Rat Queens #8

Written by: Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by: Roc Upchurch
Letters: Ed Brisson


Ever since I read Lord of the Rings, I've always had a love for Dwarves. This is why I was pleased to find out that this issue of Rat Queens focuses entirely on Violet, her Dwarvish family, and their customs.

The comic opens with a great gag that is classic Rat Queens (that is ultimately brought back at the end in a tear-jerker moment). Part of what makes this book work so well is writer Kurtis J. Wiebe's complete control of the script. Nothing ever feels like an accident. This issue constantly circles around Violet, beards, tradition, and family in a variety of ways that are both humorous and often sadly realistic.

Roc Upchurch brings all of these moments to life with his stellar character designs. The man can draw the best pissed off face I've ever seen. While some of the background art isn't as stellar, it still fits the style of the book, and serves just to highlight how great his character designs really are.

My only major problem with this is that the end of the issue is abrupt and a little confusing. I don't want to say there's consistency errors, because there's probably something we're not being shown yet, but Violet's armor changes for no reason. While act as a solid teaser for what's to come, the ending just feels rushed and forced. I'm going to give Wiebe and Upchurch the benefit of the doubt, since it's probably just something that hasn't been completely explained yet.

Everyone should be reading Rat Queens. The reason why it is so great isn't just because of it's side-splitting, crude sense of humor. It's because underneath the layer of sass and sorcery there's a hell of a lot of heart.