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Published by: Image Comics
Released on: Feb. 4, 2015
Writer: Keenan Marshall Keller
Artist: Tom Neely
Cover artist: Tom Neely
Purchase at Amazon
Click HERE for last issue's write-up.
In what is evidently the end of the first arc, which one supposes can be considered the introduction arc; The Humans make their first move in busting away from under the control of that fat bastard Abe Simian. Abe is holding a skin-fight, which is what they call the equivalent of dog fighting but between two skins (hairless apes; human beings), and Johnny's big brother Bobby has a plan to make some big money off the fight.
Abe's number one fighter is Bubba, the biggest skin Johnny has ever seen, and Bobby wants to put one of their skins against Bubba. They may have an advantage with their skin, since they laced him with their experimental drug Spazm, which has proven to cause skins to go totally bonkers. Bobby and Abe strike up a wager that Abe expects not to lose, but the trick Bobby has planned might cause more harm than good in the long run; maybe even the short run.
The bet between the two apes concerns a drug shipment and The Humans are the ones to run protection while it's in transit, which is where the next arc is to pick up. That doesn't happen until May so we've got a long wait, which blows. What doesn't blow is the series nor the material the creators are putting in front of their readers. Keller's script and characters are funny but not in the funny animal way. They're like scumbag humans just in monkey suits and the stuff they do is reprehensible. And the fantastic artwork from Tom Neely constantly impresses and entertains, especially when the panel construction is utilized to really dictate the flow of action. The skin fights are brutal and savage and the way he lays it out makes it fun to follow.
Two things of note for the issue: one is the lack of ape wangs and hoo-hoos, as there are none. The streak is broken at three issues. Name one series from a mainstream publisher that can boast such a record. There isn't one. There're plenty of skins penises, as they exist in life with no clothes likes dogs do, but we aren't keeping track of genital representation for the skins. The other item of note is the fan-art section. RSP member and fantastic artist Matthew Allison has a piece featured and that makes us very proud.
