A popular indy anthology returns for another installment with In Search of Monkeysuit.
Randy:
For a long time, I've seen seeing Monkeysuit at conventions and hearing people talk about it, but for one reason or another, I had never picked up a copy. Fortunately for me, Michael Cobb at Monkeysuit Press decided to send copies of the fourth installment to me and Don for review.
Don:
Monkeysuit is clearly a celebration of the underground, indy comics spirit, a venue for unconventional and unknown creators to get their work out there, and a way to bring together a diverse array of style and subject matter. Fans of indy comics work should turn to this book to find the next Peter Bagge or James Kochalka.
In Search of Monkeysuit
contributions by Fariba Adams, Amanda Saah Baehr, Enrico Casarosa, Michael Foran, Fly, Pat Giles, Dr. Hammer, Matt Peters, Heather Heath, Miriam Katin, Robert Kopecky, Miguel Martinez-Joffre, Andrei Poteryaylo, Bradley Rodriguez & Mo Willems
Randy:
The overall tone of In Search of Monkeysuit is not easy to pin down. I thought I had it figured out as a humorous anthology, tinged with the goth overtones of Jhonen Vasquez and the autobiographical style found in a lot of self-published comics, and then I ran across some work that was softer and more serious, or downright bizarre in the vein of Charles Burns or Renee French. I guess that ultimately, the one thing that ties all of these stories together is quality, because even the ones I didn't personally like are very well done.
Don:
Well, while I would agree there's something for just about everyone to be found in this book, I wouldn't go so far as to say every contribution is strong. What really stood out for me, not surprisingly, were the slice-of-life stories. My favorite of the whole bunch was Bradley Rodriguez's "Night of the Wupass," a story of teenage vandalism and the dire consequences that followed. The segment's humorous and terrifying elements boasts a genuine, honest tone.
Randy:
By far my favorite stories in the book are the ones that are somewhat light and humorous. The lead story, "Atomic Shelter," is a hilarious bit of insanity that leads the reader to assume the worst and then reveals a weird but relatively innocuous activity that allays the suspicions of both the characters and readers. "Night of the Wupass" has some of the same approach artistically, but a less exaggerated world setting, being a story of something that actually happened in a way that blends the strangeness and frightening elements of the story with a lot of "in hindsight" humor appeal. And Pat Giles's tale of the denium suit in "Holy Innocents" has the same true life appeal, with a considerably less dangerous event at the center of the story.
Don:
"Atomic Shelter" didn't really cut it for me. Though its point is well-taken (how people jump to conclusions), its low-brow humor and corresponding visual style was off-putting. There's a clear Peter (Hate) Bagge influence at work in the artwork, though. "Holy Innocents" does boast the same slice-of-life appeal as "Wupass," but the story was far more predictable and really didn't say much of substance.
Randy:
I have to tell you, though, my favorite story was the one by the mysteriously named Dr. Hammer on "The Flesh Pocket." This was truly bizarre and out there, reminiscent of Alan Moore's humorous ads in the back of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, as the ethically-challenged Dr. Hammer guides the gentle reader through the bloody reality of unnecessary cosmetic surgery. It is at once stomach-turning and absolutely hysterical.
Don:
See, this was one of the pieces I enjoyed the least. Mind you, I had no problem with the gruesome subject matter. Hammer spotlights the inherent perversity of plastic surgery quite well, but his ad-layout approach is just too busy. The huge blocks of text are overwhelming. It looked more like an overly dense, satirical magazine spread as opposed to actual sequential storytelling.
Randy:
Humor is not the only appeal that In Search of Monkeysuit has to offer, although honestly I think that's where its strengths lie. Robert Kopecky's short "Faith and Mr. Floppy" is a sweet and sentimental story that connects with me, but the other more serious stories tended to lose me. Miriam Katin's "The Ring of Meryem" is beautifully illustrated and lyrical, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. And the bizarre sex and violence appeal of Andrei Poteryaylo's piece, while also very attractive visually, was pretty well lost on me.
Don:
Peteryaylo's story, "The Adventures of Captain Pure," boasts an interesting artistic style that reminded me of a cross between Pablo (The Castaways) Callejo and Renee (The Soap Lady) French. The subject matter of the story, though, struck me as rather gratuitous, and aside from the art, the lettering and other production values were far too rough and amateurish.
Randy:
In Search of Monkeysuit stands out as a strong offering of artistic voices that are mostly new to me. It's earned plenty of praise as one of the best anthology series in comics, and I can certainly understand why.
For more information about In Search of Monkeysuit, visit
