Ultimately, #12 was a solid issue. I understand the need to check in with each team member every once in a while, and I know it's a difficult thing to pull off successfully 100% of the time. This issue advances the current story arc, which is all one can ask from a book with as stellar of a track record as Rat Queens has.Tess Fowler is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists in the game right now, and while Dee's detour was visually stunning, I can't help but to think that Fowler probably could've captured that longing and homesicknessin fewer panels due to how talented she is at depicting emotion and expressiveness. AddTamra Bonvillain's complementary color palette and skill at impeccably setting atmosphere and mood and and you'll find satisfaction even in the disjointed moments. I'm completely in love with the current art team and hope it stays put for a long, long time.

Issue #11 begins in the middle of a plotthat readers are clueless about. It wasn't my favorite thing, mostly because I felt like I missed an issue somewhere. I won't lie, I had to flip back to page one and start over once or twice. Once it finally clicked that we weren't following the fairly structured formula I'd become accustomed to, I was golden. Weibe once again proves himself proficient in both writing and pacing, and thrusts the reader into that familiar clever quip/all-out-brawl combo we've come to know and love by the third page. When we finally see our Queens (who have been captured by a gaggle of hungry goblins with pretty decent culinary skills) again we're already sucked in and gladly giving them the attention this series rightfully deserves.