PrinceLess: Short Stories for Warrior Women #1by Wolfen MoondaughterReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 5 I should start by saying I have not read PrinceLess, and am only very vaguely familiar with the series by the raves of my sister Tarts. I basically just know that the series is supposed to be about a princess who saves herself from a tower and goes on an adventure with a dragon.This issue features two short stories set in that universe, as well as a pin-ups and a preview of the second collected volume. I hesitate to use the words short stories, though — I only use it because that's what the cover calls them. The first tale is at best a vignette, the second a "Chapter One" — they both end very abruptly, feeling quite unfinished. The first story doesn't include a "The End," so I thought for a moment that it would continue beyond the ad for the illustrator. It seems to be something of a prequel for the main series. The second story says "the beginning" at the tale's conclusion. I have no idea if there will be more of either tale in the second part of this two-parter or not. The art, from three different artists, is pretty solid. I would like the art in the first tale a little better if I didn't feel like the lower halves of the bodies of the children were oddly truncated, but otherwise there was a fun, animated quality. I don't really love the character designs in the second, but I did find the colouring technique interesting, especially in the more graphically-styled panels, and the layouts were nicely done as well. But I liked the art in the preview at the end the best! I was surprised to discover that, despite this miniseries being part of the PrinceLess universe, both stories focus greatly on boys (the second one is actually a prince's adventure), and the preview introduces a slew of heroes. Now, I appreciate that, like the princess in that story who wants to play hero, the boy (I think it's her brother?) also doesn't seem all that keen on his expected gender role: he doesn't want to playfight. He also is saved, and by someone whom I suspect is an elder princess in disguise (at least I hope so, since Adrienne is actually absent from the scene). That's really cool all around, a princess knight and a boy who doesn't ascribe to the standard concepts of masculinity. (Well, it is if the intent isn't simply to depict the playmate as cowardly.) The downside, though, is that the princess here, Adrienne, comes off as horribly bossy and condescending towards him, on the verge of being a bully, and that really kills her likability for me. Empowerment doesn't mean pushing people into doing what you want them to do despite their own wishes. The passage in which the king and queen discuss the problem of the dragon they have acquired as the guardian for their daughter Alize is a bit unclear: they mention needing to make sure they get a "real man for an heir," but it's not explained that the whole point of the dragon is bit to actually protect their daughter, but to pose a challenge to any man seeking her hand, a point I only knew about after I recalled reading such in another Tart's review of the main series. As it was, for a moment I thought perhaps Alize was a boy that the dragon was supposed to mentor on how to be a man, and that when they worried that the dragon might eat their daughter, it was supposed to read "daughters." The work isn't too "new reader"-friendly (and to be fair, maybe it's not meant to be). The second story is about a moderately bratty, moderately arrogant, womanising young prince who, coming across a maiden in a trap, tries to rescue her and fails. This too troubles me: a girl's empowerment doesn't need to come from the vilification of or a failure from a male hero — it lessens her power. At one point, the girl tells the prince, "If you're a prince, why don't you rescue us? Isn't that what princes do?" This is a heavy-handed way of highlighting the stereotype, and it doesn't make her sound too good. Either she is a damsel waiting for a princely rescue, or she's being unreasonably condescending to him after he at least tried to rescue her. Yes, he was headstrong and overconfident and got caught himself because of that, but he didn't have to try to rescue her in the first place $#151; doesn't he get points for trying? She's the one who called for help, and he got trapped trying to answer that call — her attitude seems rather ungrateful. This might have been fine in some stories — character flaws can be good — but not so much in a story where the focus is on girls who don't need a prince. Not needing a prince doesn't mean you have to be snotty to one (even if he seems a bit of a prat), especially when you've only known him for about five seconds. The prince actually redeems himself a smidge by self-deprecatingly replying, "Well, I'm supposed to be performing an epic task, too, so I guess I'm oh-for-two, peasant girl." (He also, when she asks if he's "a prince or something" in the first place, replies, "Or something," another reply that makes him a little more endearing.) For her, the saving grace is that she's the one who thinks of the way to save them both. Then the prince's blossoming likability is ruined by the prince basically taking the credit — between him, his cranky father, the overprotective king and the hero stereotypes (and possibly Adrienne's treatment of her playmate), there are a lot of negative depictions of males and no real positive ones. Even the hero who is lauded for his purity is depicted in a negative light. I can only hope that at least some of them are redeemed as the series progresses. Now, all that said, this volume has made me quite curious to see how things go in the regular series. And putting feminism aside, the interactions between the peasant girl and the prince could prove fun in a "romantic love / hate road trip" sort of way, a la Romancing the Stone. Otherwise, this might prove more enjoyable for people who are already fans of and more familiar with the main title. Written: July 1, 2012
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