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MONKEY VERSUS ROBOT AND THE CRYSTAL OF POWER GN
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Top Shelf
Writer/Artist: James Kochalka
Price: $14.95 US |
If you have never experienced the sheer weird joy that is Monkey vs. Robot, either in graphic novel or song form, this is another chance, and you should take it. If, on the other hand, you have already heard the song and read the graphic novel, this is more inspired strangeness from the mind of James Kochalka. Unlike the previous Monkey Versus Robot, Crystal of Power is a bit more of a read, although it still goes by pretty quickly. It's not plot-heavy, although it does have a few more layers than the fairly simple conflict that drove Monkey Versus Robot, but it has plenty to say, with themes including the ideals of cooperation versus competition, animal testing and perseverance in the face of impossible odds. It also includes any number of scenes and moments of dialogue that are laugh-out-loud funny, and it's worth reading Crystal of Power out loud with a group to get the full experience of this surreal treat.
I've learned from my exposure to James Kochalka's work, especially his Sketchbook Diaries, that he lives on a whole different plane from the rest of us. Things that would never occur to me in a million years just fly freely around his head and float onto the paper, and he doesn't really need to explain this strange reality, because it comes through in his work. There isn't really much of a context here, no history of the robot factories or their conflicts with the monkeys, but it makes sense in the context of the story anyway. Monkeys and robots are mortal enemies... when you read this book, you don't need it explained, it just makes sense and you accept it.
I'm never sure if I'm getting exactly what Kochalka is aiming for in these stories, but one thing seems clear, that he hasn't necessarily set up the monkeys or the robots as the good guys. To be sure, the robots initiate this conflict with their kidnapping and attempted murder of the monkeys, but the monkeys aren't exactly blame-free in the conflict, and they seem to relish the death of their enemies, while the emotionless robots are simply eliminating obstacles. Kochalka gives both sides a turn at being the underdog, whether it's a lone monkey escaping the robot factory and damaging their power source or a lone robot drone attempting to save his factory and being beset by an army of angry monkeys.
This kind of surreal story would not be anywhere near as entertaining without Kochalka's distinctive art style. Realistic really isn't the order of the day, and instead we get exaggerated and weird, which is exactly what is needed. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of work evident on these pages, including some nice designs for the forest and factory and terrific rain effects, but Kochalka's work is more on the iconic end of the scale than the realistic. His cartoonish, goofy style is amazing for conveying the humor and action of the piece, though, and I especially appreciate his way with sound effects that are every bit as imaginative as the monkeys' strange dialogue or the robots' matter-of-fact utterances.
Don't go into this one expecting an intricate plot with numerous twists and deep, nuanced characters. Instead, this is a glimpse into the mind of one of comicdom's more unusual and talented indy creators, not as personal as his Sketchbook Diaries but still weirdly telling and personal given that the story is about monkeys and robots at war.
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