Staff Pick
The plot of Monstress is thick, and the art is breathtaking. The intricate details of the art style reflect the dark depths of the plot. Throughout my entire reading I felt as if there were secrets just below the surface. I can't wait for further volumes to reveal even more of this world. Recommended By Junix S., Powells.com
Monstress is the kind of comic book that rewards the reader the first time through and even more on repeat readings. The multilayered story, characters, beautiful art, world building that is strange and familiar at the same time — it all works as a place I want to spend a lot of time and thought. Recommended By Doug C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, Monstress tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both. Entertainment Weekly praised Monstress as "one of Image Comics' most imaginative and daring new series" and dubbed it the "Best New Original Series" in their year-end "Best Comics of 2015" list. Collects Monstress #1-6.
Review
"Gaudy beauty and extravagant horror twine around each other, as elegant as their subjects’ sinuous hair and garments, in the remarkable comic Monstress." NPR
Review
"She gave women that space: a beautiful, terrible, postapocalyptic world of their own — one modeled in part on the stories her grandparents told her about WWII–era China — in which they live, fight, love, die, and strive to overcome (or enforce) horrific institutions and ingrained prejudices, all sans dudes." Vulture
Review
"Monstress Vol. 1: Awakening is one of the most visually and tonally striking books released so far this year. Liu and Takeda throw readers into their world with no half-measures, a somber and thrilling saga of how even the suffocating inhumanity of prejudice and cruelty cannot stifle the stubborn persistence of love and life." Paste Magazine
Review
"Lush disturbing artwork by Takeda (Ms. Marvel) creates an atmosphere of chaos oppression magic and dread in this fantasy tale. Writer Liu (Astonishing X Men) spins an interesting if confusing yarn about a war between humans and animal like Arcanics centering around a young “chosen one”–type Arcanic Maika Halfwolf. Human witches imprison and chop up the bodies of their Arcanic enemies in secret to eat their life force an act that includes the dismemberment of Arcanic children. Maika breaks free from her fate only to find that she’s possessed by a demon hiding within her arm. Takeda’s visuals recall realistic gritty manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub with magic and monsters to rival those of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. The bleak worldbuilding will satisfy fans of grim but humanist SF and fantasy. The labyrinthine drawings enchant but the convoluted storytelling and extreme violence may drive away more casual readers. (July)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
About the Author
Marjorie Liu is an attorney and New York Times bestselling author of over nineteen novels. Her comic book work includes X-23, Black Widow, Dark Wolverine, and Astonishing X-Men, for which she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. She currently teaches a course on comic book writing at MIT.
Sana Takeda is based in Japan and is best known in the United States for working with Marjorie Liu, most recently on their hit fantasy series Monstress.