Reviews

"Liu and Takeda have created a vivid, dynamic world, sort of a steampunk Asia of a century ago, and populated it with sharp characters and an intricate mythology that incorporates gods, monsters and everything in between. Female characters dominate Liu's story line - which unfolds bit by bit like a novel through Takeda's gorgeous sequential panels-and touches on themes of race, war, duality, friendships and the meaning of family. In all my decades of reading comics, I've never seen anything quite like Monstress, and even though it falls in the category of epic fantasy, it also confirms my suspicion that sarcastic cats are secretly in charge of everything." -The New York Times

"Intricate and detailed, with a definite manga influence, Takeda's artwork creates a lush and dangerous world for Liu's equally dangerous characters. The work is infused with feminist themes; almost all of the characters are strong-and deadly-women." -School Library Journal

"Takeda's visuals recall realistic, gritty manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub, with magic and monsters to rival those of Hayao Miyazaki's films." -Publishers Weekly

"Monstress is a sprawling epic fantasy that drops readers into the middle of a magic-filled alternate history. Described as a kind of 'matriarchal Asia,' Maika's universe is wracked by a race war and inhabited by violent witch-nuns, vicious deities, and innocent civilians-all of which is brought to life by Takeda's exquisite manga-style, Art Deco-inspired art." -The Atlantic

"...as ambitious as George R.R. Martin or J.R.R. Tolkien..." -The Los Angeles Review of Books

"The best way to understand the complicated mythos of Monstress is to dive in headfirst and let it wash over you...On top of that, you don't need to know much to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of Takeda's art. No other comic looks like Monstress. Takeda's painting creates a world where dreamlike and horrific fantasy creatures exist side-by-side with incredibly complex steampunk technology." -Entertainment Weekly