This week we are discussing Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, Ch. 1-2.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: nudity, violence, rape, cannibalism, war, and body horror/mutilation..
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
Discussion:
Michaela: Hello friends and welcome to our first discussion of Monstress: Volume 1! We are starting the fall season off with some very spooky vibes with this horror/steampunk/ dystopian/supernatural/fantasy influenced graphic novel. This story has so many layers to it already and I’m super into it! I still don’t have a lot of experience reading graphic novels so it is a lot for me to take in all at once with the story and the artwork. I find my eyes jumping all over the place, I definitely need to train myself on how to read this in the best way.
Jacilyn: This is one of those graphic novels that I’ve heard good things about and seen many a time at the library. We read Blankets, which was almost the polar opposite of this story - most apparent in the art styles. Sana Takeda created such richly imaginative images that are, in my opinion, essential to creating the eerie, otherworldly vibes of this story. It’s described as being set in an alternate-history version of 1900s Asia, and the dystopian influence coupled with the steampunk elements makes it feel like an entirely different world than our own.
There’s a lot we don’t know or understand about the world yet, but I’m enjoying how we’re being slowly educated and immersed while keeping us wanting to learn more. I’m not entirely certain what I think of Maika yet, but it’s clear she holds some incredible power within her. I’m very curious about the fact that she has the same urges to consume flesh as Yvette did, although it seems as if Maika blacks out during the act. The mask seems to be a source of some sort of malicious power, and I wonder if Maika harbors that same power within her.
Michaela: I wondered if because Yvette already consumes flesh as a witch, which in this universe witches must consume Arcanic flesh to have their powers work, that she works with that malicious power. Whereas Maika fights against it so it is much more aggressive and forceful against her. Speaking of Yvette, she was hella creepy. One of the panels where it’s a close up of Yvette’s monster face, I legit had to cover that with my hand while I finished reading those pages. It was so unnerving.
Also, the cannibalism in this story in general is really disturbing and I want to know why this is the way to get powers. I’m honestly fascinated by this whole world so far. I love how the authors give us glimpses into the past for context every so often. It gives us just enough background information to make the present make sense a little bit more, and it just hooks you over and over again. And the “ghosts of gods” part was enchantingly eerie, I absolutely loved the artwork of that page and also I neeeeedddd to know what is happening. Do these things just roam around everyone on that side of the wall? Are they ghostly forms? Do they interact with creatures? I need to know. I’m so ready to learn more about so many things.
Jac and I talked the other day about what this story reminded us of, it reminds me of Attack on Titan a lot, which is one of my favorite series. It’s obviously not the same story but it feels familiar to me, the same vibes and a similar tone to me. Stories that have an alternate world with a deep alternate-history involving supernatural type powers or beings is just right up my street.
Jacilyn: I did notice that the creature had eyes that look the same as Maika’s brand, so I’m thinking that the powers she has comes from that long lost god. I am really enjoying the different forms that the arcanics take. It reminds me of how in some stories, fae/faeries have various forms or “races.” Of course, cat lover that I am, Master Ren is already a favorite of mine. “To quote the poets….”
There’s been a few parts of the story so far that combined with the visuals has made my skin crawl - which, of course, is part of the reason we chose this title for the fall. It’s certainly delivering on those spooky vibes that I don’t think we’ve really gotten since Year of the Witching. I want to learn more about the witch nuns and the Inquisitrix and the various factions that seem to exist in this world. I also want to know more about Constantine and what took place. It’s clear that it was an incredibly traumatic event across the board.
One of the aspects I’m enjoying most about the visuals (back to that for what will not be the last time, I’m sure) is the architecture and the clothing design. The Inquisitrix outfits were so badass and intimidating, and I’m hoping Maika will be reunited with her metal arm soon so we can see more of it. Since Michaela is a costume creator, our friendship has caused my eyes to be opened to how important costume design can be in telling a story. It’s one of the first things I notice about any sort of visual medium, and a graphic novel with this kind of artwork is no exception. The building that the witch nuns were in was gilded and extravagant and spoke of a lot of wealth, but the panels depicting the streets of the city were a lot more dreary. Seeing that kind of contrast does a lot to help fill in some gaps about the social stratification of that city without explicitly stating it.
Michaela: I am loving the fashion in this society so far. It’s very occupation focused so far, I hope we see more of the general population on both sides of the wall. I’d love to get more of a feel for what the world is like. It’s clearly a very dark and dangerous world, this story even opens up onto a slave auction held in a very fancy room with a lot of men in what looked to be either business suits or maybe even uniforms of some kind. Uniforms would make sense since this war seems relatively recent? Everyone seems to remember the battle at Constantine.
There’s just so much we still don’t know. There’s a lot more questions right now than answers to discuss so I think that will be it for this discussion friends. I’m excited to see what happens next! Happy reading!