Monkey Meat: The First Batch

Monkey Meat #1-5

by Juni Ba

The Monkey Meat company made a fortune selling cans of…well, monkey meat. They’re now ruling over a corporate empire and an island where they run all sorts of wacky supernatural experiments in a hyper-capitalist landscape. Follow the adventures of the citizens of Monkey Meat Island in this five-story anthology.

Collects MONKEY MEAT #1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Dystopia, Comics Manga, Graphic Novels Comics, Comedy

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2022

About the author

Juni is an illustrator and writer hailing from Senegal and France. His current works include the Kayin and Abeni mini series and the Monkey Meat stories both published by Kugali. He’s also a cover artist with works for Skybound and IDW. His artistic fuel is mostly based on orange juice.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goofy and violent fables highlighting the evils of capitalism. Wants to be high energy, but I was just bored by all the bluster and obvious morals and found no characters I wanted to spend time with.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first issue of Monkey Meat came out the very first week of 2022, and I said that if it kept up the quality it would go down as one of the best comic series of 2022. Jump ahead many months to this TPB release and yeah, I was right. This is fantastic. The art is so lively, from the action to the framing of the panels to the expressions on the characters' faces to every last bit of colouring and tiny detail. It's sharply funny, clever, and I love every single moment poking fun at capitalism and consumerism. It's bursting with creativity and a visual spectacle.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The stories were a mixed bag, a couple were okay but mostly not great. The one thing this book has going for it is the art. It is so wild. Sometimes it's 10/10 creative outlandish cool, but then there are times that it's so hard to parse, just no idea what's going on. Crazy colorful and action packed with some pretty good sarcasm.

[Alex Sarll]

Five grotesque visions of capitalism run (even more) riot in a world where suited executive simians sell their luckless kin for food – and souls for the accompanying beverage. The visuals mix manga sensibilities with the scuzzy energy of Jim Mahfood (who supplies a variant cover) and the lurid fever dreams of Shaky Kane, while the stories alloy an air of fable with the nihilistic glee of 2000AD at its most ghoulishly punk, and lovely (by which I mean horribly plausible) details like the redactions attendant on the owner of the corporation having copyrighted their own name and forbidden its use. Sometimes – again like Dredd – Ba's foot comes off the accelerator sufficiently that the genuine horror sinks in. Even as someone who doesn't normally go for comics down this rough and ready end of the field, this is a good one.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Monkey Meat other than its title and cover art. I didn’t quite know what to make of a hand crushing a Spam-esque can with a monkey on the front, but I knew I was interested in reading more. Monkey Meat: the First Batch is a zany and dark anthology that I fell in love with. It’s not the most original critique of capitalism I’ve seen, but it’s certainly one of the most engaging. I truly believe that if companies could get God to sign over the rights to people’s souls, they would absolutely do so. My only regret is that it doesn’t seem likely to get a sequel, but I will certainly be chasing down more of Juni Ba’s work in the future. 

Read If Looking For: anticapitalist fever dreams, unconventional art styles, episodic structures 

Avoid If Looking For: consistent worldbuilding, subtlety and nuance, grounded characters

Comparable Media: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Invader Zim, Rick and Morty

Elevator Pitch:
This anthology (though it might be better described as a mosaic comic) focuses on Monkey Meat Island. Once an untouched paradise, it is now ruled by a capitalist megacorporation cranking out questionably sourced meat, energy drinks made out of souls, and action figures showcasing the indigenous cultures the company eradicated to ‘honor’ them. Each story follows a different protagonist, but several characters run through the series, including the enslaved enforcer Lug and the supernaturally persuasive Salesman. In this collection you’ll get

- Lug’s Origin story for how he became a puppet of Monkey Meat Corporation
- A disaffected young man drinks the soul of a god and gets recruited by the corporation
- A fable about an adventurer rescuing a young girl from monsters of Monkey Meat’s creation
- Monkey Meat’s biggest fan learns the reality of their crimes
- A superhero threatens Monkey Meat’s future, but their solution is even more dangerous

What Worked for Me:
Monkey Meat really nails the intersection of dark comedy and social commentary. It’s absurd, overly dramatic, and true to reality. The best way I can describe this book is if Sunday morning cartoons were made for adults. Like some of the more commercially successful adult comics, each entry in Monkey Meat establishes some lore that will get referenced in later episodes, but it largely keeps the status quo the same to avoid interfering with ideas for future episodes. Through the comic is absurd logic, unhinged one-liners, and really creative thinking. Logic has no place on Monkey Meat island, and everything is fair game. One of my favorite lines was the Salesmen, in response to a query from the board on threats to the company’s financial future, saying “Living toys, a possessed goose, a superhero-led uprising … nothing we can’t monetize.” Ba has a very specific point of view in this comic, and I loved it.

I think Monkey Meat’s art is very successful here as well. Ba served as both writer and illustrator (but not colorist), and there’s a strong connective tissue between story and image. He shifts styles a bit for each story, but exaggerated character designs, dynamic poses, and contrast are a running theme. There’s no attempt at realism on Monkey Meat Island, and that effect only gets exaggerated when intense colors are layered into the story. Everything is over-the top, but Ba has a really unique style that never left me bored or disinterested. 

What Didn’t Work For Me:
At times I think this comic was unfocused in the individual story plots. The message was consistent: Monkey Meat Corporation is evil, and thus so is capitalism by extension. However, I was left feeling like the comic never quite went deeper than surface level. It was engaging, funny, and insightful, but I don’t know how much it pushed me to think in new ways. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but it did place some limits on the type of stories Monkey Meat is equipped to handle. On a more literal level, there were definitely times where I struggled to understand exactly what was happening in a panel or page. The most notable example was Lug, arguably the most important character in the whole comic. I never quite understood what I was looking at with him. Lots of people seem to dislike this comic, and with a 3.28 on Goodreads, this might be the biggest gap so far this year from ‘common consensus’ and my personal opinion. 

Conclusion: This was a rollercoaster ride of a comic. I want to read more things that are as creative and unique as what Ba cooked up in Monkey Meat!

Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot

[Shakengrape · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectation for it were a lot bigger. The story is unorganized and on some of the pages the art looks like sketches where I genuinely couldn't tell what was going on, other than that the idea is great and I think it had potential to show capitalism in a simple way, but decided to complicate it so much that it's hard to make anything out of it. 2.5⭐

[Dia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this up because it was on a best graphic novels of 2022 list. I really didn't like anything about this "anthology". Also, I don't really consider this an anthology. All the stories are written by the same person, the art is the same, overstylized and difficult to follow, and the stories themselves have the same characters, setting, and overall plot.

In what way is this an anthology? It is just badly organized chapters about Monkey Meat Island, a tourist trap/evil company headquarters, which actually makes it sound a lot more interesting than it was.

Not a fan.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid art book that contains some really good story ideas, as executed by someone who is a very talented artist.

It could have definitely benefitted from a writer being hired to help flesh out Juni Ba's vision because there's a really cool anti-captalist, anti-colonialist story buried in this volume.

The writing isn't atrocious. Juni Bas has some great ideas, and the actual prose is fine, it's just not on par with Ba's art, which I love.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sort of anthology of stories about Monkey Meat Island owned by the Monkey Meat company. Some critiques of capitalism.

Super energized artwork but I didn't love the stories.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly graphic and beautifully drawn comic! The anti-capitalist/colonist themes in this are fun, I do find how all-encompassing the corporation is in this work to be really interesting concept along with Lug as a character. My only complaint is that the writing feels like it doesn't really end up leading to much? This is a collection of 1-5 so I'm sure there's more to it and the first story is really good for setting the scene, just perhaps this comic feels like it leans more towards style than it's substance even tho it's very much present. Something about this didn't feel great put all together but on their own they're solid stories.

Still very much worth checking out if even just for the art, it's really fun to look at!

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Ba’s art is exciting and totally unique, but the storytelling in this anthology of related tales is a miserable reading experience. It’s slapstick sociopolitical satire about late-stage capitalism and colonialism, which could be great, but it’s told through incredibly scattered, nonsensical plotting that’s hard to care about or even follow much of the time, and the rare moments that are comprehensible tend to be painfully heavy-handed and obvious messaging. It’s a big disappointment despite how nice it looks.

[Thebulversaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey, kiddo! Hey, over here! Grab this, you won't regret it. WHAT is this you ask? It's our latest product. We're expanding our monkey meat business with multimedia. First it's comic books because they are the SHIT - easily digestible, colourful, tasty on the eye. Nah, these stories are not nonsensical! You JUST didn't get it ok. It's deep stuff, man. And look at that ART style! It's so bright, edgy and dynamic it's sometimes hard to see what's going on, but to hell with it! It's COOL! We sell cool here. Don't forget to chomp on our monkey meat burgers while you're reading.

[Yani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up based on the work that Ba did in The Boy Wonder.

This is infinitely weirder. I still honestly don't quite know what to make of it. It's giving Superhero Team Origin Story. Or maybe Super Villain... I'm not sure that the book itself is sure.

The art continues to impress. And there are definitely characters I'd love to see on a tshirt.

[maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found Juni Ba initially through The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber and immediately fell in love with his work+ordered these comics. I've found a new inspiration for my own work in Ba from his lively and expressive linework to his bold yet harmonious color choices to his unique/sharp storytelling. Monkey Meat is an absolute feast for the eyes (no pun intended...) and for anyone looking for a quirky story that bites just as loud as its bark.

[Gennaro Pescespada · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first issue is awesome and then it's just downhill from there until it picks itself up a little bit with the last one. That's not to say that any of the issues were bad, just nowhere near as good as the first one. Not one managed to actually convey that sense of powerlessness against the system that the first one did. It's still a pretty good time though, sometimes incredibly funny, but not too ofte

[Verba Non Res · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pocas veces vi un estilo al que le correspondiera tan adecuadamente el adjetivo “vibrante”. Hasta las líneas en las ilustraciones que componen Monkey Meat parecen rehusarse a quedarse quietas. Este arte frenético le termina imponiendo su propio ritmo a la historia, en la que creo que había algo así como una crítica al capitalismo.

[Cadillac Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang, Juni Ba! This book goes hard! Fantastic. Beautiful, colorful, vibrant, kinetic with a coherent thematic core? I'm on board! Gives me early Scud vibes, a strange cartoony world with dark undertones just beneath the surface. Killer character designs as well. Juni Ba is a force to be reckoned with, I will eagerly be buying and enjoying everything he puts out.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book represents Senegal in my Read Around Africa project. Although book is set on Monkey Meat Island and not Senegal, it is a fantasy location created by a Senegalese artist and inspired by Senegal, so it meets the brief.

I really liked the art style and the use of colour. I thought there were lots of interesting character designs. I found the story quite hard to follow.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bizarro look at world capitalism and all the hideousness that comes with it. Sad part is, that this is a fictional story based on actual facts. Which is why i love fiction! Its a good way to sneak information to the world and make people think.

Organizationally this was a train wreck of anthologies.

2.8✨

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty cool and the art was superb. I have no idea what happened and I don’t think there is any coherency within the seemingly fantastical stories but I didn’t care. Each little story was cool and had its moments. I would want to see more but there’s no telling what’s next on the menu.

[Micah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equal parts social commentary, absurdist fantasy/ sci-fi, and fun action sequences. Juni Ba is a unique voice with an incredibly fun art style. I can’t wait to read more from him and I hope the comics industry grows more opportunities for creators like him to have a platform.

[Luke Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a really unique and developing style. The vibe reminds me a little of what I like from cartoons like Samurai Jack. Some pieces of the story and pages felt a little rough around the edges, but there’s a lot to like.

[Nate Hipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juni Ba is rapidly becoming one of my new favorite artists. I absolutely love his stuff. The world he creates here is utterly bonkers and I loved the in media res anthology approach to it. There’s just a lot of weird hiding around its corners that I want to explore more in depth.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I love Ba's art, the story is a mess and only really has an emotional impact in issue 4.

[Eldar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art is 6 out of 5 (I love it)
Story is 3.5 out of 5 (not that memorable).

[Brandon Levasseur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gimme more please

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild set of fables of capitalism rendered in a weird mix of street art and Manga. Maybe a little too slapdash to be brilliant, but it is exciting and new and smart.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 3 out of 5]

90% času jsem absolutně netušil co se děje. Extrémně divnej jazyk, chaotickej scénář i panelování a art me uplně nebavil. Kolem a kolem mě to ale nesralo.
2.5*

[kpolacik · Rating 2 out of 5]

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