Format Ongoing series Number of issues 11 Artist(s) Sana Takeda Publisher Image Comics | Genre Epic Fantasy Main character(s) Maika Halfwolf
Kippa Writer Marjorie Liu | |
 | ||
Publication date November 2015 to present Similar Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine, Bitch Planet, Saga, Descender | ||
Monstress is an epic fantasy comics series written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda, published since 2015 by the American publisher Image Comics.
The series is set in a matriarchal "alternate Asia" riven by war between the Arcanics, magical creatures who sometimes can pass for human, and the Cumea, an order of sorceresses who consume Arcanics to fuel their power. The main character, Maika Halfwolf, is an Arcanic who is set on learning more about, and avenging, her dead mother. 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.
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. In 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".
