Monstress Compendium Vol. 1

Monstress #1-8

by Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda (Cover Art)

“World-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.” —The Hollywood ReporterThe richly imagined world of MONSTRESS is an alternate 1900s Asia, with an art deco-infused steampunk aesthetic that's brimming with arcane dangers. Within it, a teenage girl struggles to overcome the trauma of war, a task that's made all the more difficult by her mysterious symbiotic link to an eldritch monster of tremendous power—a connection that will transform them both and place them in the crosshairs of both human and otherworldly powers.A perfect entry-point for new readers, MONSTRESS COMPENDIUM ONE collects the first eight volumes of the New York Times-bestselling series in one massive paperback compendium from creator/writer MARJORIE LIU (who made history as the first woman to win an Eisner Award for Best Writer) and creator/artist SANA TAKEDA.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Supernatural, Collections

Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2025

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: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included volumes can be found here:
- Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening
- Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood
- Monstress, Volume 3: Haven
- Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen
- Monstress, Volume 5: Warchild
- Monstress, Volume 6: The Vow
- Monstress, Volume 7: Devourer
- Monstress, Volume 8: Inferno

[Singer_of_Stories · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violent and graphic at times, but not what I would call gratuitous. I actually really respect the illustrator for conveying some pretty dark and horrifying things without making me feel like the characters were sexualized or their pain was overly exploited for my viewing pleasure. This is a dark and gritty world without a lot of good options, and it contains some pretty interesting conversations about guilt, moral responsibility, and what it means to survive in a world where there is no "good side" or clear "right option." I'm looking forward to reading the next compendium

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always thought I didnt care for dense fantasy epics, but this series made me question that. I could not put this down. The art is stunningly beautiful and the writing and character development is interesting and thought provoking.

Despite it's graphic and violent imagery, I feel like Liu is tapping into something deeper in the messaging here about the difference love and kindness can make in a world where everything is falling apart and consumed by power hungry forces.

The imagery is INTENSE at times (at least for me) but it's never grotesque for the sake of it and always serves the narrative effectively. For every scene that portrays something horrible there is a beautiful one to contrast it.

I can't recommend this enough. The taglines about steampunk meets kaiju don't do this justice at all. A truly engrossing world and story.

[Opal E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is just stunning and detailed and transports you into another world.
But I had very little interest for the story, despite there being one that was obviously worked on with its own complex world... it simply didn't grip me. It felt rushed, with things happening one after another but no tension building.
Maybe I've been reading too many gothics and expect more... I don't know. I won't be continuing.

[Grace]

Volumes 1-3: 5 stars, 2019
Volume 4- 3 stars, 2019

I want to reread volumes 1-4, then continue.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compendium is incredible. The story? Perfection. The character arcs? Great and realistic.

I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started strong but then just got messier and messier. The art is beautiful but the story just can’t find its footing.

[Sophie Lightwood-Bane · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

al final se pone lento, le pondría 4.5 estrellas si pudiera