Monkey King: Birth of the Stone Monkey

Monkey King #1

by Wei Dong Chen, Chao Peng (Illustrator), YK Kim (Editor)

Monkey King is a twenty-volume comics series based on the legendary Chinese novel The Journey to the West. It is a magisterial work that took seventy people over six years to complete. The Journey to the West is at once a comedy, a drama, a satire, a meditation on faith and discipline, and a fantastical dramatization of China's history. Its creation covers many centuries and several dynasties. Begun during the Song Dynasty (10th~13th century), Journey is set against the backdrop of the 7th century Tang Dynasty, and tells the story of a priest named San Zang, who introduces China to the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures of India, and his trio of the monkey king Sun Wu Kong, the gluttonous pig Zhu Bajie, and the quiet but noble sea monster Sha Wu Jing. The San Zang who appears in Journey to the West is a specialist in Tripitaka, and is based on a real priest, named Xuan Zang. Xuan Zang lived from 602 to 664, and have traveled the western lands and traded with other countries along the western border from 627 or 629 to 645. More than three hundred years later, a story based on Xuan Zang's adventures, first appeared. The Journey to the West originated from this story. The Song Dynasty was founded in 960, yet because the only known author of Journey to the West, Wu Cheng en, died in 1582, during the Ming Dynasty, the story is considered the result of collective creation spanning five hundred years. The story also traveled through several countries and includes at least four different timelines. The events of Journey to the West, which include epic battles and threatened palaces and imperiled kings, could resonate with readers during almost any age, but the story focuses on portraying a peaceful society where deviance is ultimately trumped by enlightenment, violence defeated by benevolence. It is this balance, between depicting familiar events of conquest and telling a story about the search for truth, that makes The Journey to the West so beloved today. The author, Mr. Wei Dong Chen, is a highly acclaimed and beloved Chinese artist and an influential leader in the New Chinese Cartoon trend. His company, Creator World in Tianjin, is the largest comics studio in China. He has published hundreds of cartoons, which have been recognized for their strong literary value throughout the world. In 2005, he undertook the monumental effort of translating four classic Chinese novels into serialized comic form. After six years of great and enthusiastic work, he completed his dream, which now consists of 12,800 pages of beautiful drawings and epic storytelling. Monkey King is one of the four novels. Monkey King is a new landmark of comic artistry in China, and is a bold and exhilarating treatment of one of the definitive works of Chinese literature.

Vol. 1 Birth of the Stone Monkey
Cited as one of the greatest Chinese novels, MONKEY KING (The Journey to the West) follows the adventures of Sun Wu Kong, born from a stone on Spring Mountain and given the title of the Handsome Monkey King, who seeks to learn the secret of eternal life. Under the tutelage of the Buddhist Master Puti, Sun Wu Kong becomes incredibly powerful, but his hubris grows until he has run afoul of the gods, who dispatch an army to Spring Mountain to subdue the Monkey King, who has declared himself the Emperor of Heaven.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Childrens, Mythology, Manga, Young Adult

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Journey to the West in comic book form! Can't wait to get future chapters! There is a Marvel version of this character: I think it is only a matter of time before MK reaches a wider audience. Really a very untapped market if you asked me - would rank right up there with Thor as far as power!

[Kenny Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The monkey king is a great legend of Buddhism and made to relearn and retell there are comics,chapter books and more.I love this book so much it read many retold versions until my dad offered my a comic book called volume 1 birth of the stone monkey that was the perfect book.I've read 11 out of 20 books in the comic series.I just love this story.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. I grew up in Hong Kong watching fantastical fantasy martial arts programmes, including a tv show about Monkey. I'm also a Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac so, when I can across this series, it was a no brainer. It's nicely illustrated and the text is simple, without being dumbed down, and it conveys the story concisely but entertainingly. I have volumes 2 and 3 but I intend to complete the 20 volume set eventually. Great stuff!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this will be particularly appealing to boys, and I immensely like the humorous, full-color, original graphics. The title was a bit confusing to me as I was thinking, 'how interesting could a book be about a stone monkey.' He is born from stone and energy, then he comes to life. It has a lot of action, and the story was inspired by a Chinese novel. For grades 5-12.

[Jeongmin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book, I read many monkey kings, Sun Wu Kong's stories, but this book shows that stories very clearly and funny. When I read this book, it is very easy to read because it is a graphic novel, you can read many pages with less sentence, so even you are bad at English, you can read this book. I recommend this book to everyone who exciting at monkey king!

[Tlb(Tianle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this book,the book is about Sun Wu Kong's stories and this book shows the stories very clearly and funny.If you adventure book you will probably like this book.

[Yan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the summary and analysis at the end!! It gives the book an intellectual edge.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for something less cliched and bit more nuanced. ... Nuanced? ... What? This is the story of Sun Wu Kong. What was I thinking?! Nuanced, indeed. LOL

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a chance to read volume one of this series via Netgalley, and I have to say, a little mediocre for my taste (more on the blog, crazyredpen.blogspot.com/2012/06/jour...). I grew up watching a Chinese cartoon adaption of the series, and this disappointed me a little. Nonetheless, I would recommend it to people looking to gain more knowledge on the classical Chinese story.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good graphic novel retelling of "Journey to the West." I got the first volume free, but I think there are something like 10 or 15 volumes and I probably won't invest in them all unless they release them as one massive book.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice translation done! This English edition seems to make the original story more fun to read and more lovely to look at.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese comic book - cool! Great story, great villains and who's seen a Chinese comic before? Not me, I guess. Oh, and it's funny too.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I think about this book the more I like it. The illustrations are fine, but the best part is the story. I do love mythology and the monkey king story has all the aspects that I enjoy.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

great introduction to the classic world of the Monkey King.

[Dnobl260 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read the whole series

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun introduction to the Monkey King. This is volume 1 of 20.

[rosafloera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly adored this series, Journey to the West has been adapted many times but this is the only adaptation I know of that covers what happens in more depth. Sun Wu Kong is supposed to be an unlikable troublemaker, but since I was young I liked him because he was never afraid to be different if it meant being himself. His antics made me laugh like a madman late into many nights, and his carefree attitude reassured me it was okay to make mistakes growing up with traditional Chinese values. Wei Dong Chen did a great job illustrating the comic adaptation. The action is thrilling and fluid, expressions are drawn very clearly. Still a series I try to collect to this day

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does what it does well, but this adaptation feels like it's told at the pace of an oral retelling, so some portions of the narrative feel rushed and without purpose. It is like an epic tale being told in slapstick pacing.

[Ben Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a translated Chinese comic based on one of the classic Chinese novels, Journey to the West. Fun. Interesting and easy enough that I'll continue on with the series.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special, but a serviceable adaptation for someone who wants to know the story.

[Sleonhardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a reader of graphic novels, but this is good for what it is. 4/5 for achievement, 3/5 for my enjoyment of it.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel legend is quite odd and a little hard to follow. I would probably appreciate it more if I read more of the series. However, I have no desire to read more of the series as the main character, the Monkey King, is really bothersome. I honestly couldn't stand his attitude or behavior and I actually was hoping he would get destroyed by one of the various gods mentioned throughout. Of course I knew that wouldn't happen as there are many more volumes in the series. This series is probably best suited for middle-schoolers who are fans of mythology and don't mind obnoxious behaviors.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I ended up reading this at work while we were trying to decide the age group. The moment that hung me up the most?

"Stone Monkey will be our king from now on. These are your new wenches."

The wenches: "It's our duty to comfort the great king from now on! Relax... We will do whatever we can to make you happy."

O.M.G.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than the book about the Three Kingdoms from the same publisher/author. While the other book had lots of exposition with a disjointed story, this book flowed with a single narrative. The graphics were just as good as the other book. The plot focuses more on story and less on battles (it's not a shounen manga!)

[Rachel Grover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. First of a series that is full of adventure. Not a fan of "Who the hell are you?" in the first few pages but the rest of the story allows me to overlook it. This will definitely help incorporate some diversity into my graphic novel collection. On order (at least the first 5 in the series) for my MS library.

[Yaritza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book for young children. I was able to keep up with the characters with this series. I loved that a monkey is king and no one is able to stop him. He is mischievous, powerful, and determined. He also acts like a child while taking over other kings lands.

[Valissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. I am not a fan of the Monkey King (too powerful with a serious lack of respect). I have read the folk tales, and he gets his comeuppance much sooner in the little stories. Perhaps it arrives in later volumes, but I was not enticed into following the comic.

Nice art though.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Coming Soon.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very colorful retelling of an ancient myth!