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annemaries_shelves's review
3.0
A really fun, snappy space opera story of a monarch on the run long after the revolution destroyed her throne.
If you like your sci-fi comics to have witty dialogue, great art, and a fast-moving plot, I would consider picking this up.
If you like your sci-fi comics to have witty dialogue, great art, and a fast-moving plot, I would consider picking this up.
librarianryan's review
3.0
Vagrant Queen Vol 1. - Vissaggio Smith and Saxon Saam - 3.5
An interesting space opera. The Queen is on the run. Her planet and people taken over by revolutionaries. She wants her people to be free, but she also wants to live and free. But the two can not happen if others keep stabbing her in the back. Overall an interesting graphic novel. I liked the art work better than the story line.
#LitsyAtoZ #V
#GondorGirlGNChallenge
#SFFTBRChallenge
An interesting space opera. The Queen is on the run. Her planet and people taken over by revolutionaries. She wants her people to be free, but she also wants to live and free. But the two can not happen if others keep stabbing her in the back. Overall an interesting graphic novel. I liked the art work better than the story line.
#LitsyAtoZ #V
#GondorGirlGNChallenge
#SFFTBRChallenge
mouseg's review
3.0
The art is a bit cartoony; it doesn’t really suit the story. It does grow on you and gets a bit more polished by the last issue. The story is a fairly basic space opera, a queen on the run from the rebels who overthrew her. I enjoyed the story and characters. 3.5 stars. I want to see what Elida gets up to on her next adventure.
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
theirresponsiblereader's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
★ ★ ★ 1/2
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Let's get this out of the way, I'm having a very difficult time not talking about the job the late SYFY show did of adapting this. I could go on and on...I don't know if I'd have liked it if I'd read the comic first, but I think I would. It captures the spirit of the book, and a fair amount of the letter. Coming the other direction, I'm pretty impressed.
ENOUGH OF THAT, TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
Once upon a time, there was a child queen, Eldaya. Eldaya seems to have had a good heart and a desire to rule her people well. Her handlers seemed all in favor of that, but some things came first. Somewhere along the line, her advisors/hanlders—as well as her predecessors—lost track of their purpose, and let the galaxy (not ours) go to pot, letting injustice and suffering grow. Eventually, this bubbles into a French Revolution-style revolt. Eldaya, her mother and some loyal people escape—for a while. They're eventually found, and some of the revolutionary forces almost get the queen, they get almost all of her staff and mother.
It's years later now, and the queen has adopted the name Elida. Elida's a mavericky, smark alecky, savanger—doing all she can to survive. She wants nothing to do with her past and is doing all she can to pretend it has nothing to do with her (and it works, there are few who have a clue about it)
Elida has a...frequent ally, I guess. He's not really a friend. He's definitely not an enemy. Think Empire-era Han and Lando, maybe. Isaac is from Earth (a planet that no one believes exists), and will do almost anything for a shot to get back there—even if it is in another galaxy.
One of the revolutionaries, Lazaro, has been hunting for the Queen since she fled her home—and after all this time, he thinks he can capture and kill her.
Throw these three into a galaxy-wide chase with Elida trying to rescue her long-lost mother from the clutches of the revolution...and you've got yourself an exciting little space opera.
HOW'S THE ART?
I don't have a lot to say about it, really. Which solely reflects on me, not on Smith. The art is quirky, vibrant—there's a great sense of motion to it. I really dug Smith's approach.
I think Lazaro is frequently depicted a bit too cartoonishly. Which is odd, as he's about as far from comic relief as you can get.
WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT VAGRANT QUEEN VOL. 1?
It was fun, with some great action. I wanted a little more depth to everything, but not much. For a little bit of fun SF adventure, Vagrant Queen fits the bill nicely. I'll be back for Vol. 2.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Let's get this out of the way, I'm having a very difficult time not talking about the job the late SYFY show did of adapting this. I could go on and on...I don't know if I'd have liked it if I'd read the comic first, but I think I would. It captures the spirit of the book, and a fair amount of the letter. Coming the other direction, I'm pretty impressed.
ENOUGH OF THAT, TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
Once upon a time, there was a child queen, Eldaya. Eldaya seems to have had a good heart and a desire to rule her people well. Her handlers seemed all in favor of that, but some things came first. Somewhere along the line, her advisors/hanlders—as well as her predecessors—lost track of their purpose, and let the galaxy (not ours) go to pot, letting injustice and suffering grow. Eventually, this bubbles into a French Revolution-style revolt. Eldaya, her mother and some loyal people escape—for a while. They're eventually found, and some of the revolutionary forces almost get the queen, they get almost all of her staff and mother.
It's years later now, and the queen has adopted the name Elida. Elida's a mavericky, smark alecky, savanger—doing all she can to survive. She wants nothing to do with her past and is doing all she can to pretend it has nothing to do with her (and it works, there are few who have a clue about it)
Elida has a...frequent ally, I guess. He's not really a friend. He's definitely not an enemy. Think Empire-era Han and Lando, maybe. Isaac is from Earth (a planet that no one believes exists), and will do almost anything for a shot to get back there—even if it is in another galaxy.
One of the revolutionaries, Lazaro, has been hunting for the Queen since she fled her home—and after all this time, he thinks he can capture and kill her.
Throw these three into a galaxy-wide chase with Elida trying to rescue her long-lost mother from the clutches of the revolution...and you've got yourself an exciting little space opera.
HOW'S THE ART?
I don't have a lot to say about it, really. Which solely reflects on me, not on Smith. The art is quirky, vibrant—there's a great sense of motion to it. I really dug Smith's approach.
I think Lazaro is frequently depicted a bit too cartoonishly. Which is odd, as he's about as far from comic relief as you can get.
WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT VAGRANT QUEEN VOL. 1?
It was fun, with some great action. I wanted a little more depth to everything, but not much. For a little bit of fun SF adventure, Vagrant Queen fits the bill nicely. I'll be back for Vol. 2.
stephanieisreading's review
4.0
Read during the #stayhome24in48 challenge!
Vagrant Queen (Vol. 1) had been on my radar for a while, and the fact that it has been developed into a TV show helped make this a PERFECT title for the 24 in 48 weekend!
The book was very much full of adventure and humor, and fantastic characters. The tension between Elida and Isaac was definitely compelling, and the villain of the piece was certainly terrifying. The pacing was excellent and it was great to finally cross a book off of my TBR list.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how this series is adapted in television! I'm also super stoked that there are more Vagrant Queen comics in my future ♥
Vagrant Queen (Vol. 1) had been on my radar for a while, and the fact that it has been developed into a TV show helped make this a PERFECT title for the 24 in 48 weekend!
The book was very much full of adventure and humor, and fantastic characters. The tension between Elida and Isaac was definitely compelling, and the villain of the piece was certainly terrifying. The pacing was excellent and it was great to finally cross a book off of my TBR list.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing how this series is adapted in television! I'm also super stoked that there are more Vagrant Queen comics in my future ♥
ruthsic's review
3.0
Rep: Black main character
Warnings: gun violence, death of loved ones, body horror and gore
I'll admit going into this I thought it was a story about a queen reclaiming a kingdom, but Elida's story is about having nothing to do with her throne. When she was ten, revolutionaries had stormed and ended the long line of monarchy, and she, the child queen, and her mother had been in hiding, until as a teen, she is separated from her mother, too. Since then, she has been surviving on the edges of the system, flying under the radar; she is still, however, a target for the leaders of the revolution, one of which has a specific desire to see her apprehended. And an old acquaintance, Isaac, coming with news of how to reach her mother seems too good to be true, but she has to try.
The premise of the story is quite interesting, and I see why they would pick it up for a TV adaptation - it certainly has potential as SFF story: there's a republic that's barely existed for a decade and a half, on the heels of a thousand-generation long monarchy, and the lost queen is more or less forgotten. But the search for Elida is about something much more ancient that her royal line holds, and it's a mix of fantastical elements in this futuristic space kingdom that doesn't really believe that there ever was an Earth they emigrated from. Speaking of the Earth thing, though, that's where I got a bit confused - because Isaac seems to be from Earth, so it figures that he knew the path from there and with the universal GPS, you'd think the path back wouldn't be lost?
The artwork didn't impress me - the proportions were off or weird in so many panels, and the storyboards aren't helping either with its jagged flow. It brings up backstories one after another in a series, and confuses the reader. The coloring wasn't pleasing either. Overall, the artwork is where this book suffers and despite it's decent plot, it wasn't as fun to read due to it.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Vault Comics, via Edelweiss.
Warnings: gun violence, death of loved ones, body horror and gore
I'll admit going into this I thought it was a story about a queen reclaiming a kingdom, but Elida's story is about having nothing to do with her throne. When she was ten, revolutionaries had stormed and ended the long line of monarchy, and she, the child queen, and her mother had been in hiding, until as a teen, she is separated from her mother, too. Since then, she has been surviving on the edges of the system, flying under the radar; she is still, however, a target for the leaders of the revolution, one of which has a specific desire to see her apprehended. And an old acquaintance, Isaac, coming with news of how to reach her mother seems too good to be true, but she has to try.
The premise of the story is quite interesting, and I see why they would pick it up for a TV adaptation - it certainly has potential as SFF story: there's a republic that's barely existed for a decade and a half, on the heels of a thousand-generation long monarchy, and the lost queen is more or less forgotten. But the search for Elida is about something much more ancient that her royal line holds, and it's a mix of fantastical elements in this futuristic space kingdom that doesn't really believe that there ever was an Earth they emigrated from. Speaking of the Earth thing, though, that's where I got a bit confused - because Isaac seems to be from Earth, so it figures that he knew the path from there and with the universal GPS, you'd think the path back wouldn't be lost?
The artwork didn't impress me - the proportions were off or weird in so many panels, and the storyboards aren't helping either with its jagged flow. It brings up backstories one after another in a series, and confuses the reader. The coloring wasn't pleasing either. Overall, the artwork is where this book suffers and despite it's decent plot, it wasn't as fun to read due to it.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Vault Comics, via Edelweiss.
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