Monstress #1

by Marjorie Liu

Monstress is a new comic by Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda. It’s a fantasy story set in an alternate version of China in the early 1900s. In this world, humans keep ‘Archanics,’ non-humans, as slaves, and they fear ‘Monstras:’ “unnerving, but harmless, apparitions.” A young woman, Maika, who looks human, has a psychic connection to a supernatural force. She uses this link to try to get revenge on her oppressors – but she might not be the one in charge.

I adored this comic and yet I had a heck of a time understanding what, in terms of larger plot, the story is about. This first issue gives us the basics – who is in power, what Maika wants in the short term (to get revenge on the woman who betrayed her mother), and where and when the story is set (China, in an alternate world with magic and technology). The issues left me curious, in a good way.

The first issue contains rape threats and violence towards children. You’ve been warned. I might not have read it if I had been warned:

Also Trigger Warnings for rape threats and discussion of slavery, including an auction.

Quick points: The art in Monstress is delicate and colorful and fairytale-like. The imagery is lavish and heart-stoppingly beautiful, drawing inspirations from the Rococo period and the combination of European and Chinese art known as Chinoiserie. Sometimes the imagery is gory and terribly disturbing. It’s not for the faint of heart. There is no romance in the first issue – it’s relevant to the interests of some of our readers because of the powerful emphasis on social justice and feminism, not because of any love story (so far).

This comic has nothing in common with Mad Max Fury Road or Bitch Planet other than the fact that all three stories are stories in which women – communities, families, and warring factions of women – take the lead. Where men appear, they are supporting characters – Max is the sidekick to Furiosa, Men call the shots in Bitch Planet and yet they are almost totally devoid of characterization, and so far there are no men in Monstress at all. I like stories about men, but let’s face it; I already have plenty of those. It’s thrilling to see new stories that aren’t just about one woman but about many.

Like Fury Road and Bitch Planet, this is also a story about bodies. Archanics don’t have a right to control over their bodies. The very first image in the book is of Maika, nude, at auction. Maika has hidden physical and mental powers, but exercising those powers can both liberate her from without (by helping her destroy her captives) or imprison her form within (she seems to be under threat of possession or of some sort of change that drives her, periodically, to slaughter and eat anything in reach).

This is a stunningly illustrated story about many levels of autonomy and freedom. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but I can’t wait to find out more.

– Carrie S

Comic, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Steampunk