A corny introduction gives way to some fun with the start of a new DC hero.
Written by Gene Luen YangCover by Bernard Chang and Sebastian Cheng
Illustrated by Bernard Chang
Colored by Sebastian Cheng
Lettered by Janice ChiangIntroducing the newest hero in the DCU, the great sage, equal to the heavens, better than his predecessor the legendary Monkey King, even better than the Justice League—and definitely the Teen Titans—(actually, all the heroes combined), everyone put your hands together for…the Monkey Prince!
Marcus Sun moves around a lot because his adoptive parents are freelance henchpeople, so this month he finds himself as the new kid at Gotham City High School, where a mysterious man with pig features asks Marcus to walk through a water curtain to reveal himself as who Marcus really is…someone who has adventured through The Journey to the West, can transform into 72 different formations, can clone himself using his hairs, and is called…the Monkey Prince!
Bringing a new character into the fold in an existing universe, especially one as vast as the multiverse brought forth by DC Comics, can be exceptionally difficult. At the same time, introducing a cultural touchstone in a new setting can be a problem all its own. With “Monkey Prince” #1, Gene Luen Yang has the unenviable task of doing both at once, attempting to draw audiences beyond China into a tale connecting the famous The Journey to the West with the DC Universe’s own Gotham City. So far as that goes, he seems to do the best he can, and the result is… different, to put it lightly.
A cheesy, or perhaps corny, adventure to begin with, “Monkey Prince” #1 features a host of new characters for the emergent Chinese-based hero (who has yet to engage in any actual heroism). It is rather intriguing, with the eponymous “prince” actually being deathly afraid of a famous superhero after a run-in as a child, and features elements connected to the likes of A-listers in the process. There is a sizable amount of comedy, from toilet humor to slapstick, revolving around the goings on of Monkey Prince’s beginnings, all of which seem to fit well into the mold of its source as a Chinese tale.
Unfortunately, there is much more negative than positive when it comes to Yang’s storytelling on this debut issue. Established characters such as known supervillains or superheroes are either made completely incompetent at their alleged areas of expertise (to the point of someone who loathes killing accidentally causing a fatal injury) or plays up their animal motif far too much to the point that they may as well be a were-creature (i.e., something akin to a werewolf) or even a parody of their own character rather than a straight usage. While sometimes this kind of writing can be used to make a hero look good by comparison, the Monkey Prince himself does nothing to actually “look good” at all, being more of a terror than a real agent in and of himself, and it just seems to lower everyone else by comparison to bring them down to his level.
Yang relies far too heavily on an established set of characters and keeping them within the bounds of the DC Universe, instead of perhaps making use of the setting of one of the famous cities without requiring the involvement of high-popularity characters. Instead of actually building up Marcus Sun as the Monkey Prince, the result turns him toward the makings of another one-off supporting character for someone much more famous than himself. Though the dialogue leans heavily into being “out there” in its own way, the use of shock value comes across as cheap as a result, and the dialogue, especially once the Monkey Prince really gets going, seems closer to what parodies of teenagers would say than what they actually do.
Despite the failures of the writing, Bernard Chang does a fantastic job on the artwork of “Monkey Prince” #1. The style is highly animated, with a lot of action regardless of it being a fight, just walking around, or even basic conversations. The detail is also key, with emphasis on the high-flying action and dynamism of the principle character. Even in moments without him having his powers yet, such as a flashback or origin, everything is very much geared toward being as mobile as possible, from bullies throwing him around to his panic attacks and more. At the same time, the artistic way in which Chang handles the slower moments, such as a trip through the “water curtain,” helps to emphasize the mystical, odd, and overall esoteric nature of the Monkey King’s myth in and of itself. Body language is key, and the changes, from jumping up and down in joy to cowering in fear to outright animalistic actions and other varieties beyond, really helps to showcase how a “monkey” and a human are not too different, and how humans can be seen as just a step away from other animals in their behavior.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Cheng’s colors are exceptionally vibrant, bringing a liveliness to even the darkest of moments. While the shadow of Marcus Sun’s fears does hold sway over much of the piece in the hues and tones, Chang also gives ample room for the colorful, seemingly mentally altering nature of the Monkey King to take hold of this teenager, shown especially well with the gradients of light and dark in the piece. The shadows hold sway when he is held back, but Cheng’s use of an almost oppressive amount of glare and bright light causes the intrusive, unexpected nature the Monkey Prince to come into its own. The color palette changes over the course of “Monkey Prince” #1, with Cheng appearing to focus intently on the tone of each moment as much as the physical lighting. In all, these color choices, combined with Chang’s artwork, helps to partially salvage this debut.
Final Verdict: 6.5– Despite intriguing artwork, this prince has yet to step out of a knight’s shadow beyond lip service.
