Monstress #39

Monstress (Single Issues)

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

Maika falls even deeper into her prison as she flees the devastating truths revealed in her memories.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Dystopia, Horror, Comic Book, Comix

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2022

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 #36-41 can be found here: Monstress, Volume 7: Devourer.

[Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. The pacing was a bit odd in this one. I often feel like this series will read a lot stronger when it’s complete and all collected.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If being horrible were a mortal condition, then this whole world would be a grave.

HOLY SHIT THE REUNION IN THE FINAL PANEL. I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid and necessary set-up issue, but nonetheless relatively slow and uneventful. Maika and Tuya are more linked than we may have expected, both haunted by trans generational possessions—Zinn and the Baroness, respectively. The workings of these possessions may be as much science as magic, and the shrouding mystery around this remains intriguing.

After the last couple super powerful issues, this slowed down issue is a bit underwhelming. Still, there are some arresting moments, like a splash page with Maika/Zinn busting out at a juvenile Tuya.

The soft, slow moments also afford time to depict the Dusk Court as an inhabited place, with character and a history. This remains a strength of the book: balancing the heightened level of Gods battling with Ancients against the everyday. When destruction happens — as it often has throughout the series — the reader understands the loss of life and culture at a deep level.

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy with dread. We see the scale of the war’s impact and how deeply the world is fracturing. This issue moves like a slow, inevitable march toward a painful truth. Kippa’s role begins to shift again, and it’s clear she is no longer just a symbol of hope—she’s a force in her own right. Maika is exhausted, fraying, but unrelenting.

[Cassandra A.]

Epic story and Art

This intricate epic story of bloodlines and empires has run for many years now. The ethereal artwork is like no other and ranges from the sublime to the horrifying.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

#39 – “AND I WILL NEVER, EVER, TELL YOU WHAT MISS AND MISTER MONSTER TALKED ABOUT.” – Kippa.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

#39 – “AND I WILL NEVER, EVER, TELL YOU WHAT MISS AND MISTER MONSTER TALKED ABOUT.” – Kippa.