After surprising volts and dramatic events in Pontus, the action slows down a bit, and court intrigues come to the fore. The latest volume of Monstressa , however, still draws in like a good political thriller.
A tiny fox …
Before reading the newest part of Monstressa, it is worth remembering the plot of the previous ones, so as not to get lost in the maze of characters and the connections between them. The scriptwriter consistently expands them, gradually reveals information about them and returns to seemingly abandoned threads. There is no room for deus ex machina here – every twist, even if it completely changes the perception of an event or character, constitutes a logical development of the story. No wonder that Monstressa has been winning new awards for several years, and its fourth part has already been nominated for the Hugo and Bram Stoker awards.
Monstress. The Chosen One ”excerpt from the comic
An example is the story of Kippa, which plays a very important role in the latest volume. Liu mentioned at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con that she had invented the fox as an episodic character, but changed her mind after seeing the character sketch that Sana Takeda sent her. Since then, Kippa’s character has been systematically deepened, and her importance for the plot has grown. The events of The One suggest that a fox baby may turn out to be much more important than one might initially believe.
… And great politics
In all albums of the adventures of Maika Półwilk, you can point to a dominant theme. This time, these are mainly political negotiations and plots of each of the numerous sides of the conflict taking place in the world presented. However, the most space in Wybranka is taken by a completely new faction that has appeared on the board and which wants to win over the protagonist in order to use her unique heritage. The fourth volume of the comic book by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is even more reminiscent of the Witcher saga, A Song of Ice and Fire , and even Duna , in which great politics and long-term plans collide with the desire to decide about oneself, one’s body and fate.
The chosen one, like the previous volumes, is full of exquisite illustrations by the Japanese cartoonist. Due to the theme of the fourth part of Monstressa , most of the boards are dominated by meeting rooms, palace chambers and court courtyards. The emergence of another political side of the game also provides an opportunity to introduce another fantastic characters designed by Takeda, who once again showcased her graphic artistry.
The authors let their readers catch their breath, but they constantly keep them in suspense. The web of intrigue is getting more and more tangled, the stakes are even higher than the heroes previously thought, and I’m looking forward to the next part.