Written by: Joshua Lim
Published: Aug 4, 2022
Monstress, is an ongoing critically acclaimed fantasy comic series written by Marjorie Liu, drawn by Sana Takeda, and published by Image Comics. Receiving comparisons to epic fantasies like George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter," and J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Monstress is not only one of the best ongoing indie comics but one of the best fantasy stories in general! War, fantasy, steampunk, post-apocalyptic, and Eldritch horror are all genres that can describe Monstress. Themes of racism, xenophobia, sexuality and humanitarian issues are interlaced in the complex world that Lui creates, and Takeda accentuates. These issues feel all too real, and it is no surprise as one of the major inspirations for the story is Lui's Chinese grandparents' experiences of surviving WWII and their resilience in dealing with post-war life.
For more comics and graphic novels that feature Asian characters, click here.
Monstress: Story
"A teenage girl struggles to overcome the trauma of war in an alternate, matriarchal 1900s Asia that’s brimming with arcane dangers. This task is made all the more difficult by her mysterious psychic link to an eldritch monster of tremendous power—a connection that will transform them both, and place them in the crosshairs of both human and otherworldly powers."
Monstress was first published in 2015 and is currently on its forty-first issue or seventh volume. Its first issue is triple-sized and will be sure to enthral you. However, a reminder that it is not for everyone. It does deal with graphic violence and mature themes. The story even opens with the protagonist being sold as a slave. However, fiction is perhaps one of the best spaces to deal with such themes, at least Liu believes so. Click here or here to read about interviews Liu had discussing how she addresses race, feminism, and othering in her work.
Tips for teachers - Buy the graphic novels or hardcovers, not the comics. Graphic novels and hardcover books collect multiple comic issues!
Monstress: Classroom Use
Due to the mature themes and the fact that the story is still in progress, I believed that it would be better suited for personal reading rather than classroom usage. However, during the 2018 New York Comic Convention Dr. Katie Monnin, Chloe Ramos-Peterson, Adam Kullberg, presented by Pop Culture Classroom, in partnership with Image Comics, highlighted how educators and librarians can start to deconstruct Marjorie Liu's Monstress in order to build their own teaching guides and curricular resources to support teaching the title to diverse student populations (Terror, 2018).
A Grade 11 and 12 guide by Pop Culture Classroom. Found here.
Monstress: Authors & About
Marjorie Liu is a former lawyer turned bestselling novelist and comic book writer. She was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Seattle, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Her work at Marvel includes top intellectual properties like Black Widow, Han Solo, and the Astonishing X-Men. She has also taught a course on comic book writing at MIT.
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since become the third largest comics publisher in the United States. Image is known as a venue for creator-owned properties and publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable.
Monstress: Awards
Monstress is one of the most highly acclaimed and winningest comic series out there. In 2018 it won a whopping five Eisner awards, including Best Writer making Liu the first woman to do so in the over 30-year history of the Eisner Awards. See below for a notable but not-exhaustive list of awards won:
2016:
Winner, Entertainment Weekly's The Best Comic Books of the Year
Nominee, Eisner Award Best Writer
Nominee, Eisner Award Best New Series
2017:
Nominee, Bram Stocker Award: Graphic Novel
Winner, British Fantasy Award: Best Comic/Graphic Novel
Nominee, Eisner Award: Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17)
Nominee, Eisner Award: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Nominee, Eisner Award: Best Cover Artist
Winner, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
2018:
Winner, Barnes & Noble's Best Books of the Year
Nominee, Bram Stocker Award: Graphic Novel
Winner, British Fantasy Award Best Comic/Graphic Novel
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Writer
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Continuing Series
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Cover Artist
Winner, Entertainment Weekly's The Best Comic Books of the Year
Winner, Harvey Award Book of the Year
Winner, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
Winner, Hugo Award: Best Professional Artist
Winner, Newsweek's Best Comic Books of the Year
Winner, The Washington Post's 10 Best Graphic Novels of the Year
Winner, Powell's Best Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Graphic Novels of the Year
Winner, Thrillist's Best Comics & Graphic Novels of the Year
Winner, YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens
2019:
Winner, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
Nominee, Bram Stocker Award: Graphic Novel
2020:
Nominee, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
2021:
Nominated, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
2022:
Pending, Hugo Award: Best Graphic Story
Winner, Eisner Award: Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
References
Hankins, R. (2015). Islam and Science Fiction. Retrieved from http://www.islamscifi.com/islam-sci-fi-interview-of-g-willow-wilson-part-i/
Perine, A. (2022). Ms. Marvel features another hidden QR code for a free comic. Marvel. Retrieved from https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/ms-marvel-hidden-qr-code-free-comic/
Terror, J. T. (2018). Image comics NYCC exclusives include Blackbird, Monstress, JesusFreak, deadly class, more. Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved from https://bleedingcool.com/comics/image-comics-nycc-exclusives-include-blackbird-monstress-jesusfreak-deadly-class-more/