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Princeless (Collected Editions) #8
Princeless: Book 8 - Princesses
You’ve been there from the beginning for the story of one princess and her long quest to save her sisters, but how much do you really know about those sisters? They’re the breakout characters of each volume, but then we sweep off on our dragon to find the next one.
Now Princeless proudly presents the return of the rest of the Princesses of the Ashe family in four stories all their own. Alize tells the story of how she came to be under the care of the Sphinx and met a very special prince. Angelica learns a little something about what she loves (other than herself). Angoisse and her spooky monster pet The Grimmorax find a new calling. And Andrea and Antonia try to find a way to use their magic for good – if they can get out of each other’s way. All this and a special bonus story about politics in the goblin kingdom! Come see the world of Princeless from perspectives you’ve never seen before.
Now Princeless proudly presents the return of the rest of the Princesses of the Ashe family in four stories all their own. Alize tells the story of how she came to be under the care of the Sphinx and met a very special prince. Angelica learns a little something about what she loves (other than herself). Angoisse and her spooky monster pet The Grimmorax find a new calling. And Andrea and Antonia try to find a way to use their magic for good – if they can get out of each other’s way. All this and a special bonus story about politics in the goblin kingdom! Come see the world of Princeless from perspectives you’ve never seen before.
93 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2019
About the author
Jeremy Whitley
415 books343 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 children 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
Stonewall Honoree
VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Harvey Nominee
1 time Ringo 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 children 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
Stonewall Honoree
VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Winner
5 time Glyph Nominee
2 time Eisner Nominee
2 time Cyblis Nominee
2 time Bloomer Nominee
1 time Harvey Nominee
1 time Ringo Nominee
1 time Most Likely to Succeed Winner
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 17, 2024
The last volume seemed to be building toward a conclusion, but this volume takes a step back from the main plot to show us what Adrienne Ashe's sisters have been up to while she was advancing in her quest. The stories are cute and there are some moments that show preparations are being made for the final showdown, so the fun I had outweighed the disappointment of taking a detour instead of the expressway.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents [All stories written by Jeremy Whitley]: Chapter One. Alize / Kaitlin Jann, illustrator -- Chapter Two. Angelica / Jackie Crofts, illustrator -- Chapter Three. Angoisse / Newt Taber and Takeia Marie, illustrators -- Chapter Four. Antonia & Andrea / Robin Kaplan, illustrator -- [Process pages]
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents [All stories written by Jeremy Whitley]: Chapter One. Alize / Kaitlin Jann, illustrator -- Chapter Two. Angelica / Jackie Crofts, illustrator -- Chapter Three. Angoisse / Newt Taber and Takeia Marie, illustrators -- Chapter Four. Antonia & Andrea / Robin Kaplan, illustrator -- [Process pages]
July 7, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
actual rating: 3.5
This was a cute volume, but I kind of hate it when a comic is finally gearing up for the final confrontation and then they take an entire volume to basically do flashback stories about several [oftentimes] side characters. It's nice to get more background on Adrienne's sisters, but generally I'd just rather move forward rather than back. Also the art was not great in this volume and looks especially poor in comparison to much of the art in the Raven spin-off series. Still, there are some good bits in here and I especially liked the political commentary in the issue with the goblins.
actual rating: 3.5
This was a cute volume, but I kind of hate it when a comic is finally gearing up for the final confrontation and then they take an entire volume to basically do flashback stories about several [oftentimes] side characters. It's nice to get more background on Adrienne's sisters, but generally I'd just rather move forward rather than back. Also the art was not great in this volume and looks especially poor in comparison to much of the art in the Raven spin-off series. Still, there are some good bits in here and I especially liked the political commentary in the issue with the goblins.
July 2, 2019
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
There is so much to love about the Princeless comics, and this volume in the collections give us stories featuring Adrienne’s sisters and the goblins. The sisters each get one story (though the twins have to share) and one story for the goblins. The goblin story is the most direct comment on modern politics in the book – it is hard not to see Trump and Hilary on the stage. The story will play on a different level for adult readers than younger readers. The goblin story also brings back the Goblin Captain who aided Adrienne and Belinda.
But the main focus of the collection are the Ashe citizens, and while the art, to my mind, isn’t as good as the artwork in some of the other volumes (hence a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4), it was wonderful that the other Ashe sisters got a chance to shine as while as moving the story slightly forward to the coming conflict that was set up at the end of volume 7.
The first story features Alize and her Sphinx. It is set in the past, so how Alize formed her community and met her husband is addressed. Then Angelica learns that she is more than just a pretty face by playing a game that looks familiar. Angoisse learns that she doesn’t need a man, but just a focus. The goblin story follows Angoisse’s story (which makes sense). Then finally, the twins appear as they struggle to put aside sniping at each other long enough to help people. In many of the stories, the Black Knight makes an appearance, tying the stories together in another way as well as pointing towards the future of the series. Even in Angoisse’s tale where the Black Knight does not show up, there are hints that her adventure is connected to the larger issues playing out in the series.
The particular strength of this volume is the different ways in which the princesses learn and become more secure in who they are. Adrienne, who stars in the other volumes, is physically strong - she is not dumb – but her talent lies in the physical. Here, in these stories, we have sisters whose talents are not the physical but that rest on a different type of learning. Alize learns from books (and other teachers), the twins studied magic, Angoisse learns by studying human behavior, and Angelica by watching. While the sisters who were more immature, gain more maturity in these stories, they don’t lose their essential selves. Angelica might become more than a pretty face, but she also still loves fashion. The great thing about Princeless is that strength is being shown in so many different ways, not just in terms of Adrienne and Devan, but, now, more fully in terms of each sister. This putting worth on talents other than simply physical or looking beautiful is wonderful.
The stories do feature humor. The two funniest are Angoisse’s and Angelica’s. Angelica’s story has some great descriptive phrases, and Angoisse’s makes excellent use of the Squint Spiderslayer and the Grimmorax. The best line comes from the Grimmorax who asks Angoisse, “Are you telling me you want to be weaker so you can find a man who can protect?” And when Angoisse answers in the affirmative replies, “Do you need me to explain how stupid that sounds?”. In some ways, Angoisse’s story is the most powerful because she learns the value of herself. The weakest story, maybe because it is trying too hard for laughs, is the story of the twins, though that makes excellent use of the magical knowledge. Additionally, weak is a relative term for this collection.
Can’t wait to see what happens next.
There is so much to love about the Princeless comics, and this volume in the collections give us stories featuring Adrienne’s sisters and the goblins. The sisters each get one story (though the twins have to share) and one story for the goblins. The goblin story is the most direct comment on modern politics in the book – it is hard not to see Trump and Hilary on the stage. The story will play on a different level for adult readers than younger readers. The goblin story also brings back the Goblin Captain who aided Adrienne and Belinda.
But the main focus of the collection are the Ashe citizens, and while the art, to my mind, isn’t as good as the artwork in some of the other volumes (hence a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4), it was wonderful that the other Ashe sisters got a chance to shine as while as moving the story slightly forward to the coming conflict that was set up at the end of volume 7.
The first story features Alize and her Sphinx. It is set in the past, so how Alize formed her community and met her husband is addressed. Then Angelica learns that she is more than just a pretty face by playing a game that looks familiar. Angoisse learns that she doesn’t need a man, but just a focus. The goblin story follows Angoisse’s story (which makes sense). Then finally, the twins appear as they struggle to put aside sniping at each other long enough to help people. In many of the stories, the Black Knight makes an appearance, tying the stories together in another way as well as pointing towards the future of the series. Even in Angoisse’s tale where the Black Knight does not show up, there are hints that her adventure is connected to the larger issues playing out in the series.
The particular strength of this volume is the different ways in which the princesses learn and become more secure in who they are. Adrienne, who stars in the other volumes, is physically strong - she is not dumb – but her talent lies in the physical. Here, in these stories, we have sisters whose talents are not the physical but that rest on a different type of learning. Alize learns from books (and other teachers), the twins studied magic, Angoisse learns by studying human behavior, and Angelica by watching. While the sisters who were more immature, gain more maturity in these stories, they don’t lose their essential selves. Angelica might become more than a pretty face, but she also still loves fashion. The great thing about Princeless is that strength is being shown in so many different ways, not just in terms of Adrienne and Devan, but, now, more fully in terms of each sister. This putting worth on talents other than simply physical or looking beautiful is wonderful.
The stories do feature humor. The two funniest are Angoisse’s and Angelica’s. Angelica’s story has some great descriptive phrases, and Angoisse’s makes excellent use of the Squint Spiderslayer and the Grimmorax. The best line comes from the Grimmorax who asks Angoisse, “Are you telling me you want to be weaker so you can find a man who can protect?” And when Angoisse answers in the affirmative replies, “Do you need me to explain how stupid that sounds?”. In some ways, Angoisse’s story is the most powerful because she learns the value of herself. The weakest story, maybe because it is trying too hard for laughs, is the story of the twins, though that makes excellent use of the magical knowledge. Additionally, weak is a relative term for this collection.
Can’t wait to see what happens next.
October 17, 2019
After the drama of the previous volume, this was such a change--I appreciate that it starts with Alize's backstory in captivity. As the only princess to actually be married/be able to be categorized as "rescued" in something close to a traditional sense (though how nontraditional that still is, is shown in the story), I find her character interesting. It shows, again, how the princesses' father is committed to this tradition regardless of its value or wisdom, and how it can be manipulated.
The rest of the volume shows the other princesses we've met before, and a bit of what they've been up to since Adrienne left. Overall, this volume is pretty light and fluffy. Took me a minute in each installment to remember who the princess was, and what her backstory is/how Adrienne left her.
It's the calm before the storm, I assume, since the series will end in another volume or two.
The rest of the volume shows the other princesses we've met before, and a bit of what they've been up to since Adrienne left. Overall, this volume is pretty light and fluffy. Took me a minute in each installment to remember who the princess was, and what her backstory is/how Adrienne left her.
It's the calm before the storm, I assume, since the series will end in another volume or two.
March 27, 2021
If you actually like this series, I don't understand, but hey, your prerogative. I'm just reading it out of an insatiable morbid curiosity. If you've never read any of them, please don't. If you have, and still like it (your choice!) please skip this book, because it's a waste of time and painful to look at.
Just as protagonist Adrienne Ashe is on the verge of really doing something, and finally confronting her awful father, we get a series of stories about her five sisters, and, yeah. Why? First, it feels like padding to sell more books; second, they are almost all boring stories of selfish idiots who are awesome at everything and always win, and reading about them is like chewing on fricking Styrofoam. They are all selfish, and they literally never lose, even when it makes no sense for them to always win. The stakes are, with one exception, stunningly low. Will the princess win? Of course - but more important, why am I supposed to care? This mean gang-member is going to drop the sad merchant's carrots on the ground, oh no! Don't you care? ...not particularly, no. And the ART, great googly-moogly, the art varies, but none of it is exceptional, and some of it is dumb-strikingly bad.
What is really aggravating to me is that the first story was GOOD. What the hell? Where did that come from? The art is pretty generic, but the first story, about the oldest sister, has loads of character development. The oldest sister spends a lot of time talking and thinking, trying to figure out what she can do in life. And when there are challenges, they are CHALLENGES. Stakes are high, she is risking her life and the lives of others, all to do the right thing. It's interesting! I had hope!
Sigh... anyway, the second story is about Princess something-or-other that starts with an 'A'. Screw this story, I am not going to dignify it by actually looking up her name. The princess is obnoxiously arrogant and assumes she will be magnificent at everything. Every time she is proved wrong, but she never learns from this. Screw this character. But, moving on, one day she is introduced to a big, tactical board game, and she finds that she IS magnificent at it. For no reason. Huh, go figure. After two days playing it she can defeat the best players in the country, and then someone recruits her to be a tactician for a real military, because being really good at a board game for three days means you should... control entire armies? Zero stakes, character learns she was right to have an obnoxious ego, the end. F--k this story, easily the worst in the book.
Third story is about the vampire princess, confronting lumberjacks who are overcutting the forest, AND bullying any goblins they meet. So... not the richest story ever, but environmental destruction, bullies, racism, at least there are stakes. Right...? It's three goddam lumberjacks versus a vampire and her friend the forest-elemental monstrosity. The only reason they don't run away immediately is because the princess stands in their way. That's stakes done wrong. There is no nuance, no risk - it's like calling the SWAT team to deal with a litter-bug. And because the story is so trivial, they have to put in a second story about goblin politics? Where the "good guy" uses violence to get her way. Hooray?
The fourth story is, jeeze, not the worst story, but the hardest to look at. The art is painful and lazy (wouldn't want to detract from these deformed characters by actually drawing any backgrounds!). The twin sisters fight each other, and that fills pages. They turn each other into rabbit and cat furries - didn't know they could do that. That seems a significant ability, but, whatever. People are upset that they cause destruction, and they whine about that. Then they bump into thugs demanding protection money, and kick their asses with no difficulty. The end. ...THE END. Okay, maybe this WAS the worst story, because the story and stakes are lower than I'd thought possible, but also the humor is the lowest in the book, and the art is a poke in the eye to all civilization.
This book was a total waste of time, and often unpleasant to read and look at. I have no love for the series, but at least there's been a consistent through-line of Adrienne developing herself and her relationship with her family. This one was just a lot of nothing happening and going nowhere. Skip it! Skip them all!
Just as protagonist Adrienne Ashe is on the verge of really doing something, and finally confronting her awful father, we get a series of stories about her five sisters, and, yeah. Why? First, it feels like padding to sell more books; second, they are almost all boring stories of selfish idiots who are awesome at everything and always win, and reading about them is like chewing on fricking Styrofoam. They are all selfish, and they literally never lose, even when it makes no sense for them to always win. The stakes are, with one exception, stunningly low. Will the princess win? Of course - but more important, why am I supposed to care? This mean gang-member is going to drop the sad merchant's carrots on the ground, oh no! Don't you care? ...not particularly, no. And the ART, great googly-moogly, the art varies, but none of it is exceptional, and some of it is dumb-strikingly bad.
What is really aggravating to me is that the first story was GOOD. What the hell? Where did that come from? The art is pretty generic, but the first story, about the oldest sister, has loads of character development. The oldest sister spends a lot of time talking and thinking, trying to figure out what she can do in life. And when there are challenges, they are CHALLENGES. Stakes are high, she is risking her life and the lives of others, all to do the right thing. It's interesting! I had hope!
Sigh... anyway, the second story is about Princess something-or-other that starts with an 'A'. Screw this story, I am not going to dignify it by actually looking up her name. The princess is obnoxiously arrogant and assumes she will be magnificent at everything. Every time she is proved wrong, but she never learns from this. Screw this character. But, moving on, one day she is introduced to a big, tactical board game, and she finds that she IS magnificent at it. For no reason. Huh, go figure. After two days playing it she can defeat the best players in the country, and then someone recruits her to be a tactician for a real military, because being really good at a board game for three days means you should... control entire armies? Zero stakes, character learns she was right to have an obnoxious ego, the end. F--k this story, easily the worst in the book.
Third story is about the vampire princess, confronting lumberjacks who are overcutting the forest, AND bullying any goblins they meet. So... not the richest story ever, but environmental destruction, bullies, racism, at least there are stakes. Right...? It's three goddam lumberjacks versus a vampire and her friend the forest-elemental monstrosity. The only reason they don't run away immediately is because the princess stands in their way. That's stakes done wrong. There is no nuance, no risk - it's like calling the SWAT team to deal with a litter-bug. And because the story is so trivial, they have to put in a second story about goblin politics? Where the "good guy" uses violence to get her way. Hooray?
The fourth story is, jeeze, not the worst story, but the hardest to look at. The art is painful and lazy (wouldn't want to detract from these deformed characters by actually drawing any backgrounds!). The twin sisters fight each other, and that fills pages. They turn each other into rabbit and cat furries - didn't know they could do that. That seems a significant ability, but, whatever. People are upset that they cause destruction, and they whine about that. Then they bump into thugs demanding protection money, and kick their asses with no difficulty. The end. ...THE END. Okay, maybe this WAS the worst story, because the story and stakes are lower than I'd thought possible, but also the humor is the lowest in the book, and the art is a poke in the eye to all civilization.
This book was a total waste of time, and often unpleasant to read and look at. I have no love for the series, but at least there's been a consistent through-line of Adrienne developing herself and her relationship with her family. This one was just a lot of nothing happening and going nowhere. Skip it! Skip them all!
January 25, 2020
I can understand why this instalment lands where it does, but leading up to the climax of the series, a collection of standalone issues isn’t what I would really prefer.
I also wish the art and story quality were more even across the board.
I also wish the art and story quality were more even across the board.
July 31, 2019
Loving this series so much - missed seeing Adrienne in this one, but otherwise loved seeing her sisters get into and out of trouble.
September 3, 2019
Sadly, this read like very amateurish fan-fic.
November 25, 2019
Two okay stories and the rest were weak sauce
Classic filler where they are clearly wrapping up but we get an unnecessary side trip
Classic filler where they are clearly wrapping up but we get an unnecessary side trip
July 13, 2019
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
Princess Adrienne might be having amazing adventures, but her sisters are doing good in their spheres of influence, too! This graphic novel shows what each of Princess Adrienne’s sisters are up to and the various ways they are able to use their talents for the good of those who need their help.
This is the first volume I’ve read of the Princeless collection, but, after enjoying this one so much, I plan on going back to read the others. While I didn’t understand the occasional reference to Princess Adrienne, this volume can be read as a stand-alone to the rest of the collection. Whitley wrote fun stories for each of these characters, and several different illustrators kept the story visually engaging as well.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Princess Adrienne might be having amazing adventures, but her sisters are doing good in their spheres of influence, too! This graphic novel shows what each of Princess Adrienne’s sisters are up to and the various ways they are able to use their talents for the good of those who need their help.
This is the first volume I’ve read of the Princeless collection, but, after enjoying this one so much, I plan on going back to read the others. While I didn’t understand the occasional reference to Princess Adrienne, this volume can be read as a stand-alone to the rest of the collection. Whitley wrote fun stories for each of these characters, and several different illustrators kept the story visually engaging as well.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
July 13, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advanced copy.
I've been enjoying the Princeless series for years now, and while this volume doesn't advance the main plot at all (or even highlight the main characters!), it would be a great book to hand a tween or teen I wanted to get hooked on the series. Several self-contained stories give a bit of backstory or new adventures to Adrienne's sisters as everyone gears up for what sounds like a new battle/adventure coming up. As a longtime reader, I'm disappointed to have to wait even longer to get to that story arc, but as a librarian, this volume gives new readers an idea of the character development and tongue-in-cheek humor of the series.
I've been enjoying the Princeless series for years now, and while this volume doesn't advance the main plot at all (or even highlight the main characters!), it would be a great book to hand a tween or teen I wanted to get hooked on the series. Several self-contained stories give a bit of backstory or new adventures to Adrienne's sisters as everyone gears up for what sounds like a new battle/adventure coming up. As a longtime reader, I'm disappointed to have to wait even longer to get to that story arc, but as a librarian, this volume gives new readers an idea of the character development and tongue-in-cheek humor of the series.
March 29, 2021
After being freed from their towers by Adrienne, her sisters discover their individual strengths. Some of these strengths and talents have been revealed in previous issues. But who expected the great beauty Angelica to become a superb military tactician? Nevertheless, the Black Knight is making the rounds gathering the sisters together for a final showdown with the patriarchy.
Whitley’s story illustrated whimsically by collaborators Crofts, Taber, and Kaplan, and drawn vividly by Jann, Marie, and Martin, continues to shine as it challenges and defies gender roles and racial stereotypes.
Whitley’s story illustrated whimsically by collaborators Crofts, Taber, and Kaplan, and drawn vividly by Jann, Marie, and Martin, continues to shine as it challenges and defies gender roles and racial stereotypes.
September 9, 2019
Alize is one of my favorite characters in this series so far, so I am so glad to have read a short story about her! The other stories were fine; I enjoyed getting a taste of what has been going on in the background of the series.
November 24, 2019
I wanted more from Angoisse's story (the second half is all about the goblin presidential debate, which is funny and timely, but it's got nothing to do with Angoisse). But fun to see more of Adrienne's sisters!
June 20, 2022
Just goes over the backstories of five of the princesses and sets it up for all the sisters getting together for one gigantic final battle. I liked the first two sisters' stories, the last three weren't as deep.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2019
wanted more!
October 7, 2019
omg someone get Kaitlin Jann some more stuff to work on!
October 14, 2019
Good volume.
January 25, 2020
The princesses' stories start weaving together and the Black Knight is at the heart of it.
February 6, 2020
I love these princesses.
February 16, 2020
Of course, you always like some stories better than others. It's nice to have a bit more background on Adrienne's sisters, I just wasn't quite overwhelmed with these.
February 24, 2020
This one was short and felt like a filler that wasn't as good.
April 26, 2020
I liked the first story a LOT, but then every one after that in lessening and lessening amounts.
July 1, 2020
It was a nice filler while we wait for the final books in the series. Nothing super special about it but it is nice to know that sisters are leading fulfilling lives.
October 11, 2020
Back stories more than moving the main story forward, but nice to learn more about the sisters.
November 30, 2020
Good for character background. Not quite sure all this was placed in one book, but it does help with filling in details and setting up future stories. Artwork was subpar for Princeless.
October 13, 2021
More about the other sisters - yussssss
More story pieces coming together - yussssss
More story pieces coming together - yussssss
April 24, 2023
3 of the 4 stories were good, first was the best. Art quality varied.
June 3, 2024
Adrienne may not have saved them in the physical sense, but she put them on the road to discovering themselves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews