Writer: Root Nibot (Oh, surely this is a pseudonym)
Artist: Colleen Coover
Publisher: Oni
Julius Schwartz was right.
The monkeys in Banana Sunday are a blast to watch. All three of Nibot's and Coover's simians stay in constant, hilarious motion throughout the book, and their antics while funny stay within the realms of reason. This merely enhances the humor.
The monkeys accompany Kirby Steinberg on a special Sunday attended by the students of their new high school. The monkeys are known to be extra-intelligent, and though there is a secret kept, most of the comedy is open panel. They are there to learn about humanity by interacting with humans; a good idea and well executed by the creators of the book--if not the monkeys themselves.
Each monkey has a goofy personality. In fact so does Kirby and co-star Nickels, the girl reporter.
Chuck is a super-intelligent Orangutan who expresses the kind of straight man embarrassment over the behavior of his brother apes.
Knobby wishes to experiment in co-species canoodling, and as I was reading this lothario, I kept hearing Stewie from The Family Guy. Good.
There's Go-Go, the just a little bit smarter than average ape who steals and provides much appreciated slapstick.
Kirby while also a straight man like Chuck generates some genuine sweetness and common, everyday comedy. While Nickels gives the book a quirky spark.
This is the kind of story where you wind up the characters and watch them go. Nibot has a flair for characterization and the timing for character interaction down pat to make Banana Sunday a smooth, fast and fun read.
Artist Colleen Coover oils the characters' gears with distinctive, cartoony looks that help flesh out the beasts--both human and their cousins. All in all a winning combination that will occasionally make you peal with laughter.
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