100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

Monsters

4.13 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 3,070 ratings, 496 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Barry Windsor-Smith's Monsters, the story unfolds through a gripping narrative combining elements of science fiction, horror, and family drama. It explores the life of a character whose future is altered by a secret government project during World War II. This graphic novel delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the lingering effects of past actions on both individuals and their loved ones, set against a richly illustrated backdrop.
Read More
Format: Hardback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Monsters. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This graphic novel may appeal to you if you enjoy deep and intricate storytelling combining historical fiction, horror, and the exploration of human nature. With its richly detailed artwork and complex characters, it offers a profound and emotional narrative experience that delves into themes of conflict, trauma, and transformation.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

35 YEARS IN THE MAKING - THE MOST ANTICIPATED GRAPHIC NOVEL IN RECENT HISTORY.

A GUARDIAN 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK

The year is 1964. Bailey doesn't realize he is about to fulfil his tragic destiny when he walks into a US Army recruitment office. Secretive, damaged, innocent, trying to forget a past and looking for a future, Bobby is the perfect candidate for a secret US government experiment, an unholy continuation of a genetics program that was discovered in Nazi Germany nearly 20 years earlier in the waning days of World War II. Bailey's only ally and protector, Sergeant McFarland, intervenes, which sets off a chain of cascading events that spin out of everyone's control. As the monsters of the title multiply, becoming real and metaphorical, the story reaches a crescendo of moral reckoning.

A 360-page tour de force of visual storytelling, Monsters' narrative canvas is copious - part familial drama, part thriller, part metaphysical journey. It is an intimate portrait of individuals struggling to reclaim their lives and an epic political odyssey that plays across two generations of American history.

Monsters is rendered in Barry Windsor-Smith's impeccable pen-and-ink technique. The visual storytelling, with its sensitivity to gesture and composition, represents the most sophisticated work of the artist's career. There are passages of heartbreaking tenderness, of excruciating pain, of redemption and sacrifice, and devastating violence. Monsters is surely one of the most intense graphic novels ever drawn.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Monsters by Barry Windsor-Smith has been a long time in the making, earning admiration for its intricate narrative and meticulously crafted artwork. The book blends stylistic artwork with deep exploration of trauma and grief, marking a noteworthy return for Windsor-Smith. It’s praised for its powerful storytelling, capturing the nuances of family relationships with delicacy and meditative pacing.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787333413

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 29 April 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Jonathan Cape Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 207.0mm

Height: 296.0mm

Weight: 1381g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Barry Windsor-Smith began his career as a young comics fan drawing mainstay Marvel characters such as the X-Men and Daredevil in 1969 in the traditional Marvel style. However, in 1971 he broke from the Marvel formula when he started drawing the Conan series, turning heads with a fresh and controversial stylistic approach, eventually winning the hearts and minds of fellow comics professions, fans, and numerous industry awards. Part of a young generation of artists that included compatriots Berni Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Jeff Jones, Windsor-Smith proceeded to carve an independent path for himself. In the '90s, he conceived, wrote, and drew three independent comics series, The Freebooters, Young Gods, and The Paradox-Man. In 1999 and 2001 Fantagraphics published two autobiographical coffee table art books Opus volumes 1 and 2. Monsters is his first book in 16 years.

Also by Barry Windsor-Smith

View all
  • Lost Marvels No. 1
    In 1969, with its revolutionary superhero line well established, Marvel took a chance on the kind of supernatural, EC-style anthology series that had been banned since the formation of the Comics Code in the 1950s. Tower of Shadows featured a staggering array of artists and writers, including Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Wally Wood, Stan...
    Hardback
    $6699
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • The Marvel Creator Collection No. 1
    From the moment Marvel brought him to the U.S. in 1969, Windsor-Smith was a creative force to be reckoned with. A passionate devotee of Jack Kirby, Windsor-Smith's earliest drawing at Marvel reflected that influence, but he quickly developed his own unique, eye-opening style, combining intricately detailed realism with the dreamlike lushness of art nouveau and late-1960s psychedelia. The Marvel Creator...
    Hardback
    $10900
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

More from Graphic Novels

View all
  • New Release
    Heartstopper Volume 6
    Read it before you see it: Heartstopper Forever movie coming soon from Netflix Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The final installment in the bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel series about life, love, and everything that happens in between. Everyone in school knows Nick and Charlie. Everyone knows they're going to be togetherforever. But Charlie's busy with...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Lightfall: A Place Between
    In the fourth installment of the award-winning, critically acclaimed Lightfall series, Bea, Cad, and their friends continue their quest to restore light on their dark world. Perfect for fans of Amulet and Avatar, this next book dives deeper into the magical world of Irpa, where ancient secrets and adventures abound.After surviving a shipwreckΒ on the Fuerre Sea, Cad washes ashore on...
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Demon Slayer Complete Box Set
    Contains Volumes 1-23. Full colour. Double-sided Poster and Commemorative Mini-Book. Tanjiro embarks on the perilous path of a Demon Slayer, driven by a mission to save his sister and seek justice for his slain family! In the backdrop of Taisho-era Japan, we meet the compassionate Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who makes a humble living by selling charcoal. However, his tranquil...
    Paperback
    $29500
    Elsewhere:
    $41000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tokyo Ghoul Complete Box Set
    Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every wayβ€”except for their craving for human flesh. A box set that includes all fourteen volumes of the original Tokyo Ghoul series. Includes an exclusive double-sided poster. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human, half-Ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds,...
    Paperback
    $23500
    Elsewhere:
    $31500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • One Piece Box Set 1: East Blue and Baroque Works
    A premium box set of the first two story arcs of One Piece, one of the most beloved and bestselling manga series of all time! As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. His life took a dramatic turn when he accidentally consumed the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that granted him the incredible...
    Paperback
    $31500
    Elsewhere:
    $41000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1
    One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 1 by Eiichiro Oda invites readers on an exhilarating journey across the vast and treacherous oceans. Follow the ambitious young pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, and his eclectic crew as they embark on an epic quest to uncover the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, a prize that will crown its possessor as the King...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2899
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live
    From the New York Times bestselling author and creator of the hit MrBallen Podcast and YouTube channel comes a vividly illustrated graphic novel featuring nine spine-chilling stories, based on real events, of the horror that lurks within the unknown. In MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live, John Allen, known popularly as MrBallen, returns with another heart-stopping collection of strange and mysterious...
    Hardback
    $4400
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Talons Of Power: The Graphic Novel (Wings of Fire, Book Nine)
    For every villain, there is a hero ... Turtle isn’t one of the heroes he reads about in stories. If he were, he’d use his animus powers to help Pyrrhia - instead of keeping his abilities a secret, even from his own sister. Now that Darkstalker, the sinister and impossibly old dragon from Pyrrhia’s most notorious legends, has returned, Turtle...
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2199
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Berserk Deluxe Volume 1
    In Berserk Deluxe Volume 1, journey into a dark and unforgiving world where the infamous mercenary known as Guts, wielding his colossal broadsword with unmatched ferocity, navigates a treacherous landscape filled with both supernatural and human threats. Set in a medieval realm where power is brutally wielded and exploited, Guts's tale unfolds as he battles demons and soldiers alike, driven...
    Hardback
    $8500
    Elsewhere:
    $10000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 1
    New Release
    Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 1
    This deluxe, keepsake-quality hardcover edition includes three volumes of the acclaimed fantasy manga on which the enchanting anime was based. Experience the beautiful tale of a young witch who discovers her creativity and faces down a dangerous and thrilling world with her friends by her side in these extra-large books, printed on premium paper with intricate gold foil covers and...
    Hardback
    $10500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town
    Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town is back to solve all the mysteries that you need solved, and even the ones you don't need solved. He's that good. In between playing Scrabble, having sleepovers, and trips to the beach, there's always time for crime solving. Whether it's who ate Mum's donuts, who has lost their handbag in the park, which...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2200
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 5
    Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 5 by Gege Akutami continues the thrilling saga of Yuji Itadori, a teenager thrown into the perilous world of jujutsu sorcery and cursed spirits. In his quest to save his friends from malevolent supernatural forces, Yuji swallows a finger belonging to Ryomen Sukuna, a fearsome demon whose fragments, if consumed, bestow immense and destructive power. As cursed...
    Paperback
    $2099
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.