COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Princeless: The Pirate Princess #1- Who says princesses need princes to save them?

Who says princesses need princes to save them?

Raven Xingtao, the pirate princess called ‘Black Arrow’, is stuck in a tower courtesy of her own brothers. Princess Adrienne Ashe and a dwarf named Bedelia from the previous Princeless titles comes in to rescue her, defeating the arrogant knight guarding her. We eventually learn a few snippets on probably why Raven was forced to be stuck in the tower as they escape the tower and then the bar where they were confronted by Raven’s ex-shipmates.

The question on why Raven was left to be stuck in the tower still lingers in the air and is probably the main point of the comic, along with Princess Adrienne’s quest to free her sisters. The first few pages showed Raven was even encouraged and trained by her own father, the Pirate king, to be a fighter and not just be a damsel in distress. It would have been great to know more about Raven, her father and her brothers, and why Raven was put there in the first place.

Princeless: The Pirate Princess breaks the stereotype of the common princesses we know today, which is someone that is fragile who needs to be saved. True to its title, this gave us a small slice of feminism mixed in humor on how princesses somehow over power male characters. Much like Image Comic’s Bitch Planet, it empowers women though in a more light-hearted way where instead of going deep through politics and deep rooted issues it shows that girls can be heroes too. It’s a fun, colorful, bright and easy to read. Though the target market is for kids, I’m sure adult would also love this if they are looking for something light.

Jeremy Whitley’s choice of story and how diverse each character was were quite commendable. It’s rare to find female lead characters that are of color. He managed to give out personalities that are likable yet distinct from each other. Rosy Higgins and Ted Brandt’s art style and character designs were easy on the eyes that kids will sure to love. It has the old fashion cartoon style that’s easily relatable to children. Each pages has It made me remember a book series where Princesses also kick men’s asses, but this one takes the crown for being child friendly while still being a comic that adults can get into.

Though I haven’t read the first two volumes of the Princeless series, which is Princess Adrienne and Bedelia’s stories, but just based on this one- I’ll definitely buy the other two too.