GASP a quote on the cover from Neil Gaiman? Art deco plus steampunk art?! Talking animals and magical hybrids?? Man, it's almost like Rhianna's dream. To further that idea, the plot surrounds an incredibly diverse, mostly female-lead, ragtag bunch in a mystical version of Asia. And the main character, Maika Halfwolf, is technically handicapped- she's missing her left forearm.
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| Okay, how FREAKING cute is this character? This is Kippa, an archanic, with the feline Master Ren. |
It's not every day that I'll buy a comic when I'm not even done reading it. I was 1/3 of the way into this one before I knew I had to buy it, no question. I don't want to get too heavy into the plot because seriously, it's so well done that I'm afraid I'll get ahead of myself and end up diving into my spoilerific conspiracy theories about where the story is headed. But this is what I will say: there is a war between the Arcanic and the Cumea, sorceresses which feed off the power the Arcanic posess. Archanics, although some can pass as human like our protagonist Maika, others, like the adorable Kippa, are obvious to those wishing to do Archanics harm. The first few pages show everything from cannibalism, torture, and kidnapping, even hinting at the genocide behind the acts. Now that's a heavy plot to follow right off the part, but Lui writing is absolutely mesmerizing. I had to force myself to deliberately slow my reading speed down to fully take in everything on the page.
Let me take a moment to talk about the art. I'm a massive sucker for epic comic art, stemming from my love of Dave McKean's art for the
Sandman series. Sana Takeda's art definitely crosses over into the manga style, which makes the art as a whole for this volume truly stand out. Every panel is so intricate, it's easy to get lost in the illustrations. I found myself continually flipping back to pages that stood out. Between the terrifying gods of the Old World (something the insane Lovecraft fan in me lets out an epic "squee" over) to the ridiculously adorable kitsune girl Kippa, the balance of the grisly violence and the tenderness in Maika's life before her capture, the intense feeling laden in the pages is spellbinding.
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| I mean, just look at this. It's gorgeous. |
I came across the Kotaku article
"Monstress Has the Best Cat in Comics Right Now" and I really have to agree. I don't encounter feline cohorts very often, in face the only that immediately come to mind are the Lying Cat from
Saga and the post-apocalyptic cats from
Legend. One thing that is fascinating about the way animals are handled in this series, is that cats are intelligent creatures, ones that speak and are viewed as diabolical saboteurs. Although, many of us cat owners will see this as not being too far off the mark from reality. There's a blur between humans and animals in this universe, and a definite caste system with Arcanics being hunted down and enslaved. I don't want to see this is an allegory to racism and inherit bigotry with real-world inspirations, but....
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| I've never seen a better depiction of cat behavior. (also- MY EMOTIONS) |
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| Behold, my favorite line in volume one. |
To sum up, Lui and Takeda are an unstoppable powerhouse with this one. The story is dark, comple, and completely original. Image has some of the best comics on the modern day market as far as I'm concerned, between
Monstress,
Paper Girls,
Sex Criminals, and of course the much beloved
Saga. I think we're seeing something really special here, guys. And I for one am looking forward to it with all my Archanic heart.
