Rat Queens Special: Braga #1 by Kurtis J. WiebeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rat Queens is going through something of a transitional period with the announcement that Stjepan Sejic will be taking over as the series main artist. The why’s and wherefores of this alteration have been alluded to elsewhere but it remains to be seen if the change will serve the Queens as they move forward.
For this one shot writer Kurtis J Wiebe is joined by artist Tess Fowler for a story that is tonnes of fun if not a little confusing. The great move by the creation team is though this is a Rat Queens Story none of our awesome foursome make an appearance within the issue. For readers to see three interpretations of the Queens in three issues would have broken the visual narrative but by having this buffer in-between our palettes will be more cleansed for the arrival of Sejic. Although in its own right this is a great issue and should not be thought of solely as a stop gap issue.
Our main focus for this issue is Braga the Orc and how she came to be embroiled in the world of the Rat Queens (although this is only the start of that tale). The story has violence, family drama, violence, betrayal, violence and a spot of implied nookie. In all these regards Fowler has a strong grasp of the artwork her action is fluid and her quieter moments have a measure of intimacy that make the hulking Orc feel like a warm character you cannot help but warm to. This goes beyond the violent and wise cracking Braga we met in the first arc in the battle outside Pallisade although there is an odd twist in the story that will have you scratching your head to the end.
Above all though this shows Rat Queens is a series that is bigger than its four main stars. Wiebe has produced a script that utilises the character and given her legs for the future. I would love this one shot to become a secondary series although I realise that fatigue of a series could be an issue in the future. So for now I’m happy to wait for the relaunch of Rat Queens and look forward to meeting Braga again in another time and place hopefully with Tess Fowler again on board in the art department.
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