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Chimps in Space #2

Yep, that’s what I was afraid of based on that cover: the chimps are no longer in space. Not that that’s a requirement, but when you name your comic “Chimps in Space” it is kind of implied. This issue starts off after the chimps crashed onto a planet (they were in space, and we do briefly see their crashed escape pod) and onto a wild west planet. You’ve got your mustachioed evil chimp, a chimp bragging in a saloon before getting scared off by the town good guy, horses, lassos, the whole deal. But, in a nice twist, the town good guy is actually Minnie (from the last issue) in disguise, and Marty was the fake bad guy in disguise. The whole set-up was just a way to get some bananas as a reward. After splitting their reward they happen across a coach with a dying man in it who knows the location of some buried treasure. Things go a little awkwardly, but they manage to find out the location of this treasure right around the time that an actual bad guy (you could tell by the moustache) steals their map from them. Gunfights a’plenty ensue, and your desire for chimp mayhem will surely be sated by the end of it. I should make it clear that more than a few parts of this were pretty damned funny, and it also manages to keep that whole “fun for the whole family but not dumbed down for the kids” vibe going nicely the entire time. I’d say that Donna has written herself into a corner here, but the third issue is already out so she clearly knows what she’s doing. Overall it’s a fun series with all kinds of chimps in it doing all kinds of non-chimpy things, mostly for the sake of bananas. Check it out! $3

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Chimps in Space #1

Is it a good sign or a bad sign that a cover like this is all it takes to get my full attention for reading a comic? I did get an ego boost of a guess about my age at work today, but the sad truth is that I should be too old to get excited about chimps/zombies/robots. Eh, screw the people who say it’s a bad thing, it’s not my fault that their ability to experience any bit of a child-like sense of wonder at monkeys has been burned out of them. Anyway, there is a comic here that I should mention, seeing as how those are the point of this website and all. Donna recently got her degree from the Center for Cartoon Studies, which continues to churn out some seriously talented artists. Their plan to comically take over the world is proceeding nicely. I’ve learned to expect books that are a little rough around the edges when I get a “#1” from students, but her skills already seem pretty damned polished in this one. The story details the adventures of a crew of four chimps and one tiny monkey (I thought those were the same thing, but the chimps can talk and the tiny monkey cannot) in a hilariously accurate monkey spaceship. Well, accurate in regards to the old space monkey ships with buttons that produced pellets when pressed. A murder is committed, everyone is suspicious of everyone else, and we spend the rest of the issue learning some strange secrets about the other monkeys. I mean chimps! This story seems to end in a fairly final spot, but I am curious to see where it goes from here. Future covers (and she did send along two more issues so I’ll find out for sure soon) indicate that events will take place on land, but she’d better be careful not to stray too far from that “in space” part of the title. $3