Review: Monstress #20

So I don’t know if you guys follow Monstress at all, but if you don’t, you should. Granted, that’s all my opinion, yes but the title is something that I knew about from its initial launch in…what…2015? Majorie Liu’s stellar storytelling has kept me semi-current despite all live things (aka my own ADHD) making it hard to focus on things. What I’m trying to articulate here, is that in itself is a feat. I can attribute some of this to Sana Takeda’s art. If you don’t know her work, she’s done some of the brilliant Marvel manga type books; the latest of which, if I recall correctly, featured South Korea’s first Avenger Ami Han. That, in itself, should be a reason to pic up the title. Takeda’s art is some of the most breath-taking pieces I’ve had the pleasure of viewing.

The issue itself starts amid a tense interaction via circumstance. The tension there is almost awkward until Warlord promises that she’ll basically keep herself in check out of courtesy and the fact that she’s now tethered to someone else. We cut to Kippa’s ongoing escape from her captors into the depths of danger. Both she and her companion are on their way to what seems like an opening back into the world from the tombs only to lose themselves again while Ren has a rather terse interaction with someone who divulges pertinent bits of information that come as a shock to even Ren…well, sort of. At the risk of being somewhat spoilery, I’ll leave you to make your own discoveries about these.

We round the issue out with a flash to Maika and Corvin and their search for Maika’s companion’s. There’s a tension between the two that ultimately boils to a head and I can’t help but feel a little pang of guilt for what Corvin hints at. Despite everything, there’s a sort of appreciation for me, at least on my end, for his sense of duty despite all. If the words were allowed to play out more, who knows what kind of discourse we might have made. In true life sense, however, that never really is allowed to happen. Instead something else turns its attentions on Maika and Corvin, stirring up new conflict and demanding our focus.

I really can’t tell you how much I loved this issue and all its hybrid mix of manga and comics. For me, everything culminates to find a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars for a title that I’ll continue to anticipate with bated breath.

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(W) Marjorie M. Liu (A/CA) Sana Takeda