Monstress vol 6 by Marjorie Liu

Vol 6: The Vow, illustrated by Sana Takeda

​In the aftermath of the attack on Ravenna, Maika has been badly burned, many Arcanics were killed, but the Federation forces have stopped their attacks, for now. Maika and Zinn have a bit of a heart-to-heart about facing their pasts, so Maika decides it's time to stop running from hers. She summons her grandmother, the Ancient Wolf Queen, which also brings her face-to-face with her aunt - the Warlord - who is none to happy to finally have her hands on her deadly niece. Maika and the Baroness of the Dusk Court are finally reunited, but it's not a happy occasion. The Federation begin another assault on Ravenna, this time with canisters of gas that turn Arcanics into raging zombie-type creatures, and Maika decides to call on the power of the Mask fragments she's been collecting to try and save everyone in the city.

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​Since we are still in the middle of a raging battle, this story has tons of action. The first two issues are the "Talk Stories," which are some fairly cute stories about Kippa's and Maika's past, so there is a slight reprieve from all the intensity. Also, there are some great pay-offs in this volume as some of the desperate storylines are woven together. Maika has a "new look" thanks to her scarring from the last volume, which makes her look more awesome but also less human, as if the power inside her is sucking away her humanity. Kippa is just as adorable as ever, and still a great foil for Maika's gruff and no-nonsense outlook.

Up until this volume, the adult situations were more hints or panels of people canoodling with all of their main bits covered up by something. In this volume, there is a fairly explicit scene between the Warlord and her wife. This might be a little much for some collections. If that's the case, I recommend a purchase of the first five volumes with the encouragement of finding this volume at the public library if available.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vols 1-4, vol 5

Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: September 15, 2021
ISBN: 9781534319158 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Fantasy, Magic, LGBTQ+