The Webcomics Weekly is back in your life and this week Mel is bringing Space Pirates! Thats all you need to know.
Cassiopeia Quinn
Episodes “The Prize,” “Seat of Your Pants,” and “For the Flan Who Has Everything”
Updates Fridays
Writing by Gunwild, Art by psudonym
Reviewed by Mel Lake
Cassiopeia Quinn is a space pirate with an aversion to wearing clothes. 10/10, no notes. Cassiopeia Quinn is the perfect name for a space pirate, especially a carefree one who wears a bikini and donates some of her spoils to the less fortunate. I clicked on this Hiveworks comic purely because of the name but was pleasantly surprised to find it filled with space babes and cute space blobs.
In the world of “Cassiopeia Quinn,” there is a Galactic Navy at war with an alien race, called Vanaa. Between the conflict, space pirates like Quinn and her robot cowboy mechanic named Zeke operate outside the law and according to their own rules. We’re introduced to Quinn during a daring raid in which she single-handedly steals a warship while wearing what looks like space spandex. (Then she strips down to her typical outfit – a space bikini that makes Leia’s gold number look positively modest.) Zeke provides assistance and droll commentary but Quinn is the star of the show and she knows it. Unfortunately, the ship belonged to one Captain Vrax, a serious officer who vows to take revenge on the ridiculous, scantily clad pirate who took her ship.
Because this comic has been around since 2014, you can go back to the early issues and compare them to the current pages to see just how far the creators have come in terms of style and technique. The early pages are dynamic and fun, but a bit sketchy and unpolished. Skipping ahead shows how different shading and cleaner lines change the look of the characters. (Cassiopeia continues to not wear pants, though. It’s her thing, after all.) But even though the earlier issues are rougher, the panel layouts are varied to perfectly fit the action on the page. And though the story takes place in space, the action is always clear and the focus stays on the characters. You never have to wonder what’s going on or which character is which. The lettering and dialogue are easy to read and the panels flow nicely. Flipping ahead, it’s fun to see the story take on different styles, looking like a western sometimes and like a 70s space heist story in others.
You can probably tell from the fact that the protagonist doesn’t wear pants while being a flashy outlaw that “Cassiopeia Quinn” is not a terribly serious story. Though the background includes alien races at war with one another, one side is being fought by literal space blobs. (They’re seriously cute.) The blobs use phrases like “Condense yourself!” and “Smooshbag,” so even though they are ruled by a fearsome Cthulu-looking being, it’s a little hard to take them seriously. And Cassiopeia herself is determined to have a good time while pirating in space, so don’t go looking for hard-hitting angst or deep intellectual storytelling in this webcomic. The humor is juvenile at times but not so crass as to make me stop reading. And though the title character is frequently almost naked, Hiveworks rates the comic as for teens. The issues I read didn’t have anything more scandalous, content-wise, than the sort of cheesecake poses you might find on a mainstream comics variant cover or manga aimed at older teens.
If you’re in the mood for a light, colorful comic led by busty space babes, “Cassiopeia Quinn” is worth a look. Even if you don’t love the title character, there are plenty of fun sidekicks and cute bonus comics to entertain you. And space blobs! Who doesn’t love a good space blob? Personally, I love a nice blob. See you, space cowgirl.
