One of my favorite comic book series of the past decade is potentially getting an adult animated series adaptation! Earlier this week, Variety reported that a Monstress series is in development at Amazon MGM Studios from Steven Maeda, a co-creator and former showrunner of Netflix’s live-action One Piece. Written by Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Sana Takeda, Monstress is an epic science-fiction fantasy series with deep lore, enigmatic characters, jaw-dropping artwork, and multiple arcs’ worth of content that will bring you to the edge of your seat.
What is One Piece about?
“Set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world, ‘Monstress’ tells the story of a young woman with a literal monster living inside of her,” says the project’s official description. “On a quest to understand her past and avenge her mother’s murder, she’s joined by a colorful ensemble including a talking cat and a hybrid fox/human girl as they’re thrown in the middle of a war between human and otherworldly forces. When the world turns us into monsters, ‘Monstress’ asks how can we overcome our monstrosities?”
Monstress is a multi-award-winning series, with prizes from the Hugo, Harvey, and Eisner Awards to its name. Maeda will write and executive-produce the Monstress adaptation alongside Tiffany Greshler (Netflix’s One Piece, Underground, Helix). Maeda and Greshler will serve as co-showrunners. Additional executive producers include Jason Brown, Ryan Stayton (Hivemind), Liu, and Takeda.
Meeting the creators
I had the pleasure of meeting Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda at Fan Expo Canada in 2018. In addition to being lovely and talented individuals, Liu and Takeda took several minutes from their busy schedules to talk with my wife and me about Monstress. We’re both massive fans of the series, which is still going, so there’s plenty of story to explore. If you like your fantasy-action yarns complex and brimming with intrigue and mysterious characters, Monstress is a must-read. The world-building of the series is truly inspired, and Takeda’s artwork is second-to-none. In addition to trades, hardcover collected editions of the series are also available. I have the first three hardcovers proudly displayed in our living room. It’s one of the first things in our extensive collection that people see when they walk through the front door.
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