© 1995 Naoki URASAWA/Studio Nuts.
Story Coproduced with Takashi NAGASAKI. Original Japanese edition published by SHOGAKUKAN.
With some series, I’m compelled to read each volume as it is immediately available, but others are best consumed in batches.
Monster falls into this second category. It’s impossible to read just one volume at a time due to Naoki Urasawa‘s skill as an artist and storyteller.
While Monster is high-concept, his execution relies on the diverse array of characters who pass through its pages and make their impact upon readers. They become real, and the ways he weaves them into the overarching plot are consistently inventive.
One of my favorite armchair sports is correctly guessing the plot twists and endings of mystery novels and movies. Eleven volumes in, I’m still consistently surprised, shocked, and eager for my next batch of reading materials.