An amusing black comedy, Monstrous: Baba Yaga (Source Point Press) is an entertaining supernatural thriller that confidently mixes scares with laughs. With a feminist message at the story’s core, Baba Yaga will cast a meta spell onto its readers.
Three witches break into a chicken-legged house to steal the magic of the meanest, toughest witch in the entire world: Baba Yaga! But things immediately go wrong when they succeed. Now Baba Yaga is out for revenge. Armed with steampunk weapons and surprising action moves for an old Russian lady, Baba Yaga takes on the thieves and all the magic of an entire witches’ convention. Enjoy the chaos as Baba Yaga gets monstrous!
Here are 5 reasons why you should read Monstrous: Baba Yaga:
5) The Writing!
Writer Greg Wright cleverly uses witchcraft as a way to repair a broken life as much as means for revenge. Baba Yaga used to be a hardcore OG back in her day, but now she has competition from younger players. The lettering by Dave Sharpe focuses on the psychological study of a flawed protagonist, who searches for a new identity after suffering a breakdown.
4) The Art!
Artist Stan Yak captures the themes of youth verses experience as Baba Yaga confronts her three younger competitors. Through Yak’s pencils and inks, notice how Baba Yaga turns to steampunk aesthetics in order to seek out vengeance. In Baba Yaga’s character design, her movements become energetic and less frigid after she goes on a killing spree at the witches convention.
3) The Colors!
Colorist Robert Nugent captures an old-fashioned storybook tale in the opening pages. Nugent then drenches Baba Yaga in shades of gray to capture her wrinkles and sagging skin. Notice how the color red stand outs because of the rag wrapped around Baba Yaga’s head.
2) Mortality & Identity!
Throughout the narrative, readers are embraced with relatable themes about mortality and identity. Now that she has become a sad-sack, Baby Yaga used to be professional, but now she has become so weary of the game. Her race to get back to the top now seems like a reflex.
1) An Exciting Thriller!
Filled with promising characters, Monstrous: Baba Yaga is an exciting revenge thriller to read. At Villain Media, we root for the Big Bad and this Monstrous story makes us root for Baba Yaga tenfold.
Monstrous: Baba Yaga arrives in stores February 26th, 2020.