By Gregory Lujan — The intricate and highly political world of Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Monstress returns with a familiar but unusual focus in this week’s Monstress #36. Returning to Monstress after a lengthy break can be a bit of a struggle at times. This has to do with the immense and layered world Liu and Takeda have built, with its seemingly overwhelming moving parts. Even with that difficulty, Monstress #36 reminds us exactly where we left off with a very complete “story thus far” blurb on page one (plus character info) followed by a highly kinetic splash page. When it’s over, you’ve been thrown right back into this fantasy world.

The story left off with Maika Halfwolf, our heroine who is as easy to root for as she is to despise, being betrayed by Tuya, the person she has trusted most, on behalf of the Dusk Court, one of the many political factions that is after the ancient power that dwells within Maika. This issue leans heavily into the politics of the world built in the previous 35 issues, setting up character motivations in relation to each other and the story. The opening splash page reminds the reader that Monstress is a deeply personal book, one that focuses heavily on rage and pain, as Kippa, the child that has been accompanying Maika on her journey, is enraged, after learning from Tuya that Maika has fallen “ill”. As with many political stories — veiled and not-so-veiled — threats abound.

While Maika is a focus of the issue, she is hardly featured, which stands out as most of the series has been centered around Maika. While she does not make an appearance on every page of every issue, much of the series has been driven by her, directly or indirectly. Her absence only serves to focus the reader's attention even more closely on the setup happening around her in this issue. The issue spends most of its time masterfully cutting between characters, using their final interactions with each other to jump to the next scene and set of characters. This issue does a great job of directly informing the reader of which characters to pay attention to for the story going forward. A little over halfway through, the issue shifts focus as Kippa is able to see Maika and remind her — and the reader — just how vicious and determined Maika is as a character.

Sana Takeda’s art shines on every page of the issue, with her extremely detailed, expressive, and loose style. Takeda is a master of fine detail while utilizing a minimalist approach where necessary, particularly in the backgrounds, so that the reader can focus on the details that are important, at the same time giving the letterer room to work with the immense amount of dialogue that Monstress tends to have. While much of the pacing is determined via the flow of dialogue, the synergy of Liu and Takeda is apparent as the paneling and expression in the art informs the reader perfectly on the tensions and the speed of each successive panel. If you’ve been following Monstress since the beginning, the art has never let up and has only become more and more breathtaking. Monstress #36 is a prime example of a showcase of artistic and storytelling skill. Utilizing several splash pages, we enter Maika’s inner world, a world that Monstress fans have been privy to many times over throughout this run. It is here where the consistent themes of Monstress take form once again. More than just a political story, this is a story of rage, pain, betrayal, and the perseverance to work through those feelings, even if it is in the name of spite. The progression from an all black page to Maika slowly coming into view, utilizing a color palette of blood, blue, and lines of gold, builds tension and reminds the audience that Maika is determination incarnate, hardly one to be trifled with.

Monstress #36 is a return for the book, as well as return to form for this creative team. The issue itself is purely set up for the upcoming arc, as it uses the absence of Maika in dialogue and stellar pacing via visual expression to establish other characters' motivations, allegiances, and concerns. If you’ve stayed on for the ride thus far, then this issue is an interesting look at what you have coming from this arc. It seems as if some of the moving pieces that have been in play for a while will be coming to a head, and while it is not answered as to whether Maika will wake up before the end of the arc, it is established that when she does, there will be a reckoning.

Overall: Less plot driven than recent issues of the book, Monstress #36 features a strong focus on setup, exploring characters’ motivations and allegiances as it kicks off the book’s new arc. 8.5/10

REVIEW: Monstress #36

Monstress #36
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Artist: Sana Takeda
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
A betrayed Maika hovers near death, and Kippa must navigate the intricate politics of the Dusk Court on her own.
Price: $3.99
Catch-Up On Monstress: Monstress, Vol. 6 - The Vow

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Greg has many hobbies including comics, music, and action figures. Engineer by trade, he uses his free time to explore artistic outlets. Twitter: @hulkbeast51 IG: @thecollectingrid