Monstress #21

Monstress (Single Issues)

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

It’s a turning point in Maika’s life when she comes face-to-face with a stranger from her deep past.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror, Steampunk, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2019

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-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: Read in trade paperback. Collective review for issues #19-24 can be found here: Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen.

[Mitticus · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dear, in my limited experience, how parents exercise power over their childen is the *only* conversation family truly has.
Your mother would agree, I'm sure, she was quite the expert.

So, Maika's father -Seizi- is finally here. Not very happy with the Power stolen from him it seems, so for now is playing along because Maika have the god Zimm. The army of blood , or Shaman Emperatress worshipers put another fanatic player on board



We have some new revelations. And, surprise, more secrets and betrayals. The action is just about to start me think.

And hmm, nude scenes f-f I do not know what kind of game Tuya is aiming for, or what she hopes to achieve, here it seems that faction after faction wants to win alone and place itself on the others. Without thinking that they are on the verge of destroying the reality that contains Cumeans and Arcanics

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hrm. Lots of info-dumping with this issue and not a whole lot of forward movement with the plot. Also, minus points for no Kippa.

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the recent issues, I was starting to get the feeling that both the art and the writing are on the decline, unfortunately this issue only made my concerns more actual.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

4'5/5⭐

[Yasmin Halliwell Fraser Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG! What the what, seriously? Need the next issue, how could all that happened? I MEAN, THERE ARE SOME EPIC REVELATIONS HERE!

[tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolute excellency.

i love hearing the crazy stories about the great war!!! and yeee new characters!

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting, introspective chapter. Maika feels increasingly isolated as Zinn’s grip tightens, and old memories begin to resurface in troubling fragments. The tension is psychological, and the silence between characters says more than words.

[Mercedes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this issue is amazing.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Writing and Beautiful Art

This issue finally lived up to all the hype! I felt everything was really strongly presented and tied together for the plots being addressed in this issue, and I finally felt like all the characters had their own distinct voices, rather than a handful of them. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue and am excited to read the next.

[Zian B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of info-dumping in this comic issue which made me more confused than I usually would be with this series. I absolutely don’t trust Maika’s father and am continuing to worry for Kippa.
Kippa is the only reason I continue reading this very complex series since I want to see her reunite with Maika.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monstress
Issue#21
Volume#04
The Chosen
Marjorie M. Liu

It is like a shift forward from the last volume,
We met Maika's father 3:) a scarry Silkroad figure :p
New creatures the Dracul
The gift of the little fox awakened
A War is coming!
The artwork is still amazing!!
Do not know when is the next volume :( But I will be waiting!

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Issue#21
“No, child. The old god might not have emerged from my flesh, as I’m told it has yours – but I tasted its dreams.” – Lord Doctor to his daughter, Maika

“All my travails made me hate the taste of bullshit.” - Maika
..

[Vincent Stoessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is still a little convoluted but the issue prologues help a lot. So many factions, hard to know who to root for. Art is still magically beautiful as always

[Panayotis Moutafidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still amazing as one of the best read

[Tim Nowotny · Rating 4 out of 5]

You get a feeling for how much Mika really has a grasp on the world around her. I enjoyed her interaction with the warlords very much.

[Victor Ahumada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maldito gato!!!!

[Skeptic Hecate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot becomes more complicated, I have to say I am getting a bit confused

[Mousmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 Stars.

[Jennifer Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maika's nursemaid was Ren? How old is this cat? Why hide from Maika? Meeting the Blood Court Warlords, will Maika believe what her father tells her or is there another agenda?

[Amelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7

[Samantha Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

The art work is stunning.

[Cats W. Bats, Esq. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Very good