Rat Queens

The Rat Queens are a tough, insouciant gang of ne'er-do-well girls (they're certainly not ladies) who love a good bar brawl. When they are assigned a mission as punishment for their latest recklessness by the mayor of Palisade and it turns out to be a trap, Hannah, Violet, Dee, and Betty come back to the town to figure out who has it in for them and the other local fighting gangs. And if they have to beat up a few people and monsters to do it, then that's just fine by them. Wiebe and Upchurch offer readers three-dimensional female characters with varying body types, races, sexual orientations, and backstories, while also including all the intriguing side characters, crude language, drug use, magic, violence, and sarcasm that a humorous, adult action-fantasy volume should have. Upchurch's art has beautiful depth, and his panels glow with life. Offer this to readers tired of the same old comics featuring cheesecake depictions of female characters or to readers who like intelligent plots with a side of smart aleck.--Wildsmith, Snow Copyright 2010 Booklist

If you're looking for an M-rated series that is full of swordplay, sorcery, and sass, and you don't mind a bit of gore thrown in for good measure, you'll love this. Betty, Dee, Hannah, and Violet are mercenaries for hire who can drink a troll under the table, use language that would make an orc blush, and mercilessly eviscerate baddies. Off on a minor "quest" in order to make up for their drunken brawling, this kick-ass quartet soon realizes that someone or something wants them very dead. Making them dead, however, is far easier said than done. It's not just the fantastic pacing of Wiebe's (Peter Panzerfaust, Debris) text or former video game designer Upchurch's blood-sprayed action sequences, but also the characters themselves that drive the story relentlessly forward. Possessed of very different body types, personalities, and idiosyncrasies, and not afraid to share exactly what they're feeling, the Rat Queens are refreshing characters whose story will leave readers thirsty for more. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.