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by Emlyn Roberts-Harry
In the interest of cutting right to the chase: yes, it's worth the wait. Even though The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'Rygoth has finally been published six months after its initial solicitation date, Rat Queens hasn't missed a beat in the meantime. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this volume is that, if you didn't know about all the behind-the-scenes drama responsible for the delay, you'd never guess based on the quality of the work. It remains a damned good fantasy comic.
The story picks up right where the previous volume left off, and yes, this one does go into "dark sequel" territory. Not that the first volume was all sunshine and laughter, but the end of the world is a very real possibility this time around, with all that that entails. Wiebe digs deeper into his characters' back stories, fleshing out who they are and why they decided to become adventurers, through flashbacks and nightmares which the Queens experience while the world's collapsing around them.
In the interest of cutting right to the chase: yes, it's worth the wait. Even though The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'Rygoth has finally been published six months after its initial solicitation date, Rat Queens hasn't missed a beat in the meantime. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this volume is that, if you didn't know about all the behind-the-scenes drama responsible for the delay, you'd never guess based on the quality of the work. It remains a damned good fantasy comic.
The story picks up right where the previous volume left off, and yes, this one does go into "dark sequel" territory. Not that the first volume was all sunshine and laughter, but the end of the world is a very real possibility this time around, with all that that entails. Wiebe digs deeper into his characters' back stories, fleshing out who they are and why they decided to become adventurers, through flashbacks and nightmares which the Queens experience while the world's collapsing around them.
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There's a whole issue dedicated to hipster dwarven fighter Violet's past, and while it initially seems like a distraction from the main plot, it's actually a very touching story about the relationships between mothers and daughters. And when the main plot resumes in the following issue, with a massive battle involving pretty much the entire named cast, the care given to the pacing gives it the high stakes and sense of real importance that a fight to stop the world from ending needs. And there's one particular splash page in the final issue that deserves to be singled out for bringing some unexpectedly epic romance to this story of booze-guzzling, foul-mouthed adventurers.
None of which is to say that it's stopped being funny. There are still plenty of great gags to be found here, more than a few of them revolving around Betty and her two essential food groups: candy and drugs. There's a wonderfully crude dirty joke within the first handful of pages which is guaranteed to elicit at least a chuckle, and if the wait between volumes has been frustrating for you, it'll instantly remind you why you like this comic so much. And, of course, Gary gets more abuse, which is always fun. (Sidenote: why doesn't there appear to be any fanart combining this Gary and Sex Criminals' Sexual Gary?)
It would have been nice to see Dee's story and character foregrounded a little more, especially since the threat the Queens are facing this time around is out of her past. To be sure, she's always been the quieter, more socially awkward of the characters, and she does get more development and a very satisfying hero moment towards the end, but the focus is largely on Hannah and Violet. This isn't a problem as such, mainly because all of the Queens are fantastic, immediately engaging characters, but we do learn quite a bit less about Dee's (and Betty's) past than we do about the other two.
None of which is to say that it's stopped being funny. There are still plenty of great gags to be found here, more than a few of them revolving around Betty and her two essential food groups: candy and drugs. There's a wonderfully crude dirty joke within the first handful of pages which is guaranteed to elicit at least a chuckle, and if the wait between volumes has been frustrating for you, it'll instantly remind you why you like this comic so much. And, of course, Gary gets more abuse, which is always fun. (Sidenote: why doesn't there appear to be any fanart combining this Gary and Sex Criminals' Sexual Gary?)
It would have been nice to see Dee's story and character foregrounded a little more, especially since the threat the Queens are facing this time around is out of her past. To be sure, she's always been the quieter, more socially awkward of the characters, and she does get more development and a very satisfying hero moment towards the end, but the focus is largely on Hannah and Violet. This isn't a problem as such, mainly because all of the Queens are fantastic, immediately engaging characters, but we do learn quite a bit less about Dee's (and Betty's) past than we do about the other two.
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Naturally, the big talking point with this volume is Stjepan Sejic of Sunstone fame taking over art duties from Roc Upchurch for the last two issues. He has a very distinctive style, a little more painterly than Upchurch's, with slightly rougher linework and a more muted colour palette, and it fits the more serious tone of this volume extremely well. Particularly nice are his distorted panel edges to create the sense that the comic, like reality itself, is coming apart at the seams.
However, Sejic's art isn't so different that the transition is jarring. Upchurch's final issue flows into Sejic's first very naturally, which confirms what we'd all hoped when Upchurch was taken off the comic: that it wouldn't affect the quality or the feel of the story, and that Wiebe's writing would be strong enough to prevent the change in artist from being a problem. Rest assured that Rat Queens continues to be as great as it ever was, and it shows no signs of slowing down from here.
One final thing: the cover for issue #10 is a thing of beauty. The world needs more sexy Orc Dave.
However, Sejic's art isn't so different that the transition is jarring. Upchurch's final issue flows into Sejic's first very naturally, which confirms what we'd all hoped when Upchurch was taken off the comic: that it wouldn't affect the quality or the feel of the story, and that Wiebe's writing would be strong enough to prevent the change in artist from being a problem. Rest assured that Rat Queens continues to be as great as it ever was, and it shows no signs of slowing down from here.
One final thing: the cover for issue #10 is a thing of beauty. The world needs more sexy Orc Dave.
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