Thursday, March 24, 2022

Re:tro Re:view - Monkey Prince #2 Review!

 Re:cap, the first issue was out on February 1st, and this issue was out on March 1st.  Young Marcus is a nervous teen, his parents Laura and Winston secretly work for the Penguin, and have history with Batman!  At Gotham High, he is bullied by The Riz, but befriended by the janitor, Mr. Zhu. He has transformed into the Monkey Prince and has to learn his new powers.  Damian Wayne, son of Batman, is also at the school and in a fight with The Riz and his lacrosse gang, calls in Batman.  The battle doesn’t go well with the batarang de-capitating Monkey Prince!  “Enter the Monkey part 2” has a cover by interior art, Bernard Chang, Batman and Robin look ready for action in the foreground as Monkey Prince is leaping towards them with his Jingu Bang staff.  


We have a close-up of Monkey Prince’s head as he gives his usual cry, “Eeeee!” except this is warranted with no body around.  Batman tells Robin to go after the head while he takes care of the body, absurd.  It still seems like young readers will like the comic with the cartoonish severed head.  Robin reaches out and picks up the head Hamlet-style which says, “can’t breathe…” It is abstract, but I think Batman would know the point is to connect head and body for survival even if it is magic.  The Riz hiding is in the corner with his lacrosse bat when he is interrupted.  Shifu Pigsy, Mr. Zhu’s true form, asks for his bat.  Robin argues with Monkey Prince’s head, funny!, who bites his thumb.  I think Damian trained by the League of Assassins and Batman would be able to take the pain.  


He drop kicks the head!  Batman has difficult fighting the headless body and uses his grappel gun, um, his batarang was lethal to Monkey Prince so he uses another of his weapons?  Monkey Prince’s head bounces on the floor and is caught by Shifu Pigsy’s lacrosse bat.  Robin strikes the bat with another lacrosse bat and the head flies!  He mistakes Shifu Pigsy for working with Proffesor Pyg who wears a mask of a pig.  His villain knowledge is good, but he doesn’t realize he is dealing with magical people?  The Monkey Prince’s head rolls to Batman’s boot as he has tied up the body.  Shifu Pigsy reaches out to take the head and tells Monkey not to cross the Silver Bridge.  Then, he calls up a magical wind that blasts Batman and Robin.  Shifu Pigsy attaches the head as Batman is trying to work out  Monkey Prince’s weakness.  He is magic. 



We move to the Icebertg Lounge, this is feeling like a strange version of The Batman!  Marcus’ adopted parents, Winston and Laura, are looking for the Penguin.  They find the decayed corpse of Gary, gruesome, so not for kids.  They find the transformed Golden Horn Penguin draining the qi energy from another victim.  Laura and Gary start to run.  Marcus and Shifu Pigsy are sitting on a floating cloud.  He is told that he has to control his fear or it might get him killed.  Marcus forcibly removes his circlet and throws it at Shifu Pigsy.  Back to his normal form, he still needs a ride back home.  At his apartment, the Shugel-Shen’s home, Marcus tries to adjust to regular life.  He has a bite of his mother’s casserole and reassured by family.  Marcus sees them as boring scientists.  The Bat Signal goes up and Batman, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon are down in the sewers.     


Commissioner Gordon explains that there is bodies there and they discover the drained corpses!  Marcus wakes up in the morning, takes a shower, and finds some of the Monkey Prince armor on him.  He checks Mr. Zhu’s office, but finds it empty.  His friend, Kaya, introduces him to Damian Wayne!   Damian asks Marcus about falling into a pool the other day with the Monkey Prince emerging out of it.  After Monkey Prince left, security footage showed Marcus getting out of the pool, two people, but this is magic.  I don’t know why Damian has not consulted any magical person, Zatanna, or anyone with the Justice League. Marcus finds Mr. Zhu who explains that he can’t lose the circlet around his body.  He explains that he transformed into Marcus at the pool.  Also, since he has powers, Marcus is the bully to the Riz.  He has a game for Marcus to change into Monkey Prince with the Chinese word, Bian, and chase after the red envelope he carries!  Monkey Prince Marcus is still learning how to use his powers, the fun, magical goofiness is balanced by some gruesome deaths!  


Four Cloud Somersaults out of Five!   


#MonkeyPrince, #GeneLuenYang, #BernardChang, #Batman, #Robin, #GoldenHornPenguin, #TheRiz, #Kaya 

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