The Humans, Vol. 1: Humans for Life

The Humans #1

by Keenan Marshall Keller (Writer), Tom Neely (Artist), Kristina Collantes (Colourist)

Follow the Humans as they deal out beatings, cook drugs, party endlessly, and struggle to keep their turf and status amongst the numerous outlaws, rival gangs, and bonafide killers. All of whom are trying to take their spot at the top of the heap.
Plus: pin-ups by BENJAMIN MARRA, JOHNNY RYAN, SKINNER, KATIE SKELLY, KRISTINA COLLANTES, BELA DEHM, and some other goodies thrown in too.
RIDE OR DIE! READ OR DIE!!! RIP UP THE STREETS!!!! HUMANS FOR LIFE! HUMANS TIL DETH!!!
Collects THE HUMANS #0-4

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comix, Comics Manga, Crime, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2015

Reviews

[Jan Philipzig]

Can't say I'm a fan of 1970's nostalgia in general or of the biker-exploitation sub-genre in particular, but this new oddball series feels just about outdated and crazy and sincere and dirty enough to actually work for me.

[Dave Schaafsma]

Crazy alt comix loose feel to Tom Neely’s art (and lettering) and a story of monkey biker gangs with sort of a punk aesthetic, just apes kind of going nuts destroying stuff. Humans as caged slaves they experiment on. The old switcheroo there, eh?

Violent, profane, offensive, like Tarantino and seventies biker exploitation flicks. Johnny-Ryan-giving-you-the-finger feel to it. There’s a Viet Nam vet thing going on in here, too. PTSD madness. Think Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels crossed with Planet of the Apes? Maybe it will turn more sci fi as things proceed? Pretty funny, pretty interesting. Not exactly my taste, but I could over time catch the wave.

[Chad]

Planet of the Apes crossed with Easy Rider. This book was not for me. It felt like it was written by the kid in school that was always doodling dicks on everything. I did like the retro look of the book, even going as so far as to yellow the pages.

[Crystal Starr]

Bullet Review:

I would never in a million years (har har - apes - million years - har har) have picked this up, but my trusty coworker always seems to find these gems in the library and makes sure to pass them on to me.

Totally outside my typical "genre" (I mean, apesploitation is a small genre, amirite?), but I enjoyed the hell out of this. To be honest, having it star apes was a good twist - it makes the VERY serious topic (Vietnam vet returning from brutal war and facing PTSD) and turns it into something a little more, erm, light-hearted? Not so serious?

It's amusing to see how the creators imagine humans in this ape-dominated world. Human see, human do.

[Richard]

Bottom line, this just isn't for me. The art is fantastic, loose and vibrant, but remember that kid that sat in the back of the class in sixth grade and drew pictures of exploding motorcycles and boobs? I think he wrote this. For some people, that will be a solid recommendation. For me, not so much.

[Liam]

This was quite an entertaining and Fun read. Definitely be checking out vol 2.

[Tom Ewing]

I always admire a comic with a total commitment to its aesthetic, and The Humans is surely that. The story of an ape bike gang welcoming back one of their own from Vietnam (in a simian parallel-world late 60s), the Humans oozes scuzz and threat from front to back, from the hand-lettered opening page to the backmatter promoting real-world garage rock monkey business - which I've been too straight to sample.

Sure, not much new narrative ground gets broken here - it's violent, funny, sentimental, exploitative comics, as Johnny thinks back on his jungle trauma and the gang pull a fast one on a local drug kingpin. Atavistic stuff. But it's done with such hairy gusto that I come back every month with no complaints - Tom Neely's art is the main draw, with brawls, arena fights, graveside orgies and horrific 'Nam flashbacks executed with spindly, vicious energy. Humans Til Deth!

[Derek Royal]

This is truly one of the best newer titles coming out of Image, and I put it up there with God Hates Astronauts and Punks. The humor is different, but the reason I put all three of these books in some kind of loose grouping is not only because they are from outstanding creators, but also because they're examples of humor handled expertly. It's not often we get a notable comic that is humor-based. We also recently had both Tom and Keenan on the podcast for an interview, one of the most fun we've ever had. Lots of laughs, and certainly the episode with the most "fucks": http://comicsalternative.com/intervie....

[Tenebrous Kate]

The Humans manages to avoid the double pitfalls of retro hipsterism and fanboy nostalgia in telling its raunchy, gritty biker ape saga. The perfect combination of dynamic art, period details, and surprisingly deep character-driven storytelling.

Reviewed in depth on the Bad Books for Bad People podcast:
http://badbooksbadpeople.com/mini-epi...

[Maureen]

Whaaaat the hell did I just read? It was dope.

[Brian]

what a strange little book! Interesting, different, and mature.

[Robert]

Well, then.

[Ryan Werner]

A bunch of monkey biker gangs living and dying by their individual codes to fuck things up. I kept expecting this to turn into more of a sci-fi story, some long game storyline that explains why people (Skins) are slaves and animals and why monkeys are the evolved beings. While I'm still somewhat hoping for that, and it's still a possibility in these early stages, considering even a book like 100 Bullets made those sorts of major developments a few trades in, this is a goddamn ridiculous comic that's goddamn ridiculously fun.

The art and lettering have a "back of a metalhead's notebook" sort of feeling without being scratchy or indecipherable at any point. Very detailed but still raw. Some of my favorite art in recent memory.

[B. Rule]

Highly entertaining read with absolutely fantastic art by Tom Neely. It's a nigh-perfect blend of tropes from biker exploitation movies and Hunter S. Thompson-style gonzo biker stories, Vietnam trauma, 60's- or 70's-inflected "Leader of the Pack" melodrama, psychedelia, Planet of the Apes, and just pure punk rock bananas craziness. It's super violent, profane, and lewd. In a word, it's awesome.

[Vinton Bayne]

Fantastic art. I love the design work here. Beautiful stuff. And the plot is interesting. But I guess I'm spoiled in expecting a collected trade to have a story that goes somewhere. This builds up to what may be something and then feels like it ends an issue short. The whole volume feels like just an issue one, here's your intro. I'd definitely be down to check out volume 2, if not just to stare at the art, but I sure hope it goes somewhere.

[Jay Hancock]

the humans will ride over your mother's grave and shotgun six packs from your fathers skull.
all you monkey fuckers have been warned.

[John]

There's an aesthetic going on in comics that I've come to call "Home-Brewed" comics. Its a deplorably, cringe worthy term--but its these artists like Benjamin Marra, Tom Scioli, Ed Piskor, Johnny Ryan, and Tom Neeley that craft these exploitative comics.

They're fun, seedy and what you'd have dreamed up when you were 14. What Mark Millar wants to be, but he's too fucking corporate. These are the comics that you if you tried a little harder drawing in Catholic Grade school's Math Class, you'd be able to full it off.

This is Hell's Angels with full frontal chimp nudiry. Easy Rider, with dicks slappping their knees. Psychobilly on the Planet of the Apes. Vietnam and Night of the Living Dead and the great American Scream.

"I saw the horniest minds of my boneration destroyed by impotence, starving hysterical naked..."

Joking aside--it's a bit about PTSD and finding another war at home to fight. In some ways this comic sadly makes light of that, but then again its apesploitation.

[Alex Sarll]

'Sons Of Anarchy Of The Planet Of The Apes' would be the elevator pitch, though that wouldn't encompass the retro angle, or how much of this volume is taken up with lurid hallucinations and 'Nam flashbacks. Years after reading the second volume, I finally get around to the first, but it's not the sort of series where that matters too much, being far more interested in spectacular renderings of gory fights and subsequent debauches than any particularly intricate plotting. At its heart, though, for all the awfulness of its simian leads (and indeed, all the other damn dirty apes with whom they interact), there's a fierce celebration of "the things that make life not dead". You know, like there used to be in the before-times.

[Chris Browning]

I might regret not giving this two because there’s an undeniable whiff of something exploitative about the art and writing. And even if you pinch your nose to try and ignore that, the writing is very one dimensional and kind of annoying. But I give it three because it feels weirdly more like the seventies heyday of alternative comics than anything else I’ve read lately. I’m not a huge fan of that period to be honest, but I kind of admire how well it seems to pick up from that era seemingly effortlessly. Time to see if a one note joke has legs enough to sustain another few issues I guess

[Wes]

Hunter S Thompson meets Planet of the Apes is probably the best way to describe this post Vietnam war era biker romp with monkeys from Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller. Neely's art is fantastic, capturing the era and the vibe perfectly. He even hand letters the comic himself which is a vanishing art form. The colors feel perfect for the tone and era. Loads of good stuff here. Certainly not for the kiddos. Looking forward to many more of these.

[Jon]

Role reversal between humans and apes isn’t new or exciting but can make for a good story. I just don’t think this is the one. I had a hard time getting past the misspellings and poor grammar throughout.

The artwork is good. It captures the story and conveys a mood, but at times it feels disorganized. I could have liked The Humans but it really fell short. This wouldn’t go on my recommendations list.

[Dorian Fernández]

It is fun, vulgar and gross, which I expected and liked. The art is fantastic as any other Tom Neely work and I loved the gore. The character design is very sick.
The premise is what got me to get the book but the story was not as catching, way too many dicks, feels like an edgy teen obsessed with 70's movies wrote this. The PTSD chapter was kinda just your regular Vietnam war soldier story. I cannot feel anything for Johnny for whatever reason.

[Kay ☾]

I went into this with high hopes because the description on the back was genuinely intriguing. The artwork is fantastic and easily the best part of the graphic novel. Unfortunately, my enjoyment stopped there. The plot felt scattered and unfocused, almost like a fan fiction written version of Planet of the Apes. Even with the impressive visuals, the story just didn’t work for me, so I won’t be continuing with volume two.

[Eric]

Great story, draws inspiration from a ton of oldschool action war movies, gang movies, biker gangs, planet of the apes and all types of gritty rebel music. Great story if you're looking for a throw back and arent easily offended, really enjoyed it.

[Austin]

This was an interesting read…a 1970’s motorcycle gang of monkeys? The premise alone made me buy this without even flipping through it. While reading it, there was so much to look at. The art style is very unique. It’s truly an experience, like going back in time.

[Bethenny Scott]

Very interesting concept, all the politics of the Vietnam war set to the tune of Planet of the Apes with a twist of Son's of Anarchy. Is it graphic yes, the pictures are vivid and tell the tale even before you look at the actual words.

[Kimberly]

I enjoyed the art but the story is not for me. I see where they were going and it’s possible it could get interesting but as of right now I think I’ll stop here.

[Matt]

Planet of the Apes re-written by a 15 year old. As dumb as the Peter Fonda A.I.p
P. movies

[Matthew Harwood]

The art style of this comic is very well done and the story has a good bit of action. A typical biker gang story with a twist.

[Enron84]

A violent and vulgar tribute to 70s exploitation cinema, by way of ape biker gangs? Easy Rider meets Russ Meyer? Yep, sign me up.