Monstress (comics)

Monstress is an ongoing epic fantasy comics series written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda, published since November 2015 by the American publisher Image Comics.

Monstress
Monstress #1 cover
Publication information
Publisher	Image Comics
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Dark fantasy Steampunk
Publication date	November 2015 – present
No. of issues	54 (plus 2 Talk Stories issues)
Main character(s)	Maika Halfwolf Kippa Ren Mormorian Zinn the Monstrum Corvin D'Oro
Creative team
Created by	Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Written by	Marjorie Liu
Artist(s)	Sana Takeda
Letterer(s)	Rus Wooton
Editor(s)	Jennifer M. Smith
Collected editions
1. Awakening	ISBN 9781632157096
2. The Blood	ISBN 9781534300415
3. Haven	ISBN 9781534306912
4. The Chosen	ISBN 9781534313361
5. Warchild	ISBN 9781534316614
6. The Vow	ISBN 9781534319158
7. Devourer	ISBN 9781534323193
8. Inferno	ISBN 9781534399525
9. The Possessed	ISBN 9781534392618

The series has earned many awards, including seven Eisner Awards, four Hugo Awards, and the Harvey Awards Book of the Year in 2018.

Summary

The series is set in a matriarchal world inspired by early 20th-century Asia, and tells the story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage girl who shares a mysterious psychic link with a powerful monster.^[1][2] The background to the story is a war between the Arcanics, magical creatures who sometimes can pass for human, and the human Federation, led by the Cumaea, an order of sorceresses who consume Arcanics to fuel their power. Maika is an Arcanic who looks human, and who is set on learning about and avenging her dead mother. Maika's left arm has been severed and a "monster", Zinn, occasionally emerges from its stub.^[3] The demon, who takes over her body and mind, is a source of great power, but challenging for Maika to understand and control.^[2] The story unfolds as Maika navigates through the power games of the factions of humans and arcanics while learning truths about the "Ancients" and her family that change her perspective.

Publication history

Liu first introduced the story to Takeda in 2013. The two started working together a year later, and the first issue was published in November 2015; the trade paperback first volume in July 2016, the second in July 2017,^[3] the third in September 2018,^[4] and the fourth in September 2019.^[5]

Liu has said that she struggled with depression before writing Monstress. She had taken a hiatus from writing before returning to the industry with Image Comics.^[6]

She has described the comic as "a huge epic fantasy." As such, the story required world-building. The first issue was triple-sized (70 pages) in order to properly introduce the various characters and factions.^[6]

Liu and Takeda first worked together on Liu's run of X-23 for Marvel. Liu would later describe her work with Takeda as "a wonderful process; it felt like she was reading my mind." A native of Japan, Takeda's art takes inspiration from manga.^[6]

Themes

Liu at a 2019 signing for Monstress #24 at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

According to Liu, among the series's themes are the inner strength required to withstand constant dehumanization, as well as the power of friendship among women.^[7] Race also plays a large role in the series. In the series the Arcanics, a race of magical creatures, have been at war with humans for decades, and they are now at a stalemate; however the humans are taking Arcanics and selling them as slaves to other humans.^[7]

Reception

At the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, the series received an average score of 9.0 out of 10 based on 212 reviews.^[8]

The first, triple-sized issue of Monstress received critical praise. Writing for Kotaku, Evan Narcisse called it "a gorgeous comic book about racism, war and slavery", noting the intricate detail of Takeda's manga-inspired art.^[9] Reviewing the book for The A.V. Club, Caitlin Rosberg described the leading characters, all women, as "deeply flawed and showing layers of nuanced characterization that you don’t often see in comic books", and appreciated the series's "sense of in-between-ness—(...) neither traditionally Western nor manga, paced like a novel but drawn like a comic".^[10] The comic was described by the Los Angeles Review of Books as "ambitious as George R. R. Martin or J. R. R. Tolkien" for its high fantasy concepts and heavy world-building.^[11]

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
Bram Stoker Award	2018	Best Graphic Novel	Monstress – Volume 2: The Blood	Nominated	[12]
	2019	Best Graphic Novel	Monstress – Volume 3: Haven		[13]
	2020	Best Graphic Novel	Monstress – Volume 4: The Chosen		[13]
British Fantasy Award	2017	Best Comic / Graphic Novel	Monstress – Volume 1: Awakening	Won	[14]
	2018	Best Comic / Graphic Novel	Monstress – Volume 2: The Blood		[15]
		Best Artist	Sana Takeda	Nominated	[15]
Eisner Awards	2016	Best Writer	Marjorie Liu		[16]
		Best New Series	Monstress		[16]
	2017	Best Publication for Teens	Monstress		[17]
		Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)	Sana Takeda		[17]
		Best Cover Artist	Sana Takeda		[17]
	2018	Best Continuing Series	Monstress	Won	[18]
		Best Publication for Teens	Monstress		[18]
		Best Writer	Marjorie Liu		[18]
		Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)	Sana Takeda		[18]
		Best Cover Artist	Sana Takeda		[18]
	2022	Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)	Sana Takeda		[19]
	2023	Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)	Sana Takeda		[20]
Harvey Awards	2018	Book of the Year Award	Monstress	Won	[21]
Hugo Awards	2017	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 1: Awakening	Won	[22]
		Best Professional Artist	Sana Takeda	Nominated	[23]
	2018	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 2: The Blood	Won	[24]
		Best Professional Artist	Sana Takeda		[24]
	2019	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 3: Haven		[25]
	2020	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 4: The Chosen	Nominated	[26]
	2021	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 5: Warchild		[27]
	2022	Best Graphic Story	Monstress – Volume 6: The Vow		[23]
World Fantasy Awards	2022	Special Award, Professional	Monstress – Volume 6: The Vow	Won	[28]

Collected editions

Title	Material collected	Publication date	Format	ISBN
Monstress – Volume 1: Awakening[29]	Monstress #1–6	July 19, 2016	Trade paperback	9781632157096
Monstress – Volume 2: The Blood[30]	Monstress #7–12	July 5, 2017		9781534300415
Monstress – Volume 3: Haven[31]	Monstress #13–18	September 5, 2018		9781534306912
Monstress – Volume 4: The Chosen[32]	Monstress #19–24	September 25, 2019		9781534313361
Monstress – Volume 5: Warchild[33]	Monstress #25–30	October 6, 2020		9781534316614
Monstress – Volume 6: The Vow[34]	Monstress: Talk-Stories #1–2 Monstress #31–35	September 8, 2021		9781534319158
Monstress – Volume 7: Devourer[35]	Monstress #36–41	September 7, 2022		9781534323193
Monstress – Volume 8: Inferno[36]	Monstress #42–48	November 22, 2023		9781534399525
Monstress – Volume 9: The Possessed[37]	Monstress #49–54	November 13, 2024		9781534392618
Monstress – Book One[38]	Monstress #1–18	July 3, 2019	Hardcover	9781534312326
Monstress – Book Two[39]	Monstress #19–35 Monstress: Talk-Stories #1–2	December 7, 2022		9781534323148

References

1. Liu, Marjorie. "Marjorie Liu". Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
2. Cruz, Lenika (September 14, 2017). "Marjorie Liu on the Road to Making 'Monstress'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
3. Kelts, Roland (March 19, 2017). "Breaking the comic book glass ceiling". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.image Archived 2017-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Monstress, Vol. 3 TP". Image Comics. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
5. "Monstress, Vol. 4 TP". Image Comics. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
6. Cruz, Lenika (September 14, 2017). "Marjorie Liu on the Road to Making 'Monstress'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
7. McMillan, Graeme (November 3, 2015). "'Monstress': Inside The Fantasy Comic About Race, Feminism And The Monster Within". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
8. "Monstress Reviews". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
9. Narcisse, Evan (November 23, 2015). "Monstress Is A Gorgeous Comic Book About Racism, War and Slavery". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
10. Rosberg, Caitlin (November 10, 2015). "Monstress captivates with its fusion of Western comics and manga". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
11. Song, Min Hyoung (December 24, 2016). "Monsters Come Home: On Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda's "Monstress"". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
12. "Marjorie M. Liu Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
13. "Sana Takeda Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
14. "Announcing the 2017 British Fantasy Award Winners". Tor.com. October 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
15. "British Fantasy Society, British Fantasy Awards 2018". British Fantasy Society. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
16. "2016 Eisner Award Winners (Full List)". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
17. "2017 Eisner Awards Winners (Full List)". Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
18. "2018 Eisner Awards Nominations". Newsarama. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
19. Kaplan, Rebecca Oliver (July 23, 2022). "SDCC '22: 2022 Eisner Award winners, top moments, and more!". Comics Beat. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
20. McMillan, Graeme (April 24, 2023). "And the winners of the 2023 Eisner Awards are..." Popverse. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
21. "2018 Winners - The Harvey Awards". Harvey Awards. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
22. "MONSTRESS Wins 2017 HUGO AWARD". Newsarama. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
23. "Sana Takeda Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
24. Morgan, Cheryl (August 19, 2018). "2018 Hugo Award Winners". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
25. Morgan, Cheryl (August 19, 2019). "2019 Hugo Award Winners". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
26. "2020 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
27. "2021 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
28. "World Fantasy Awards 2022". The Science Fiction Awards Database. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
29. "Monstress, Vol. 1 TP". Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
30. "Monstress, Vol. 2 TP". Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
31. "Monstress, Vol. 3 TP". Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
32. "Monstress, Vol. 4 TP". Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
33. "Monstress, Vol. 5 TP". Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
34. "Monstress, Vol. 6 TP". Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
35. "Monstress, Vol. 7 TP". Retrieved July 28, 2022.
36. "Monstress TP, Vol. 8". Retrieved October 7, 2023.
37. "Monstress TP, Vol. 9". imagecomics.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
38. "Monstress, Book One HC". Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
39. "Monstress, Book Two HC". Retrieved July 28, 2022.

External links

• Official website at Image Comics