I’ll admit that I wasn’t immediately drawn to this series, but… I do like monkeys. I’ve read some stuff in the past that has kind of turned me off of the genre, but I figure that it can’t be all-bad forever. I’m really glad that I have an open mind because this was a really fun read. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys these kinds of books. I recommend it even more if you’ve decided that you just hate monkey books. I don’t think that you will after you read this. I’ve come to expect some pretty good things from Monkeybrain, and especially from Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley. So I guess that it was only natural that I had more of a positive expectation than a negative one. I like that the story is simple. These eight super-powered primates used to make up the greatest fighting force of all time, but a cataclysmic event forced them to part ways, and go into hiding. Now they’re forced to resurface when an old enemy returns, and it doesn’t look like anyone else is going to be around to deal with the trouble that he brings with him. Can the team pull itself back together and protect the world once more?
Doesn’t that just sound classic? I really think that the classic feel of this book is going to be what keeps readers interested. Everything that comes out nowadays seems to be moving away from that style and going in a more original direction. That’s good, but not every original idea works. Maybe an old idea with a new spin on it is really what everyone needs right now.
The writing did exactly what it needed to do for me. I don’t feel like I’m reading a series that has a bunch of primates as the main characters. The dialogue feels real and flows well. It has a comedic feel (that made me laugh out loud a few times) and the gripping quality of a dramatic series. It definitely has a darker tone that really gets your attention when it wants to let you know that playtime is over. It isn’t all fun and games, and that’s what I think I liked most about it.
Kyle Latino’s art is a lot of fun. Actually, the entire layout of this issue was really cool. The colors popped, the fonts were exciting and the character designs really fit well with the surroundings. I’m not exactly sure when this series is meant to take place, but that’s kind of an interesting aspect in itself; it has a timeless feel to it.
I really don’t think that it’s going to hurt anyone to pick up this first issue. Just check it out for the sake of trying to find something new. You may not like it as much as I did, but I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it at all. I was surprised by it and maybe you will be too.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Michael Moreci & Steve Seeley Artist: Kyle Latino Publisher: Monkey Brain Comics Price: $.99 Release Date: 11/20/13