Comic Reviews: Apes and Demons
By Erik Johnson
Marvel Comics: Marvel Apes #2
Ever since the huge success that was Marvel Zombies, a series which rebooted the Marvel Universe characters as zombies, Marvel has definitely been itching to do it again. Unfortunately, in terms of strange things to turn comic book characters into, there aren’t many out there cooler than zombies. Luckily, when the fans talk, Marvel listens, and on the advice of a fan, Marvel has gone and created Marvel Apes — a series I’m going bananas over.
This series follows a pre-existing simian superhero, Gibbon (who first appeared in Spider-Man and whose powers essentially consist of being a monkey), as he volunteers for some experiments and ends up being teleported into the Marvel Ape-verse. The Ape-verse is parallel to the world he knows, all is the same, except that it’s populated by monkey versions of the heroes he once idolized. The plot was fairly basic in issue one, but this issue really shakes things up. There’s a pretty bizarre twist that no one would ever expect, along with a great reveal at the end that’ll leave the reader going ape for more.
Karl Kesel does a great job writing, especially for such a bizarre concept. He doesn’t take the subject matter too seriously and includes a lot of ape related puns, naming super heroes “Spider-Monkey” and “Iron Mandrill.” The books are also a bit denser than your typical comic – plenty of dialogue to read, which will keep those who want a bit more bang for their buck satisfied. The book even features a brief addition at the end of each issue that takes time explaining the origins of the Marvel Ape-verse.
The art is a bit cartoony, but does the job – it’s very dynamic and the apes display a lot of emotion. It definitely works well with the subject matter.
Verdict: Quit monkeyin’ around and buy this book!
DDP: Mercy Sparx #0
Devil’s Due Publishing seems to publish a lot of books aimed at goth chicks, and this one is no exception. It features a down on her luck demon that hates her life and everyone around her, who gets sent to Earth on a mission from God. That’s it. It’s like some terrible cross between Hellboy and The Blues Brothers. Being that it’s a 99-cent preview issue, there really isn’t much story, and very little is established. Unfortunately, this fails to do what a preview issue should do: entice the reader into buying the first real issue. The whole thing is bland, uninteresting, and old. Really, everything in this comic has been done before, and done better.
The art is mediocre at best; it’s very plain and minimal. There’s a lot of blank space, too. It seems as if Matt Merhoff only spent time drawing the characters, leaving the backgrounds empty and barren.
Maybe I’m the wrong audience for this sort of book, but if you want an interesting and humorous story in a similar vein, check out Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. You won’t regret it.
Verdict: Don’t buy it.
