This another tremendous issue of Monstress though, like many issues, it adds more layers to an already intensely complex but engaging story. Maika is back in Thyria, which is now occupied by the Blood Court, and finds that the Doctor's occupation is more appealing to many citizens than the previous regime. Ren has an interesting and very revealing and intriguing encounter with the Poet he previously met in the city. Kippa and Yuta have some interesting interactions. And, finally, Maika meets the Beast and plays the card that Tuya gave to her in the last issue - i.e., that the Beast is her twin sister.

Everything about this series shines. The art is fantastic, as always, thought the colors and the detail in this issue seem a bit washed out- perhaps as a reflection of life in occupied Thyria. Tuya letting Maika know that the Beast was her twin sister last issue was interesting. I was surprised that Maika had not figured that out herself, but she may never have heard the Beast call the Doctor "father." The Beast is a very interesting character and Maika's apparent attempt to appeal to a sisterly bond seems like a bit of a longshot. From what we have seen, her sister could just as much resent and hate her as have any sibling fealty. Maika, after all, is clearly the favoured daughter by both their mother and father.

The greater exploration of Yuta, on the margins, is fascinating. As Maika noted, Yuta is very smart and her wiles may come in handy. Maika may also want a Tuya surrogate at her side. One thing that is easy to forget about "Monstress" is that, even with all the political intrigue and complex world building, it is still a rumination on the many forms of love that guide its characters. Maika loves Kippa; Kippa loves Maika and they will do anything for each other. Ren and Kippa love each other (the triangular relationship between Maika, Kippa and Ren may be very important, as this issue implies). Corvin loves Kippa too and respects Maika. Maika's quest for the secret of her mother's death was driven by her complex feelings for her distant, demanding mother. Maika is in love with Tuya, and vice versa. Tuya's numerous betrayals are unbelievably painful but she is a very sympathetic character nonetheless, desperately trying to save herself from possession and erasure from the Baronness. In a prophetic dream in a previous issue, Maika told Tuya that the two of them would save each other. I hope that this proves true, in the end. Finally, Maika seems to be playing on her father's love for her as a tactic in her battle against him and her effort to reclaim Zinn. Her willingness to make an emotional appeal to her sister underlines, again, how love can be a weapon as well as a balm.

Great issue! more