Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda was published as a compendium, collecting its first 48 issues into one book published September 24, 2025, by Image Comics.

Monstress is undoubtedly one of contemporary comics’ most impressive examples of creative partnership. The collaboration between Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is one for the ages, with Liu’s dark and complex tale of fantasy war illustrated by Takeda’s virtuosic cartooning. It is one of Image’s only currently running series that I am always invested in picking up off the shelf on new comic book day, and I was incredibly excited when I heard the series would be starting up again after the pair’s brief hiatus. The announcement of the series’ ten-year anniversary came along with the publication of its first compendium earlier this year.

While I will never fail to recommend Monstress to anyone who loves high-fantasy stories with vast, sweeping worldbuilding, I would not recommend the compendium as the best format to read the series. Liu styled her portrait of the horrors of war after her family’s experience in Manchuria during the Japanese invasion of China. The series’ perspective of war is stark and often horrifying, and while that is undoubtedly one of the great strengths of the series, it is also one of the reasons it doesn’t suit the compendium format. Reading all of Monstress’ first fifty issues or so in one go is like running an ultramarathon, which you might find rewarding, but will also always and inevitably be exhausting.

Monstress is a modern masterpiece, and everyone who likes fantasy or science fiction, especially of the more mature, George RR Martin-esque bent will find it enjoyable, I would recommend picking up one of the lovely, but shorter, deluxe editions or the even shorter trade paperbacks which provide perfect morsels of this beautiful comic for the adventurous reader.

Creative Team: Marjorie Liu (writer) and Sana Takeda (artist)
Publisher: Image Comics
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