Rat Queens by Curtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

Image source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20299683-rat-queens-vol-1?from_search=true

Rat Queens is a new, Eisner award winning comic book series that follows a team of four female mercenaries in a Dungeons and Dragonesque setting. The Rat Queens are violent, foul-mouthed and not afraid to get their hands dirty... In fact, they're all too eager to get their hands dirty. The first volume of the series, Sass and Sorcery, follows the Rat Queens as they try to figure out who is hiring assassins to kill them, while fighting to save their lives and their town, Palisade.

The humor in this series is quick, dark and delightfully crass. No punches are held (literally and figuratively) and the content includes everything from disembowelment, to drugs, to drunken sexual escapades (well hello there Orc Dave...).

The characters are, at a glance, modern stereotypes with a D&D twist. Hannah - the no-nonsense, tattooed elven mage.  Dee - the human cleric who is still trying to distance herself from her family's (somewhat familiar) tentacled god. Violet - the dwarf fighter who is considering regrowing her beard now that shaving it has become mainstream. And Betty - the smidgen thief that would live off of candy, drugs and booze if it were physically possible. 

Underneath the sarcasm, the attitude and the penchant for criminal behaviour are believable, emotional characters and complicated relationships with family, lovers, colleagues and rivals.

Upchurch's art style is another asset to the series; bold, colourful but still detailed and attractive, it strikes a perfect balance between cartoon and realism much like Wiebe's writing.

If you're not easily offended and you enjoy over the top humour and action with a high fantasy backdrop, I highly recommend Rat Queens. Especially if you have a soft spot for D&D.

23 days until Christmas!