as a team. I also liked getting to know more about Adrienne's relationships with her sisters.
Excited to read the next part!
I love seeing Adrienne and Bedelia work as a team. I also liked getting to know more about Adrienne's relationships with her sisters.
Excited to read the next part!
June 2, 2019
So much going on in this second volume. The deluxe edition includes short stories. Princess Adrienne, Sparky, and Bedelia are off to rescue Angelica, the most beautiful princess.
Honesty, I want give this five stars because some one takes off their heels before running. Love that touch.
There are wonderful comments about poetry and writing. This is a really enjoyable series.
Honesty, I want give this five stars because some one takes off their heels before running. Love that touch.
There are wonderful comments about poetry and writing. This is a really enjoyable series.
July 29, 2013
Self-rescuing princess Adrienne continues her adventures with companions Bedelia, the half dwarf blacksmith and Sparky the dragon. Unable to rescue her youngest sister, Adrienne goes after the beautiful Angelica instead, only to find that Angelica may not want to be rescued. Meanwhile, their father has found the most deadly and unique bounty hunters in the land and tasks them with finding the knight whom he believes killed Adrienne.
As promised in our interview, this volume of Princeless is less preachy than the previous one. Where volume one struck out at the comic industry and sexism and prejudice as a whole, this one tones down that commentary a bit to focus on Adrienne’s adventures. It also takes an interesting turn with Adrienne discovering that her book learning and headstrong confidence has not prepared her for the world. She’s confronted with the fact that she might not be aware of everything she ought to be, and that just because she believes strongly in something, does not mean everyone else does.
Emily C. Martin takes over the artistic reigns on Princeless and does a great job at making everything just as bright and fun as the first volume.
I read this to my daughters, aged seven and five, who loved the first volume and laughed out loud with this one, too. The mysterious Black Knight plucked at their curiosity and the showdown with the various characters were exciting and funny. They especially liked the sisterly hugs that came with Angelica and Adrienne’s resolution and are eager to read more after that creepy cliffhanger ending! Our only complaint was that there was not enough Sparky!
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
As promised in our interview, this volume of Princeless is less preachy than the previous one. Where volume one struck out at the comic industry and sexism and prejudice as a whole, this one tones down that commentary a bit to focus on Adrienne’s adventures. It also takes an interesting turn with Adrienne discovering that her book learning and headstrong confidence has not prepared her for the world. She’s confronted with the fact that she might not be aware of everything she ought to be, and that just because she believes strongly in something, does not mean everyone else does.
Emily C. Martin takes over the artistic reigns on Princeless and does a great job at making everything just as bright and fun as the first volume.
I read this to my daughters, aged seven and five, who loved the first volume and laughed out loud with this one, too. The mysterious Black Knight plucked at their curiosity and the showdown with the various characters were exciting and funny. They especially liked the sisterly hugs that came with Angelica and Adrienne’s resolution and are eager to read more after that creepy cliffhanger ending! Our only complaint was that there was not enough Sparky!
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
April 17, 2014
Super fun second volume of the Princeless tales. This one involves "rescuing" the Aphrodite-like "beautiful" sister of our fair protagonist. A cool new monster, some witty repartee, and an interesting subplot in the woods make this a breezy, fun read.
I appreciate the intentional nature of this series - Whitley's playing with gender norms in classic fairytales and bringing feminism and people of color front and center.
I do wish (all of) the characters weren't so traditionally hot, though. When you take on women's issues, body image issues shouldn't be far behind. There's some serious implicit sizeism going on, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in a comic that's so blatantly attempting to right wrongs and bring up the issues relating to many other isms.
There's a sequence in which the two main characters wake up in the morning and one has a mustache and the other's hair has frizzed out. These things are treated as bad and like things they want to hide from the boy in their company. There's a little discussion that makes me think that the creators thought about this exchange intentionally, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the result. I realize these things are tricky, but still...
All in all, though, I'm happy that a fun full-color comic exists with these kinds of ideals, even if it falls short on a few things.
Side note: The first collection was [edit: originally] printed in a much different size than this, and on less glossy paper - I imagine because the success of the first gave the company the resources to print this in a more ideal format for comics. It still feels[felt] odd that they're different, though.
I appreciate the intentional nature of this series - Whitley's playing with gender norms in classic fairytales and bringing feminism and people of color front and center.
I do wish (all of) the characters weren't so traditionally hot, though. When you take on women's issues, body image issues shouldn't be far behind. There's some serious implicit sizeism going on, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in a comic that's so blatantly attempting to right wrongs and bring up the issues relating to many other isms.
There's a sequence in which the two main characters wake up in the morning and one has a mustache and the other's hair has frizzed out. These things are treated as bad and like things they want to hide from the boy in their company. There's a little discussion that makes me think that the creators thought about this exchange intentionally, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the result. I realize these things are tricky, but still...
All in all, though, I'm happy that a fun full-color comic exists with these kinds of ideals, even if it falls short on a few things.
Side note: The first collection was [edit: originally] printed in a much different size than this, and on less glossy paper - I imagine because the success of the first gave the company the resources to print this in a more ideal format for comics. It still feels[felt] odd that they're different, though.
October 2, 2018
Princeless Series Ratings:
Princeless, Vol. 1: ★★★★★
Princeless, Vol. 2: Get Over Yourself: ★★★★★
Princeless, Vol. 3: The Pirate Princess: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 4: Be Yourself: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 5: Make Yourself: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 6: Make Yourself Part 2: TBR
—
The first one was soooo good! And this one did not disappoint! I'm so excited to continue!
—
I read this book as part of my 2018 Library Love binge, where I read as many library books as possible to take advantage of my great local library network before I move interstate!
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
Princeless, Vol. 1: ★★★★★
Princeless, Vol. 2: Get Over Yourself: ★★★★★
Princeless, Vol. 3: The Pirate Princess: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 4: Be Yourself: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 5: Make Yourself: TBR
Princeless, Vol. 6: Make Yourself Part 2: TBR
—
The first one was soooo good! And this one did not disappoint! I'm so excited to continue!
—
I read this book as part of my 2018 Library Love binge, where I read as many library books as possible to take advantage of my great local library network before I move interstate!
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
July 16, 2019
Go, you kickass girls!!
I liked how this volume showed that while we have those girls who will knock you off in the main team, a woman does not have to be a fighter type to be a 'strong character'. There are many ways to be strong and having more interests and qualities that are considered to be 'feminine' does not make a character weak. Angelica still had flaws, of course, but even after her character development, she decided to improve her life while staying true to herself.
I liked how this volume showed that while we have those girls who will knock you off in the main team, a woman does not have to be a fighter type to be a 'strong character'. There are many ways to be strong and having more interests and qualities that are considered to be 'feminine' does not make a character weak. Angelica still had flaws, of course, but even after her character development, she decided to improve her life while staying true to herself.
__________________________
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July 3, 2019
a good continuation of the story
Ended on a cliffhanger
Excited to see where it goes next
Ended on a cliffhanger
Excited to see where it goes next
May 15, 2018
This is such a fun series. I'm enjoying the "let's turn everything you believe about fairy tales upside down" foundation. The art is colorful and fun. The princesses are not what you'd expect. And now there's a secret and a mystery!
On to book 3!
On to book 3!
March 18, 2016
I was recently made aware of the importance of getting enough of me-time. For me, reading has always been one of the best ways for that. Book blogging, however, has been shifting more and more towards free time and often even feels like work time (in a good way, though, don't get me wrong). Reading this book with a cup of tea and a nice piece of Portland's infamous Almond&Salt chocolate truly felt like solid me-time again; huzzah!
We pick up where Volume one left off: on the quest of rescuing Princess Adrienne's sisters who are all locked up in separate towers spread across their father's kingdom. The graphics are nice and colourful, the text witty and clean again (a.k.a. no swearing whatsoever).
To describe this story in three words: fairytale, fantasy and feminism. I'm a big sucker for all three of those, but, like in the first volume, the feminism part is being way too obvious again. I'm all for girls who can kick a grown man's butt if they have to (which you will encounter in this book a few times, POWPOW!), but the underlying meaning of feminism isn't so underlying...
I generally don't like the portrayal of women in most comics either, but geez. If the message was just a bit more subtle, it wouldn't be annoying at all.
What I do like, is that the main characters in this book, Adrienne and Bedelia, are just regular looking girls instead of some busty unnatural looking 16-year-olds you come across sometimes.
A new character that's being introduced here is the mysterious Black Knight.
"The Black Knight is fierce, he's strong, he's the best swordfighter there is…and no one has ever heard his voice or seen his face."
I don't know if it's just me, but again, there's lack of subtlety when it comes to hinting at the secret identity of the Knight. It's not revealed in this book yet, but I can already see it coming from a mile away. If I turn out to be wrong, though, I will shamefully admit it when I find out, but until then, I'm sticking with "way too predictable!".
All in all, this is still a great graphic novel for Disney fans and especially for kids ages 9 and up. If you have a young daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin etc., I can promise you that they are going to LOVE this series. With colourful art and an entertaining story, I'm rating it 3.5 brownies. I'll be happy to read the next volume as part of my highly needed, relaxing me-time.
We pick up where Volume one left off: on the quest of rescuing Princess Adrienne's sisters who are all locked up in separate towers spread across their father's kingdom. The graphics are nice and colourful, the text witty and clean again (a.k.a. no swearing whatsoever).
To describe this story in three words: fairytale, fantasy and feminism. I'm a big sucker for all three of those, but, like in the first volume, the feminism part is being way too obvious again. I'm all for girls who can kick a grown man's butt if they have to (which you will encounter in this book a few times, POWPOW!), but the underlying meaning of feminism isn't so underlying...
I generally don't like the portrayal of women in most comics either, but geez. If the message was just a bit more subtle, it wouldn't be annoying at all.
What I do like, is that the main characters in this book, Adrienne and Bedelia, are just regular looking girls instead of some busty unnatural looking 16-year-olds you come across sometimes.
A new character that's being introduced here is the mysterious Black Knight.
"The Black Knight is fierce, he's strong, he's the best swordfighter there is…and no one has ever heard his voice or seen his face."
I don't know if it's just me, but again, there's lack of subtlety when it comes to hinting at the secret identity of the Knight. It's not revealed in this book yet, but I can already see it coming from a mile away. If I turn out to be wrong, though, I will shamefully admit it when I find out, but until then, I'm sticking with "way too predictable!".
All in all, this is still a great graphic novel for Disney fans and especially for kids ages 9 and up. If you have a young daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin etc., I can promise you that they are going to LOVE this series. With colourful art and an entertaining story, I'm rating it 3.5 brownies. I'll be happy to read the next volume as part of my highly needed, relaxing me-time.
October 31, 2015
Like you probably have, I saw a lot of buzz about Princeless on Tumblr wandering around-- mostly not ads, mostly comic panels and the basic idea being praised, so when I saw it at my local library, I pounced and read through the entire thing in one day.
That's not actually much of an achievement, I want to say. Princeless is pretty short, even in volume format, though each volume is a contained arc within story (which I appreciated). Volume 1 follows our heroine, Adrienne, as she embarks on her quest to save all her sisters without having to resort to princes. She picks up another friend, Bedelia, and of course her supposed-to-be guard dragon Sparky comes along. Volume 2 introduces the Black Knight (IIRC? The Black Knight may turn up in Vol. 1 first) and sends Adrienne and Bedelia after Adrienne's stupendously gorgeous sister Angelica. Volume 3, my favorite, shows us the pirate princess Raven Xingtao and her frankly annoying brothers as they try to take over her fleet; Adrienne and Sparky help her to get it back.
So, general thoughts? It's a lot of fun! It's bright and spunky and Adrienne is a joy. Adrienne's friendship with Bedelia and her general relationships with other girls are highlighted, and though her brother Devon is adorable and clearly loves her, her mother and Angelica are far more present in the story than he is. It's very feminist and very fun, and so far as I know Bedelia is the only main character who isn't a POC, which is refreshing. The art is very clean and easy to read, as well as being lovely. I do love this very much.
My only quibble, and this may be solely with the printing that I had, is that the volumes feature ads for Autism Speaks, an organization I feel very negatively about. But then, I don't think the author can control that, so not his fauly. Still great books.
That's not actually much of an achievement, I want to say. Princeless is pretty short, even in volume format, though each volume is a contained arc within story (which I appreciated). Volume 1 follows our heroine, Adrienne, as she embarks on her quest to save all her sisters without having to resort to princes. She picks up another friend, Bedelia, and of course her supposed-to-be guard dragon Sparky comes along. Volume 2 introduces the Black Knight (IIRC? The Black Knight may turn up in Vol. 1 first) and sends Adrienne and Bedelia after Adrienne's stupendously gorgeous sister Angelica. Volume 3, my favorite, shows us the pirate princess Raven Xingtao and her frankly annoying brothers as they try to take over her fleet; Adrienne and Sparky help her to get it back.
So, general thoughts? It's a lot of fun! It's bright and spunky and Adrienne is a joy. Adrienne's friendship with Bedelia and her general relationships with other girls are highlighted, and though her brother Devon is adorable and clearly loves her, her mother and Angelica are far more present in the story than he is. It's very feminist and very fun, and so far as I know Bedelia is the only main character who isn't a POC, which is refreshing. The art is very clean and easy to read, as well as being lovely. I do love this very much.
My only quibble, and this may be solely with the printing that I had, is that the volumes feature ads for Autism Speaks, an organization I feel very negatively about. But then, I don't think the author can control that, so not his fauly. Still great books.
May 20, 2016
This second volume finds the runaway Princess Adrienne and her sidekicks on a mission to save the most beautiful princess in the world, who also happens to be Adrienne's older sister. Meanwhile Daddy (the King) has hired a band of mercenaries. High jinx ensue.
This continues to be a fun graphic novel series for middle grade readers, but it is clear that there was a bigger budget for this volume. I continue to enjoy this series, but this installment was less pointed than the first one, and what's with everyone looking like a Playboy bunny suddenly? Sigh.
I've got the rest of the series on request, and am keeping my fingers crossed that the story gets back to what makes it awesome in the first place.
This continues to be a fun graphic novel series for middle grade readers, but it is clear that there was a bigger budget for this volume. I continue to enjoy this series, but this installment was less pointed than the first one, and what's with everyone looking like a Playboy bunny suddenly? Sigh.
I've got the rest of the series on request, and am keeping my fingers crossed that the story gets back to what makes it awesome in the first place.
December 8, 2015
ERMEERRRRRGEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDD! I FUCKING LOVE THIS COMIC SERIES. I LOVE THE WRITER AND THE ARTIST!!!
I probably shouldn't be reading these at the same time I'm reading Y:The Last Man but good gods do I love this comic.
It's not entirely perfect, but it does actually subvert the fuck out of established gender norms and it's so refreshing.
A total must read for anyone who is unhappy with modern day comics' depiction of females/the world's depiction of females in general.
AND ONE OF THE PRINCESSES IS FUCKING ASIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Onto the third one!
I probably shouldn't be reading these at the same time I'm reading Y:The Last Man but good gods do I love this comic.
It's not entirely perfect, but it does actually subvert the fuck out of established gender norms and it's so refreshing.
A total must read for anyone who is unhappy with modern day comics' depiction of females/the world's depiction of females in general.
AND ONE OF THE PRINCESSES IS FUCKING ASIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Onto the third one!
March 29, 2016
Brilliant. I'm definitely loving this storyline, the characters, and the artwork. In this volume, Adrienne is off to save her "loveliest" sister Angelica and meets the first of a set of mercenaries her father has sent after her to avenge her own murder. It also looks like the Queen, her mother, was attacked (there are hints this is not the case and I definitely have my fun theories!) I can't recommend this feisty self-made-knight princess and her hammer-wielding blacksmith sidekick enough. It's funny, clever, and beautiful.
October 8, 2014
Teenaged girls with swords battling sexist and racist tropes of fantasy! w00t!
Adrienne is off with Bedelia and Sparky to rescue her sister Angelica, the most beautiful princess-in-a-tower in the land. Meanwhile her father, King Ashe, has summoned the greatest hunters/princes/adventurers to track down the monster responsible for Adrienne's supposed death.
Fun stuff, highly recommended to young comic book enthusiasts in particular.
Library copy
Adrienne is off with Bedelia and Sparky to rescue her sister Angelica, the most beautiful princess-in-a-tower in the land. Meanwhile her father, King Ashe, has summoned the greatest hunters/princes/adventurers to track down the monster responsible for Adrienne's supposed death.
Fun stuff, highly recommended to young comic book enthusiasts in particular.
Library copy
January 1, 2024
This book is just as delightful as the first! It was not just fun to spend time with Adrienne again, but also get to know more about her sisters and see her interaction with Angelica. I was also super excited to see her go up against the knights her father has enlisted to avenge his daughter. It was silly and fun and exciting all in one. My biggest complaint is probably that it was too short, because I'm dying to see if I'm right about the Black Knight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
Continues to be good. Even though parts of the series come across as obvious moralising over gendered expectations, I liked that the "beauty is everything" sister wasn't cast as someone completely useless. Sometimes when a female character takes on male characteristics to be empowered, it can fall into some misogynist traps. I like that this series does not do that.
May 13, 2015
I'm glad this has more of a plot -- the characters are really coming together -- and I'm looking forward to learn more about the mom. I'm a bit disappointed that the artist switched and wish they could find someone who can do black girl hair.
November 5, 2015
Have I mentioned how much I love this series?
I did in the review for the last volume?
Well, that all still stands.
Absolutely love this. Yay turning tropes on their heads.
I did in the review for the last volume?
Well, that all still stands.
Absolutely love this. Yay turning tropes on their heads.
June 15, 2015
SO fun! And I love that Angelica was taken seriously by the narrative itself, if not exactly by her sister.
January 13, 2016
Very fun! There are many opportunities for laughter as she sorts out how to rescue herself and her sisters.
March 22, 2016
Loved it as much as the first!
November 22, 2016
I just want to love EVERYONE the best.
February 2, 2017
Not as strong as the first, but still good. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE OTHER SISTERS.
January 18, 2022
Love this comic!
March 15, 2014
finally got to read one of these! I want to put it in the hands of many tweens/teens right now.
September 16, 2019
Such a disappointment after reading the excellent first volume. The artist changed and now the art looks like a cheap manga, not to mention the characters all got "sexier" somehow overnight. I thought the point of this series was to have nontraditional leads and female characters who aren't drawn/written from a sexist point of view.
I was just telling someone (while reading the first volume) how I loved the whole "equality" theme throughout. There's even a political joke about socialism vs. monarchy that I loved, where this guy says he gives to the poor once a week and these king's guards call him a socialist for doing it because "the King is God." Very much reminded me of our current political situation, especially with people saying things like "damn libtards" and other ignorant nonsense people hear and repeat. I loved that the writer poked fun at that. But all of that good stuff from the first volume is gone, in my opinion. I was especially upset because I was so excited to see the idea of sexualized women in comics was openly bashed and fought against in both the writing and the illustrations, as well as the idea that princesses don't need to be rescued. That's gone in volume 2 where we see the main theme of this one is rescuing this super sexy princess with a minuscule waist and big ole bosom who dresses ridiculously while constantly verbally reminding us of her sexiness. I could go on and on about all the things I hated about her and the theme of this volume. Even our two main ladies, these "warrior women" were more sexed up.
Anyway. Just disappointed. Going to check out the third volume and hope it goes back to its roots.
I was just telling someone (while reading the first volume) how I loved the whole "equality" theme throughout. There's even a political joke about socialism vs. monarchy that I loved, where this guy says he gives to the poor once a week and these king's guards call him a socialist for doing it because "the King is God." Very much reminded me of our current political situation, especially with people saying things like "damn libtards" and other ignorant nonsense people hear and repeat. I loved that the writer poked fun at that. But all of that good stuff from the first volume is gone, in my opinion. I was especially upset because I was so excited to see the idea of sexualized women in comics was openly bashed and fought against in both the writing and the illustrations, as well as the idea that princesses don't need to be rescued. That's gone in volume 2 where we see the main theme of this one is rescuing this super sexy princess with a minuscule waist and big ole bosom who dresses ridiculously while constantly verbally reminding us of her sexiness. I could go on and on about all the things I hated about her and the theme of this volume. Even our two main ladies, these "warrior women" were more sexed up.
Anyway. Just disappointed. Going to check out the third volume and hope it goes back to its roots.
January 7, 2018
I loved this one so much more than the first. I connected a lot more with the characters and am intrigued by the storyline.
I love how strong the female characters are. I loved that about the last volume too. I think both the Mc and her companion are amazing. The side characters have been great as well and I hope a few of them will play more of a part in the next few volumes.
I love the artwork in this. It's done so well and it's use of colors is amazing.
I have requested the next few volumes as well and I can't wait for them to come in.
I love how strong the female characters are. I loved that about the last volume too. I think both the Mc and her companion are amazing. The side characters have been great as well and I hope a few of them will play more of a part in the next few volumes.
I love the artwork in this. It's done so well and it's use of colors is amazing.
I have requested the next few volumes as well and I can't wait for them to come in.
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