Vagrant Queen is a science-fiction comic-book miniseries written by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Jason Smith. It is published by Vault Comics.
When she was only ten years old, Queen Eldaya Al-Feyr of Arriopa was deposed in a coup and forced to go on the run. Fifteen years later, she has made a new life for herself as Elida, a lowly scavenger, and she's actually quite happy. She just wishes she had more money for booze. Her life is upended, however, when her greedy frenemy Isaac reappears, claiming to know the location of her long-lost mother. Together, they set out in search of the monastery on Wix. Meanwhile, Lazaro, a frustrated General in the army that deposed Elida, sees a chance to rise through the ranks by bringing her in.
The miniseries spawned a sequel, A Planet Called Doom, and a TV adaptation that aired on Syfy.
This series contains examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: Elida manages to stop Lazaro, save Arriopa, and earn mercy for herself and Isaac. On the other hand, she and Isaac are banished from Arriopa, and it's still unclear what will become of the Republic.
- General Ripper: Lazaro was one of the nastier and more vicious members of the rebellion, and now that he's a Commander in the Admiralty, he's become obsessed with killing Elida in order to ensure that her family never retakes the throne.
- MacGuffin: The Bezoar of Kings was the thing that allowed Elida's family to rule Arriopa for so many centuries.
- People's Republic of Tyranny: The fledgling Republic of Arriopa is pretty much what you'd expect from a Republic built in the ashes of a theocratic monarchy, which is to say that it's a military dictatorship sprinkled by resentful lesser nobles like Lazaro violently jockeying for positions in the eventual government.
- Self-Made Orphan: Lazaro executed his own father in hopes of proving his loyalty to the Republic and getting promoted. This ended up backfiring; the Admiralty rightfully sees him as a bloodthirsty, power-hungry lunatic and has been coming up with excuses to keep him away from any real power.
- Snipe Hunt: Lazaro's mission to find Elida is one of these; the Admiralty hopes it will keep him too busy, and that his continual failure to capture her will give them excuses to keep him out of power.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Elida and Isaac can't really stand each other, but they were partners on and off for years.
