2023 EDIT:
Reread: Still fun and funny. Not as great as on my first read, and it is a short volume of setup, but, ya know, fun.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
Yeah, I loved this.
I love any deconstruction and subversion of the classic fairy tale, specifically a breakdown and examination of gender roles. And at first glance, 'Princeless' doesn't seem like anything new among the "strong female-led fairy tales" in the media in recent years: such as 'Enchanted', 'Frozen' and Pixar's 'Brave', or even Disney's other film from the 1990s, 'Mulan'. Fractured fairy tales have been done to death, with the 'Shrek' films having given rise to their popularity.
In a way, the 'Princeless' graphic novel is like this, like a no-brainer edition to the many other fairy tales with a feminist twist. But how often do you see a fractured fairy tale featuring:
• A protagonist of colour?
• A comic relief female blacksmith with strengths of her own?
• A discussion of just how impractical the "warrior woman" outfits are, starting with how they're not even armour, but costumes?
• A prince who doesn't exhibit the traditional masculine qualities, and so can't be heir to the throne? (He can’t be king because he’s considered too girly by his own father, and he respects women as people with their own rights. Though is that only because he grew up with seven sisters, one of them being his twin? I hope this wasn’t an oversight on the author’s part).
• And where the patriarchy is clearly the villain, in the form of an awful, misogynist king? The comic even addresses the way girls are depicted in fantasy stories. Princesses, damsels in distress, mothers, daughters and wives to the men: they are seen and treated as nothing more than property. They are currency; dowries to be owned and used.
• The book also highlights how the patriarchy hurts men as well as women, demonstrated through the experiences of the princes Devin and Wilcome.
• A social commentary on catcalling and street harassment is snuck in here too.
'Princeless Book 1' is funny, cartoony, and charming; a joy to be read in one small, comfy sitting. It's like 'Rat Queens' for children, and while that may sound like a stretch, in a medieval-set graphic novel starring awesome women warrior leads, it isn't really. I think I rate 'Princeless' one-up above 'Rat Queens' in that ‘Princeless’ is accessible to everyone in terms of age (anyone of any gender can read and enjoy it as well), and it has a clearer plot about a princess going on a quest to save her sisters from their own towers. No princes - who are as much tools of the patriarchy as the princesses - are going to come to their rescue!
Princess Adrienne is outspoken, tough, intelligent, cunning, and hilarious and won't let anyone or anything get her down. It's tragic her parents can't love her for who she is - they actually get her drugged in order to imprison her in a tower to be rescued by a random prince. Adrienne can swing a sword and wear good, heavy armour no problem at all - she proves that women are not the weaker sex, and she will personally destroy misconceptions of gender. She's still a teenager, but as we've seen hundreds of times before in other fairy tale deconstructions, this is not a hindrance. Kids and teens are smart, and 'Princeless Book 1' respects as well as entertains its target audience.
Sparks is the cutest dragon ever; a kind and faithful friend to Adrienne, and female to boot. When Adrienne tells her she was bred and trained to guard her tower, only to be slain later - that the life of a dragon is for the profit of breeders and blacksmiths working together - the disillusioned Sparks agrees to help the princess on her quest.
Adrienne finds a sword under her bed, her tower is scorched by Sparks, and they head off in search of her trapped sisters.
On the way - after a meeting with her twin brother Devin, and hearing the news that everyone in her kingdom thinks she was killed by Sparks - Adrienne gains a new companion on her journey. Meet Bedelia, a half-dwarf blacksmith's daughter. Well, she's the actual blacksmith, but she lets people think her father does her work, because no one would want to buy armour or weapons made by a woman (the patriarchy is strong in this). I absolutely adore Bedelia - she's fun, quirky but takes her job deadly seriously. Got a pinch of Pinky from 'Pinky and the Brain' in her as well, and she's smarter than she lets on. She even carries a giant hammer as a weapon.
Bedelia prides in her secret "warrior women" outfits - the Diana (Wonder Woman), the Sonya (Red Sonja) and the Warrior Princess (Xena) are skimpy and show too much skin. Adrienne offers commentary on how impractical and unsafe they’ll be in a real battle. The comic does criticize the portrayal of women in these outfits in popular culture, and it isn't subtle about it, of course. But it's mostly good-natured, not an outright attack.
Anyway, regarding Bedelia, I have a feeling she's part of an LBGTQ inclusion in a kid's comic, and not just because of how she designs women's armour and tells Adrienne to strip at least twice. I'm not normally a shipper in fandom, but I'd ship Adrienne and Bedelia easily. They make a lovely team.
Well that's about all I'll reveal about 'Princeless Book 1: Save Yourself'. It's more of an introduction to a story than anything else, but it's a fantastic introduction nevertheless. Brilliant, fleshed-out characters, with a villain you'll love to hate, and an original quest to embark upon. Like a video game, RPG or a pilot to a Cartoon Network show.
This one little comic book is cute, fun, and for girls and boys it's a clever observation and dissecting of the patriarchal system that's present in the structure of fairy tales. 'Princeless Book 1' doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, but it takes its themes to heart.
The cover art editions at the end are beautiful too (go Adrienne and Bedelia and Sparks!)
Royally recommended.
Final Score: 5/5
P.S: At the beginning, little Adrienne points out the various plot holes in the traditional “princess-locked-in-a-tower” tale, concluding it’s an example of how not to write. Which is awesome. However I’ve noticed a tiny hole in the ‘Princeless Book 1’ story itself: Family pictures exist in a medieval setting where technology such as cameras and photographs don’t fit in. Or are they paintings? It’s hard to tell with the artwork. Though the picture in question is small and accurately shows the characters, and it’s a plot point so can’t necessarily be called unimportant. Yeah it is fantasy, but ‘Princeless’ is supposed to be cleverer than that in its details. Nonetheless, I’m happy to say this doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the comic one bit.
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