Monstress

Here's one positive thing I can say about Monstress--the art is gorgeous. Sana Takeda has created a steampunk Asia that looks like nothing else I've seen in a comic book. The world looks alternatively dark yet beautiful, while the characters are sexy and menacing.

Here's the bad news: I have no idea what happened. The book was written by Marjorie Liu, and while I'm sure she has it all mapped out either in her computer or on a large wall with pushpins, I was pretty much lost from the beginning. I do know that the main character is Maika Halfwolf, a teenager who has only one arm and is the daughter of some legendary figure. Maika is also an Arcanic, kind of race that is at war with humans. Oh, and there is a monster inside of her.

Beyond that, I'm stumped. There are a variety of other characters, some of which die but then seem to come back to life. Maika hangs out with a little fox/human hybrid, and there is a talking cat. At the end of each chapter there is a lecture with loads of information, but that didn't help one bit. This first volume, called "Awakening," is as dense as a thicket. My eyes ran over the page but I processed nothing but the art.

The dialogue is a bit much, too, the kid of things you might say during a game of Dungeons & Dragons. "I know you are the lone daughter of the great Moriko Halfwolf. I know that the eye of the Dusk Court is upon you. The prophets have seen your face. They have told the gathering that you carry a power that will reshape the world, for better or worse."

Volume two is available but I think I'll stop now. Pity, the premise is good, the art is terrific, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it.