Monstress Vol. 6
- WRITER
- Marjorie Liu
- Artist
- Sana Takeda
- Letterer
- Rus Wooton
- Cover Artist
- Sana Takeda
- Publisher
- Image Comics
- Price
- 15.00
- Release Date
- 2021-09-21
- Colorist
- Sana Takeda
Image Comics' Monstress series is known for its impressively crafted and vast fantasy world, a steampunk-style and war-torn matriarchal society based on 20th century Asia. The world is morally ambiguous. Most of all, its relentlessly dark storylines make Game of Thrones look tame in comparison. Racism, genocide, war, treachery, and dismemberment are par for the course for every issue, and Monstress Vol. 6, which covers issues 31 to 35, follows suit.
The stakes have been raised for anti-hero Maika Halfwolf and her Old God companion symbiote, Zinn. Chaos reigns in the Known World. The Cumaea have upped their offenses. War has escalated to the point of no return, which means the city of Ravenna may be beyond salvation. Alliances long dissolved are forced back together, but tensions remain. Maika and Zinn face off with old enemies and former friends -- and each other -- to end the war. But their quest to ultimate power -- and their fearsome fused form -- may come at too high a cost.
Monstress Vol. 6 opens with the first two issues of the miniseries "Talk Stories," in which Maika and Kippa recount some brief happy moments in their pasts. For Kippa, it's cooking the best meal of her life with the help of her half-sister Perri. For Maika, her adventure away from home and into the unexpected care -- and tutelage -- of Seizi's pirate mother, alongside her siren friend, Areka. Yet this is still the violent world of Monstress, so of course, these sweet memories come with plenty of bitterness. That said, they are a welcomed detour from the oppressive tragedy of the main plot, with important and tender moments of character development.
When it comes to worldbuilding, Monstress excels. Vol. 6 once again demonstrates writer Marjorie Liu's greatest strength. For all its fantastical elements, the world of Monstress, while emblematic of the current trend of pervasive bleakness in fantasy fiction, feels believable. But the events of Monstress Vol. 6 also clearly showcase the series' biggest weaknesses -- an excessive penchant for bleakness, and more importantly, inconsistent motives and uncharacteristic actions in the main cast. The latter flaw is especially the case for the protagonist, Maika Halfwolf. Her reunion and rekindled romantic feelings for Tuva -- now the wife of her warlord Aunt -- go about as well as can be expected. It does feel out of place for Maika -- a ferocious and mistrusting warrior obsessed with vengeance -- to let her guard down so easily and at such a critical time. While it does help to move the plot forward, it comes across as out of character and a bit cheap.
That isn't to say that none of the characters get some juicy moments. The macabre and quirky Zinn is in great form as always. This time, Zinn gets to fuse with Maika and engage with another mysterious newcomer, Maika's grandmother, a powerful ancient with whom Zinn shares rather bad blood. Corvin's anguish over his critically injured and mutilated sister is palpable. Also, the tension between Maika's warlord aunt and Tuva is satisfying. Maika's formidable grandmother is a welcome addition to the cast.
There's no slip in the quality of Sana Takeda's art either. Although there are quite a few cute character designs with the distinctive big droopy eyes so common in anime, this is reserved for the innocent Fox girl Kippa and Maika in flashback. Other characters are rendered in a more realistic and sensuous manner. This is fitting for this mature series that is more Josei manga than Shoujo. While the art is beautiful, it can be difficult to differentiate the often very similar character designs, especially for the characters that look more human. The more fantastical and animalistic creatures, by contrast, are as gorgeous and distinct as always.
Being that this is the sixth volume of a long and complex series, this isn't the best place to get acquainted with the merciless world of Monstress. However, it does bring this series closer to its inevitable violent finale and perfectly demonstrates the staying power of this dark series.