supercheesegirl

This book was awesome. The description on the back cover is ridiculous and doesn't really describe how great this book is. I think they probably describe the Rat Queens as "Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief" because some asshole thought only D&D players would buy this book and they wanted to get the categories out of the way? Whatev.

Yes, it's about a band of female mercenary warriors, and they're hot chicks and they drink beer and stuff. And yes, it's probably one of the most violent graphic novels I've ever read. If that's enough to get you interested, it's fine to stop there as long as you go pick up the book. But they're doing so much to play with fantasy tropes here! This isn't just making a typical band of mercenaries into chicks so they can draw some boobs. Each member of the Rat Queens is a sharp, interesting, and fully realized female character, with backstories I can't wait to read more about. When did you last read a fantasy novel where the dwarf was actually a real character and not just a bearded beer gut with an axe? Plus they're playing on the stereotype of dwarf women being hidden away in their caves and never seen. And subverting the "orcs are evil" concept. And I don't even know if a "smidgen" is a normal halfling-type race or if they just made it up for this book, but Betty is the best character and she's like two feet tall. She's so smart, and it's so totally against type. Besides just the willingness to have characters in a fantasy with names like Betty, Dave, and Gary instead of names like Galadriel and Fafhrd! And sexuality is handled in a positive way!

Seriously, I finished this book and then flipped back to the beginning to read the entire thing again immediately. I am in love. It is rare that I get so into a graphic novel or recommend a book so strongly. If you are interested in women in sword-and-sorcery fantasy, buy it!