#monsteress

Hannah, Jennifer, Kelece

“Monstress” is about Maika, the half wolf who risks everything to control her link with the ancient monster inside her. This monster has tremendous power, placing a bloody war between humans and other forces. Maika remembers traits of her mother, giving her advantage to finally remembering the monster’s name ot control it. She defeats the witches who took her as a slave, and with the help of Master Ren and Kippa, she was able to escape and go on the search of the photograph she found of her young self and her mother. Little does she know, she goes out to search for answers, goes out to learn how to control the monster and she is guided by an eagle, a protection of her friend, Tuya.

Author Quote on the novel: “Monstress is about an outsider, a young woman who belongs nowhere; it is about young women who fight, who tame, who are consumed—and who become monsters in their own right,” said Liu. “I wanted to tell a story that encompasses all these things, and more. A story about women, young and old, picking up the pieces after surviving the horrors of war—and finding a home for themselves in a world that has otherwise exploited them. Set in an alternate history to our own, where immense Cloverfield-like monstrosities have conquered half the planet, and spanning the steppes of a shattered Asia, to the destroyed heart of a fallen Europe, Monstress is an epic adventure of frontiers and empires, and the rise of a young woman warrior, whose power may either doom or redeem the planet.”

Monsteress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Issues 1-6)

This is a new fantasy series published by image which has really captivates me. It kicked off with a 70+ page first issue which really drew you into the complex historical fantasy world were where are people called Archanics which are like animal human hybrids with magical powers and we learn that there was a war between them and the humans and there is a religious cult of humans who capture and enslave the Archanics. Like I said it’s rather complicated but there is some really vast world building which is explained really well in the comic. 

The art work is really breathtaking. It has a lot of stylistic nods to Manga but is a style all of it's own and is really intricate and beautiful. It brought the world to life and made it feel like a real place.

I feel like so much happened in the volume. If you ever feel like comics pass too quickly and not enough happens per volume pick this one up. It is densely packed with plot and world building and characters.