And another cheat read before embarking on an epic road trip with Josh Malerman.
Volume 2 of Monstress proves conclusively that the quality of volume 1 was no fluke.
This is one of the most satisfying series I've read in the graphic novel form. Whilst I really enjoy most of the graphic novels I've been reading, they're the literary equivalent of a light snack. a sneaky bag of crisps before the main course.
This series so far is the whole meal from aperitif through to a rich and tasty dessert.
The artwork is stunning throughout. It's gorgeously detailed from the backdrops to the lead characters. There's never any sense of wondering which character is which as they're so clearly drawn. Next to this, the artwork in Something is Killing The Children looks functional at absolute best, and like a child's scribbles at worst.
The storyline is as rich and detailed as the artwork. The worldbuilding here is every bit as good as I've read in any prose novels. I completely lost track of time yesterday because I was so absorbed in reading this. That level of absorption is rare with me when it comes to this format. There's a reason I refer to them as cheat reads. It's not just that they only take an hour to get through, they serve as palette cleansers before the next book.
This, however, is just brilliant in every way. Maika Halfwolf is a great central character. We even got some characterisation on the creature that lives inside her in this volume. The forces hunting her down are gathering. New antagonists are entering the fray, and that thing inside her that she has trouble containing is not making her life easy.
I will certainly be picking up volume 3 at the weekend. This is an intriguing and beguiling tale of cute hybrid human/foxes, warrior princesses, two tailed necroscopic cats and hideous levels of ultra-violence. What more could I possibly want?
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