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Rat Queens: Deluxe Editions #2
Rat Queens: Deluxe Edition, Volume 2
The Queens are back! Palisade is still a rat-infested hell hole, and Violet, Hannah, Dee, Betty, and the brand-new Queen, Braga are the only hope of saving it! It's been a long time since they've done a good slaughter, so join them as they get back to the basics of killing monsters and drinking away the profits! This is a fresh, hilarious new take on the RAT QUEENS with new artist OWEN GIENI!
Collects RAT QUEENS Volume 2 #1-10 plus RAT QUEENS: ORC DAVE SPECIAL #1 and extras.
Collects RAT QUEENS Volume 2 #1-10 plus RAT QUEENS: ORC DAVE SPECIAL #1 and extras.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2018
8 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Kurtis J. Wiebe
181 books768 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 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 20, 2019
So here's the big problem with Deluxe Edition #2. Author Kurtis Wiebe has a massive falling out with Rat Queens artist #2, who drew v1 #11-16. He collected most of her issues into v3 of the comic, "Demons", and is keeping it in print, but out of some weird passive-aggressive reason refuses to collect those same canon comics into the deluxe volumes. The result? An incomplete set of Deluxes that mainly serve to punish the readers by telling an incomplete story. I'd been planning to pick these up after losing track of Rat Queens during the whole debacle over artist #1, but with Wiebe's reader-punishing decision, I'm just reading from the library instead at this point ...
High Fantasies (v2 #1-5). The Rat Queens are back with try #3 at an artist. They go out on various adventures that actually aren't that memorable. Still, you get some laugh-out-loud humor at times and lots of interesting interactions between interesting characters. The result isn't deep but is fun [3+/5].
Orc Dave Special. This focus on Orc Dave's backstory is a bit dull, as Dave and Dad wander amidst the trees, and we only get a few pages of the Rat Queens. But then it knocks it out of the park with a surprising and meaningful ending [3+/5].
The Colossal Magic Nothing (#6-10). I have no idea what was up with this story. Maybe part of the problem is that the collection doesn't divide the issues up, so it's just a big mushed-up mess. Or maybe Wiebe just doesn't know how to tell a complex story. This has all kinds of timey-wimey weirdness, and could have been great, but sadly instead came down on the side of incomprehensible. And the ending magically undid everything for no good reason. Great [2/5].
And hey, it turns out that part of the incomprehensibility of "The Colossal Magic Nothing" is that it builds on the "Demons" storyline that Wiebe refuses to reprint. These DELUXE editions couldn't be more worthless as a result, because they're literally unreadable. So I guess maybe consider the trades if you're still interested in Rat Queens, but not these purposefully incomplete Deluxes.
High Fantasies (v2 #1-5). The Rat Queens are back with try #3 at an artist. They go out on various adventures that actually aren't that memorable. Still, you get some laugh-out-loud humor at times and lots of interesting interactions between interesting characters. The result isn't deep but is fun [3+/5].
Orc Dave Special. This focus on Orc Dave's backstory is a bit dull, as Dave and Dad wander amidst the trees, and we only get a few pages of the Rat Queens. But then it knocks it out of the park with a surprising and meaningful ending [3+/5].
The Colossal Magic Nothing (#6-10). I have no idea what was up with this story. Maybe part of the problem is that the collection doesn't divide the issues up, so it's just a big mushed-up mess. Or maybe Wiebe just doesn't know how to tell a complex story. This has all kinds of timey-wimey weirdness, and could have been great, but sadly instead came down on the side of incomprehensible. And the ending magically undid everything for no good reason. Great [2/5].
And hey, it turns out that part of the incomprehensibility of "The Colossal Magic Nothing" is that it builds on the "Demons" storyline that Wiebe refuses to reprint. These DELUXE editions couldn't be more worthless as a result, because they're literally unreadable. So I guess maybe consider the trades if you're still interested in Rat Queens, but not these purposefully incomplete Deluxes.
November 8, 2022
Despite the first book being quite a light-hearted and humorous surprise, I can't help but feel that this second volume was an unfortunate and drastic fall from grace for the series.
... And it would appear there are some very genuine reasons for this - one of the creators was arrested for spousal abuse and following their replacement the series was then unfortunately plagued with ongoing creative differences and arguments which clearly took an exhaustive toll on this series... and it definitely shows.
What was once light-hearted and had a spring its step now appears more convoluted, strained and forced.
Between the previous book and this second offering there is change on almost every level. Atmosphere, tone and even the artwork seem to jostle against each other to find a symbiosis that the previous book displayed so effortlessly.
Overall, the characters are still incredibly loveable here, but there's an undeniable sense that this feels like a bit of a disservice to them. That's the real shame here - so much so that I won't personally be in a rush to pick up the third book.
___________________
My Score: 4/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐
___________________
... And it would appear there are some very genuine reasons for this - one of the creators was arrested for spousal abuse and following their replacement the series was then unfortunately plagued with ongoing creative differences and arguments which clearly took an exhaustive toll on this series... and it definitely shows.
What was once light-hearted and had a spring its step now appears more convoluted, strained and forced.
Between the previous book and this second offering there is change on almost every level. Atmosphere, tone and even the artwork seem to jostle against each other to find a symbiosis that the previous book displayed so effortlessly.
Overall, the characters are still incredibly loveable here, but there's an undeniable sense that this feels like a bit of a disservice to them. That's the real shame here - so much so that I won't personally be in a rush to pick up the third book.
___________________
My Score: 4/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐
___________________
March 5, 2019
Okey, this is rather confusing. They lost me there in the middle, that was a hellhole of plot twists and timeline changes. I do have to say that the beginning was very appealing and I still love the Rat Queens, with sass and all. But I was thinking about the end of volume 3 and how it would effect these volumes. In the end (and also a bit in the middle) I got my answer. I still hoped to have a more clear explanation, but luckily I'm not totally in the dark anymore.
The little side stories and art were really nice though, I'm glad I got a deluxe edition of the Rat Queens, but I would have preferred the first one.
The little side stories and art were really nice though, I'm glad I got a deluxe edition of the Rat Queens, but I would have preferred the first one.
February 1, 2022
This was really confusing.
I still loved the characters and their relationships, but everything else seemed to change.
There were so many time jumps that I got confused. There was something like a parallel universe, but multiple and you were jumping around in all of them. It didn't help that the characters look the same in all the universes, no change in appearance or art style that I could detect.
The art style also changed because they got a new artist for this volume, at least, I don't know if they stay on the project or not, and it was a little shock when I opened up the book. A little jarring.
I'm still going to finish this series because it looks like I only have one deluxe volume left, but I don't know if it'll be as confusing as that was. I'm a little scared, but oh well.
I still loved the characters and their relationships, but everything else seemed to change.
There were so many time jumps that I got confused. There was something like a parallel universe, but multiple and you were jumping around in all of them. It didn't help that the characters look the same in all the universes, no change in appearance or art style that I could detect.
The art style also changed because they got a new artist for this volume, at least, I don't know if they stay on the project or not, and it was a little shock when I opened up the book. A little jarring.
I'm still going to finish this series because it looks like I only have one deluxe volume left, but I don't know if it'll be as confusing as that was. I'm a little scared, but oh well.
December 12, 2018
I *loved* Deluxe Volume 1. Have been waiting for this one for ages... but found myself pretty confused by the plot. Turns out that Volume 1 included issues #1-10, but this one picks up after issue #15, meaning there are 5 missing issues if you haven't bought the trade paperbacks or the individual issues. Terrible decision. The books look nice on my shelf, but I wouldn't have bought them if I'd known in advance about the missing issues.
September 20, 2019
Returning to Ray Queens is like returning to a dysfunctional, witty and bad ass crew of powerful and fierce characters. There were times where I was a little confused as to the plot but that was intended as they get into more situations where alternate realities come into play. I believe the art style changed and cue unpopular opinion here but I actually liked this. The illustrations are clearer and the colour choices were stunning. All in all another enjoyable read.
I will add that there are extra stories at the end and one of them is written by Patrick Rothfuss!
I will add that there are extra stories at the end and one of them is written by Patrick Rothfuss!
January 26, 2024
Much better pace and the story is much better overall, less slapstick. The end of this arc is pretty confusing though and may need a couple of reads to fully grasp.
We completely skipped issues 11-16 and start at vol issue 1.
We completely skipped issues 11-16 and start at vol issue 1.
August 14, 2023
Not as good as the first volume. The tone and characters are still great, but the story is a disjointed mess and the art is uneven. Worth a read, as always, but could be better.
January 12, 2022
confusing.
November 19, 2019
What the hell happened here?
Lovable characters and upbeat storylines utterly wasted. Knowing (now) that parts are missing, why was this even allowed to go to print? I'm disappointed this edition is promoted as "Deluxe" when its clearly incomplete.
Lovable characters and upbeat storylines utterly wasted. Knowing (now) that parts are missing, why was this even allowed to go to print? I'm disappointed this edition is promoted as "Deluxe" when its clearly incomplete.
December 5, 2018
Nowhere near as good as the first Deluxe edition. As I understand it, there were some behind the scenes issues that resulted in the loss of a co-creator and illustrator. Unfortunately the volume suffers because of it. They tried too hard to bring back the lighthearted nature of the first volume with this "soft reboot" that it is actually a bit overbearing. Then later on the plot just kind of goes off the rails with timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly, extra dimension stuff that really doesn't make sense. I'm also not a fan of the new art style; it has lost all of its sharp angles and authentic-looking style. (In the first illustration there are what look to be red solo cups scattered about, not something that would be around in this universe.) All in all this book has basically turned me off the series, which really saddens me because I LOVED the first volume.
March 24, 2022
Deluxe edition ikinci cildi, dört (High Fantasies) ve beşinci (The Colossal Magic Nothing) kitapla birlikte Orc Dave özel sayısından oluşuyor.
Pek güzide eserimiz, sadece bir mektup sayfasından ibaret zayıf bir açıklamayla, üçüncü sayıda bırakılan yerden oldukça alakasız bir noktada başlıyor ve uzun süre kendi ritmi ve iç gerginliklerini terk etmiş, amaçsızca savrulan karakterleriyle, grubun rast gele görev yaptığı, dungeon dwelling'e doyduğu "casual maceralar" atıyor üstümüze.
Dördüncü sayı neler olduğuna dair pek az renk veriyor ve Braga'nın da katılımıyla Rat Queens maceradan maceraya koşuyor hiç bir şey olmamış gibi. Tatlı tatlı XPler kasılıyor, cesetler yağmalanıyor. Sanırım bir noktada "Ya n'oluyor lan?" ruh halinden silkinmemiz ve meaceranın (typo değil alın teri) tadına varmamız gerekiyor ama ne D&D mizahı ne de ufak drama sosları -en azından benim yaşadığım deneyimde- durumu kotarmaya yetmiyor. Bir süre sonra anlaşılıyor ki yazarımız gerçeklik, zaman-mekan, alternatif gerçeklikler işlerine soyunmuş en yavanından. Klişeler yükseliyor, tatlar iyice kaçıyor ve beşinci sayının sonunda hikaye, derme çatma da olsa bağlanıyor.
Sorun ne yazık ki sadece hikaye akışıyla kalmıyor. Çizer Owen Gieni, her ne kadar gerçeklik değiştikçe görsel stil değiştirme oyunları ile şık şeyler yapsa da, ortaya koyduğu sonuç, serinin önceki sayılarını göre bir kaç gömlek aşağıda kalıyor. Memeler büyütülsün, popolar şişirilsin oyunlarıyla ortalığı toplanmaya çalışılırken, adeta her biri "üvüt büz dü mücürücüyüzü büylö" diye şakıyan kuş gagası dudakları görmezden gelmemizi umuyor. -Seni yazdım oğlum Gieni, ekmek yedirmeyecem sana bu piyasada-
Peki kim bu Gieni, nereden çıktı bu adam? Kısa bir araştırmayla öğreniyoruz ki, Kurtis J. Wiebe çizer tayfası ile büyük sorunlar yaşamış. İlk iki sayının çizeri olan Roc Upchurch'un aile içi şiddet faili olduğu anlaşılınca, seri çizersiz kalmış. Kurunun yanında yaşın da yanması misali hayli yıpranan yazar (geek komünitesi, Upchurch'a telif ücreti gitmesin diye küçük boykot girişimlerinde bulunmuş) yola Stjepan Šejić (vol 3: demons) ile devam etmiş.
https://www.themarysue.com/not-a-vict...
Stjepan Šejić de hayli sorunlu bir tip olduğundan ayranların dökülmesi ve tatsız olayların yaşanması çok zaman almamış. Üçüncü kitapta Tess Fowler (bkz: charmed) ile birlikte çalışmış ama bu da yürümemiş. Bu süreç sonrası Wiebe, "kötü günlerde yanmnda duran yakın arkadaşım" dediği Owen Gieni (bkz: Shutter ve Manifest Destiny) ile seriye devam etmiş. Owen Gieni de "O zaman ben neden okuyanların canını sıkmıyor, tatlarını kaçırmıyorum? Çünkü sanatçıyım ben, bir yerde bu benim hakkım!" diyerek, bir Şenol Günbayrak edasıyla bizim üstümüze çökmüş (yazdıkça kuruldum herife ha).
Neyse, Gieni'yi bir kenara bırakırsak; büyük resme bakıldığı zaman çemberler kapanmış gibi görünse de belli ki bir Lost son sezon sendromu yaşanmış. Anlaşılan üçüncü sayıyla birlikte hikayenin geliştiği ve büyüdüğü yön, yazarın başına bela olmuş ve seriye devam edebilmek adına, rebootlara, dandik klişelere, "ya zaten onlar hep rüyaydı"lara bel bağlamış -haliyle de olmamış-. Güzel şakalar (bkz: Cat Kings), D&D mizahı, dozajı düşürülmüş kişisel dramlara sarılıp yola çıkılmış ama bir türlü düzgün bir çatı oturtulamamış tepeye.
Belli ki hayatta yanlış kararlar vermek konusunda önemli bir üstat olan arkadaşımız, attığı her adımda biraz daha batmış. Reboot sonrası kendine tutunacak sağlam bir zemin arayışı ile üçüncü sayıyı "Non grata" ilan etmiş, hatta delüks edisyonlardan çıkartmış atmış ancak bu sefer de hikaye bir dudağı yerde bir dudağı gökte bir garabete dönüşüvermiş. Zaten bu kitaptan sonra da Kurtis, çareyi seriden tamamen ayrılmakta bulmuş ve altıncı sayıdan itibaren yazar olarak yerini Ryan Ferrier'a (bkz: D4VE) bırakmış.
Reddit'de bu nahoş tecrübesinin ve Rat Queen travmalarının kimi izlerine tanık olmak hala mümkün: https://www.reddit.com/r/ImageComics/...
Velhasıl, yazımlarıyla, çizimleriyle bir sorun küpü çıkmış ortaya. Attığı taş ile ürküttüğü kurbağa arasındaki uyumsuzluk için bir terapiste de gitmemiş işte. Sırf Ryan Ferrier ne yapmış, Kurtisin sıçtğını sıvamış mı toplamış mı görmek için devam edeceğim yine de. Nasıl olsa daha kötü olamaz, değil mi?
Pek güzide eserimiz, sadece bir mektup sayfasından ibaret zayıf bir açıklamayla, üçüncü sayıda bırakılan yerden oldukça alakasız bir noktada başlıyor ve uzun süre kendi ritmi ve iç gerginliklerini terk etmiş, amaçsızca savrulan karakterleriyle, grubun rast gele görev yaptığı, dungeon dwelling'e doyduğu "casual maceralar" atıyor üstümüze.
Dördüncü sayı neler olduğuna dair pek az renk veriyor ve Braga'nın da katılımıyla Rat Queens maceradan maceraya koşuyor hiç bir şey olmamış gibi. Tatlı tatlı XPler kasılıyor, cesetler yağmalanıyor. Sanırım bir noktada "Ya n'oluyor lan?" ruh halinden silkinmemiz ve meaceranın (typo değil alın teri) tadına varmamız gerekiyor ama ne D&D mizahı ne de ufak drama sosları -en azından benim yaşadığım deneyimde- durumu kotarmaya yetmiyor. Bir süre sonra anlaşılıyor ki yazarımız gerçeklik, zaman-mekan, alternatif gerçeklikler işlerine soyunmuş en yavanından. Klişeler yükseliyor, tatlar iyice kaçıyor ve beşinci sayının sonunda hikaye, derme çatma da olsa bağlanıyor.
Sorun ne yazık ki sadece hikaye akışıyla kalmıyor. Çizer Owen Gieni, her ne kadar gerçeklik değiştikçe görsel stil değiştirme oyunları ile şık şeyler yapsa da, ortaya koyduğu sonuç, serinin önceki sayılarını göre bir kaç gömlek aşağıda kalıyor. Memeler büyütülsün, popolar şişirilsin oyunlarıyla ortalığı toplanmaya çalışılırken, adeta her biri "üvüt büz dü mücürücüyüzü büylö" diye şakıyan kuş gagası dudakları görmezden gelmemizi umuyor. -Seni yazdım oğlum Gieni, ekmek yedirmeyecem sana bu piyasada-
Peki kim bu Gieni, nereden çıktı bu adam? Kısa bir araştırmayla öğreniyoruz ki, Kurtis J. Wiebe çizer tayfası ile büyük sorunlar yaşamış. İlk iki sayının çizeri olan Roc Upchurch'un aile içi şiddet faili olduğu anlaşılınca, seri çizersiz kalmış. Kurunun yanında yaşın da yanması misali hayli yıpranan yazar (geek komünitesi, Upchurch'a telif ücreti gitmesin diye küçük boykot girişimlerinde bulunmuş) yola Stjepan Šejić (vol 3: demons) ile devam etmiş.
https://www.themarysue.com/not-a-vict...
Stjepan Šejić de hayli sorunlu bir tip olduğundan ayranların dökülmesi ve tatsız olayların yaşanması çok zaman almamış. Üçüncü kitapta Tess Fowler (bkz: charmed) ile birlikte çalışmış ama bu da yürümemiş. Bu süreç sonrası Wiebe, "kötü günlerde yanmnda duran yakın arkadaşım" dediği Owen Gieni (bkz: Shutter ve Manifest Destiny) ile seriye devam etmiş. Owen Gieni de "O zaman ben neden okuyanların canını sıkmıyor, tatlarını kaçırmıyorum? Çünkü sanatçıyım ben, bir yerde bu benim hakkım!" diyerek, bir Şenol Günbayrak edasıyla bizim üstümüze çökmüş (yazdıkça kuruldum herife ha).
Neyse, Gieni'yi bir kenara bırakırsak; büyük resme bakıldığı zaman çemberler kapanmış gibi görünse de belli ki bir Lost son sezon sendromu yaşanmış. Anlaşılan üçüncü sayıyla birlikte hikayenin geliştiği ve büyüdüğü yön, yazarın başına bela olmuş ve seriye devam edebilmek adına, rebootlara, dandik klişelere, "ya zaten onlar hep rüyaydı"lara bel bağlamış -haliyle de olmamış-. Güzel şakalar (bkz: Cat Kings), D&D mizahı, dozajı düşürülmüş kişisel dramlara sarılıp yola çıkılmış ama bir türlü düzgün bir çatı oturtulamamış tepeye.
Belli ki hayatta yanlış kararlar vermek konusunda önemli bir üstat olan arkadaşımız, attığı her adımda biraz daha batmış. Reboot sonrası kendine tutunacak sağlam bir zemin arayışı ile üçüncü sayıyı "Non grata" ilan etmiş, hatta delüks edisyonlardan çıkartmış atmış ancak bu sefer de hikaye bir dudağı yerde bir dudağı gökte bir garabete dönüşüvermiş. Zaten bu kitaptan sonra da Kurtis, çareyi seriden tamamen ayrılmakta bulmuş ve altıncı sayıdan itibaren yazar olarak yerini Ryan Ferrier'a (bkz: D4VE) bırakmış.
Reddit'de bu nahoş tecrübesinin ve Rat Queen travmalarının kimi izlerine tanık olmak hala mümkün: https://www.reddit.com/r/ImageComics/...
Velhasıl, yazımlarıyla, çizimleriyle bir sorun küpü çıkmış ortaya. Attığı taş ile ürküttüğü kurbağa arasındaki uyumsuzluk için bir terapiste de gitmemiş işte. Sırf Ryan Ferrier ne yapmış, Kurtisin sıçtğını sıvamış mı toplamış mı görmek için devam edeceğim yine de. Nasıl olsa daha kötü olamaz, değil mi?
January 26, 2021
2.0⭐ ...Hmmm...
I’m...I’m having a hard time deciding how to feel. But, not good. Just not good. Between volume one and two, it’s like a line drawn in the sand. On the other side of that line, new art style, major changes in vibes/vision. I don’t know what happened.
I reread Volume 1 in preparation for this. After reading the first 15, 20 pages of volume 2, I hung it up to dry. I was that put off. I went ahead and took a deep breath and decided to give it one more try.
Going straight off Volume 1 into Volume 2, first thought was, what are we even doing? Why is this so inconsistent?
After almost six months, I decided to give it one more shot. What I came back to was surprisingly better, but still...forced. Again, I don’t have the skinny, but I get the vibe that a handful of creatives from volume one must’ve bowed out, and some new ones jumped in to keep Rat Queens alive. If that’s the case, thanks for not letting it die...
But, things got lost. Dee is just...it’s like a whole new girl. Not in a good way. She’s lost a lot of her individuality. A lot of the male characters seemed thrust to forefront of the plot for no... genuinely serviceable reason, like Dave and Violet’s brother. I’m not mad at their arches, but I came here to read Rat Queens. Why are you guys taking up this level of page space? And in a way that never seems to even circle back to the queens?
They took some strange roads with Dee's former religion and I just don't feel like it worked.
The writers tried to take on the same larger-than-life, Lovecraftian esc tale contrived from the first volume, and it just didn’t land for me. It was often muddled and exhausting. The dialogue is overbearing, constantly trying to tell me what’s going on, but never showing me. Diatribes. So many diatribes. Conversations among the favorites don’t sound like Rat Queens, but rather, someone trying to sound like Rat Queens. Like when kids learn to curse for the first time, and it's silly because they’ve got no genuine flavor or angst to put behind it.
I don’t know. I’d rather see this than see Rat Queens die I guess, but you’re not getting what you got from Volume One. Make peace with it now. If you prepare for that, there are some....cute moments. Some okay story lines. Maybe this will be like Legend of Korra, where book 2 is at least a bridge to better things.
I’m sorry to criticize this so hard. I hate to do it, I know how hard creative people work.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
I’m...I’m having a hard time deciding how to feel. But, not good. Just not good. Between volume one and two, it’s like a line drawn in the sand. On the other side of that line, new art style, major changes in vibes/vision. I don’t know what happened.
I reread Volume 1 in preparation for this. After reading the first 15, 20 pages of volume 2, I hung it up to dry. I was that put off. I went ahead and took a deep breath and decided to give it one more try.
Going straight off Volume 1 into Volume 2, first thought was, what are we even doing? Why is this so inconsistent?
After almost six months, I decided to give it one more shot. What I came back to was surprisingly better, but still...forced. Again, I don’t have the skinny, but I get the vibe that a handful of creatives from volume one must’ve bowed out, and some new ones jumped in to keep Rat Queens alive. If that’s the case, thanks for not letting it die...
But, things got lost. Dee is just...it’s like a whole new girl. Not in a good way. She’s lost a lot of her individuality. A lot of the male characters seemed thrust to forefront of the plot for no... genuinely serviceable reason, like Dave and Violet’s brother. I’m not mad at their arches, but I came here to read Rat Queens. Why are you guys taking up this level of page space? And in a way that never seems to even circle back to the queens?
They took some strange roads with Dee's former religion and I just don't feel like it worked.
The writers tried to take on the same larger-than-life, Lovecraftian esc tale contrived from the first volume, and it just didn’t land for me. It was often muddled and exhausting. The dialogue is overbearing, constantly trying to tell me what’s going on, but never showing me. Diatribes. So many diatribes. Conversations among the favorites don’t sound like Rat Queens, but rather, someone trying to sound like Rat Queens. Like when kids learn to curse for the first time, and it's silly because they’ve got no genuine flavor or angst to put behind it.
I don’t know. I’d rather see this than see Rat Queens die I guess, but you’re not getting what you got from Volume One. Make peace with it now. If you prepare for that, there are some....cute moments. Some okay story lines. Maybe this will be like Legend of Korra, where book 2 is at least a bridge to better things.
I’m sorry to criticize this so hard. I hate to do it, I know how hard creative people work.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
December 19, 2019
Hoo boy, where to start with this one. Overall I'd give it 4/5 for the content that's actually in the book itself, I got a little lost towards the end with all the timeline switches but the majority of the book before that more than makes up for it.
So as others have mentioned, there's a great big gap between the issues that are omitted from this Volume and the start of the actual Volume. From what I can tell this includes issues 1-10 of the "2017" series, or in other words everything after the reboot.
Now there are references strewn throught the weird timeline stuff later in this Volume, but for those who havent read the omitted issues this will still be really confusing. My recommendation would be to try and read as much of the previous stuff as you can, even though it has been essentially written out - you'll feel much less lost. And dont make the same mistake I did by going straight from Sass and Sorcery to Deluxe v2 (because it's all your library had), thank god I could find a list of missing chapters on the internet.
So, the actual book. Wonderful art is so prevalent throught this series and it continues to deliver all the way through, just a pleasure to look at. Another reason to read previous issues is to marvel at the art that Stjepan Šejić contributed, wowzas! I've been following him since before his Death Vigil series and the dude can really create some awesome scenes and character emotion.
Like I said, the earlier chunk of the book is great - real easy to follow, great interactions, really more of what you enjoyed from previous issues. You have some backstory on Orc Dave, the character gets some resolution and much needed clarity relating to the omitted stuff. It's really directly after this that the book begins to creep towards hopping between....realities? timelines? Whatever its is, it's not the cleanest time-hop cuts I've seen but you do have a sense of what's afoot by the end of it, and I'm sure further issues will elaborate. I cant help but feel alot of this is to clear up the stuff that was retconned, but it ain't the easiest read.
Still, I thoroughly look forward to more and I hope Braga gets more limelight and more cute dresses.
So as others have mentioned, there's a great big gap between the issues that are omitted from this Volume and the start of the actual Volume. From what I can tell this includes issues 1-10 of the "2017" series, or in other words everything after the reboot.
Now there are references strewn throught the weird timeline stuff later in this Volume, but for those who havent read the omitted issues this will still be really confusing. My recommendation would be to try and read as much of the previous stuff as you can, even though it has been essentially written out - you'll feel much less lost. And dont make the same mistake I did by going straight from Sass and Sorcery to Deluxe v2 (because it's all your library had), thank god I could find a list of missing chapters on the internet.
So, the actual book. Wonderful art is so prevalent throught this series and it continues to deliver all the way through, just a pleasure to look at. Another reason to read previous issues is to marvel at the art that Stjepan Šejić contributed, wowzas! I've been following him since before his Death Vigil series and the dude can really create some awesome scenes and character emotion.
Like I said, the earlier chunk of the book is great - real easy to follow, great interactions, really more of what you enjoyed from previous issues. You have some backstory on Orc Dave, the character gets some resolution and much needed clarity relating to the omitted stuff. It's really directly after this that the book begins to creep towards hopping between....realities? timelines? Whatever its is, it's not the cleanest time-hop cuts I've seen but you do have a sense of what's afoot by the end of it, and I'm sure further issues will elaborate. I cant help but feel alot of this is to clear up the stuff that was retconned, but it ain't the easiest read.
Still, I thoroughly look forward to more and I hope Braga gets more limelight and more cute dresses.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2022
I've been having dreams of time and space. They feel like memories, of catastrophic events and devastating heartbreak.
I picked this up after seeing a copy on a friend's shelf. A quick flick though soon showed me that it was right up my street.
Rat Queens is a medieval fantasy that draws on all the tropes from role play games, epic fantasies, Lovecraftian horror, and comedy fiction alike.
The Rat Queens, rockabilly elven mage Hannah, the hipster dwarven warrior Violet, the atheist human cleric Dee, and the hippie smidgen thief Betty, are a adventuring band of mercenaries for hire. They are also the scourge of the town due to their drunken antics.
When the very fabric of time and space begins to unravel, follow the events in the previous volume, the Rat Queens must face their biggest regrets and discover the possible futures that would have been. Taunted by a new nemesis, can the group survive, especially when townsfolk start mysteriously disappearing.
Packed full of laughs, violence, and bad language, this isn't a series for the faint of heart. It is, however, a cracking read. The second half of this Deluxe edition becomes rather difficult to follow as the story explores the potential parallel universes and the possible outcomes of choices not taken. Due to that, I have to knock down to 4 stars.
I picked this up after seeing a copy on a friend's shelf. A quick flick though soon showed me that it was right up my street.
Rat Queens is a medieval fantasy that draws on all the tropes from role play games, epic fantasies, Lovecraftian horror, and comedy fiction alike.
The Rat Queens, rockabilly elven mage Hannah, the hipster dwarven warrior Violet, the atheist human cleric Dee, and the hippie smidgen thief Betty, are a adventuring band of mercenaries for hire. They are also the scourge of the town due to their drunken antics.
When the very fabric of time and space begins to unravel, follow the events in the previous volume, the Rat Queens must face their biggest regrets and discover the possible futures that would have been. Taunted by a new nemesis, can the group survive, especially when townsfolk start mysteriously disappearing.
Packed full of laughs, violence, and bad language, this isn't a series for the faint of heart. It is, however, a cracking read. The second half of this Deluxe edition becomes rather difficult to follow as the story explores the potential parallel universes and the possible outcomes of choices not taken. Due to that, I have to knock down to 4 stars.
March 29, 2025
This...is...a...mess...
The collection is out of sequence of the series, thereby making this a hot mess. It also involves timeline shenanigans with a lot of characters just NOT THERE from the previous volume. There's also NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that the reading order is wrecked.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
======
Story time: Kurtis Wiebe (writer) and Roc Upchurch (artist) were the team for the first ten issues [that were collected in 'Deluxe Edition: Vol. 1]. Upchurch was arrested for domestic abuse and ...removed from the book (and the industry).
Issues #10-16 (not any of the issues collected in 'Deluxe Edition: Vol. 2) were then drawn by Tess Fowler. She leaves the book (and also argues that she was 'let go so Wiebe could bring Upchurch back' ,which Wiebe denies). The controversy stirred up MORE drama and they instead held these issues back from a deluxe edition, instead going with the restar which is....
Soft reboot #1-10) with Owen Gieni as the artist (which are THE ISSUES HERE...and then..
#16-onward Kurtis Wiebe leaves his series only to come back to write the wrap up with the one-shot 'Sisters, Warriors, Queens' in 2023.
The collection is out of sequence of the series, thereby making this a hot mess. It also involves timeline shenanigans with a lot of characters just NOT THERE from the previous volume. There's also NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that the reading order is wrecked.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
======
Story time: Kurtis Wiebe (writer) and Roc Upchurch (artist) were the team for the first ten issues [that were collected in 'Deluxe Edition: Vol. 1]. Upchurch was arrested for domestic abuse and ...removed from the book (and the industry).
Issues #10-16 (not any of the issues collected in 'Deluxe Edition: Vol. 2) were then drawn by Tess Fowler. She leaves the book (and also argues that she was 'let go so Wiebe could bring Upchurch back' ,which Wiebe denies). The controversy stirred up MORE drama and they instead held these issues back from a deluxe edition, instead going with the restar which is....
Soft reboot #1-10) with Owen Gieni as the artist (which are THE ISSUES HERE...and then..
#16-onward Kurtis Wiebe leaves his series only to come back to write the wrap up with the one-shot 'Sisters, Warriors, Queens' in 2023.
April 22, 2020
Well, the characters are still great and so is the dialogue, but the plot, whenever it arises, mostly seems to be a lot of side quests and sub-plots that eventually reveal to be connected and make a semblance of sense, only to end in something I felt was anti-climatic. I can see where they were going with this, but I was mildly disappointed.
Still, laugh out loud funny with characters that as endearing as they are crude, complex and strong, the series had much potential, if only it had a bit more focus and had more of what the first two volumes had, which was the balance of character and an adventure as epic as it was important and fun (although keeping with some humour and silliness)
It feels quite bad giving this three stars, but looking back as I was flipping through the pages and thinking how long it had left, I guess it wasn't as engaging me as much
Still, if you loved the adventures of the earlier stories and wish to continue spending time with these great band of charming rouges, there is no better option available then this.
Still, laugh out loud funny with characters that as endearing as they are crude, complex and strong, the series had much potential, if only it had a bit more focus and had more of what the first two volumes had, which was the balance of character and an adventure as epic as it was important and fun (although keeping with some humour and silliness)
It feels quite bad giving this three stars, but looking back as I was flipping through the pages and thinking how long it had left, I guess it wasn't as engaging me as much
Still, if you loved the adventures of the earlier stories and wish to continue spending time with these great band of charming rouges, there is no better option available then this.
March 15, 2019
Before you read this volume you have to read rat queens vol 3 : Demons. I don't now why it wasn't included in the first hardcover deluxe edition, but Vol 2 deluxe edition picks up right where vol 3 leaves off. The deluxe edition vol 2 is all about what comes after vol 3. So nothing in this deluxe edition is going to make any sense to you until you have read rat queens vol 3 : demons. Yes, vol 3 is a single edition and a paperback. Just to be clear the reading order is : Rat Queens Deluxe edition Vol 1, Rat Queens Vol 3 : Demons and finally Rat queen Deluxe Edition Volume 2. I was really ticked off when I realized that such a crucial part of the story was missing from the deluxe editions but Hopefully anyone reading/collecting these volumes wont have the same problem now.
December 31, 2019
Rat Queens is awesome, so I bought this Deluxe Edition.
I originally reviewed these issues with each trade paper. Those reviews are linked below if you're so inclined.
Rat Queens, Vol. 3: Demons - (My Review)
Rat Queens, Vol. 4: High Fantasies - (My Review)
I originally reviewed these issues with each trade paper. Those reviews are linked below if you're so inclined.
Rat Queens, Vol. 3: Demons - (My Review)
Rat Queens, Vol. 4: High Fantasies - (My Review)
August 1, 2020
Unlike the first collection this one really doesn’t have a story, and about three quarters in it makes little to no sense. The story is literally incomprehensible to the point it feels like pages are missing or out of order.
There are a few moments that are amusing but for the most part this is a dud.
Edit: apparently there are actually pieces missing because of some feud the author had??? In which case this ought not to be published as is at all.
There are a few moments that are amusing but for the most part this is a dud.
Edit: apparently there are actually pieces missing because of some feud the author had??? In which case this ought not to be published as is at all.
January 31, 2025
The beginning is confusing because of all the behind the scenes drama. Then you set your brain to reboot and everything is fine for a while, but becomes confused again because Wiebe starts to pull and reference things from the storyline that made him reboot the series in the first place. I can see what he was trying to do, but he doesn't pull it off, though I did enjoy the Queens like always. I'm gonna keep reading because I have the volumes but, uh, yeah. Let's see where we end up.
January 6, 2019
Maybe I need to re-read the last few volumes on another day...but I've given myself a headache trying to figure out and follow what's going on. I actually started to flip through the pages trying to figure out if pages were missing or in the wrong order. Great read up until that point when everything started jumping around and changing with no indication of it.
August 11, 2019
Fun volume of fantasy adventures with Rat Queens
A lot of fun and silliness but also some serious storytelling in this volume, some hard to follow but intriguing nonetheless. The Rat Queen’s’ adventures continue with nice artwork on the whole. I found some of the plots hard to comprehend but generally this is as good a volume as any of their other ones.
January 25, 2020
The soft reboot of this series made it lose some traction, especially when reading these hardcover editions because of the issues lost in transit. It’s still entertaining, but not the story beats don’t seem to come as natural. The excellent design choices and variable drawing styles lifts it to three stars.
December 31, 2024
Maybe I need to re-read the last few volumes on another day...but I've given myself a headache trying to figure out and follow what's going on. I actually started to flip through the pages trying to figure out if pages were missing or in the wrong order. Great read up until that point when everything started jumping around and changing with no indication of it.
February 9, 2019
While the Queens are as witty and engaging as ever, the story of Volume 2 has a lot of narrative whiplash that is not resolved by the end of the collection. There is much more high emotion and many fewer sexy connections.
May 1, 2019
Granted, the story here ends up in a pretty impossible place, but I got a little too confused by the way that this played with space and time. The art is great, and the characters are intriguing, but I can only handle so many alternate realities.
February 11, 2020
What is it with comic books and complicated plots with existentialist issues? This got weird, and not in a fun way, in a "I don't know what I'm reading" way. I gave up on plot, so it wasn't as fun for me as the first one.
June 21, 2022
I loved the start of this series and then it just devolved into an incoherent mess. I know there was tons on turmoil going on with original artist and then the writer not getting along with the 2nd artist (I know there is a lot more to it.l, but not going into here).
December 3, 2018
More than a little annoyed that volume 3 won’t be in the hardcovers. But otherwise, pretty great as always.
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