Ken Knudtsen's bizarre blend of surreal innocence and some harsh, black humor continues to fascinate. A goofy yet catchy title is what brought me to this title, but it's the twisted storytelling within that has me looking for every subsequent issue and its dichotomous outlook on life in the midst of a fluid storybook setting. This book is as entertaining as the creator's last name is difficult to spell.
The monkey named Jennifer and his owner, a young girl named Kaitlin, find themselves on the deck of an old-fashioned pirate ship, sailing the seven seas. The ship's just been taken over by a pirate named James the Nose, whose penchant for rhyme spreads throughout the crew, including Jennifer. He and Kaitlin have embraced life among the pirates... until they're upon by a naval ship, intent on battle.
It's impressive how Knudtsen's exaggerated style somehow still manages to convey a realistic sense of the characters. Kaitlin really seems like an average little girl, and Jennifer, with his furrowed brow and cranky personality, always seems to look like a real monkey as well. Knudtsen's often presents us with interesting moments from an odd, crooked vantage point, and that off-balance look adds to the oddly appealing atmosphere of disconnection from reality.
One word stands out as the highlight of this issue. As we see the rhyming pirate rally his troops to his cause, as he drums up an atmosphere of celebration and welcomes Kaitlin and Jennifer to the fold, he promises his men treasure, as any pirate should, according to our childhood fantasy stories. And then he promises them something else. "Bitches!" It's like seeing Disney's vision of Captain Hook promising his crew a night of prostitution and rave drugs.
Yes, "bitches" is a harsh word, but this is far from a politically correct or even sensitive book. It's the injection of that harshness into an otherwise innocent and silly setting and premise that's the core of the book's appeal. Knudtsen blends cynicism and optimism in a most unusual way to arrive at a wholly unique entity. Exactly what that entity -- what this genre of comic book -- is... well, I honestly couldn't tell you. But it's new and funny, playing with the reader's mind like a mutt with an old chew toy.
