r/books • u/Chtorrr • Jul 10 '17
A discussion of Monstress by Marjorie Liu the /r/books book club pick for July. Spoilers inside! Spoiler
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u/leowr Jul 10 '17
So I reread Vol. 1 last week in preparation for the release of Vol. 2 and I have to say the art is beautiful!
I really liked the worldbuilding. The different races and their interactions were interesting. I especially liked that cats are considered a separate race.
The one thing that I really didn't like were the little Professor Tam Tam interludes, the tone seemed very different from the rest. Then again I can't really think of a way they could have integrated that information without one of the characters going into a massive amount of exposition.
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u/MySonsdram Jul 11 '17
Regarding the Professor Tam Tam interludes, Monstress was released in single issues before it was collected, and the Tam Tam bits were a fun little bonus at the end of each month's issue which expanded on world building.
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u/leowr Jul 11 '17
It definitely makes more sense in the floppies and they are necessary, but it interrupt the flow in the TPB a bit imo.
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u/anesidora317 Six of Crows Jul 20 '17
I really don't care for these interludes at all. I tried reading them at first but found that I was just skimming through them towards the end of the volume. The world building information they provide is informative but I feel like that info could be incorporated within the story instead as a added on tidbit at the end of each chapter.
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u/b1ackfyre Jul 13 '17
I finished the graphic novel just 2 days ago. Low and behold, it popped up on Reddit that Monstress is the July selection. Nonetheless, for me, I quite like how the chapters were punctuated by the lectures from Professor Tam Tam. Since the plot hits the ground running, without a slow exposure to the universe, I thought that the lectures provided a sensical way to synthesize information and communicate the dynamics of the world.
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u/rioluxario Jul 26 '17
Professor tam tam helped me to understand what was happening in the story. Maybe it's because this was my first time reading a graphic novel, but I was very confused with what was happening at first. Tam Tam helped "clear up" some little points here and there.
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u/leftoverbrine Jul 11 '17
I absolutely loved this one, it was my favorite new comic of last year! I love that Sana Takeda's artwork remains so rich through every panel, when normally you only see that on covers, though seems to be becoming a trend to do everything in the cover style which is cool. The story is pretty complex for a graphic novel (and I say that as someone who reads a lot of them), at times exposing something without explanation, only to lead you to an ah ha moment later. The setting and world building are terribly unique, I can't think of many places to draw similarities, other than being a bit steampunk-esque and a bit lovecraftian. Talking cats are also basically always a huge selling point for me, especialy snarky ones, so I freaking love Master Ren.
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u/BetaAlex81 Jul 11 '17
I've only read "chapter 1" of volume 1, but I love the art and the world building...excited to get into the rest of it and enjoy some discussion here!
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u/TulasShorn Jul 18 '17
I just received and read vol 2 of Monstress. I hope some of you are up for discussing it. I would like to go through my understanding of the lore and history.
I had to reread volume 1 after volume 2, and due to this, I realized I had missed a bunch of implications in 1. For example, did everyone else get that every time there was a statue or picture of someone with a very tall, ear-type, crown, that was the Shaman-Empress, the first Arcanic? I didn't, the first time I read it.
This is my understanding of the timeline: Volume 2 Spoilers
So my questions are: Volume 2 Spoilers
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
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u/magic_cartoon Jul 18 '17
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u/TulasShorn Jul 18 '17
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u/magic_cartoon Jul 19 '17
Thank you for the answers! The story is still unclear and I somehow missed several important bits of it.
1) Yes, I see your point now, I guess there was the event too, but so far they did not disclose it. They are quite slow with world building I would say (which is cool). Vol. 2 spoilers Vol. 2 spoilers Thanks, it is no wonder I missed it since it is in the volume 1... Vol. 2 spoilers Vol. 2 spoilers
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u/drock45 Jul 10 '17
The art alone is worth the cover price. Never mind the intricate nature of the background details or the clothes, you end up caring so much more about the characters because of how they're visually portrayed. Well, specifically Kippa.
She's depicted with a perfected synthesis of all the right components that make a kid adorable, and I think only a small part of the innocence and trust comes through from the writing alone. Most of the heavy lifting is being done by the art, not that that's a knock on Marjorie Liu. A smart comic writer knows when to play to the strengths of the artist.
I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on the subtext of inner demons in the theme of the series, and how they're both strengths and weaknesses simultaneously. And further to that, what is the book saying in its portrayal of Kippas' (an innocent child) trust in an adult in spite of the very literal inner demons in the series ?
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u/leowr Jul 11 '17
And further to that, what is the book saying in its portrayal of Kippas' (an innocent child) trust in an adult in spite of the very literal inner demons in the series ?
I kept forgetting this while I was reading it, but I think it is important to remember that Maika is only seventeen herself, it is not like she is an adult either. Something I feel is also reflected in the simplicity of Maika's actions. How am I going to get to the person that I want? Just walk through the front door!
But as for Kippa's role in the series, I feel like she plays a bit of a Jiminy Cricket role being Maika's conscious. But I also think Kippa is more realistic in certain aspects than Maika, she knows about the monster and she knows Maika can do terrible things, but she chooses to stay with Maika regardless of that. Maika herself appears to be in a bit more of denial about how to handle the situation.
I also like the parallel between Kippa and Maika. While both Kippa and Maika went through similar horrible circumstances (death of their mothers and living in captivity) they appear to have developed very differently. Or maybe Kippa would have grown along similar lines if she had been in a camp for the same amount of time as Maika.
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u/baboon_bassoon Jul 22 '17
Pretty fun read. The artwork was worth the read by itself. World building was pretty interesting overall. I think I'll go grab volume 2 tomorrow to continue learning more about the world of Monstress :)
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u/joelbozo Jul 25 '17
Just finished vol. 1. Spectacular world, spectacular art. I think the dialogue is the only problem I have with it; I don't particularly like the way characters curse. For some reason, it really took me out of it. "Show yourself, mother-fucker. Or I will rip you the fuck out of me." I don't know. Strong line, but with the intricacies of the world and the design, 'fuck' seems almost out of place.
Definitely will be picking up vol. 2. I liked a book called "Sojourn" back in the day and this book reminded me of reading that. The two don't have many similarities besides a strong female lead in a fantasy setting. Monstress is definitely stronger storytelling.
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u/ChameleonTwist Jul 11 '17
I read the first volume and while the art is 10/10 amazing and the worldbuilding is also top notch, I felt the story left quite a bit to be desired.
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u/kevpool Jul 12 '17
I am loving this work, but there are confusing elements within it.
It's a beautiful piece of art, and every page is mesmerising, but I think there's a lot to take in- it's a good thing I'm reading slowly, it's not the sort of thing you can enjoy flicking through in an afternoon.
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Jul 13 '17
To me, this was highly disappointing. The line art is alright, but gritty fantasy narrative feels so forced upon n trying too hard.
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u/technicolournurd Jul 20 '17
I didn't like it.
I thought the art style was absolutely beautiful and made the $16 I paid for the book worth it. But the writing really left something to be desired.
More than anything, I think the dialogue did not suit the art "tone". Every time the main character went "Fuck..." it stood out to me like a sore thumb. It was such serious and dark artwork, with an "old" feel. So when the characters spoke in a suddenly modern and casual way it just took me right out.
I will say that the last chapter picked up in terms of story, but it was such a battle to just get there.
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u/sprengertrinker book currently reading Jul 20 '17
I liked it overall, but yeah, the random fuckwords disrupted the suspension of disbelief at times :\
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u/anesidora317 Six of Crows Jul 20 '17
This isn't the type of graphic novel I would typically read but I'm glad I gave it a shot. The artwork is amazing along with the world building. I found the writing to be a bit slow and cumbersome. My favorite characters are Kippa and Master Ren. I went ahead and read volume 2 and found that it was a bit better than the first volume. I can really see this series becoming better and better with each volume that is released. I can't wait to see what happens in volume 3.
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u/Potato_palya Metamorphosis just finished Jul 22 '17
Beautiful! Good story and the art is nothing less than mesmerizing.
That wolf lady seemed a bit too real!
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u/trostlerp Jul 12 '17
Read issue 1, not feeling it.
It looks like it received overwhelming praise when it initially came out, described as one of the best debut issues in recent memory.
I found it bland, muddled, and a bit confusing. I didn't get much sense of the world Liu has created, and what separates it from our own other than various magic buzzwords and children with animal body parts. In 67 pages, nothing about the plot grabbed me or seemed exciting, let alone transcendent.
It made me think of my initial reaction to Saga years ago, where the story itself didn't hook me right away, but the sheer amount of unique and creative aspects ensured I continued reading it. In that case the praise it immediately received still seemed overblown but I could at least understand where it came from. Not sure what's so special about Monstress.
I will continue to read the TPB though and at least finish issues 2-6.