Monstress, Issue #5 begins with a short flashback to seven years earlier, when Tuva and Maika were struggling to survive. In the present, when she hopes to once again meet up with Tuva, she is met by a member of the Dusk Court, a high-ranking branch of the Arcanic military. While both sides of the human-Arcanic conflict are matriarchal in nature, Corvin D'oro, First Watchman of the Dusk Court, is a man. He wants Maika Halfwolf to go north with him.
I love the contrasts in this issue. The artwork is beautiful, but Maika is as crude as can be, cursing without a thought and pissing on the ground without bothering to go in the bushes. Back in the human realm, Sophia is looking in a mirror at the burns on her face while Atena is drumming up support for war against the Arcanics and against Maika in particular. Yes, burned faces. Mutilated and executed Arcanics. And a kiss. War is coming.
This is a difficult comic to read but an easy one to enjoy. There is a lot of dialogue, and I know that turns off some readers. Me? I pay $3.99 for an issue, and I want to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible. I'm mostly surprised that 192 pages into this series, it's still coming out monthly. I know that the top writers in comics often put out multiple series at once, but they take breaks and don't put out material every month. July 19 is when these first five issues come out in trade paperback, and I can heartily recommend it.
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