Marjorie Liu
A delightful human if there ever was one!
Last week, the Superfan Podcast recorded Marjorie Liu, the writer of such excellent series as Monstress and The Night Eaters. One would think that a person who writes horror would not have the sweetest demeanor and most dulcet voice, but here we are.
If you’re not familiar with Monstress, it’s an epic fantasy tale that encompasses NINE large volumes. It has won seven Eisner awards (the comics industry equivalent of an Oscar), four Hugo awards, and a Book of the Year Harvey award. Fun fact, the prestigious Book of the Year award was also granted to one of the Superfan Podcast’s other guests, Pornsak Picheshote, who participated in our soft launch at WonderCon earlier in the year.
The intricacy of the social commentary woven into a fantasy saga is what makes Monstress such an award-winning story. It takes place in a matriarchal society and has strong themes of slavery, racism, and war. A perfect follow-up to last week’s guest, Kelly Sue DeConnick. Marjorie is also the first woman *ever* to win an Eisner in the “Best Writer” category, in 2018, less than a decade ago. We’ll refrain from additional commentary on that, except to say that it’s only fitting that it was for Monstress. Monstress is an ongoing title at Image Comics, you can catch up by collecting the volumes. There are 9 trade paperbacks, or, if you like to have gorgeous hardcover tomes that look stunning on your bookshelf, there are two hardcover volumes available, with the third (and most current) volume hitting right in time for San Diego Comic Con, on July 23rd. These collect up to issue 54, with issue 57 currently hitting the stands. So easy to catch up! You really have no excuse.
The Night Eaters is another Eisner-winning series from Marjorie, with the same collaborator, Tana Sakeda. This time around, it is a horror story. Marjorie humorously delves into themes of identity, dysfunctional Asian-American family dynamics (to say the least), and generational trauma, comprising three sizable volumes. This won Best Graphic Novel of the Year from the Washington Post. All three hardcovers are currently available, with the third one being released last month, in April.
Marjorie is also a licensed attorney and teaches comic book writing at MIT. She is a New York Times best-selling author of the Dirk & Steele novel series, the Hunter Kiss novel series, and a plethora of Marvel Comics titles.
As a person, Marjorie is warm and welcoming, and instantly likable. She draws you into the conversation, asks questions, and is genuinely interested in your answers, which is a good indication of why her writing is so popular. Her Superfan Podcast episode is not one to be missed, even if you don’t know anything about her chosen topic. The history behind her fandom is compelling and we know you’ll be just as fascinated as we were!
Typically, this is where we would share Marjorie’s social media handles so you can find her on the interwebs, but Marjorie is smarter than the rest of us and isn’t currently active on social media. All the more reason to listen to this episode when it airs! If you would like to find out about her latest endeavors, you can check out her website. She has much more going on than what we’ve written about here!
Next week’s Substack will begin a series that we’re pretty excited about. We’re turning the tables and interviewing the journalists who typically interview the pros! We’re having a lot of fun, and we think you’ll enjoy it, too.
Thank you for joining us on this podcast journey. A reminder that the Superfan Podcast hasn’t launched yet, but will soon in the coming weeks! You can find us on the socials at Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, and X! Soon, you’ll be able to see podcast clips on our YouTube channel as well. Follow it now so you don’t miss out. Please be sure to like, share, and subscribe!
Special thanks to our Season One sponsor, the amazing Fanbase Press! Fanbase Press is a GLAAD Media Award-winning and Eisner and Harvey Awards-nominated comic book publisher that celebrates super fandoms and creates new ones! #StoriesMatter.
