monstress_vol1-1
Liu, Marjorie M. and Sana Takeda. Monstress (Vol. 1): Awakening. 2016.

Maika Halfwolf is a survivor. Her world has been torn apart from war for years between the humans and the Arcanics. When she is captured and sold as a slave, she frees herself from her prison and hunts down her captor – who knew her mother, and Maika demands answers. In the process, she picks up half a mask that has mysterious and cataclysmic power. Now the hunter turns into the hunted, as authorities from both the human and Arcanic sides of the war try to locate and take back the mask. Its’ presence wakes something in Maika… something dark, and terrible, and so, so hungry…

If nothing else, pick this book up for the art alone. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a comic before. I’m blown away that it even IS a comic. It’s a blend of anime, steampunk, fantasy, history from multiple periods… this book truly is ART. My reading time is quite limited now, so I try to get through what I can in a short period of time, but I lingered long over this one, studying every panel. I was just amazed. I am still amazed.

This is a darker fantasy than what I normally pick up, but it’s still fascinating. Maika is ruthless even as she tries desperately to control the savage power within her. There are also cool talking cats with multiple tails =P I eagerly await the next volume~

– Kathleen