Why You Should Read Vagrant Queen (Before You Watch The Show) And Three Other Comics To Check Out
VAGRANT QUEEN
Writer: Magdalene Visaggio
Artist: Jason Smith
Publisher: Vault
Rating: 9/10
I’m ashamed to admit I picked up Vagrant Queen much later than I should have. As someone who is usually current with most comic book adaptations, I only picked up the comic after hearing that a show was coming to the SYFY network. I’m not proud of how long it took me to read it, but you can learn from my mistake and read it as quickly as possible.
Vagrant Queen is the story of Elida, a galaxy hopping bounty hunter who was crowned a queen as a child and then fled from a revolutionary overthrow of the government and hasn’t looked back since. Until now. After learning that her colleague Isaac Stelling has information to the whereabouts of her mother, the outlaw crew embarks on a mission to find her and then quickly become a target themselves.
The tv show series trailer promises to pack the same punches and deliver on adventure. There’s a few weeks until the show airs on the SYFY network so you have time to read the source material and maybe some other great comics such as:
Kim & Kim which was also written by Visaggio. Not only does this comic have a lot of personality, it’s a love letter to badass lady types who are just living their life while trying to get their shit together. But in space. Kim & Kim are two bounty hunters who are just trying to make a living doing what they do best while trying to evade capture by robot gorillas. Read with caution, this comic has teeth and will bite.
Doctor Aphra written by Kieron Gillen follows the titular character Aphra, a former loyalist to Darth Vader, as she attempts to settle debts and search for rare artifacts. When her archaeology license gets disputed (by her own father) she is on a path that leads her straight to a moon crawling with Imperial forces. Easily one of the best non-movie characters, Doctor Aphra’s story does so much more as a comic book than it could do as a movie or tv series even though it deserves so much more.
Isola by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl is more fantasy than the other science fiction and space traveling stories on this list, but is still quite an adventure. The lack of unnecessary dialogue leaves the illustrations to tell the story of the Queen Olwynn and her guard Rook. The two embark on a journey to the mythical land of Isola to reverse a spell that transformed the Queen into a tiger. Royalty, family drama, and adventure combine in a story that pulses of both heart break and hope.
If all of these stories weren’t enough to satisfy your cravings, the follow up to Volume One is currently being published as single issues each month with issue #3 appearing on shelves in late March. Vagrant Queen will air on SYFY on March 27th and I cannot wait to see how it honors the comic book origin and salutes kick-ass women in space everywhere!