9th art by Stella: Rat Queens

Kicking Ass is Sexy!!!

I've been wanting to write about this comic for a very long time now.... I've been wanting to present it since the time I bought it, five months ago, on May. >.<
So, now, after such a long time, I present you proudly.....The Rat Queens!!!

With dozens of positive critiques, hundreds of high rankings, thousands of fans and a "BEST NEW SERIES 2013" on January by IGN, Rat Queens is one of the BEST in the present and future comic markets. The art, the story, the characters are all highly well-created and promise you one of most epic comics!

Who are the Rat Queens?

They are a pack of booze guzzling, death dealing battle maidens-for-hire and they're in the business of killing all the gods' creatures for profit. Meet Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief.

This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent, monster killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!

That's damn right baby! And don't even think that I'm finished! Listen, or better read, what they're saying about Rat Queens....

"It's the portayal of realistic-looking female fighters. Different body types that women see when they look in the mirror, not Photoshopped ads from fashion magazines. It's clothes that look like they're made from actual cloth rather than form-fitting bodysuits.

The comic book industry is expanding. Monthly titles, graphic novels, digital comics -- sales are on the rise across the board, and the needle is moving. And it's in no small part due to us fangirls. It seems like Image was the first to recognize this trend, and are capitalizing on it by allowing more chicks into the mix; both on creative side of things, and as main characters of their stories."
Comics For Girls: Spandex Not Required

"Those women know how to party. They swear, experiment with drugs, talk openly about their sexual misadventures...oh, and they beat the living crap out of everyone in sight. Think Sex & the City meets Lord Lord of the Rings. Yes, it's that weird. And yes, it's that awesome."
Man Cave Daily

"I mean, not only is the art gorgeous, but never have I ever seen such an increndible cast of women where I wanted to be/hang out/make out with all of them in their own way. Each of these characters comes out of the gate as fully formed characters, each with a distinct personality dripping with back story."
The Mary Sue

"Rat Queens is funny, irreverent and bloody. It goes in heavy on wit, and doubly so on charm; the perfect sword and sorcery book for the WoW generation. Do yourself a favor and add these maidens to your weekly pull list."
Capeless Crusader

"Rat Queens already feels like it's been around forever, even though we've just met them. if you haven't fallen in love with the Rat Queens yet, just pick the book up and start reading. You will."
Unleash the Fanboy
"This is a series that's going to shoot to the top of people's favourite lists. There's been plenty of quality new series launched this year but even among them Rat Queens stands out."
Panels and Pixels

"This is a great series that has a clear direction of where it's going, a strong sense of who its characters are, and the understanding that comics can be funny without having to set aside three-dimensional characters along the way."
Newsarama

Betty

Our Hippy Smidgen Thief... An expert in drugs and in love with sweets and candies. She fits, crawls, jumps and climbs everywhere, from the inside of a backpack till in the dark cave full of traps.

Hannah

The Rockabilly Elven Mage... One thing you don't want to do for sure is to piss her off, you do so and she'll put a black end to your poor little fortune...literary!

Dee

The Atheist Human Cleric... Nothing feels better than kicking and punching assholes, though she might gave up her amazing healing powers so she can just flirt with a boy, till then she just hides in her books.

Violet

The Hipster Dwarven Fighter... She might be short but she knows how to use a sword, beat you down and look cool during the whole way.You wouldn't want to be in her brothers' position ever.

I love those girls! When I first read the series tittle on Comixology Comic Updates I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it would be something dissapointing, I mean come on, which cool comic would have the name Rat Queens? But just always I gave it a go and all I needed was just one page to understand that I was wrong. After I finished reading the Free Preview Edition I was eager to read more, I was still thinking it looked weird, so not what we've been used to, but I was left with that small hungry flame inside me that demanded more, and that feeling happens only with the good ones.

So here I present to you the very few pages that changed my opinion... and my life! :3

Was I wrong? I'm sure I wasn't!

So, the story begins when Palisade's City Council (let's call it that...) has become tired of all the parties that the five group of mercenaries do all the time, which those parties usually lead to having half the town destroyed, people knocked out and beaten in every corner, even ending tied on pillars naked,and decide to give to each one of them a task to complete in order to stay in town. Those who fail gets kicked out and punched by the hot Town Guard. The five mercenaries groups are the Rat Queens, the Peaches, the Four Daves, the Brother Ponies and the Obsidian Darkness...

Unfortunately for our heroines they get the dirtiest task of all, to clean the goblins out of Hindman Caves... The trip starts moving and we take a look of each groups job and how many of them ended murdered from mysteriously ninja-like men. Thankfully our Rat Queens escape by having the bad ninja get smushed by a big butt Troll, which later our girls kill for good. Then they manage to save two members of the Peaches and meet for some beer with the Four Daves. Now those two and a half groups have to find out who is the person that set them up with these tasks to end them and why...

Secret deals and hidden enemies, dark magic and crazy parties, add all the times they have to protect the town from bloodthirsty Troll-Girlfriends and their armies and you have one mashed up epic story!

Story: Kurtis J.Wiebe
Art & Covers: Roc Upchurch
Letters: Ed Brisson
Edits: Laura Tavishati

Publisher/Book Design: Jim Valentino

Extra Mini Stories I've manage to find on the Web...

I'll look for a better one....

Remember when I said not to piss Hannah off...

Covers :D

Studies - Sketches - Work In Progress

The hot Guard Town we were talking about....I can't wait to see what happened and what's going to happen with him and Hannah. We are talking about a really spicy not-relationship!