“Don’t you dare be angry at us.”
Just in time for Thanksgiving, we’ve got a stand-alone story about love, family and food. Keep reading for a review of Monstress: Talk Stories #1.
On the eve of war, Maika Halfwolf walks through the camp and finds the little fox girl Kippa, helping out the cooks. As they work together, Kippa remembers another camp, back when her family was still alive, and the best meal she ever had.
The story isn’t exactly happy. We see several times how the people you care about can still make some stupid mistakes, either out of greed, anger, or a bone-deep need to be loved. But it’s also about food, not just for survival, but as a celebration.
Even if you’re not familiar with all the characters of Monstress, this is a good one-shot story to jump into. There’s very little exposition needed, and a lot of the issue is wordless and flows very well.
There was a very muted color palette this issue, since both the present day story and the flashback are taking place in camps with people struggling to survive. The bright points of color come in with the food, which adds to that idea of it being a treasured thing. Kippa is, of course, adorable, and the various expressions on her family’s faces just break your heart.
Like I said, not a happy story, but it is a satisfying one, and definitely timely at Thanksgiving.
If you’d like to chip in a few dollars to the San Diego Food Bank, please visit their donation portal.