Monstress Volume 1: Awakening (MONSTRESS TP)

The story & artwork are exceptional. Usually with a graphic novel you can finish the title in no time at all, but with Monstress it is worth savouring the stunningly realised characters and world in each frame.

It has elements of a typical fantasy but with a myriad of twists which make it unique, interesting and downright addictive. I read this entire volume in a day.Just a general warning for anyone squeamish this is quite gory and disturbing from the get-go, with scenes of torture, self-harm and children part eaten/being eaten. Why?; well lets just say the baddies really are very bad. (It all makes sense in the context of the story, nothing unnecessary or flagrant)Impressions;1 - The deep malevolence and twistedness of the enemies (and sometimes allies) is really tangible2 - The characters are authentic; deep and chequered with mixed motivations; scars, fears, worries, biases, sometimes doubting, sometimes arrogant, sometimes hopeless - all of this makes it fascinating to read3 - The art throughout is phenomenal; beautiful drawing, colours and concepts... very new... and again, this adds to the overall feeling of the bookI'd recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy (and art). The story is good, mysterious enough to draw you in and keep you questioning, but revealing enough that you feel satisfied.

I have been reading this series in completely the wrong order. I started with number 3, then number 2 and finally this, the first one. At some point I shall get around to the new one, 4. The series is basically a mixture of quest and Bildungsroman for a superhuman heroine. Actually she is not human at all and she may be becoming a god, it is a bit hard to tell at this stage. The art work is sexually prudish and very focused on maiming but quite, quite beautiful. It is noticeable that in this book the artwork is better executed than in the later books and the art in the later books is still intricate and charming. The huge darknesses that appear in many of the frames in later books are much less noticeable than here.The milieu in which this all happens is a bit ramlatch, a great cauldron full of ideas that have been used before but mixed anew in the hope of creating something new. The society in which the story takes place is matriarchal which is interesting but comes across more as fan service for a projected readership made up of young geek ladies rather than a serious attempt at a matriarchal society. Having said that the female characters, which is most of them, are well rounded and the ‘goodies’ at least are all believable. The ‘baddies’ however are dark, dark as night and full of menace, most of them for no particular reason. They are waaay beyond pantomime villain, have nothing of the nobility of Milton’s Satan they are just cruel and malign. I enjoyed them immensely. The other thing I enjoyed immensely was the mad multi-tailed cats which once again I suspect are a bit of fan service. I especially liked the cat interlocutor who pops up to explain various bits of back ground.Four stars, mostly for the art.

I came across this because the artwork looked so good and I stayed because the story is so good. I have now re read the whole series (so far 7 books) on several occasions as so many things are hinted in previous volumes that only make sense a good while later. Definitively worth sticking with.

I was very excited to read this after going through the preview chapter, and I was definitely not disappointed with the rest of the book. The mythology is the world is complex and intriguing, set in a conflict between humans and the Arcanics. That said, you can expect this to get pretty dark in places. The artwork is lovely and I especially enjoyed the attention to detail in the character designs (i find myself attached to the arcanics in particular). I was also pleased to read something with such a vast female cast as a woman myself (its strange how unused you become to even seeing ladies in the background of stories), which was an added bonus for me. My only other comment is that it can be difficult to take in all the lore, but I find that this gets improved upon re-reading. Looking forward to Vol. 2!

I bought this comic on a whim as it came up as recommended and I liked the look of the cover art and synopsis. Also it was pretty cheap, so not much to lose.My preferred style of comic books are those that are a little less mainstream and non-superhero ones. I like Alan Moore, Preacher, Sandman, Slaine, Usagi Yojimbo for example, but not X-Men (or any Marvel) or that type of thing. Turns out Monstress is right up my street!Firstly, the artwork is stunning! Each page is a real work of art worth studying on its own, with beautiful steampunk / art deco scenes with lots of details and nice colouring.The story has been described better elsewhere, but basically follows our herione in a femal-dominated magical fantasy world populated by humans, near human, human-animal hybrids, possible gods, demons, and unknowns. Combined with Maika's unfolding backstory, there's enough mystery there to keep you intrigued about how things are going to play out.When I ordered the book, I was unaware that the writer and artist (and I think editor) are women, which is unusual for the comic book genre, and hopefully will inspire others to do the same.

Monstress is like no other graphic novel I have ever read. It has the density of worldbuilding that one would expect from a high fantasy novel, and some of the most gorgeous art I have ever seen in a graphic novel. I read the first issue for free on Kindle and decided to go ahead and purchase all available volumes. Having now finished the first volume, I am already satisfied with my purchase. The only complaint I have at all is with the way the individual paperback volumes were delivered. Every single one of them had part of the spine partially torn or bent. It doesn't affect reading or my enjoyment of the story, but it is disappointing that when I display them, they will have a sort of shabby look to them right off the bat.Despite my issues with the state of the delivery, I didn't drop any stars because of how enthralled I am with every aspect of this book. As mentioned above, the plotting and worldbuilding are equal to that of any high quality fantasy epic. It is so far the most elaborate opening plot I have ever encountered in a GN. There is a lot going on with this story. It contains considerably more background information and worldbuilding than most other GN I have read. Before I started it I was warned that it was kind of slow due to the amount of info dumping and back story, but I didn't find it slow at all. There was almost constant action exploding off the page, interspersed with flashbacks, conversations, and other means of unpacking some of the incredibly detailed history this tale is built upon.While I didn't think it was slow, I do think because of the amount of information to process, it might not be for everyone. If you find yourself feeling bored or overwhelmed during intricately detailed worldbuilding, this might not be for you. Or if you prefer a straightforward type of GN with an easy to follow story (at least right off the bat, as so many books become more complex and twisty as they progress), this also might not be for you. I admit that I ended this first volume with far more questions than answers, but I count that as a good thing. I am absolutely hooked. However, on top of the history lessons, magic systems, and political machinations to unpack, there are also a bevy of characters to keep straight, from a variety of warring factions. Many of the memories/flashbacks leave the reader wondering what is going on, but I loved the feeling that I was learning the details and uncovering the memories along with the characters. So, while I can easily understand that some people find it a bit much for a GN, I was instantly sucked right in and can't wait to find out what happens next.The detail and intricacy of the plot and world creation is only matched— if not surpassed— by the breathtaking art that brings this story to life. On every single page I find myself pausing to take in the beautifully detailed panels. I have never experienced another GN with similar art. It has almost a soft, watercolor feel to it at times, with bright, vivid colors that leap off the page. I would describe the overall style as art nouveau mixed with a light steampunk vibe. The characters are all distinctive in appearance, which makes them easy to keep straight (as opposed to some GN I have read in which two characters looked so similar I sometimes got them confused). These characters populate backgrounds both lovely and horrific, depending on the part of the story. Every aspect of the art is as glorious and full of life as the myriad characters that populate this world. Due to the quality of the art, I absolutely suggest you buy a hard copy, as opposed to the Kindle version. These are such high quality illustrations that I feel you do not experience their full impact in digital format.Bottom line, I loved Monstress, Vol. 1: The Awakening, and I'm thrilled I purchased all available volumes before starting the series, so I don't have to wait to dive into volume two. The story that Marjorie Liu has begun in these pages is absolutely epic in every sense of the word, and Sana Takeda's brilliant artwork brings the story to life in the most fascinating and gorgeous way. It is a lot more reading than many graphic novels, specifically regarding the amount of history and backstory necessary to fully understand the plot. Monstress is not something I would recommend picking up for a light read! However, if, like me, you love a fully realized and realistically developed fantasy world, this GN is likely to be right up your alley. This is an epic fantasy graphic novel at its very best. I can't wait to discover where this story leads!

Great Art and Fantastic story. I only wish the comic was wrapped in plastic, because to me if it isn’t wrapped then it can’t be exactly new. I understand some of the premise because I shop at comic stores in person like warp and even wizards back in the day when they were a thing, but the one I went to was run by D-B with a massive attitude problem. But never the less this comic is in new condition and I’m happy with my purchase.

I gifted this book it was very liked

esta compra la hice despues de leer una una critica sobre mejores comics alternativos y no decepciona, buenos personajes, buena trama y lo mejor es la detallada y estetica ilustracion se ve casi en relieve, recomendada