Recently I wrote in my column “Quips From A Clerk” about the Go-To comic of your choice. The one comic that you cannot get enough of, that you want everyone to love as much as you do. My choice currently is Saga, but fellow GonnaGeek staff writer Anthony Bachman might have changed my mind with a comment on the column itself. He told me to check out Princeless, published by Action Labs. I was instantly intrigued by the title, and with his Twitter magic skills, Anthony was able to connect me with the writer of the story, Jeremy Whitley.  Emails were exchanged, bonds made and the stars aligned the right way.

Princeless is written by Jeremy Whitley, with M. Goodwin illustrating, along with Jung-Ha Kim and Dave Dwonch on letters. I’m always looking for books that I can give to my niece, because lets face it, there isn’t a whole lot out there that are not Disney Princesses for me to give her. Not that there is anything wrong with the Disney Princesses, but they just aren’t strong. This is where Princeless takes over. Right away we are introduced to Princess Adrienne, the young princess that wants nothing to do with the fairy tales. Before she even reaches the age of 16 she makes it clear she will not be locked in a tower, awaiting a prince to rescue her. Adrienne goes on her own adventure, with her dragon Sparks and friends she picks up along the way.

One of my favorite points of the story is every time Adrienne corrects a prince. They tend to call her a “fair maiden” when Adrienne is of color. She makes it a point every time to correct them, making her more and more real to me. There are also several jabs at female armor in comic history, as well as the covers that are nothing more than cheesecake. The story is paced well, a little jumpy a times but it is easily to catch up on. The art that Goodwin provides alongside the story is on point, not taking away from anything and adding in more depth to the story itself. Its strong, it leaves you wanting more, it features a strong female character of color, there is good humor…there really isn’t more that a girl can ask for in a comic. Anthony was right, I cannot recommend this comic enough.

Princeless volume 1 collects the first four issues of the series, there is a series of short stories (all worth the read!) and then we are brought current to volume 2, which has its fourth issue coming out on July 3rd.  This current volume has Adrienne going to rescue her sisters after escaping her own tower. The pacing hasn’t quit, neither with the humor or art. Be sure to put this one on your pull list!