Contemporary Gothic Reading Group 3: Monstress

Join members of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies for the first of our Spring/Summer Contemporary Reading Groups for 2026. This is the third of a series of 4 reading groups (this year there are two in person and two online). These free sessions, which we run in the summer months, give us a chance to explore the prominent role of the Gothic in modern and contemporary culture. Come along for a relaxed conversation among enthusiasts and avid readers.

This reading group takes place in person at Blackwell’s Manchester on Tuesday 2nd June at 18.00-19.30.

FORMAT
The session will be led by two of our postgraduate Gothic researchers Georgie Kett and Bronte Crawford. There is no need to prepare questions or reviews. Please just turn up on the day ready to chat about the book.

AUDIENCE
This reading group is free and open to everyone, but please note that regular attendees tend to be postgraduate researchers and members of staff. For this reason, the group might not suit total beginners.

For more information on the Contemporary Gothic Reading Group and other events organised by the Gothic Centre, please visit our website: https://manchestergothic.mmu.ac.uk/

or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1589997731237020

Read the First Issue Online

Steampunk meets Kaiju in this original fantasy epic for mature readers, as young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces.

MONSTRESS, VOLUME 1: AWAKENING

in an alternate matriarchal 1900's Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

You can access the first volume and find out about the writer and artist via this website:

Image Comics Website: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/monstress-vol-1-tp

TRIGGER WARNING: This comic series contains depictions of slavery, internment camps, mild nudity, and strong violence towards adults and children, which some readers may find distressing.

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Host or Publisher The Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies