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Rat Queens (Collected Volumes) #1-8
Rat Queens Omnibus
Collecting the entire journey of the Rat Queens, from their raucous and wild beginnings as mercenaries to their rise as begrudging heroes. Discover what made this award-winning high fantasy series special and cultivated fans all over the world; the comedy, comradery, and adventurous spirit all with a modern twist that makes the main cast of Violet, Betty, Hannah and Dee feel like people you already knew. This is a fantasy series like no other ten years of adventures in one giant tome. Collects RAT QUEENS Vol. I #1-15 plus the never-before reprinted #16, Vol. II #1-25, Sisters, Warriors, Queens all four one shots, never reprinted short stories, all covers and sketchbooks from all of the major artists!
1224 pages, Hardcover
First published December 13, 2023
11 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Kurtis J. Wiebe
181 books767 followersKurtis Wiebe is a Vancouver, Canada based author. The founder and CEO of Vast Vision Publishing, he comes from a two decades long career in comics and games. He is the co-creator of over ten original comic series and a content creator spanning podcasts, live streams and other digital media. His stories have garnered multiple industry awards including two coveted Shuster’s for best writer.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 12, 2024
Oh dear, oh dear. So I originally read Rat Queens weekly when it started but dropped it when the news of Roc Upchurch's domestic violence arrest was released (ten years ago-ish). I should never have picked this back up.
I think this omnibus basically collects everything Rat Queens that was ever released, which included the back end of the original run that the co-creator and writer tried to deem not-canon, and the soft reboot which was just a whole mess. Supposedly in the post-Upchurch work, Wiebe 'wasn't putting his heart into it' because his abusive bestie had to be dropped from the series. Following the second full-time artist on the series dropping out due to health reasons (go read Sunstone, Vol. 1 btw), the third artist was also booted to supposedly make way for Upchurch's return, because yeah, why not continually support domestic abusers 🤷 that didn't go down well with the public, so then the soft reboot happened with yet another artist.
Reading this omnibus, you honestly get whiplash from the number of different artists and art styles that are included. You can turn a page, and because this is broken up into 'books', be subjected to something completely different tonally, both in writing and art. It's jarring tbh. Arcs are dropped without resolution, personalities change, it gets more 'adult' aka has a lot more nudity the further you get into it which felt completely unnecessary.
It completely had an overly long run but how do you wrap up a comic that has been going ~10 years? By bringing back the original artist of course! I used to say Image were my favourite publisher, but how they thought this was a good idea I do not know. I completely lost interest about 60% of the way through and it was a slog to get to the end but hey, I completed it I guess.
Long story short, avoid avoid avoid.
I think this omnibus basically collects everything Rat Queens that was ever released, which included the back end of the original run that the co-creator and writer tried to deem not-canon, and the soft reboot which was just a whole mess. Supposedly in the post-Upchurch work, Wiebe 'wasn't putting his heart into it' because his abusive bestie had to be dropped from the series. Following the second full-time artist on the series dropping out due to health reasons (go read Sunstone, Vol. 1 btw), the third artist was also booted to supposedly make way for Upchurch's return, because yeah, why not continually support domestic abusers 🤷 that didn't go down well with the public, so then the soft reboot happened with yet another artist.
Reading this omnibus, you honestly get whiplash from the number of different artists and art styles that are included. You can turn a page, and because this is broken up into 'books', be subjected to something completely different tonally, both in writing and art. It's jarring tbh. Arcs are dropped without resolution, personalities change, it gets more 'adult' aka has a lot more nudity the further you get into it which felt completely unnecessary.
It completely had an overly long run but how do you wrap up a comic that has been going ~10 years? By bringing back the original artist of course! I used to say Image were my favourite publisher, but how they thought this was a good idea I do not know. I completely lost interest about 60% of the way through and it was a slog to get to the end but hey, I completed it I guess.
Long story short, avoid avoid avoid.
September 13, 2024
Many years ago I was wandering my local library for books that struck my fancy. While recommendations are great, there's something so incredible about taking a chance on an unknown book based on the cover or summary or title or anything and being surprised at how awesome it is. For whatever reason, on this particular day, I was browsing the comics section. I'm not a prolific reader of comics, but there have been some that I have really enjoyed, and I've read a number of manga series as well. And to my surprise, I stumbled across a comic whose title intrigued me: Rat Queens.
It's easy to take a chance on comics, given that they are usually quick reads. So I grabbed it. And I devoured it. The artwork, the dialogue, the humor. And best of all, the main characters were all women (a rarity in this genre and media). These women were distinct and flawed and complex characters. They were of varying body types and personalities, pushing away stereotypes and social norms. All of that, combined with intriguing story lines, made for my new favorite comic. I immediately requested the second and third volumes from the library.
I was shocked by the drastic change in art style in the third book, and was surprised that I had missed a similar shift in style in the second volume too. A trip to Wikipedia revealed the mass of controversies behind this comic - circumstances that I do not wish to speak on, given that I am not fully aware of them. Suffice to say that the creative team behind these characters and stories had some significant differences (creative and otherwise). What this meant for the comic (at least from my perspective), is drastic shifts in style and tone as the series went on. Some arcs had great artwork and great story arcs. Some had one or the other. And some had neither. My overall sense is that the series starts high and slowly (but surely) drifts downward over time (with some occasional rises here and there). That being said, I was very satisfied with the ending.
Despite the challenges of the comics themselves, I truly loved these characters. They seemed like the kind of people I would have enjoyed drinking with, sharing stories with, going adventuring with. The Rat Queens start out as a roguish band of miscreants who eventually save their town, and then eventually the world! And if that wasn't enough, it goes on from there. Some of my favorite story plots featured the Queens handling the consequences of previous actions.
Not everything was a hit though. Some characters truly didn't get a chance to shine. Maddie, for one, never really established herself as part of the group. Hannah's relationship with Tizzie had a lot of potential that didn't really go anywhere. Other than Dave and Violet, there weren't really any other romantic relationships that were featured front and center. Sawyer and Faeyri quickly fade out as potential love interests. The focus really was (and should be) the Rat Queens, but they seemed to exist in a world all their own since no one was featured long enough to have an impact.
In addition, some of the story arcs fell very flat. The arc of Gary taking over Palisade should have been awesome because of references to previous stories but it was not. And the showdown between Hannah and Evil Hannah was anticlimactic and very unsatisfying, especially with an ending that seemed to imply that Evil Hannah might have won? No thank you.
Just like the Rat Queens themselves, this series has had its ups and downs. I don't regret picking up the omnibus so that I may have everything about the Queens for my personal library, and I can visit them whenever I would like to. I'm proud of their journey, of their impact they had on their world and each other. And despite some questionable creative choices throughout the series, the story ends on a very high note, . It's a reminder to us that friends (sisters, queens) may come and go - some for a reason, some for a season, and some for a lifetime. But it's never too late to appreciate what they bring to your life, and to thank them for it.
It's easy to take a chance on comics, given that they are usually quick reads. So I grabbed it. And I devoured it. The artwork, the dialogue, the humor. And best of all, the main characters were all women (a rarity in this genre and media). These women were distinct and flawed and complex characters. They were of varying body types and personalities, pushing away stereotypes and social norms. All of that, combined with intriguing story lines, made for my new favorite comic. I immediately requested the second and third volumes from the library.
I was shocked by the drastic change in art style in the third book, and was surprised that I had missed a similar shift in style in the second volume too. A trip to Wikipedia revealed the mass of controversies behind this comic - circumstances that I do not wish to speak on, given that I am not fully aware of them. Suffice to say that the creative team behind these characters and stories had some significant differences (creative and otherwise). What this meant for the comic (at least from my perspective), is drastic shifts in style and tone as the series went on. Some arcs had great artwork and great story arcs. Some had one or the other. And some had neither. My overall sense is that the series starts high and slowly (but surely) drifts downward over time (with some occasional rises here and there). That being said, I was very satisfied with the ending.
Despite the challenges of the comics themselves, I truly loved these characters. They seemed like the kind of people I would have enjoyed drinking with, sharing stories with, going adventuring with. The Rat Queens start out as a roguish band of miscreants who eventually save their town, and then eventually the world! And if that wasn't enough, it goes on from there. Some of my favorite story plots featured the Queens handling the consequences of previous actions.
Not everything was a hit though. Some characters truly didn't get a chance to shine. Maddie, for one, never really established herself as part of the group. Hannah's relationship with Tizzie had a lot of potential that didn't really go anywhere. Other than Dave and Violet, there weren't really any other romantic relationships that were featured front and center. Sawyer and Faeyri quickly fade out as potential love interests. The focus really was (and should be) the Rat Queens, but they seemed to exist in a world all their own since no one was featured long enough to have an impact.
In addition, some of the story arcs fell very flat. The arc of Gary taking over Palisade should have been awesome because of references to previous stories but it was not. And the showdown between Hannah and Evil Hannah was anticlimactic and very unsatisfying, especially with an ending that seemed to imply that Evil Hannah might have won? No thank you.
Just like the Rat Queens themselves, this series has had its ups and downs. I don't regret picking up the omnibus so that I may have everything about the Queens for my personal library, and I can visit them whenever I would like to. I'm proud of their journey, of their impact they had on their world and each other. And despite some questionable creative choices throughout the series, the story ends on a very high note, . It's a reminder to us that friends (sisters, queens) may come and go - some for a reason, some for a season, and some for a lifetime. But it's never too late to appreciate what they bring to your life, and to thank them for it.
June 27, 2024
This is difficult to rate, but TLDR: I love these characters and this book is fun and sexy!
So apparently this collects all of the Rat Queen's stories and there's a big elephant in the room: After the initial 15 issues, the book was soft rebooted and the style changed a lot, but the comic tried to reconnect the dots to the initial stories by the end. It is a bit messy.
Fortunately I was hooked after the initial story arcs and I wanted to keep going, because this is an amazing cast of female characters. And I'm glad I did, because the whole book is a ton of fun.
These characters are badass, funny and sexy, without being sexualised at all, if you know what I mean. I wish more stories had such great female characters!
The artwork changes a lot in the latter half of this book, but I was ok with that. I really like the main artist's style and there is (almost) never bad art in the book.
Regarding the built of the book: a hardcover Omnibus is very unusual from Image Comics, but this book is very sturdy and well built. Very small gutter loss, no cracking glue. I want more of these editions!
Definitely recommended and my favourite comic in the fantasy genre. Go read this!
Oh and I also want to rank the queens:
1. Hannah
2. Violet
3. Betty
--- bit of a gap ---
4. Dee
5. Madie
6. Braga
So apparently this collects all of the Rat Queen's stories and there's a big elephant in the room: After the initial 15 issues, the book was soft rebooted and the style changed a lot, but the comic tried to reconnect the dots to the initial stories by the end. It is a bit messy.
Fortunately I was hooked after the initial story arcs and I wanted to keep going, because this is an amazing cast of female characters. And I'm glad I did, because the whole book is a ton of fun.
These characters are badass, funny and sexy, without being sexualised at all, if you know what I mean. I wish more stories had such great female characters!
The artwork changes a lot in the latter half of this book, but I was ok with that. I really like the main artist's style and there is (almost) never bad art in the book.
Regarding the built of the book: a hardcover Omnibus is very unusual from Image Comics, but this book is very sturdy and well built. Very small gutter loss, no cracking glue. I want more of these editions!
Definitely recommended and my favourite comic in the fantasy genre. Go read this!
Oh and I also want to rank the queens:
1. Hannah
2. Violet
3. Betty
--- bit of a gap ---
4. Dee
5. Madie
6. Braga
December 30, 2024
The *only* reason I’m eating this as high as I am is because of how much I loved the first part of this journey.
Episodes 1-16 were stellar! So exciting, so funny, so much great dialogue and the characters were so likable, even the ones that weren’t likable!
The first 16 episodes were super entertaining. 5🌟
And then… it went to shit.
There was apparently quite a bit of real life drama with the creators and the comics suffered dearly from the split.
The art sucked and was all over the place. The characters lost every single bit of the good stuff that made me love them. And the plot went COMPLETELY off the fucking rails!
The entire remainder of the book felt disjointed from the first installment, but also from page to page and sentence to sentence.
The writing was horrendous. The story was absolutely impossible to follow. I read some sections 2-4 times and was STILL lost. I went waaaaay back and read it all again and STILL couldn’t figure out what the fuck was happening.
There were time jumps and alternate realities and multiple personalities and none of it made any sense whatsoever.
I did research to try and figure out what I had missed and came across a blog that attempted to piece it all together, but even that person wasn’t certain and was just sharing their best guess.
And then… the ending. What a fucking let down. This book was a waste of time and HUGE waste of money 🤬
Do yourself a favor - read episodes 1-16 and call it DONE.
Episodes 1-16 were stellar! So exciting, so funny, so much great dialogue and the characters were so likable, even the ones that weren’t likable!
The first 16 episodes were super entertaining. 5🌟
And then… it went to shit.
There was apparently quite a bit of real life drama with the creators and the comics suffered dearly from the split.
The art sucked and was all over the place. The characters lost every single bit of the good stuff that made me love them. And the plot went COMPLETELY off the fucking rails!
The entire remainder of the book felt disjointed from the first installment, but also from page to page and sentence to sentence.
The writing was horrendous. The story was absolutely impossible to follow. I read some sections 2-4 times and was STILL lost. I went waaaaay back and read it all again and STILL couldn’t figure out what the fuck was happening.
There were time jumps and alternate realities and multiple personalities and none of it made any sense whatsoever.
I did research to try and figure out what I had missed and came across a blog that attempted to piece it all together, but even that person wasn’t certain and was just sharing their best guess.
And then… the ending. What a fucking let down. This book was a waste of time and HUGE waste of money 🤬
Do yourself a favor - read episodes 1-16 and call it DONE.
May 4, 2024
Finally collected in one gigantic tome. A long journey from 2013 to 2023 the first issue to the finale. Was it worth it, yes and no. My first introduction to the world of the Rat Queens was with the first three trades. That first major story-arc of the first ten issues is the high point of this series for me the plotting of the story, the writing, the characters are just amazing. It sets the bar at a level that the series never fully achieves again. Then there are some creative differences between the creators and from that moment onward the series seems cursed with constant changes in the art, tone, pace, ect. I kept coming back because I love these characters and architypes that Wiebe has been able to craft. Violet a dwarf who has to break away from her family to find out who she is. Hannah an elf with a bitchy attitude who her own worst enemy in her self destruction and brutal honesty. Delilah who is a disillusioned priestess from a Lovecraftian type cult is in a constant journey for answers and looking for the the truth. Braga a the muscle of the group and resident LGBTQ character, she leaves home because she wasn't accepted for who she was and carves out her own destiny. Madeline the newest member of the group if you get into the later trades you learn more about this fangirl turned adventurer. Rounding out the whole Rat Queens crew is Betty the loveable smidgen who is just living and loving life and whatever comes her way. I really like the book since it is the whole collection. However I feel the series as a whole is just okay since there is a lot to complain about in this series. If you love D&D type adventure series or video games like Bards Tale then you will love this series. I think the first two trades are essential to read after that you are on your own if you continue be warned there might be a slog. For me it was my love of the characters kept me coming back for more. The art in this series is up and down quite a bit I really wish that Roc Upchurch stayed for the whole series his work is the definitive style for the series. I also really liked Tess Fowler's work and wouldn't have minded if she had continued on with this as well. However there are others like Owen Gieni whose style grows on you over time. But there are some single one off issues where the are just sucks and it takes you out of the story. Another big issue that some people will have with this series is that this is not as well crafted as Wiebe's other series Peter Panzerfaust. In fact this isn't even all written by Kurtis J. Wiebe and it shows I feel the last two trades worth of the material in this collection written by Ryan Ferrier are some of the weakest because he just doesn't have the voice for the characters. The final issue in this is the finale that reunites the two original creators to give the fans a truly great and heart warming reunion to the queens as it should have been all along. I do like how the series was always referencing the genre it was in or turning the genre on its head for example boulders that are giant gaming dice or evil unicorns. This collection also has lots of art short webcomic adventures that weren't previously collected. If you want to read all of the their adventures pick this up and embrace the good and the bad that is on offer. If you want to read just the best of the best that Rat Queens has to offer then read the first two trades or the first deluxe edition and the Sisters Warriors Queens one-shot that is the finale to this wild ride.
February 19, 2024
D&D-inspired comic with more than the usual amount of spiciness. Just good clean dirty fun from start to finish.
December 8, 2023
WOW! there was soooo many times were I was really bloody confused. But the parts where I wasn't confused, I really liked!
Favourite character by far is Betty.
Favourite character by far is Betty.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews