Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat: Summer Batch #1
Written, Illustrated and Designed by Juni Ba (Image Comics, 2025)
Synopsis
The anthology is back for five new issues, from the creator of The Boy Wonder! Going on vacation? How about a hellish African fantasy island run by a corporation selling cans of monkey meat? Enjoy our summer vacation format with two tales, games, and double the traum… huh, excitement!
Welcome to Fantasy Island
Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat: Summer Batch presents a unique challenge for comic critics. Traditional reviews assess how well a work meets genre expectations, but Monkey Meat defies easy categorization. Therefore, this isn’t a critique in the conventional sense, but a guide to the strange and wonderful fantasy island Ba has created.
Monkey Meat isn’t your typical serialized comic. Each issue is a two-story anthology, a format that perfectly complements Ba’s fairy tale-inspired narratives. Furthermore, Ba has cultivated a unique visual language. His distinctive art style, a blend of American cartoons and manga influences, stands apart from the sleek, hyper-stylized comics prevalent today.
Culture Vultures
So, what is Monkey Meat? Just as Donald Glover’s Atlanta is a surrealist take on the movie Friday, Ba’s Monkey Meat is a surrealist take on Disney’s Moana.
In the first issue of Monkey Meat: Summer Batch we are reintroduced to Thaddeus Lug, a god-like being similar to Disney’s Maui, whose soul is in the clutches of a ruthless corporation. Ba explores the potential consequences of this Faustian bargain, mirroring Disney’s own appropriation of folklore for commercial gain. The result is a story that is both tragic and humorous in spite of itself.
Give Us free
Ba furthers this idea with the introduction of Monkeagle and Monkey-Girl, a parody of Batman and Robin. In their story, Ba suggests that both superhero and fan are ultimately shackled to each other. An arrangement that seems innocent enough until the two somehow gain sentience and demand to be set free.
Ultimately, readers will discover that the Monkey Meat: Summer Batch series defies the traditional comic book formula, taking risks that most commercially obligated comics can’t. The result is a work of art that uniquely speaks truth to power in a way that is direct, gut wrenching and unflinching.
Imani Lateef of Peep Game Comix created Black Comix Universe to celebrate and discover the work of Black comic book creators. He highlights current talent with his monthly reviews, showcase historical gems with Black Comic Keys and shares his personal collecting journey through blogs, social media, and his weekly newsletter.
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