Princeless Volume 2 #1

The popular Princeless series, a fresh take on girls’ fantasy roles written by Jeremy Whitley, returns with a new miniseries in February.

Now drawn by Emily Martin, this story features runaway princess Adrienne and her new friend Bedelia (a real pistol, a blacksmith’s daughter) setting out to save Adrienne’s sister Angelica, “the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom”. The King, their father, is complicating things, though, because he thinks that Adrienne’s masked identity is responsible for killing Adrienne. (If you want to know the details, read the first collection.)

The book opens with the king soliciting for bounty hunters to find this villain, only since this is a fantasy, they’re “the greatest knights in all the land”. The various types (all exaggerated) are amusing, and Martin does a great job creating different appearances for them. I was a tad jealous of the time spent on them, since I so very much want to spend all the reading time with Adrienne and Bedelia, but that’s a backhanded compliment speaking to how much I enjoy the core characters. I’m also looking forward to getting to know Angelica as a counterbalance for all the guy knights, plus her lovelorn poet suitor.

There’s some slapstick with the girls — a reminder that this book is also suitable for younger readers, who will likely mostly enjoy the acrobatic chases and pratfalls, especially those involving Sparky, the dragon. (I’ve had the chance to read this issue, because the writer provided a digital review copy.)

As the publisher points out, Princeless Volume 1 was nominated for two Eisner awards including Best Series for Ages 8-12 and Best Single Issue. It also won the Glyph Awards for Best Heroine, Best Writer, and Best Story. You can order Princeless Volume 2 #1 now from your local comic shop with Diamond Previews code DEC12 0771.