Neman: Knjiga prva

Monstress #1-3

by Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda (Illustrator), Ivan Zorić (Translator)

Maika Poluvuk živi u svijetu koji je zahvatio vihor rata – u alternativnoj, matrijarhalnoj Aziji 20. stoljeća prepunoj mističnih opasnosti. Dok se ona s mukom trudi nadvladati traumu nasilja i upoznati svoju prošlost, sve je čvršća njezina veza s nadnaravnom nemani goleme moći. Ta povezanost oboje će ih preobraziti i pretvoriti u metu ubojitih sila, kako ljudskih, tako i nezemaljskih.

Ovo impresivno izdanje objedinjuje prvih 18 svezaka omiljene i višestruko nagrađivane serije Marjorie Liu i Sane Takede, kao i dodatke koji uključuju dosad neviđene skice.

Knjiga sadrži sljedaća originalna izdanja Image Comics-a:
1. Monstress #1, 66 str. (04. November 2015)
2. Monstress #2, 22 str. (09. December 2015)
3. Monstress #3, 25 str. (27. January 2016)
4. Monstress #4, 24 str. (16. March 2016)
5. Monstress #5, 25 str. (13. April 2016)
6. Monstress #6, 28 str. (25. May 2016)
7. Monstress #7, 33 str. (12. October 2016)
8. Monstress #8, 30 str. (30. November 2016)
9. Monstress #9, 28 str. (28. December 2016)
10. Monstress #10, 28 str. (22. February 2017)
11. Monstress #11, 31 str. (19. April 2017)
12. Monstress #12, 31 str. (31. May 2017)
13. Monstress #13, 27 str. (24. January 2018)
14. Monstress #14, 27 str. (21. February 2018)
15. Monstress #15, 27 str. (21. March 2018)
16. Monstress #16, 27 str. (09. May 2018)
17. Monstress #17, 27 str. (13. June 2018)
18. Monstress #18, 27 str. (11. July 2018)

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

528 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 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

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

I just had to get this exclusive edition from Barnes & Noble! I sold my 1-3 paperback graphic novels since they are in this huge hardcover! Anyhoo! This is signed and has 3 sets of freaking postcards. Check it out!







Fanfreakingtastic peeps!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can sometimes be a little snobbish about American comics, because I grew up reading all these mind-bending French-language bande-dessinée works that were being pumped out in the 80s and 90s – alongside which the brightly coloured, superhero-inflected US series never appealed to me. Monstress was therefore a welcome slap to my prejudices. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. The imagery and emotions of this five-hundred-page behemoth lodged themselves firmly in my brain – I had some weird dreams while I was reading this one.



Part of what makes it so interesting is the strange, fertile mix of different elements that are being combined here. Monstress takes place in a standard high fantasy world, but with a gender reversal, so that all the major leaders, warriors and mystics are women, with men reduced to peripheral characters; it couples that with a strain of tentacular, Lovecraftian weird-horror, and adds some otherkin-inflected ideas of humanoid animals for good measure. And all of this is filtered through a vaguely Asian aesthetic, so that the Old Gods have a kaiju campness to them, animal ‘ancients’ are presented with a yōkai flavour, and children are drawn with wide-eyed manga faces.



Elsewhere, Sana Takeda's art is full of weird and unexpected influences, with a lush art-deco feel to much of the architecture, and indeed to the panel draughtsmanship and colouring. Lavish attention is given to the costumes, which look fantastic. She is especially good at fur, and many of her animal faces have an almost photorealistic verisimilitude to them, which can be quite eerie when the characters involved are walking around hitting people with swords.



Monstress is definitely not without flaws. Takeda's love of close-ups can make it hard to follow the flow of the action scenes, a tendency which unfortunately intersects with Marjorie Liu's increasingly convoluted roster of warring races, characters and alliances: there are so many double- and triple-agents in here (and so many identical-looking black-haired women) that keeping track of who is betraying whom is a big ask. It's also a bit gory for my tastes; I would have preferred more sex and less violence. There's a lot of torture and severed limbs in here, but no one seems to have any nipples (unless this is another nod to Japanese conventions?). I was amazed to see that this won the Eisner for "Best Publication for Teens (aged 13–17)" – this would have fucked me up at thirteen!

My main concern is that they can end it satisfactorily and that it doesn't just rumble on for years with no resolution. But I loved spending time in this world, and reading Monstress took me right back to the giddy enjoyment that comics often had for me as a kid.

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 83% | 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

[Mizuki]

Premise: we follow Maika Halfwolf, a girl with only one arm and a strange brand on her chest, on a quest for revenge and to find a place she could belong in a fantasy landscape torn apart by wars and hatred between humans and half-human creatures.

"Only a fool...invites their own ruin..."

(1) The artwork is awesome. The oriental/Eastern imaginary of the world-building is quite refreshing too.

(2) The artwork is exquisite but I feel bombarded by page after page of panels which sometimes feel overstuffed.

(3) 280 pages later, I continue to be impressed by the super lovely artwork and the awesome character design.😊

(4) The artwork is absolutely stunning and richly textured, and I can't imagine how much effort the artist had put to create page after page of illustrations for a total of 500-plus pages. The imaginary is awesome too.

(5) The main character Maika Halfwolf, is not always likeable, but I can understand her bitterness and her mistrust after seeing her losing her mother, being sold as a slave and having to struggle for survival for most of her young life.

(6) The monster that lives inside our MC is being referred to the Lord Destroyer, one of the old gods and consort/company of the Shaman Empress, by the later half of the book I became really interested in knowing more about him and the Shaman Empress!

(7) The little fox character is so cute!

(8) Tuya, Maika's best friend/lover is actually a baroness of the Dusk Court? I can't really see how this can happen since she was shown in Maika's memory as a fellow orphan and slave during childhood...

(9) Sometime there are a bit too many cases of someone betraying someone else, someone turning out to be a double agent in the story that I am a bit confused... to be honest.

Extra info. Monstress Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstre...

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars. Book One collects Volumes 1-3 (issues #1-18) of the comic. Monstress has been the winner of four Eisner Awards and five Hugo awards since the series began in 2015.


Monstress feels like an enormous leap forward for women in comics. It is written and illustrated by women. It is set in a reimagined 1900s matriarchal Asia. All of the main characters are women. It allows feminist issues to be explored without gender-conflict. Comic series are not known for being this female-focused. It is the kind of representation women, particularly women of color, seldom see within the comic genre.


The artwork is among the best I've seen within the comics medium. The colors and textures are lush. The manga and art deco influences are striking and beautiful. I love the interesting ways that the artist makes use of the panels. I particularly liked how at times characters would extend beyond their panels, emphasizing their actions at the moment. The visuals alone would be enough for me to recommend this series. Thankfully, the artwork isn't Monstress' only strength.



The lore and mythology within Monstress is dense and at times I struggled to keep up. This is not a series that is interested in holding the reader's hand. Worldbuilding and new characters are introduced at a rapid pace. Answers are revealed at a deliberately slow pace and in some cases not revealed at all, which could be frustrating.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love horror, mythology, fantasy & brilliant artwork, this graphic novel collection is a dream come true. It's one of the most award winning indie comics and the awards are well deserved. I admit that I first became interested in Monstress because the artwork just demanded attention, but the writing itself is just as praiseworthy. The story is fascinating. Essentially it's about a young woman who feels that she has a monster slowly growing inside of her--she isn't sure why or what the origin is other than that it's probably hereditary. She sets out to remove herself from society before she hurts someone, but then she begins to realize that her monster side can also be extraordinarily helpful for righting wrongs against those this dystopian world has repressed and subjugated.

Honestly, even if you have never been a great follower of graphic novels, I can't imagine any horror/fantasy reader not having massive appreciation for the adventures of these characters and the artwork in this collection. Give it a try. Book 2 (the second large collection) is out now as well. And I imagine book 3 is well under way. I stopped buying the individual comics and the shorter volume collections of 5 or so comics at a time because it just got difficult to keep up. But if those are more your speed, I recommend the special edition volumes by B & N because there is more artwork in each one.

[freddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this gorgeous edition for my birthday last month and I love it.
Still my favourite graphic novel series tbh - the art is absolutely beautiful.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the art and parts of the story, overall though I wasn't immersed in the world. I may continue but feel no urge to do so.

[Pop Bop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Monster-sized Volume

"Monstress" is one of the most talked about and most awarded series of the last four years, and for good reason. As the female centric response, of sorts, to phenoms like "Game of Thrones", (or, maybe even moreso, "Wheel of Time"), it is epic high fantasy at its finest. And all of that makes this Book a special treat.

The first eighteen issues of "Monstress" have been collected and published in three separate volumes. But this book comprises all eighteen of those issues, which means you can start here and bring yourself completely into and up to date on the "Monstress" tale. Starting with the Issue #19 that came out in January 2019 there's a new story arc out there, but this Book will give you a complete standalone understanding of the characters and the world that have caught readers' attention.

I'd come across an issue of "Monstress" here and there, but never got into it because this isn't a series you can just drop in on, at least not for me. Happily, this Book gives you the opportunity to start at the beginning and really immerse yourself in the "Monstress" world. For what it's worth, in addition to a glossary at the end of the book, if you search "Monstress Wiki" you'll find a Fandom site that describes each character, the world background, and the overall plot and action of the series. I read the first hundred pages of this Book, then went to Fandom to firm up my understanding of who was who and what was going on, and that approach was very rewarding.

Anyway, once you get into it, this is a real page turner. It's violent, the characters are merciless, the arcana is fascinating. While there's a lot of content the action is fast paced and the plot just screams along. There isn't much monologuing and almost no info dumps by the characters, (which is why the Fandom site is helpful for people who don't like being in the dark or missing details). You basically learn what you need to know more or less when you need to know it, and the author always plays fair when it comes to doling out info. (As a bonus, every few chapters there's a two page "lecture" from a Cat Professor, which provides very useful deep background info.)

And make no mistake, this is epic fantasy. It's set in a big and layered world of magic and ancient power and witchcraft. Lots of secrets and mysteries from the past inform the present, and ancient entities walk the lands. Our heroine is young, with a complicated backstory, an uncertain future, an indeterminate quest, and lots of unresolved issues. Much has been made of the fact that all of the important characters are women, but heroes are heroes and if they come with subtext, all the better. Hey, there's a monstrous demon, a funny cat, at least five different races, and not one character wears a chain mail bikini.

On top of that the art is wonderful. It's a bit art deco, but realistic. Characters and big action scenes are often exaggerated for effect, but not in a cartoony or Pow!, Wham!, sort of way. Lots of the big spreads could be framed and hung next to some Maxfield Parrish pieces, without looking at all out of place, (and not just because both have a lot of "girls on rocks"). There is great attention to detail in many of the interior scenes and the characters often look like they could just walk off the page. This is great stuff.

So, hooray for this massive, loaded, and generous collection. Monstrous.

(Please note that I had a chance to read a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[sophie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I wanted a wolf tail. I wanted wolf claws and wolf teeth. Do you remember what you said? 'Little wolf, you have all those things. They are safe within you, where no one can take them. Sometimes, my darling, it's better to hide your teeth.'"

If this isn't the next big budget/Hollywood fantasy hit, I'll eat my hat. (I don't wear hats, but! :P) I was interested in this for a while, since the art is gorgeous and reminds me of Final Fantasy illustrations, and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. But the story is just as gorgeous, drawing on the author's experiences with her Chinese grandparents surviving war, but filtered through an eldritch, steampunk-esque lens. There's also LGBT rep, which is always great surprise, and a society that's matriarchal, instead of patriarchal. Maika's experiences are painful and painfully relatable for anyone who feels "monstrously" other. I can't wait to stay current on this series as it comes out!

My only critique would be the dense lore/cast of characters that can get a bit confusing, but this is somewhat remedied with a glossary/maps at the back.

[Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kippa! Oh my bob. I need more.

[Maricruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por el dibujo, la historia y la creación de toda una mitología, gatos incluidos, es un cómic impresionante. Ahora bien, lo que más me intriga es saber cómo hace Maika para tener el pelo tan brillante y divino en medio de tanto caos y destrucción. Por favor, que alguien me lo cuente.

[Clarice]

Dnf 67% The art is great, but the story and especially the dialogue were downright confusing to read 😅😅😅

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with this.

The art? Incredible.

The story? Unputdownable.

The characters? Vibrant, flawed, and complex.

I NEED the last 3 volumes of this... hook them up to my veins!


Trigger/Content Warnings: violence, LOTS of body horror/gore/blood, death, slavery, torture, imprisonment, war


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[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* rounded up to 5*- In a steampunk fantasy world full of ancients (immortal, powerful animal-like beings), humans, arcanics (hybrids of ancients and humans), magical cats and other adoreable animals, old gods (aka monsters), and witches, a young arcanic discovers she has a special bond with a monster and becomes the center of a chaotic struggle for power.

This graphic novel is a completely immersive experience: the art is gorgeous, the story is complex, the characters are mysterious and fascinating, and the world is wonderfully textured. However, it was challenging to follow at times as the plot unfolds in a cocktail of perspective shifts, flashbacks, dream sequences, and intense world building with small but necessary info dumps done in such a cute way (cat school 😹). All cuteness aside, it was dark, sometimes violent, and has, so far, thankfully been free of any romantasy vibes.

While the complexity is what gives this graphic novel so much to sink your teeth into, I often felt like I was drowning in the details. There are so many moving parts, I kept having to flip back and forth through the volume to get my head around what was going on, who was who, and how the pieces fit together. Fortunately, I read a collected volume that made this easy and can't imagine what it was like for people who read it as the issues were released.

In spite of any difficulties, I couldn't put it down and can't wait to get started on the next volume. Totally enjoyed it and recommend it to any fan of steampunk fantasy, even if graphic novels are not your thing.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesus what a beautifully drawn story. The art is insanely mesmerizing and hunting, so unique, and very clear to understand, which is not always the case. Character design is also extremely well done by having very memorable-looking characters, which the series desperately needed since their personalities are quite dry. The art style is definitely the strongest aspect of this series and what kept me invested.
The second best part of the series is the world-building. What an immense mountain of lore. It feels overwhelming at first like all high-fantasy does, but once you get the races down, the big war and the factions involved you don't even notice the lingo anymore. Towards the end of the book especially you become more and more aware of the history of this world and how everything begins to connect.
Lastly, the weakest aspect of this series, so far, is the story and characters. Outside of Kippa which had great character development, the rest of the cast is quite forgettable. With the book being so lore-focused the characters do not get a chance to breathe, they are lifeless. I, unfortunately, did not form any connection to any of these individuals, even Kippa, sorry little fox. They just feel so sorry drive and lost in the world-building that I didn't get a chance to get to know any of them.
Overall, this is a beautifully visualized world that has a ton of potential with its deep history and lore that ultimately overwhelmed the thinly written characters. I am a fan of the series now and can't wait till the second book hits the shelves.

[Malapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vaya viaje: la historia, los personajes, el mundo... y, sobre todo, ese dibujo que te atrapa desde la primera página.

En un mundo fantástico dos razas, arcanos y humanos, se lamen sus heridas tras una guerra cerrada en falso. Y amenazando con hacer saltar la precaria paz aparece Maika Halfwoolf, una muchacha con un extraño (y enorme) poder en su interior y perseguida por un pasado lleno de misterios.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork in this series is utterly amazing. I can't get enough!

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

To quote the poets, we’re fucked..


Monstress, the Image comic that won all the big awards in 2018, written by Marjorie Liu and art by Sana Takeda,is a comic book we really need more of. Liu was the first woman to ever win an Eisner award for best writer. Both the writer and artist are women and almost all its cast are female, to be honest, it's a breath of fresh air in a male oriented industry. Not only because of them being women, but also because of the scope, flow and genre of the book. We simply need more epic fantasy in comics. And we need more comics like Monstress!

It might be a weird way to start a review, but after I finished Monstress book one, which contains the first three trades, I was blown away by it. I read a lot of books and fantasy is among my favorite genres, but I do think we should have some more in the comic book medium. There are a couple good ones, like Rat Queens and Seven To Eternity, but this is fantasy of another order. This comic with its complex story, almost reads like a novel. It doesn't start off easy, it drops you right in the middle of the story without any explanation, making the first couple issues enjoyable but a bit dense to read at times. We learn more and more of the story through flashbacks, and to top it off there is a history lesson at the end of every issue, sucking you in more and more. Making the story of Maika halfwolf a human arcanic with a monster attached to her, a very engaging one.


Maika lives in a fantasy world where a war between humans and Arcanics is brewing, and is followed by a coven of witches called the Cumea. She has a piece of a mask that could be the end of the world and they want to take it from here for their own evil use. She has other problems as well, she is constantly hungry, and a lot of times after she wakes up, people are missing. Maybe it has something to do with the evil monster attached to her who comes out at times, most of the time to help, but sometimes to just bitch and moan. She struggles with PTSD, something not mentioned but very apparent. In multiple ways this is an anti war book, showing all the dirty sides of it. Slavery, dehumanization, and a world where torture deceit and betrayal are sort of normal.

The setting of a steampunk, matriarchal Asia set in around the 1900s is original. With a large cast, varying races and all kinds of believable mythology, the world building is really impressive. There are Ancients, talking animals, Arcanics, and Monstra (some type of Old Gods) and all kinds of different cities and places making this a fantastic comic to dive into. After its difficult beginning the story evolves very fast with lots of action, mystery and secrets. The action is horror-like and bloody, and after its rough beginning, the story becomes very fast paced and straightforward.


Sana Takeda’s artwork is a big highlight and among the best I’ve ever seen. With a sort of art deco, gothic manga style, you just want to rip out every page and frame it. Zinn, the monstrum attached to Maika, is a being of magnificent power, and towers over everybody in terms of strength and physicality and it looks beautiful every time he enters a fight. On top of that Maika, who at times is not very likable and even a bit cruel, is an absolute badass who is never afraid to back away from a fight. Monstress also has an adorable supporting cast, making room for a bit of lighthearted fun at times. I can't think of anyone cuter than Kippa and her cool cat friend Master Ren. I think this series will take its time with plenty of issues and I can't wait to see where the story will take us.

This Image Hardcover is a damn fine addition to my comic collection, there are not too many extras but I'm not complaining with 500+ pages of epicness.

4.5 stars

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has the things I thought I would like: high fantasy, an ancient god connected to an outcast, cute animals.

But this series didn't do it for me. The art is gorgeous! But the story fluctuated too much from convoluted to boring to fun action that I couldn't get into it.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binge-reading Monstress is definitely the way to go for me. It's great to immerse yourself in the beautiful, terrible world that Liu has created, and get lost in Sana Takeda's stunning art, page after page. I'm very glad the next huge hardcover is out in December!!

[Irena Pranjić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ova me knjiga privukla još prije par godina dok sam vidjela neke od tabli na internetu, a kada sam je prije par tjedana vidjela na Fibrinom štandu, istog sam je trena odlučila kupiti iako sam se sama sebi zaklela da na Interliberu neću ništa kupiti baš ništa. Najviše me privukao crtež koji je vrlo raskošan i koji na zanimljiv način kombinira estetiku mangi i Impact comicsa, preko čega je u debelom sloju prelivena estetika secesije, naročito u načinu na koji Sana Takeda crta kosu, a onda i kroz bogatu ornamentiku odjeće i arhitekture u stripu. Čitanje ove knjige je zahtjevan posao i unaprijed sam odlučila da ću za to uzeti puno vremena i da dnevno neću čitati više od dva poglavlja. Zahtjevan je ne samo zbog bogatstva detalja u scenariju i crtežu već i zbog težine samog izdanja kojega nije moguće držati u bilo kojoj pozi, pa se nikako ne može čitati u čekaonicama, kod frizerke, u tramvaju, naprosto nije praktičan za upotrebu izvan kuće. Plus to, knjiga zaista traži punu koncentraciju - dok sam čitala, imala sam osjećaj da savladavam novi jezik jer je narativna tehnika nešto što mi je sasvim novo i već od prvih stranica bilo mi je jasno da ću strip morati ponovno pročitati još nekoliko puta da bih zahvatila sve slojeve koje nudi.
Strip stvara cijeli jedan novi svijet epskog karaktera, sa vlastitom mitologijom, kartografijom i poviješću. Po tome me podsjeća na Gospodare prstenova, Metabarune ili Ratove zvijezda, no razlikuje se po tome što u njoj dominiraju jaki ženski likovi, junakinje koje su silno okrutne i snažne ali istovremeno i predivno nacrtane, iako su sve različite građe pa tu ima i sisatih i manje sisatih žena, krhkih i krupnih djevojaka, žena i starica. Djeluje da je ovako raskošan tim junakinja crtan prvenstveno za lezbijsku a onda za žensku publiku s namjerom da prkosi stereotipu slabokrvnih i uplakanih ljepotica kakve obično viđamo u stripu, filmu i literaturi.
Sama radnja djeluje klasično, riječ je o nekoj shemi koju poznajemo još iz Ilijade i Odiseje, s tim da su čudovišta koja se ovdje pojavljuju suvremena i citati su onog što smo mogli vidjeti u popularnoj umjetnosti 20. st., pa se njihov dizajn referira primjerice na Aliena, Blacksada, Vranu, neke likove koje sam znala viđati u kompjutorskim igricama, a vjerojatno ima i citata na neke stvari o kojima ja nemam pojma (naročito na neke suvremene interpretacije egipatske mitologije, ne znam gdje sam to već ranije vidjela).
Ne mogu reći da sam posve uživala u čitanju jer je strip toliko nafilan imenima i događanjima da nisam mogla zapamtiti sve detalje - mislim da je to literatura za čitatelje koji su u stanju pratiti Dungeons and Dragons, a ja nisam taj tip. To je prepreka zbog kojeg se nisam upala u onaj čitateljski sevdah od kojeg zaboraviš gdje si i kako se zoveš, no opet, bilo mi je zanimljivo čitati baš zbog toga da naučim čitati ovaj tip literature, da vidim kako se suvremeni feminizam pretočio u strip ovog tipa i to je, skupa s sjajnim crtežom, dovoljan razlog da strip ocijenim s čitom peticom.
Zahvalna sam Marku Šunjiću što je ovo objavio kod nas, tisak je zbilja divan i papir je divan i lettering je vrhunski, ovo je baš lijepa knjiga.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To become a future-teller, one needs only to study history.”

That ending… NOT OKAY!! No joke, the last panel stopped my heart for a second.

Gotta admit, I’m not super into graphic novels, don’t actively look for them, but even I heard of the Monstress as it got tons of awards and recognition. And it deserves every single one. The art is not only stunning, but it conveys emotions so well, it doesn’t need a single word. I am in AWE. The story is engrossing too, if not a bit confusing. It will definitely be better on reread, as the key elements of it are slowly revealed throughout the story. Now that I know those elements, a reread will be epic. But essentially, it is a story about the consequences of war, survival and surviving the survival.

“The only thing worse than being lost is having no one to look for you.”

The characters made this story for me. They are defined, concrete and compelling. I found a new favourite ever in this story – Kippa, the little fox girl. I don’t remember ever having my heart bursting with love just looking at and reading about someone. She is the purest, cutest, wholesome-est little bean ever to be brought to page and I’m not joking when I say I would die and/or kill for her. She is the light and hope in this dark and brutal world. Maika is the protagonist, though, and a great one at that. She is a deeply flawed, traumatized girl who just wants to unravel the mysteries surrounding her. There are tons of supporting characters, all of which are just as real as the main ones and make this story even more alive.

The worldbuilding is another standout. Fascinating, rich and so inventive. I mean, cats talk. Need I say more? They are a race of their own, with their own culture and history. There are multiple races, connected yet separate... I don’t know how to explain this shit, just read it, it’s wild!!

Loved, loved, loved it!! 10/10 I NEED MORE

“Someone has to care, miss. Something good has to survive. It just has to. As long as there’s even a little good in the world, there’s a chance to make things better for everyone.”

[OmniBen · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review)
I remember reading a little bit of this a few years ago and thinking it decent, hence the purchase of the deluxe edition. Delving into it all these years later, I now know I was either addicted to crack and out of my tree when I read it the first time, or else, my tolerance for this woefully average fare has diminished significantly in the interim.
It is painfully obvious that Monstress was written by a woman. Given that my favourite fantasy series of all time was written by a woman, that is certainly no detractor in and of itself. But every creative choice in the handful of issues I managed to force feed myself before giving up absolutely reeked of a female writer, and not a very good one at that.
And then there is the art. A superficial glance might indicate quality, although take a few seconds to actually stare at it and it all comes crashing down like a house of cards rather quickly. Stained by its digital imprint, and with some of the most galling, unappealing colours I've seen, and I've seen a lot of them, Monstress' art has about as much actual weight to it than its airy fairy fantasy nonsense of a story.
I have little doubt this has managed to find a fan base within a less discerning, mostly female circle. (the kind of people who think Twilight constitutes literary fiction), but I don't want any part of it. 2/5


OmniBen.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a huge high fantasy fan and I didn't always know what was going on, but this was pretty amazing. The world building took a bit for me to understand, but I just went with the flow and it finally mostly sunk in. The art, as everyone and their dog has noted in their GR review, is quite stunningly beautiful. The clothing is artistic like an Asian costume drama. The women all have beautiful faces and, best of all, all of the world's factions have a matriarchal leadership. These are some bad-ass women too. My favorite character was Kippa, an endearing but brave and loyal fox child. Plus there are cats who talk and can speak to dead people. They are the oldest creatures on this world, and they serve as the poets who record history. I can only love a book with cats like this.

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me some answers to all these mysteries, dangit!

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is stunning, and the plot grips you from the very beginning. That being said, it is kind of a really dense fantasy, which I don't tend to be interested in most of the time (a genre problem, not an author or quality problem). I can see how others can get really invested in the worldbuilding, though - it's very rich.

My favorite characters were Sophia (rip) and Corvin. I hope they both show up again in the future.

[Josh Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the lore so much that I was hootin and hollerin when I found the glossary of characters and terms in the back. The art is some of the best I have ever seen in a comic. The dynamic of such an abrasive and hurt main character having an exasperated cat and a precious fox kid as sidekicks is perfection. Really kicking myself for waiting so long to start this.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books always caught my eye in the comic shop, and from time to time I would pick it up and flip through, admiring the art, thinking “what is this? Some kind of animal-hybrid thing where people talk about stuff and the art is really cool?”

I don’t know how I managed to miss all of the violence and darkness in this book by flipping through individual issues. This book is amazingly dark, combining elements of Lovecraftian gods, kaiju, bloody gruesome war, and yes, animal people.

This book collected the first 18 issues and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who thinks any of the above might be interesting. The artwork is phenomenal, too, and really stands out among modern comics.

Once I got into this, I really liked it. I haven’t been so engrossed in a comic series in awhile.

[Ben Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was epic and the art is breathtaking.