Monstress #5 Review

Writer: Marjorie Liu / Artist: Sana Takeda / Image Comics 

This is the first page of this issue of Monstress and I’m already just:

These pages paired with the commentary, or Liu’s script, Maika’s inner dialogue as she thinks back on these horrid memories (as this is a flashback) and the spoken interactions of her and the other individuals in this scene just kill me. I’m nearly sobbing over here. These pages serve to remind us of Tuya, Makia’s friend from the first issue who with a furrow in her brow advised against Makia’s plans as she saw them as too dangerous. These pages also serve to give us a glimpse of Maika’s horrific childhood as she was separated from her mother and forced to survive, cast off in a uncaring, brutal world. The chain of events keeps moving and there’s a few characters in pivotal moments that I want to touch upon: Seeing a kiss and affection from one woman to another, from one woman to her lover brings to mind the wonderfully portrayed relationship of the Dora Milaje of the first issue of the newer Black Panther series which isn’t done for the male gaze either. (In the case of Black Panther, the creative team is male versus here for Monstress, Liu and Takeda are both female) Here these womenfolk are together, ride or die, riding until the wheels fall on. They were both assaulted by Maika, one way more than the other (severely burned and injured) and taking part of the campaign to discredit and hunt her down.

Sir Corvin D’Ororo or RavenBorn, as Maika …