This is Monkey Prince: The Monkey King and I. This is the second and final volume of Gene Luen Yang’s mini-series of Monkey Prince. The Prime Illustrator for this book is Bernard Chang. Other Illustators for this book are Billy Tan of Tan Comics and Haining. The Prime Colorist for this book is Marcelo Maiolo. Other Colorists for this book are Sebastian Cheng and Adriano Lucas. The Prime Letterer for this book is Janice Chiang. Other Letterers for this book are Wes Abbott and Saida Temofonte. This book follows Marcus Sun, AKA Monkey Prince. He goes on a series of adventures with a great many of the DC Universe’s other heroes. Fighting demons with Aquaman, defending against the Lazarus Planet catastrophy with Supergirl, and finding the secret of his birth are all stories stored in this action-packed volume.
This book is pretty good. I have been a fan of Gene Luen Yang’s writing ever since Superman Smashes the Klan (2019). I really enjoy how this book, and the series in general, really bring Chinese culture to the forefront. This book brings elements from the Chinese novel, Journey to the West. With Marcus being the Monkey King’s son and characters such as Pigsy being in the story, it is quite apparent that Gene Luan Yang appreciates Journey to the West. But isn’t just Journey to the West that is mentioned. There are mentions of Qi in the story. I really love when writers viewpoints and culture are shown throughout a story. It makes these books more personal and adds great, diverse stories to the artform.
Another factor that I really like is Marcus and his family. The Monkey Prince is kind of a dick. But he does have a lot of heart and cares for people. It’s a classic characterization and I believe fits with the original Monkey King (But I’m not completely sure because I haven’t read Journey to the West). There is also a very unique idea used for Marcus’s parents, they are supervillain henchmen. I don’t think I have ever seen something like this done before. I really like it because it adds a lot of humor to this book. Monkey Prince is usually fighting villains that his parents are working for. So he has to fight them without hurting them. But at the same time, making sure they do not find out who he is. It is a very fun concept and I really enjoy it.
Spoiler Alert: I will admit, the final arc for this book was a little dissapointing to me. There are few things that I really like. Firstly, it is discovered that Marcus’s grandfather is The Ultra-Humanite. This is a really great explanation on why Marcus’s parents are supervillain henchman. I also love classic villains such as Ultra-Humanite. Next up is The Monkey Kind himself, he only shows up for a short bit but he is good in it. It gives a very interesting incite into Monkey Prince’s origin and what makes a unique entity.
Another Spoiler Warning: The thing that I do not like is the loose ends left at the end. There is still Monkey Prince’s feud with Ultra-Humanite, his relationship with his friend/love interest, and to see what happens between his parents. It is pretty clear that Gene Luen Yang has more plans for Monkey Prince. But there have been no announcements or plans of a new series from DC Comics at this time. So keeping a lot of teases for a new series that might not even happen really annoys me. I really hope that there is another series at some point. Because it would be greatly unfulfilling for me if this is it for the character.
The art for this book is pretty good. Bernard Chang’s vast and animated panel layouts are great. I also really enjoy the designs for a lot of the characters, particularly the demons. I also adore the cartoonish designs of Monkey Prince’s clones. The coloring is really bright and colorful. There really isn’t much else I can say for the art. It is just great.
Overall, this book is good. The story is fun. The art is energetic. I am just concerned over the uncertainty over this character. Hoepfully we will see more of him in the future.