Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening

Monstress #1

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

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, 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 and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

Collects MONSTRESS #1-6

Turtleback binding is a highly durable alternative to a hardcover or paperback book. The comprehensive cover reinforcement process will drastically combat wear and tear, keeping your favorite books in great condition for years to come! Turtleback books are ideal for any reader, or for use in schools or libraries.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Horror, Fiction, Steampunk, Graphic Novels Comics

192 pages, Library Binding

First published July 13, 2016

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

[Jesse (JesseTheReader)]

The artwork in this series is UNREAL. The story over all was a bit hard to follow at times as there is so much going on both plot wise and with the world itself. You're kind of plopped into the story and left to put all the pieces together yourself so it's a good thing I enjoy a challenge like that! I'm excited to see where the story ends up in the next volume.

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/3/18 - ON SALE for $3.99:

https://amzn.to/2FEZSij

Updated review:



*giggle snorts*

Rereading is often a humbling experience . . . I've been forced to admit that my memory isn't what it once was, and never is that more apparent then after a reread. *kicks aluminum can*

I won't bore you with all the things I'd forgotten, but there were a few things that made a bigger impact this time around:

How does one bind a god to a person?



And THIS:



1. Who was the first Arcanic Lord?

2. Who is the other potential host?

ALSO, that other old god is after Maika b/c she's some kind of superior host, so does that mean every old god that slithers out of their cage is going to be after her as well?

4.5 stars

One of the things I'm discovering that I love about graphic novels is the way they hit the ground running. The creators don't toy with you the way writers of traditional books sometimes do--they don't have the time to draw out anything beyond the most important Secrets.

MONSTRESS, for example, opens with a slave auction, and the inquiries made about Lot 819 reveal the specific brand of prejudice that governs this world. You learn of a war that seems to have ended, while the thriving slave trade continues to fan the flames of hate.



There's no guesswork, and any confusion about terminology resolves itself quickly.

I friggin' LOVE it.

Our heroine, Maika Halfwolf, is the girl currently up for bid, but (once again) it quickly becomes obvious that she's only there b/c she wants to be.

YEP. You read that correctly: dollface WANTS to be auctioned off like livestock. And not only that, she's banking on the Cumaea, a witchy faction of humans, crashing the shindig and claiming the Arcanics, a race of beings with natural magic, for themselves.



Dun dun dunnnnnn . . . For research purposes . . . o.O

Just b/c graphic novels tend to be more straightforward than their picture-free counterparts, doesn't mean they aren't twisty.



Maika, you see, is looking for information.

Before the war ended, something happened (was done?) to her . . . Something that has recently begun to affect her in ways she can't control. It's made her dangerous, and she's desperate for answers.



Along the way, she picks up a two-tailed sasshole of a cat, a girl child with a fox tail, and an angry dialogue with the thing that plagues her.



Every aspect of MONSTRESS drew me in--the characters, the world-building, the plot, ALL of it. Everything else became a distraction to be ignored. I didn't give any thought to the why of it, as I tore through the beautifully illustrated pages, but at the end of the first volume, Liu wrote a letter about her intent when she began this series:

. . . The root of my desire . . . was to tell a story about what it means to be a survivor. A survivor, not just of a cataclysmic war, but of racial conflict and its antecedent: hatred. And to confront the question: how does one whom history has made a monster, escape her monstrosity? How does one overcome the monstrousness of others without succumbing to a rising monstrousness within?

All I can say is, well done, lady. Well. Done.

MONSTRESS by Marjorie M. Liu is the first collection (volumes 1 - 6) of her new graphic novel series that is part steampunk, part fantasy, and ALL awesome. Maika's struggle to control the monster inside her is inspiring to watch, b/c that's what it was: a struggle. But surrender is a concept she threatens to rip out of herself every time it whispers about the easier path, and as she slowly gains the upper hand, you can't help but sing "All I do is Win" under your breath, b/c she'd rather die than quit. Highly recommended.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

[2021 reread] i'm still so in love, still an all-time favorite.

[2017 first read] I loved absolutely everything about this graphic novel. To date, it is by far the best graphic novel I have ever read, and even surpasses my love for Saga. I am completely blown away, and will count down the days until Vol. 2 releases (June 6th, 2017).

This story follows a seventeen year old girl named Maika, whose story starts out where she is being sold as a slave. The reader will immediately notice that Maika has a very strange tattoo of an eye on her chest, and she is missing an arm. Yet, it becomes very clear very early that Maika is much stronger than what she seems.

Maika is struggling to hold in her monster, while also trying to get answers from her past. With the help of an adorable little half-fox and a poet cat, Maika is on a journey to discover herself, her past, and what's truly inside of her, all while she carries a very mysterious and sought after item.

In this world there are five races:
➽Humans - Like you and me.
➽Ancients - Immortal, animal-like rulers with an immense amount of power.
➽Cats - Much like people, can speak and fight, but much more adorable.
➽Old Gods - Little to no knowledge of them.
➽Areanics - Half of each



Also in this world, there are factions at war:
➽The Federation - Humans, who just hate magic users and refuse to let them live and breed. These humans will take Arcanics and make them slaves to do whatever terrible things they wish.
➽Arcanics - Magic users, who are sort of hybrids of the Ancients. Also, two powerful courts, the Dawn Court and the Dusk Court, have risen up to defend against the Cumaea.
➽Cumaea - Witch-like people that use Arcanic's body parts to make Lillium.

People in this world will use a drug like substance called Lillium for power, regeneration, and in some cases, resurrection. Between the war and the use of this magical substance, this world is also now aware of things much bigger than the Federation and Arcanics.

This graphic novel is not only bigger than most bind-ups, but it has significantly more writing than most graphic novels, too! You receive a lot, and I do mean a lot, of information and very quickly. This really worked for me, because it became way more of an immersion, while also reading closer to a book. Yet, I can understand how this would be a different reading experience for some, so I felt the need to bring it up.

The story is so brilliant and impactful. I can already tell I'm going to be thinking about this world for such a long time, because this is the type of story that just sticks with you, while festering in your heart. I truly love everything about this.

The art was so magnificent and I found myself constantly just staring at some pages in disbelief that a human created it. This art also brought very many tears to my eyes very many times, constantly evoking so much pure emotion from me. On top of having an amazing story, it is the best art I've ever seen in a comic, ever.



Trigger warnings for human trafficking, slavery, child brutality, and many other dark themes that are in the violence and gore vein. This is a dark story, and it doesn't shy away from that darkness or its brutality.

I loved everything about this graphic novel: the story, the characters, the art, the representation, everything. I honestly cannot see any graphic work ever beating this. I am in awe and my thoughts probably aren't even coherent, but this is something unique and special. Please give this comic series a try if you haven't already.

I swear to you with my entire soul, this is nothing short of a masterpiece. This is maybe even a once in a lifetime masterpiece. I never put graphic novels on my "best of the year" list, but I think this is the year I make an exception for Monstress.



Readalong for the BooktubeSFF Awards which is being hosted by Adriana from Perpetual Pages, Chelsea from TheReadingOutlaw, Connor from Connor O'Brien, Elizabeth from Books and Pieces, Kaitlin from Kitty G, Sam from Thoughts on Tomes, Elena from Elena Reads Books, and Thomas from SFF180!

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[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If, prior to reading this, someone said to me, Wanna read a comic that's loosely classified as a Steampunk Fantasy?
Well, I would have politely (and slowly) backed away from them while turning the offer down in no uncertain terms.
Because...no. I mean, is Steampunk even still a thing?
I remember it was all the rage there for a while, and then it just seemed to peter out of vogue -kinda like sparkly vampires and shirtless werewolves.
For those of you who may love and/or live this genre, please don't take offense by that.
I only have the vaguest notion of what Steampunk is, anyway. Something, something, alternate timeline, something, something, steam powered stuff, something, something, big lacy tophats, something, something, gears cramed into every conceivable space, something, something...



Now, add in some weird fantasy element and, in all likelihood, you're going to lose me forever.
Unless it's a REALLY good story.
And I thought this was a really good story.



Sure, because of the whole Fant-Punk* element this thing has going on, there's gonna be some strange wooo-wooo style stuff in the storytelling. And there's going to be things that just don't make sense or aren't fully addressed in this volume.
Brace yourself, normies. I feel your pain!



There will be questions, there will not always be answers. But you have to admit, this shit is fucking awesome to look at! And if you scrape away all the 10-eyed, hairy tentacled, fox-faced, cyclops baby, 5 tailed talking cat stuff?
Well, it's just a story about surviving in a dangerously prejudiced, war-torn environment.
While trying to keep an immortal god from ripping out of your chest and eating everyone...
So, yeah. Pretty typical stuff.



Anyway. I was gifted a copy from a good friend, otherwise I never would have bothered to read this - which would have been a shame. This was neat-o.
Definitely recommended!

*Ok, not to toot my own horn - Fuck that...TOOT! TOOT! - but I'm totally claiming the word Fant-Punk from here on out! It needs to be a thing, am I right?!
Right? It's cool! Right, guys?
Guys...?
Pfft. Whatever.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art, a unique world with gods, humans, and something in between, fearsome magic, political intrigue to rival any epic fantasy, a plethora of formidable female characters... oh.. and magical talking cats... what more could one possibly ask for?

This series is setting up to be an epic masterpiece. There is a lot going on in this first volume, so I can't wait to re-read it and discover even more.

2021: this still remains amazing on reread and I’m glad to be back in this world

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: Dark, intense and super-dense (a lot between the lines), but never bores, it's rich with lore, and artwork really shines.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issue #1 ◦ Issues #2-4 ◦ Issues #5-6

[Sean Barrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The visuals in this comic are great; it’s dark and steam punk themed. It’s all rather cool and the action scenes are illustrated brilliantly. It even has a special race of fighting cats that are so ridiculously bad ass; yet, for all that, I found the whole thing quite confusing.

There’s a lot of history with this comic book, which is fine, but I don’t feel like its very well established. There are brief mentions of past events, but not enough details to establish their significance. I feel like the world building is a little too complex for a graphic novel. It’s trying to squeeze so much information in, but it can’t quite cope with the amount it has. And that’s why it all seems brief.

Monstress is trying to be too many things at once far too early on in the series.







Look at Saga. With each volume more story is added and it becomes increasingly complex. It doesn’t begin so. I was lost for most of this. It’s like I’m starting with the second volume, where everything is already clear and the characters and locations make sense. I had no clue who half of these people were supposed to be. I really think the author needed to take a step (or two) back and slow down. I don’t need everything thrown at me at once.

Other than the confusing world building, I think the story is rather solid. The central plot is very strong, it follows a young girl who is inhabited by an evil tentacle monster that feeds of the living and can take possession of her body whenever it chooses. So she’s quite dangerous and she’s trying to discover/remember how she came to be so powerful. Her family have the answers and she’s attempting to find them in this labyrinth of a world that doesn’t yet make sense to me.

However, I won’t be reading the next volume. I don’t think the author quite knows how to write a balanced story, I can’t see this improving. I’m happy to leave it here.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I'm only going to put a few pictures because you can all scroll through the other reviewers and see more pictures. I don't like reviewing graphic novels because I never know exactly what to say.

This novel is about Maika Halfwolf and she has been trying to find her way for some time. She lost her mother and friends to a war. She lost one of her arms, but she has some kind of powers and she has a symbol on her chest that may or may not be the cause of this . . .

This novel is very dark but I still loved it. I mean you have all these people things eating other people things and chopping people things up.

There is this one dude that I think is hot in the novel. His name is Corvin D'Oro and I'm not going to show you a picture. Lol

So, Maika poses as a slave to get to this one person and then some of the kid/things she is with gets tortured and eaten etc. Maika goes postal and kills a bunch of people, supposedly it only happens when she gets really mad. Then she finds some crazy woman that knew her mother and she kills her and takes a mask that lady has <--- big mistake because, said mask, turns into some demon thing in her stump arm. Yeah, I know, it's cray but it happens. It's totally cool. Well, maybe not because it makes her eat people/things. And she has an ongoing conversation with it at times. Okay, so they argue because she wants it out of her.



Meanwhile, the novel goes back and forth from Maika's past to the present. We find out some things and get confused in other things.

There are also unicorn horses that you ride. I would love that.

There are talking cats with more than one tail! I liked Master Ren that was going around with Maika and the little fox girl named Kippa!





Anyway, I thought the story was great, morbid yes, but great! I am looking forward to these novels. And I love Marjorie Liu, I have read some of her books from back in the day!

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol. 1: Awakening ★★★★★
Vol. 2: The Blood ★★★★★
Vol. 3: Haven ★★★★★

When I originally read Monstress, Vol. 1 a couple of years ago, I gave it 3.5 stars. I loved the artwork and the character designs, but had a hard time getting into the story, world-building, mythos, etc., and also really struggled through the tougher triggers (such as child trafficking, child abuse/torture/murder, assault, etc.). That said, this is the perfect example of why I update my reviews when I reread books: because, sometimes, our opinions can drastically change during rereads, and there's nothing wrong with updating your reviews to reflect that!

All of that aside, I'm pleased to say that I did not hesitate to lift my rating to 5 stars when I reread this beautiful, incredibly in-depth graphic novel. I thought the lore was incredible, I adored the world-building, and the hard-to-stomach aspects of the plot didn't alarm me as much (presumably due to my consuming more "dark" content lately than I did in 2016/17 and becoming less easily bothered, maybe?). I would still caution anyone who is triggered by child abuse/death to think long and hard before picking this one up, but if you can read those topics, this is a really incredible story with a lot of complex characters and nuances to the battling sides. I can't wait to continue the series.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After seeing the movie Con Air, I really needed to pee.

(What the f@#* does this have to do with Monstress?! Fair question, but calm down—I promise there’s a point to this.)

I walked out of the theater and, perhaps overcome by the emotion of Cameron Poe saving the day, stumbled into what I thought was the men’s room, only to be confused when I couldn’t find any urinals. I shrugged—this wacky theater, I thought—and walked into a stall, unzipped, and proceeded to divest myself of copious quantities of soda. As I peed, I looked to my right at a strange-looking box affixed to the stall wall. “That’s odd,” I thought. “Is that, like, a little mini garbage can?”

Curious, I lifted the lid of the box and peered inside. That’s when confusion set in.

(And now you’re starting to see where this is going.)

Used monthly friend absorbers. It was filled with used monthly friend absorbers. (For the thick-skulled ninnywit in the back, I mean tampons—it was filled with used tampons.)

Just at that moment, as it began to dawn on me that I had not, in fact, gone into the men’s room, another person entered the rest room, popped into the stall next to me, and proceeded to, well, make some real magic. The acoustics in that place…

I waited until my neighbor had finished, washed her hands, and exited. Taking a deep breath (and then immediately regretting it), I opened the stall door and walked, quickly and purposefully, out of the ladies’ room and into the adjacent men’s room, where I started giggling hysterically as I washed my hands (because I’m not an animal and still needed to do that, especially after touching the used monthly friend absorber box).

Okay, okay—go ahead and ask it again. I dare you.

SEAN—WHAT THE F@#* DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH MONSTRESS?

That inadvertent use of the ladies’ room* was simultaneously one of the most perplexing and entertaining experiences of my life. Reading Monstress was a similar, if not quite as memorable, albeit far more sanitary, experience.

First off: the art is GORGEOUS. This is an absolutely beautiful book—Takeda is an incredible artist. The story is a bit baffling at the outset, and it wasn’t until the fifth or sixth issue that I felt like I had a good grasp of what was going on, but Liu’s world and characters are compelling, and I wanted to keep reading even when I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. And, I’m definitely inclined to seek out more of this steampunk/fantasy/horror mashup, which genre hops with reckless abandon from one page to the next.

Well worth a read, and it would probably make excellent bathroom reading material no matter which bathroom you choose to use. Huge thanks to Sara for the awesome recommendation!

*Bear in mind that this was 1997, and it was strictly prohibited for gents to use the ladies’ room, particularly in Midwestern suburbia. Had I been discovered, it would have been a scandal that would have rocked the local newspaper.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

▐ WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARDS 2017 for best Graphic Story▐

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening was... weird, but dark and pretty good?



There's no hiding that the plot is convoluted... at best, and if there was such thing as a CONFUSING ALERT!, I would raise it instantly. Indeed Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening doesn't burden itself with simple details like chronological order and basic knowledge before throwing you in the meat of the (epic fantasy-like) action.

Keyword being : HUH?!

And then, there are these cat-ish info-dump pages at the end of every chapter (issue) : Oh my GOSH. MY EYES. Too long, too tiny, too much.

However, despite the general confusion and slowness, in the end I'm eager to know where the story will go... especially after THAT. BIG. CLIFF. DAMMIT.



Overall, the characters are very interesting and pretty fun to follow :

First a kickass heroine...


... teamed-up with an adorable fox girl... Awww <3


... a talking cat...


... also, a monster...


... and many complex villains. What more could we want?!



See above. Mix everything. You've got your world.

Want more details, do you? Alright. What you need to know is that the world is separated into two parts (so far), the Human World (with witches) and the Arcanic World (with old gods, animal-head people). Because differences and greed always win, once upon a time there was a war (of course there was). Finally, because those in power are often morons, they built a wall (of course they did). Oh, and the talking cats somehow achieved the status of wise entities at some point during the History. Don't ask me when, though (info-dumping cat pages, remember?) They even go so far as calling themselves Masters *snorts*

As the plot, the world is interesting and complex, yet so very confusing at first.



Remarkable. Stunning. I loved it to pieces, okay?

Sources :
- Flower doodle : http://www.vecteezy.com/flourishes-sw...
- Other vector images (edited by myself): Free vector art via Vecteezy.com

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

With great graphics, interesting but somewhat confusing story, and lots of grrrrl power, Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening packs a big punch. The story is kind of similar to The Stonekeeper and the monsters and such reminded me of Saga, Vol. 1 a bit while the cannibalism was sort of like The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye. I really enjoyed this volume and look forward to where they will tale the story in Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood.

The story is essentially about how we make peace with our dark sides, or not. Maiko has a monster insider her and occasionally succumbs to her darker nature. She is aided by a former co-prisoner from seven years before the story started when hybrid being such as her and the young girl with cat's ears were hunted and captured. They also have a talking cat with 5 tails in their team. They face Inquisitors and other monsters on their quest.

The plotline is a bit convoluted, but the art is absolutely stunning. A universe worth diving into.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's something awesome for you. I'm a TOTAL pushover for great art, great nasty story, and MONSTERS INSIDE US.

I mean, I've read the whole Naruto series twice and that whole story arc of the kid with the nine-tailed demon fox living within him was all kinds of awesome. So why do I love Monstress?

The demon living inside her, of course. SOOOO COOL!

Really, though, the artwork is all kinds of amazing and the story kicks me in my bollocks. It's bloody, it's disturbing, it's setting us up for all kinds of epic, and I'm completely hooked. It's kinda like Claymore and Berserk rolled into one, only the artwork is fully realized and colored on every page and it's just soooo gorgeous. And disturbing. :)

I can't wait to see what kind of friendship they strike up. :)

[HaMiT · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کمیک از لحاظ آرت یکی از بهترین آثاری بود که چشم‌هام تجربه می‌کرد. واقعا لذت بردم و به خاطر همین آرت‌هاش هم شده تا آخر می‌خونم
نمی‌دونم می‌تونم درست توضیح بدم یا نه ولی در حین دارک بودن، از لحاظ رنگ هم بسیا زیبا بود
معمولاً آثار دارک همیشه فضاسازی و رنگ‌بندی کاملاً دارک هم دارن. مانسترس از این لحظ کمی تفاوت داره. مطمئن نیستم چقدر این حرفم با عقل جور درمیاد ولی در حین سیاه بودن، جذابیتِ رنگی فوق‌العاده‌ای داشت و رنگ‌ها به چشم میامدن و آدم حظ می‌کرد


جهانش رو هم خیلی دوس داشتم. عجیب غریب بود. استیم پانکِ فانتزی شاید؟ چون با وجود نژادها، هیولاها، حیوانات سخن‌گو و قدرت‌های خاص، محیط کاملاً فانتزی نیست
در آشنایی اولیه شخصیت‌ها هم خوبن. خصوصاً یه گربه داریم به اسم رِن که بعد از تام، بهترین گربه‌ی داستان‌ها بود برام

شاید تنها عیبی که می‌تونم بهش بگیرم این باشه که خیلی سریع آدمو وارد داستان می‌کرد و پیش زمینه‌ و توضیحاتش کم بود و آدمو گیج می‌کرد. احتمالا قبل
از ادامه‌ دادن برم در مورد اصطلاحات و نژادهاش بخونم

------
مرسی از مهرناز که معرفی کرد. ریویوی خودش رو هم بخونید :)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting. I do not usually read graphic novels but thought I would pick this one up... and it was amazing!
It had a great plot with lots of action and conflict, with a twist at the end (that was unexpected). The drawings of the characters were absolutely superb.

Little Fox (Kippa) was so cute!!! I loved her 💚

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel with elements of fantasy, feminism, violence, and diversity.

The main character is a teenager named Maika searching for a past she doesn't remember. On her path she finds people, some are friends, some are enemies and she doesn't know who to trust. Maika is also struggling with a powerful and mysterious "thing" inside of her which threatens to take control.

The art is beautiful and very detailed, just look at the image below, it's one of my favorites in the book.



In the story, there are wise, talking cats, including one that is a Scholar, and honestly, imagine what cats would be like as characters! The cats were my favorite characters in the story.



There were a lot of things going on in the first book and I was confused at times. However, I still recommend the book to those who like fantasy novels.

FINAL NOTE: To date, my favorite graphic novels have been ✔ Maus, Vol. 1 & 2, ✔ The Complete Persepolis, and ✔ My Friend Dahmer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: the author's achievements are many and you can learn more about it here (Marjorie M. Liu), however, the one that impressed me the most is that she teaches comic book writing at MIT - how awesome is that?

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

3ish stars.

This is a good volume 1 with a cool, BA heroine (slash villain?) and some of the art, especially the issue covers and full-page panels, is pretty beautiful.

At first the story seems like your typical epic fantasy, race wars, magic, Chosen One. It ends up a lot stranger and creepier than that, which is a good thing. The heroine/monstress, Maika Halfwolf is super cool and not a typical heroine. Other interesting characters include cute little fox-girl Kippa (I just want to take her home and keep her and pinch her cheeks and love her forever) and various talking cats.

The setting professes to be "1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk" which I think is misleading. The artist, Sana Takeda, definitely incorporates some art-deco inspired elements but I didn't get 1900s Asia or any steampunk. I didn't think the villains were that cool except for the monster-thing. Whatever's going on with that is crazy and disturbing and I love it.

The art is mostly beautiful. Certain characters are especially well-drawn throughout and a lot of the architecture and indoor layouts are really impressive and highly detailed. I feel like the artwork gets a little sloppy as it goes on and impacts the storytelling especially because the plot itself gets confusing at times, but whenever there are large or full-page panels, they're stunning.

Overall a solid first collection worth checking out.

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably the most beautiful art I've seen in a graphic novel to date, but beautiful art does not make up for incomprehensible plot. I've officially decided that I can't read sci-fi graphic novels because they don't give you enough time to learn the world or characters, and this was exactly that case. I read on just to see if I would eventually get a grasp of the characters and plot and world, but by the end of this, I still couldn't tell you what the conflict was or who the characters are or what different types of creatures this world has. Would I have liked this in a novel format? Probably. But as is, it just throws you to the wolves and makes you figure it out without much help, and I was left clueless in the dust.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I can have a hard time getting into fantasy comics because they have a short page count to introduce you to big worlds, and that was definitely the case here. My interest was so lukewarm with this one that I do not plan to continue this series. The story and characters are NOT bad by any means, this story in this format just didn't work for me personally. I'd love to see it as a movie or something though!

What I liked:
-The art.

-The main character is fierce and I want to know more about her past and whatever is happening to her currently.

-Kippa's loyalty and insight about fear and friendship.

-Who run the world? GIRLS!

-CATS!

What I didn't like:
-I have no idea why anything is happening. What IS the mask? Why is it important? What's up with Maika's mom and background? Why are these races at war? Why is there a chart that says there are 5 known types of beings and yet I feel like we've seen at least 20? What are the motivations of anyone? What is happening? Instead of building curiosity, the storytelling just left me frustrated and confused.

-The world building. So from above you can tell that I have a lot of questions about this world and story but I felt this needed to be a separate point. I read on the Image website that this story is set in an alternate version of Asia, but NOWHERE in the comic did I pick up on that. There is nothing about this story, other than the use of the word 'human' approximately 3 times and 2 scenes that looked like they were set in ancient Egypt, that hints at this being any version of Earth. If this is Earth, where did all these other beings come from? Where did the magic come from? What was the source of this war?

-The storytelling / info dumps. We're thrown right into the thick of things and it's quite like if your first exposure to Marvel is a fight scene from Avengers 2, when you've never even heard of any of these characters before. Who's on what side? Why are they fighting? Why is that guy green? Why do they have powers? Beyond the chaotic introduction, one aspect that further baffled me was the info dumps between chapters. We'd get these one page spreads of a cat telling us the history of the world but this information seemed like too little too late (it explained things that would have been good to know chapters ago!) and it being told this way also felt very out of place, not integrated into the story so it was hard to take in without seeing it in action.

-I'm personally not a fan of the type of violence included. It's a little too gross-out for me. (Like, people cutting off limbs of other people to eat them.)

Eh, not for me. But it might be for you!

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was a lot of fun. The story is a bit confusing, I have to admit, but the super pretty art makes up for that.

Monstress takes place in an alternate steampunk-style Asia, focusing around multiple characters. There's Maika, our morally grey heroine. Plus her cat Master Ren, her younger friend Kippa, and her friend / maybe girlfriend Tuya. On the other side, we have the power couple Sophia and Atena.

This comic is well-written, well-paced, and entertaining as all hell. Monstress also hits all my main points for great work - it's driven by women, many of them women of color and many of them lgbtq, full of antiheroes and corrupted power, and all wraps up with themes about discrimination. Antiheroines are my thing, and Maika is a great one.



Especially with her equally ambiguous cat companion and adorable fox-girl adopted daughter.



And in terms of gorgeous art, I'm really not sure you can do better. I could stare at the panels all day. Sana Takeda is so talented. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more by her - and eagerly anticipating the next volume.



There is one major flaw - the plot is so confusing. It took a couple hours and copious notes to figure out those plot notes at the beginning of my review. If you're reading this graphic novel for this first time, I would suggest looking through my basic spoiler-free plot notes below.

The plot is slightly convoluted, but I'll try to give a basic overview. On the left side of the continent, the human Cumaea forces are trying to take over major city of Zamora, led by the Inquisitrix and general Sophia's mother Yvette - the betrayer of protagonist Maika's mother. On the right live the Dusk court of the Arcanics, children of the Ancients and humans, ruled by an Ancient - the queen of wolves.

There's some interesting mythology surrounding the gods here as well. We find out that Ubasti, the mother of cats, banished the old gods herself - but may have left one behind in our world.

VERDICT: A great graphic novel that I'd highly recommend!!

Some spoilery plot notes so I can keep this all straight
Atena is secretly working for the resistance with her brother Resak
Maika took a fragment of a mask
The commander of the tents is maybe one of the monsters as well?
Maika is also a halfwolf
Their cat betrayed Maika to the dusk court in exchange for freedom
Yvette wanted the mask to reawaken power of the shaman, while Maika's mother was unsure.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
This is an absolutely beautiful graphic novel with stunning, full-colour artwork and a diverse group of characters. The story is quite dark, filled with violent, bloody, and visceral scenes. I personally really enjoyed these elements of dark fantasy and horror. The intricacies of the world and societies were quite complicated which made for a slow, enjoyable read.

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

congratulations! semifinalist in goodreads' best graphic novels & comics category 2016!

ugh, i still need to review this one! dammit!

[❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

"To quote the poets... we're fucked."

Welcome to the world of magic and mayhem with wondrous visuals.

This dark and visually-stunning comics does not hold back on anything in its portrayal of wartime depravity. From slavery and torture to racism, cannibalism and coming to grips with postwar traumatic experiences.

It took me a while to really get into the story but I instantly fell in love with two things - the breathtaking artwork and the sweet and adorable little muffin, Kippa. 😍

Let's get back to the artwork, people! I'll be honest, I was more smitten with the visuals than the story itself. It was all just simply stunning - the detailed backdrops, the portrayal of expressive emotions of the characters, even the dusky colour schemes that stay true to the dark tone of the book throughout...wow. All I can say is hats off to Sana Takeda for these truly phenomenal graphics.

[Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Monstress - Volume One, the artwork is stunning, it's also very rich in dialogue, it has an engaging plot which I'm looking forward to continuing and finding out more about Maika Halfwolf; she's a interesting character and there's lots of potential here.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2016 Goodreads comic of the year nominee, and much deserved, I would say. A couple of my (possibly more comics-experienced) Goodreads friends (males of our species) had not liked this series, so I held back for awhile. And I’m not a huge fantasy reader, and this looks like historical fantasy, which I have even less experience with, though it does look it comes with a side of something like steampunk, which I like. . . and there’s some horror in it, okay, good, then many many other friends liked it and I was in to read it. I can say that since this is the first volume they have privileged action and not backstory in the world-building. The action is pretty frenetic, so they’re hoping you will just go with it and just ignore what the hell Lilium is and so forth. Which I sort of did, though I was kind of confused a lot.

What I gather is that there was recently or a while ago a war between humans and animal-hybrids, Arcanics, the surviving members of which are sold as slaves. Cumaea would seem to be the humans—and are they all witch-nuns?--who live off this aforementioned Lilium produced by Arcanics. Whatever that is. Sometimes you don't want to know.

Maika is our main kick-ass woman, who has lost an arm. Others seem to have lost limbs, too. It’s pretty brutal, not kid stuff, this story, let me tell ya. Horror, I said. Maika has some dark past; she’s a killer, and dangerous. Is she a monster or monstress? Masks have power here, not exactly sure how yet, but they look cool. All the costumes and the dark intricate artwork from Takeda are great. The feel is a kind of blend of western and eastern (manga) art and sensibility. I think this is finally a great start. I's more violent than I imagined it would be, that's for sure, which is kind of a good thing.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going with 4 STARS on this first volume of Monstress!

The illustrations in Monstress were wonderful and beautiful! The layout of the story was very confusing for me and I struggled in the beginning to understand the plot and circumstances that were going on with Maika Halfwolf.
By the end of this first addition, it made more sense. I still felt this could have been better with a different layout in the beginning in regards to the story and world building.

Maika Halfwolf is a teenage girl that shares a link with a monster. She's trying to survive the war between the Federation, the Arcanics and Cumaea. Because of her unknown powers, it seems everyone is after her. I'm looking forward to Maika's journey in discovering who she is along with understanding more of this world.

Check out some of the graphic art in this:




I loved the cats in the story!


If you enjoy fantasy and graphic novels, I really think you'll enjoy this series. It's been around for awhile but I'm glad to finally plunge myself in this alternative steampunk world of Asia!

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breathtaking new series. Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda are firing on all cylinders with this series. Takeda has taken the best of Eastern and Western comics and created an original world with a somewhat steampunk look mixed with the lands of fairy. An uneasy truce exists between humans and Archons (basically fairies). Humans have discovered an Archon's essence can be distilled down to give humans magic. Those on both sides are hunting for a teenage girl trying to control the elder god hidden inside her.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Heaven! Words fail me. I was impressed by many books over the years, but never as completely as I am with this. I'm flabberghasted, I'm in love, I still can't believe this exists.

The only reason I knew about this, was Neil Gaiman. Once again, one of my favourite authors pointed me towards a book I wouldn't want to miss under any circumstances.

The story is set in a fantasy world where there aren't only humans but also Ancients, Arcadians (half human and half Ancient), Old Gods and other creatures. Maika Halfwolf survived a terrible war in which one single strike killed hundreds of thousands - with neither side knowing what really happened. She has severe memory problems and tries to figue out how she survived, what happened to her mother and what that voice inside of her is. While struggling with all that, she is hunted by both the humans (including some witch-nuns belonging to the Federation of Humans) and the Arcadians. And then, of course, there is some power much more troublesome than all of them.
However, fortunately, Maika is not alone (although she often wished she was).
The story is intriguing, thrilling, intelligent, moving, sometimes funny even and deserving of all the compliments I could possibly give.

Moreover, the exceptional story would be incomplete without the stunning art. Although I am in no way an expert in comicbook or graphic novel art, I recognize brilliance when I see it and this is hands down the best art I have ever seen. Nothing even comes close! Just look:




(The quality of these images is not as the quality in the book itself I need to add.)
I cannot emphasize enough what a treasure this is. If you read one more book this year, make it this one! If I could, I would give it so many more than 5 stars.

[Book Riot Community]

Even if this wasn’t an incredible piece of storytelling, the art alone in this graphic novel would have put it at the top of my list. Takeda’s steampunk art deco graphics are mind-meltingly beautiful and amazing. But Liu’s story of a girl in an alternate 1900s matriarchal Asia is worthy of such beauty. Maika is fighting the forces of darkness and evil (holy cats, such EVIL – this book definitely earns its ‘M’ rating) while also struggling with an actual monster inside her, whose agenda she hasn’t quite figured out. It’s bananapants. This is like Saga meets Buffy meets The Girl with All the Gifts meets the aesthetics of 1980s sci-fi movies like Solar Babies and Time Bandits, and then they all have a key party at Pinhead from Hellraiser’s place. More like this, please.

— Liberty Hardy


from The Best Books We Read In July 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/01/riot-r...

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars almost entirely for the pretty, pretty art. What you see on the cover is what you get, and it's gorgeously and beautifully detailed. It's a very nice book to look at. The story, on the other hand, is not as pretty. The reader is thrown in the deep end with very little background information. Sometimes that can work, but here, I was mostly just confused. It takes three issues to get a clear definition of what an Arcanic is, for example. It makes the first few issues more difficult to get through than they could have been. I also felt like the story was moving too slowly for my tastes. Ultimately, though the art is spectacular, I just couldn't get into the story or the world enough to read more. But the art is well worth a look, and I'd recommend it at least checking it out from the library for that alone.