Monstress #50

Monstress (Single Issues)

by Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Illustrator), Rus Wooton (Letterer)

In the landmark 50th issue of MONSTRESS, Maika must confront the mysterious Wave Court while Master Ren navigates the politics of the cat world in a time of shifting allegiances and unexpected devastation.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror

31 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2024

About the author

New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop.

Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.

Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”

Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.

Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: Read in trade paperback. Collective review for issues #49-54 can be found here: Monstress, Volume 9: The Possessed.

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a milestone, and it feels like it. Epic in scope, intimate in emotion. Maika stands at the edge of something catastrophic—both a war and a personal choice. The issue balances brutal action, high fantasy grandeur, and soul-shaking character work. Old mysteries come to light, and there’s a sense of narrative threads snapping into place after years of build-up. One of the best issues in the series—visually and emotionally stunning. Takeda’s art here is on another level.

[Colin Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive confrontation between Maika and her father brews…the further we get in the story, the more I’m thinking about this as allegory: what is the worth of weapons? What does it mean to wield the power to destroy?

Every issue of this book is beautiful but Takeda one-ups herself with the breathtaking court of waves.

[Issac Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this day and age of 4-6 issues and done, it is a monumental achievement for an Indy comic to get to 50 issues. So, kudos to this monstrous creative team for doing so. That said, this comic has been living in Wackadoodleville without a coherent plot or narrative for many a year. Between hiatuses and the main characters traveling to a planet through the belly of Cat Monolith that was floating in space, Monstress has probably driven the few readers it has completely bonkers in trying to follow the story. Yet the past two issues has seen a return to the main world with a clear direction. I feel like this trend will continue although I won't be surprised if a Cat Anus appears in the sky and just swallows up everyone either. Since I'm already 50 issues in I'll probably have to follow them through the Cat Anus so I'm begging Marjorie and Sana to shelve the Cat Butt Tangent Story Line and stay focused. Full Review at:
https://standupcomicreader.blogspot.c...

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maika, Kippa and Ren are awake after a year in the underworld - now the series feels back on track and gaining momentum.

#50 - "Yes, well, I'm thankful us poets are spared from battle. We'd quote proverbs at the enemy.."
"How come some people need to lose everything before they see themselves clearly?"
".. Remember.. small fish go where leviathans cannot.."

[M. Basnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5ish