Comic Review: Monstress Volume 7

Ah, Monstress, a series I generally really like but only read sporadically, and even then, have only a vague idea what is happening sometimes because there are a lot of characters and many of them look similar.

But hey, I did finally get around to volume 7, subtitled Devourer.

When last I left this series, main character Maika Halfwolf, host for the powerful creature known as Zinn, had been poisoned by her former lover and was in a coma.  However, there may be some good news of sorts:  she isn’t dying.  The bad news is she may wish to be as what she sees in her own mind are the painful memories that led to Zinn’s inhabiting of her own body plus something about Zinn’s own origins.  And surprisingly, Zinn isn’t an elder god.  He’s a powerful being from another world, but he’s just as mortal as anyone else.

Essentially, this is a volume that promises and provides answers.  Where did Zinn come from?  What happened to Maika’s often-mentioned mother?  What do some of the courts want?  Where did the Shaman-Empress gain her great power from?  Why is Maika bonded to that mysterious mask?  Why did Maika’s beloved betray her?  What exactly is the Baroness?  What horrifying things will happen to cute characters in this volume?  And what will Kippa do about it?

See, Kippa the fox-girl has long been promised to be special.  She’s got some vaguely defined psychic powers, and she is incredibly loyal to both Maika and Zinn despite no real reason why she should be considering how their first meetings went.  However, the promise of a special destiny seems to finally be coming true as Kippa does, well, something.  And for once, I didn’t have a hard time following what Kippa was doing, a side effect of my not reading these as often as I might like.  Instead, I was able to follow this trade without too much trouble despite the large cast even as the Arcanics are getting more ruthless and whatevr Maika’s father is up to is probably about to get worse.

Really, there are no good factions around here right about now.  Even the cats are often jerks…not really a surprise to anyone who has ever had a cat.

But for now, Kippa may finally be set up to fulfill her destiny, even if the fulfillment happens next trade.

8.5 out of 10 treacherous courts.