The forces that exist in this world begin to flex their muscles.
Creative Staff:
Story: Marjorie Liu
Art: Sana Takeda
What They Say:
A terrible force rises from the heart of the sea, intent on consuming Maika—and the monster inside her.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Monstress was definitely intriguing in the last two issues after the first main arc brought things to a new place. The focus on Maika and a few others with a lot of it spent out at sea kept us far more narrowly set than we were with the first six issues of the series. This allowed Liu to really dig into the character well and for Takeda to deliver some beautifully haunting pages on the ocean and with the various creatures that inhabit this world. It was smaller in that focus yet things felt larger because we got to spend some solid quality time with them. That wasn’t going to last long, nor should it with so many wheels in motion here like a good long form novel, and getting to touch on some of those here helped to set the stage for what’s to come.
I’ll admit that I’m still not 100% on the various aspects of those that Maika’s lineage comes from in terms of the various courts that exist and the political/dynasty structure of it all but there are some really intriguing elements to it. This one gives us some time with Maika’s aunt and grandmother, both powerful members within, as the grandmother has looked to ensure that Moriko’s sister doesn’t gain control of Maika. They both know the evil that comes but have very different approaches to how it should be handled in significant ways, from viewing it as a tool to be used to something that cannot be destroyed but must be put into holding so that it doesn’t influence more. Though these are the big weighty issues, and a high-ranking member of the Dusk Court has come to visit, the familial aspects are what’s intriguing – though I wish Liu used some names once in a while because even on a monthly basis there are too many things to remember.
This all helps to reinforce the danger that the monster represents and what struggle Maika faces in trying to manage herself in regards to it. The inner piece we get is interesting enough here as there’s a kind of battle of the wills but also a more external fight that keeps things brutal and dangerous, reinforcing what kind of threat Maika is to others. The two deal with those that are causing trouble on the ship, unaware of the true nature of what Maika and the monster are, and that gives clue to their own age in how they were tools of greater violence in days long gone. The designs for them continue to be creepy and delightful and just watching the flow and movement of it all is disturbingly engaging. The same can be said with the arrival of the ship at the Isle of Bones and knowing that there are others there trying to achieve similar goals that could thwart them adds to the danger. Maika’s group has had some great additions with the ship, Old Tooth in particular delights me, but a refocus on her, Kippa, and Ren for this part of the adventure is definitely for the best and it has me really interested in seeing how this dynamic grows and changes now that Kippa is trying to stand up better for himself.
In Summary:
Monstress had a very busy first six-issue arc that laid a whole lot of foundations that fleshed out a more complex world than many series do after a hundred issues. Shifting from that to smaller stories for the past couple of issues was a welcome change but this one starts to loop in the big picture material again that we can build from in addition to what we did get through this particular group. This issue gives us some great stuff from Maika’s family that really leaves me wanting fleshed out stories for all of them while also ensuring that Maika’s tale aboard the ship has more than enough to keep us interesting and engaged. Good stuff all around here that’s building a fascinating world that’s richly detailed and brought to life through Takeda’s impossible to praise too much artwork.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: December 28th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
