‘Monstress’ Collected Edition Exclusive Artwork Revealed

The award-winning fantasy series Monstress continues to be a highpoint in Image Comics’ catalog, and those reading in collected editions have reason to be excited: Warchild, the latest collection, will be released in a limited edition from Barnes and Noble, and The Hollywood Reporter can reveal the cover art for the new edition.

Monstress, created by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, centers around Maika Halfwolf, a teenage girl caught in the middle between two magical sects with a history of conflict — and a girl who shares a psychic link to a powerful monster. Since launching in 2015, the series has won multiple awards, including four Hugo Awards, two British Fantasy Awards, and five Eisner Awards, including Takeda’s win for both Best Painter/Multimedia Artist and Best Cover Artist in 2018.

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Takeda provides both the regular cover and the cover for Barnes & Noble edition, both of which can be seen below.

“The fifth volume of Monstress stands at the midway point of the series,” writer and co-creator Liu told THR. “It’s a book dominated by war, and by my protagonist Maika’s tentative steps towards overcoming the savage wounds of her past. The first time readers met Maika she was a young woman bent on revenge — a war survivor so hurt and angry, she often seemed as inhuman as the monster she carries within her. But much has transpired since those opening pages: loss, discovery, betrayal, friendship, healing — and, yes, even love. Maika is no longer the same cold, violent young woman who began this journey; she has changed irrevocably, the armor with which she has surrounded herself is beginning to crack — and a new person is emerging.  That’s the book’s great irony: just when Maika starts to find her heart, a second war threatens to consume everything and everyone she cares for.”

Warchild, the fifth collection of the title, brings together Nos. 25 through 30 of the ongoing series, and sees a turning point in the epic storyline, Liu revealed. “For the last four volumes, Monstress has asked whether one can ever fully recover from the horrors of a traumatic past. The fifth volume will begin to offer an answer of some kind — and raise other questions.  I hope readers will continue to accompany me and Sana — and Maika and [companion] Kippa — on this long strange journey.  It’s not always been easy, but so many of you have stuck with us, beyond our wildest dreams — and we’re eternally grateful.” 

Monstress Vol. 5: Warchild will be released Sept. 30 in comic book stores and digitally, with the Barnes & Noble edition, featuring exclusive cover artwork, available Oct. 6.

Cover artwork for the regular edition:

Cover artwork for the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition: