Monstress #61: Gods and Monstresses

With The Lord Doctor defeated for the moment, Maika and her allies finally have a chance to catch their breaths. Meanwhile, deep within the planet, ancient powers are starting to make their next move.

Monstress comes back from a long hiatus with an issue that feels less like the start of a new arc, and more like the conclusion of a previous one. That doesn’t mean this issue is bad by any means, just misplaced. Maika’s long battle against her father has concluded for the moment, but her internal struggles still remain which leads to another sacrifice of her body. There is also a good final few pages that set up the next arc.

Marjorie Liu’s writing remains top-notch for Monstress’ return and her characters continue to be layered. Maika’s penchant for self-sacrifice to safeguard those she cares about is reaching its limit, but Liu never makes that out to be a good thing. Her writing of Kippa as Makia’s counterweight makes for a compelling duo to follow. The little fox is possibly the best character in the series.

Sana Takeda is also in top form for this return. Some of these pages are up there with some of the best work in the entire series up to this point. The panels of Makia’s grandmother, The Queen of Wolves, and Raven walking through the crystal caves as they discuss their plans are rendered beautifully with an awe-inspiring sense of scale and lush colors.