I’ve decided to introduce another segment called Beneath The Pages, where I’ll talk about someone from the comic industry I admire. This could be a writer, artist, penciller or editor. They are the people who bring characters to life, who create works of art that stand the test of time. The first person I’m going to focus on is Marjorie Liu, who’s known for her work on comics like Dark Wolverine, X-23 and Black Widow.
Liu is one of my favourite comic writers because she has a deep understanding of how to tell a story within a graphic format. The monologues and thought bubbles she’s written for her characters show a wonderful depth. They can be insightful, funny, tragic and ironic.
This is clear from her work in Dark Wolverine, which follows Daken, the son of Wolverine. Liu is excellent at presenting Daken as a charming sociopath, manipulating everyone around him to get what he wants. This is achieved through Liu’s method of story telling and how she depicts Daken as unpredictable. It’s also a strong presentation of an LGBT and ethnic character.
The same can be said for her treatment of X-23. Liu takes a broken young woman and sets her on a path of self-discovery. Laura is partnered up with Gambit and the two of them develop a close brother and sister bond. Under Liu’s pen, Laura is able to accept she can be more than a killer and becomes a stronger person.
Before her transition into Marvel, Liu was already a successful author, having written the Dirk & Steele series. Her first novel, Tiger Eye, was published in 2007. What’s interesting is that she wrote X-Men fan-fiction from a young age and that helped to improve her 
storytelling.
What I enjoy most about Liu’s work is that she isn’t afraid to take chances with unknown characters. Dark Wolverine is one of the most interesting series in recent memory, so I would recommend it to get a taste for her writing.
Do you have any favourite writers in the comic industry? Let me know in comments!
The Comic Vault 
I didn’t know did other comics (or maybe I read that somewhere before but forgot. Hmm…). I read Monstress, Vol. 1 last year and loved it. I especially liked her discussion on the inspiration for the story.
The artwork was really good too and I like that the story has an epic fantasy feel to it. I get the impression that there’s more to learn about the world and that the story can extend for several volumes.
I’ll look out for more from this new segment.
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I haven’t read Monstress but the epic fantasy angle has me intrigued. 🙂 They’ll be writers and artists involved in future segments so it’ll be informative.
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I think this is a great segment to add. It’s nice to see the people working so hard to bring these stories to life getting such recognition. 🙂 I like how you took the time to go into some of her projects. I just added X-23, volume 1 to my TBR list! Thanks for sharing.
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The more recognition they get the better. 🙂 X-23 is a great series so you won’t be disappointed.
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