Fierce: The F*cked-Up Fairy Tale of a Fed-Up Princess

by Geoffroy Monde, Mathieu Burniat (illustrator)

An irreverent, darkly funny, feminist spin on the legend of King Arthur focusing on his runaway daughter, Ysabelle. Perfect for fans of Disenchantment.

King Arthur, Britain’s most legendary hero, is now an old drunkard who spends his days slouched on his throne. He owes his former glory to the magic sword Excalibur, which the wizard Merlin forged for him in order to slay the hordes of demons who came to invade the kingdom of Pendragon. That incredible weapon now collects dust—and suffers from a bad case of boredom.

Meanwhile, Arthur’s daughter, Princess Ysabelle, is wondering how to flee the marriage her father has arranged with the vile Baron Cumber. Desperate for something different and better, Ysabelle and her father’s sword join hands and set off on a quest to change their fates.

But although Ysabelle is brave, she’s never ventured outside before—and the real world is much harsher than life within the palace walls. In order to survive and accomplish her quest, she must rely on Excalibur, as her father did before her. But Excalibur’s intentions may not be as noble as they seem . . .

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor

Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2022

Reviews

[P.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tribulations of the Princess Who Would Not Get Married, Or How to Get A Princessdom Without Fuss In Three Easy Steps

Furieuse (aka Fierce) is a funny comic offering an alternative Arthurian world where an increasingly drunk, drowsy and deranged King Arthur has decided to marry his daughter Ysabelle to the repulsive baron Cumber. Meeting her preordained husband-to-be, she decides to leave the castle and run away, following the footsteps of her older sister Maxine, who also escaped from an marriage with the same disgusting nobleman. Ysabelle decides to take her father's magical sword with her which happens to be able to speak and quite talkative at that, just in case... She is about to discover what it takes for a woman to enjoy some measure of independence in the Arthurian kingdom.



source: laloutremasquee.com

First and foremost, I enjoyed too much how Geoffrey Monde rendered Ysabelle's expressions: I simply couldn't help cracking a laugh now and then because of it! The rebellious princess has some of the most outrageously funny faces I ever met in this medium so far! The background story justifying the marriage and shedding light on the king's past war against fiends, and his early senility is not too shabby. The story may may have benefitted from the enchanted sword being a tad more... sedate, but it is what it is, and that is not without comical effect either! Overall, princess Ysabelle's Monty-Pythonesque adventure suited my taste for silly retellings and parodical spin offs. Marvellously so!



source: letournepage.com

[Fei · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 J'ai beaucoup aimé le style et les couleurs des planches qui collent super bien au ton "fun" de la BD. J'ai un peu moins accroché a l'histoire en elle même malheureusement même si certains passages m'ont bien fait rire.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

King Arthur, once drunk on power, now drowns his sorrows in alcohol. When he wants to marry his daughter Ysa to the unpleasant Baron Cumber, she decides to run away and search for her sister who left the castle years ago. The king's magic sword, tired from years spent being Arthur's shoe horn or butter knife, tags along in hopes to free herself from the ties that bind her to the king. On their quest for emancipation, they might release more than just their shackles.

One of the things I liked most about Fierce was the character design. The art style is very expressive and I loved the whimsy that came with it. The exception from the rule, for some reason, was Ysa herself. She easily had the least interesting design out of all the characters, which was a shame.

The story's structure worked well imo and the twists and turns managed to catch me by surprise, even though they were hinted at quite a few times. The characters weren't too complex, but I was fine with that and still liked them, especially Claude (who wouldn't love him?). Fierce made me chuckle a few times and I generally really liked its humor and pacing. Like Ysa, we get a sudden reality check when we enter Orelia and - even though I had trouble reconciling the suddenly heavier themes with the rest of the story - I now think that part was very successful and really put us in the main character's shoes.

Having said that, I still found some parts lacking or confusing. It took me a while to figure out who the intended audience was - the feminist message of the comic book was literally spelled out in the beginning so no one would miss it and I felt like it was intended for a younger audience, but when we came to the brothel, I got completely confused and went 'not for children, got it.' The tone shifts didn't always work as well as they should have for me personally.
I also felt like the sword quickly turned very one-note and for some reason, she emoted much more as the story went along when one of the earliest jokes was her desperately trying to squeeze a tear out of her metal face, so this felt inconsistent to me, even though it probably had a reason.

All in all, Fierce was entertaining and enjoyable, but didn't check all the boxes for me personally. I would still recommend it and hope everyone reading it can laugh at the pebble people as much as I did!

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

[MadamMim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le dessin est superbe, le scénar fluide, l'humour et l'ambiance creepy très bien dosés!!

[blok sera szwajcarskiego]

co to była za dzika przeprawa, nie wiem ale jestem oczarowana

[Fiebre Lectora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...

Tras años en el trono, el rey Arturo se ha convertido en un viejo borracho, y está claro que toda su gloria se la debe a la espada mágica que Merlín le forjó para derrotar a las hordas de demonios que invadieron Pendragón. Ahora, el arma encantada se aburre mientras la princesa Ysabel, enrabietada por su matrimonio convertado con el barón de Cumbre, prepara su huida; así, ambas escapan en busca de Maxine, la hermana mayor desaparecida. Sin embargo, el mundo no es como la princesa esperaba, y las intenciones de la espada puede que no fueran tan nobles como prometía...

Bua. Ha sido divertidísimo, de verdad. Y, encima, la mar de sorprendente: de esas historias en las que no tienes ni idea de lo que va a ocurrir a continuación, y aun así la forma en que se desarrolla todo te deja con la boca abierta.

[Vincentimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bien golri

[Lucía Cafeína · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Hola?
Ha sido emocionantísimo, directo, lleno de magia, violencia y un humor un poco heavy. Me lo he pasado la mar de bien.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
CW: nudity, suicide, violence, alcoholism, death of a parent

I'm a huge King Arthur buff, so I was very excited by the chance to review this title. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a flop for me.

I thought the art style of this story was very cool and visually engaging. Some of the character design reminded me a little bit of Adventure Time, which is definitely a plus! The characters are dynamic and the color palettes worked very well together. The cover is also very striking, and definitely one of the things that drew me to the story.
While the humor can be a little gross at times, I found it generally hit. Overall, the story is actually a very fun adventure! One criticism I have that I would like to hold back on is the intended age range. As the art is more cartoonish, I would have assumed if this were an American comic that it was intended for a younger audience. However, the nudity and sexual situations would definitely point me towards an adult audience. I know comic culture is very different in France, so it's not necessarily surprising. I'm just wary of this story falling into the hands of someone a little too young to be reading about a brothel.

If this had been an original fantasy, I would have had an amazing time. I thought the pacing was pretty good, the characters were engaging even if I didn't love all of them, and there were a lot of strong women!
But this was SUPPOSED to be a retelling!
As I said in the beginning, I'm a big King Arthur fan. I've read numerous adaptations and retellings of the myths and I've been very interested in the original, pre-Malory non-canonized Welsh stories for several years. My favorite thing about retellings is taking pre-established characters, objects, and myths and just twisting them slightly. That didn't happen in Fierce.
Ysabella is a completely original character, as is her sister Maxine. There are many sons and daughters of Arthur listed in all different myths, so I wish the names had been cherry picked to flesh out the cast. There are not one but TWO magic swords already used in Arthurian canon. Why did we need a new one when one of the two could have been adjusted for the story? Why does Merlin.... well, do any of this, but specifically be surprised at anything that happens? Merlin's knowledge of time and foretelling is a prominent theme in more recent Arthurian retellings. And in older stories, he is also pre-aware of his death and Arthur's downfall. He should know what's going to happen!
And why was the kingdom called Pendragon when Arthur rules Camelot? Why is the queen never named? Is she not supposed to be Guinevere?

My enjoyment of this story was overshadowed by my ongoing confusion as to the storytelling choices, unfortunately.

[Gilwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une aventure décalée sous forme de revisite arthurienne, un peu bourrin, mais très fun

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wygląda na to, że historie z przewodnią ideą, ukryte pod przykrywką bajek dla dorosłych, stają się na naszym podwórku specjalnością Kultury Gniewu, która w niedalekiej przeszłości zaserwowała nam już m.in. „Piękną” czy „Męską skórę”. Mam chyba lekki przesyt, więc podchodziłem nieufnie, ale uwiódł mnie ten komiks lekkością w potraktowaniu tematu, poczuciem humoru i cartoonową dynamiką. Bohaterowie „Furii” jakby znani, ale legendy arturiańskie to tylko zasłona i już po chwili widać, że autorzy podążają własnymi ścieżkami, co nie znaczy, że nie korzystają ze znanych motywów. Opis, w którym bohaterka chwyta za miecz i walczy ze światem zdominowanym przez obleśnych facetów, może nie sugeruje świeżości, ale forma już tak.

„Furia” to świetna zabawa, ale z konkretnym przesłaniem. Rzecz teoretycznie pikantna i w związku z tym niekoniecznie dla młodszego czytelnika, choć to pewnie zależy od tego, na ile dzieciak pewne tematy ogarnia. Sporo tu graficznej ekspresji, co po części wynika z fascynacji mangą, która była dla autorów ważną inspiracją. Dodam jeszcze, że twórcy są zachwyceni liternictwem i kolorami polskiego wydania, twierdząc, że te prezentują się o niebo lepiej niż w edycji francuskiej. Nie będę ukrywał: czym obleśniej, tym lepiej. Moment, którym Claude wciąga stonogę nosem – 10/10

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little graphic novel. The art and story was very creative.

[Sarah | The Marsies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu déçue et mitigée par cette bd one-shot

Sur une réécriture des légendes arthuriennes, on nous présente le roi Arthur complètement alcoolique (il m'a carrément foutu la nausée) qui veut marier sa plus jeune fille à un baron. Sauf qu'elle dit no go, mais je me barre salut les cassos.

Les dessins sont parfois très drôles, bien que pour un public assez mature, mais j'ai été plutôt mal à l'aise face à certains comportements. Et en même temps c'est le but de nous mettre mal à l'aise. Je pense que c'est une bonne bd objectivement juste pas à mon gout pour que je l'apprécie plus que ça

[Clémentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'aime Claude, il a l'air débile.

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

NetGalley ARC.

Well that was...not very enjoyable. And gross. And weird. Really really weird.

[Mady · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25⭐

Une chouette histoire d'émancipation féminine sans nuance et sans concession (j'adore) porté par un dessin qui correspond très bien à l'univers.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

prima di cominciare con la recensione, volevo ringraziare michela di @tunue per avermi mandato una copia di 'furiosa' in modo da poterla leggere in anteprima e commentarla con voi. vi ricordo che esce il 19 settembre, dunque domani, nel caso voleste recuperarne una copia.
quando ho scovato questo titolo tra le uscite di settembre sapevo che non potevo farmelo scappare: quando si parla di mondo arturiano le mie orecchie si attivano subito. ma di cosa parla davvero 'furiosa'? è adatto a tutti? parto dalle dovute premesse che, secondo me, sono fondamentali in questo caso: si tratta di una graphic novel PER ADULTI. ci sono delle scene esplicite, in particolar modo si parla di nudità, e anche i temi trattati sono adatti ad pubblico 'new adult', dunque non lo comprerei per qualcuno al di fuori di questa categoria. a questo si aggiunge che... no, 'furiosa' non è un retelling del mito! mi sento di definirlo come un 'what if', ovvero: se re artù non fosse quel mito eroe delle leggende, perché tutte le sue mitiche imprese sono state svolte nient'altro dalla sua spada incantata? e se avesse una figlia che non sopporta per nulla la sua vita a corte e suo padre?
detto questo, ho adorato questa graphic. come ho già anticipato sui miei canali social è proprio il tipo di opera che apprezzo di solito: la nostra protagonista, ysabelle, è un personaggio molto realistico e di conseguenza nient'altro che una ragazzina che vuole scoprire se stessa e vivere la propria esistenza al di fuori delle idee del padre. talmente egoista nel voler proseguire questo obiettivo che ascolta la spada (sì, usa i pronomi femminili ci tiene a sottolinearlo nella storia) forgiata da merlino per raggiungere la sorella maggiore e poter vivere la sua vita da favola. 'furiosa' è una storia non solo di crescita, ma è in grado di mostrare in duecento pagine di tavole, con ironia e allo stesso tempo crudezza, la realtà attuale che una giovane ragazza deve affrontare per raggiungere ciò che vuole. non entro in ulteriori dettagli per non fare spoiler, ma ad ogni modo se cercate una lettura che sa essere leggera e che allo stesso tempo vi faccia riflettere (oltre che sognare, con i suoi bellissimi disegni) e considerate le premesse fatte all'inizio, furiosa fa per voi!

[Pi]

Świetny komiks! Świetny! FURIA, to historia, która łączy w sobie wiele wątków, tematów, jest tu nawiązanie do legendy Króla Artura, ale jest to zrobione tak na świeżo, tak inaczej i tak oryginalnie, że zdaje się być totalnie inną opowieścią a sam Artur totalnie innym bohaterem - bo faktycznie przeszedł, według twórców FURII, ogromną przemianę... stał się FUJJJJJ.
Przede wszystkim nasza główna bohaterka, córka Artura Ysabelle, księżniczka co ma wyjść za starego dziada i MIECZ! Ten sławny MIECZ Króla Artura, który ma wielką moc i który - okazuje się - że potrafi mówić. Ysa wiadomo - ucieka... wiadomo, że razem z mieczem i myśli, że teraz to jest wolna... ale wolność ma wysoką cenę.
Prawda jest taka, że FURIA, to komiks o pięknej dziewczynie, która chce coś w życiu znaczyć i chce sama o sobie decydować. Wszystko to nie jest łatwe w zderzeniu z brudną rzeczywistością, światem nastawionym na przyjemności i biedą, którą rodzi nieprawość. Samotna kobieta w takiej scenerii musi liczyć się z niebezpieczeństwem. Oczywiście nie jest całkiem sama - ma miecz, który ma nie tylko moc, ale i całkiem niezłe poczucie humoru... jednak czy jest tak do końca dobry? I czy faktycznie chce pomoc Yasbelle, czy może tylko sobie?
Pięknie narysowany komiks, ze spektakularnymi kolorami i fantastycznymi, dopracowanymi kadrami oraz - co arcymistrzowskie jest - dialogami, które są naturalne, lekkie, ale jednocześnie świetnie noszą ciężar poruszanych tematów. Geoffroy Monde i Mathieu Burniat perfekcyjnie wszystko zaplanowali i podarowali czytelnikom opowieść i zabawną i straszną. Przy FRUII można się zrelaksować, wciągnąć w fabułę bez reszty... ale po lekturze przychodzi refleksja i okazuje się, że (jak to powiedział klasyk) "Piekło jest puste, a wszystkie diabły są tutaj". BARDZO POLECAM!

jedna przeciw wszystkim
Wydawnictwo Kultura Gniewu
egzemplarz recenzencki

[Senga krew_w_piach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fajny komiks! Ciąg dalszy legendy o królu Arturze i jego magicznym mieczu, ale z dziewczyńskim vibem. Artur po latach wojen i zostaniu władcą absolutnym stał się stetryczałym, zepsutym pijakiem, który „nie umie pić i jednocześnie nie sikać”. Ysabelle, nastoletnia córka króla, ma zostać oddana za żonę staremu i obleśnemu baronowi Kumbrii. Excalibur cierpi z nudów, bo jego pan od dawna go nie używa. Miecz i dziewczyna zawierają sojusz i postanawiają razem uciec z zamku. Celem ich wyprawy staje się miasto Orela, gdzie jak sądzi Ysa mieszka w dostatku jej starsza siostra Maxine, która kilka lat wcześniej również uciekła przed zamążpójściem. Tropem dziewczyny wyrusza stary baron u jego sługa Claude, który w niewyjaśniony sposób umie zlokalizować dokąd zmierzają uciekinierzy. Przed Ysą oczywiście mnóstwo przygód do przeżycia, wrogów do pokonania i walk do stoczenia, także tych wewnątrz siebie.
„Furia” to opowieść o przełamywaniu ról społecznych, kobiecej złości, wyzwoleniu. Próbuje też odpowiedzieć na odwiecznie zadawane feministkom pytanie - czy jeśli kobiety dostałyby nagle wszystkie atrybuty męskiej dominacji i władzy świat naprawdę byłby lepszy? Twórcy komiksu na szczęście pokładają w nas dużo nadziei 🙂 Generalnie lubię bardzo tych męskich komiksiarzy, którzy tworzą feministyczne historie, bo są one zawsze bardzo odważne i bez zahamowań.
Wszystko to jest wspaniale narysowane, w stylu moich ulubionych kreskówek (Świat Centaurów czy Kipo), kolorowo, z rozmachem i fantazją.
Fantastyczna, zabawna, inteligentna rozrywka. Dajcie mi takich więcej!

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ysabelle is the daughter of King Arthur. Yes, the great King Arthur who is now drunk all the time and is determined to marry Ysabelle off. She loathes Baron Cumber and runs away with the magic sword, determined to find her sister who ran away years ago. Through the journey, Ysabelle discovers more than she ever thought she could be.

The art style for Fierce was so unique. It was incredibly expressive which allowed it to have this whimsical feel to it. The style alone made this a fun read. The style did make some of the scenes a little gross at times, but was still such an interesting design that it didn’t matter.

Ysa was such a fun character. She was determined and maybe a little naive about the world outside of Pendragon, but through this we really get to see her grow and really get to be put in her shoes for this journey.

Fierce is an entertaining, enjoyable read that I do think a more mature crowd could really enjoy.

[Justin Visentin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously the art style is what drew me in, and the story had an interesting set up. I’m not sure if it was more of the pacing going from 0 to 60, or if I just craved a deeper dive into the world and it’s characters, but I ultimately left the read feeling content in my purchase. (first book I’ve picked up at the new local spot, and this title was featured front and center of the graphic novel section)

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un racconto molto interessante, sia per come sono delinati i personaggi, sia per il tema dell'emancipazione femminile in chiave fantasy/fiabesca.
Uno stile netto, esplicito e a tratti un po' esagerato ma che mi ha fatta divertire (per certe cose mi ha ricordato Adventure Time).
La storia è molto avvincente, anche se ovviamente non del tutto originale, però ha dei colpi di scena davvero inaspettati. Forse avrei voluto che durasse di più!

[Solux]

j'ai bien aimé que ça soit placé dans le cadre de la légende arthurienne. globalement c'est bien écrit, rythmé et dessiné avec des super couleurs, je crois que j'aime beaucoup le style hybride de Mathieu Burnat et sa dynamique. je dirais pas que j'ai été surpris par les différents plot twists même si je les ai pas tous vus venir. lecture bien sympa en tout cas, un peu glauque un peu drôle un peu épique

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adoré le style barge et cru de Furieuse! Un duo très drôle avec une épée magique comme on en voit pas souvent et une héroïne qui fantasme sur du fromage de chèvre. Un beau mélange d'humour caricatural à la OSS 117 d'Hazanavicius et de plot twists!

[Elo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Laury's artNbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Le début m'a un peu ennuyée. Mais au final, l'histoire était sympa, avec pas mal d'humour bourrin et décalée.

[Saoirse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je ne suis pas hyper fan des dessins mais j’ai bien aimé les couleurs et l’histoire. C’est un peu barré et drôle. J’aime bien le personnage de Claude.

[J.a.e._Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'était sympa avec quelques bonnes trouvailles. Mais je sais pas, y a un truc qui m'a pas plus emballé que ça (un peu comme avec Peau d'homme), qui sonnait un peu à côté niveau personnage.

[Sésame · Rating 3 out of 5]

c'est plutôt trash, mais plutôt bien effectué, l'histoire est cool avec quelques rebondissements que j'avais pas du tout vu venir. J'ai trouvé le dessin super dynamique aussi

Pas sûr à 100% de trouver le sous texte féministe très approprié et bien mené, mais c'est honnêtement pas le cœur de cette bd donc j'ai profité du côté aventure plutôt

[Kitsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

La parte feminista se me ha quedado un poco coja, pero cuando se pone a tope con la fantasía mejora un montón. Un dibujo y color increíbles.