Starts off pretty strong with a man who is merged with a monkey during an experiment gone wrong. But then it starts to devolve to this fetch quest story where every time the group stops somewhere, they pick up some crazy unexplained element, a scientist who is only a Futurama style head, en energy monster, they go into a basement and come out in pirate days. It's just too much unexplained. I know the author was trying to go for a Scooby Doo type vibe but even as a kid I'd want to know why people went into a basement and come out somehow having travelled to the past and being chased by pirates.

I did like the art and coloring quite a bit. I live on Long Island and did appreciate the gallivanting around L.I. to only places Long Islanders would know, like Camp Hero.

This graphic novel was just ok for me. I thought the artwork was interesting; however, this graphic novel didn't appear either character or plot-driven. This is definitely for a particular type of graphic novel reader - someone who is into cheesy, quirky characters and into more juvenile-type stories. I thought it was enjoyable but at times confusing and I was hoping for a more developed plot. Thank you Net Galley for the exchange of an eARC for an honest review.

This was definitely an... interesting read. I have to say I was quite a bit confused at times about what type of reader this graphic novel was aimed at. Was it middle-grade? (My first guess) Of did it aim to please an older audience with a more juvenile dialogue, plot and art style? Maybe to make us reminiscent of our childhoods? Not sure.

This was an okay read but it very much lacked a character or plot point to keep me hooked.

The Saga of the Evil Monkey Man is a strange but funny graphic novel. It might not be a book for everyone but it made me laugh a lot. There are quite a few times this book made me really laugh. The story is strange and feels like it’s taken from a Mad Scientist B movie classic.

The audience for this story is definitely older comic book fans who like B movies, who enjoy strange comics, who maybe like Robot Chicken, and odd quirky characters.

The artwork for this story is very interesting too. The story is odd and fun and so is the artwork. The art is smooth and the colors are very bright. The artwork is such a great contrast to this unique interesting book.

The title of the graphic novel, The Saga of the Evil Monkey Man!, is an interesting title that made me think as I read this book. When I first started reading this odd comic I thought this would be a story similar to King Kong. A sad tale about a monkey who tries to be kind but gets poked and prodded by man until he goes beserk. This graphic novel is not a King Kong story at all. In fact it is a very different book that will make you ask the question, who is the evil character in this story, Monkey Man or maybe someone else??

So I loved the art and coloring in this one, had a very golden age feel to it. The plot was somewhat interesting, but there was a ton of stuff crammed into only 116 pages that some things (like why were some of the major characters invited along? Why time travel? Why Kung Fu?) were just omitted from the story altogether. There is so much going on that nothing really makes an impression. The origin story as a punk song is a bit incoherent too, but there is some charm in the comic. Hopefully in future volumes the pacing improves.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Saga of Evil Monkey Man! by N Blake Seals involves a ragtag group of misfits a la The Doom Patrol or The Umbrella Academy. The peace in the town is shattered when a talking ape-man is found walking around. What could have caused a man to turn into a monkey? Is he the result of an experiment in a science lab? Is the government or some para-governmental facility involved? Who can defeat the villains and save the day? All of these questions are answered in this graphic novel. One highlight of this book is the artwork. The artwork is colorful and leaps off the page. I felt like I was reading a bestselling comic from DC Comics or Marvel.

Overall, The Saga of Evil Monkey Man! is an interesting graphic novel that will appeal to fans of The Doom Patrol or The Umbrella Academy. Even though this is tagged children's fiction, I have a feeling that this would appeal to teenagers more than it would to children. I thought that the story was very interesting. I did take off one star because it became convoluted and confusing at some points. I wasn't entirely sure where the story was going, and I'm the type of reader who likes to be informed about that from the beginning. If you're intrigued by the description above or if you're a fan of graphic novels, I highly recommend that you check out this book. It is out now!

A really funny comic about a man who is accidentally turned into a monkey and ends up in quite a few disasters!

dnf after 30 pages

Never before I dnf-ed a graphic novel arc I recieved, but now I did. It was that bad.

The drawing style reminded me a bit of the comics I read as a child, that were given out by the health insurance people and were full of teenagers giving and recieving first aid - which is to say, a certain level of nostalgia was in place. So, while aesthetically I didn't like it, I wasn't displeased by the pictures, either.

My problem was that it read like a very old, outdated super hero comic. The evil monster that once was a man, an accident in a research facility, the police the super good guys who are simply too simple for this complex level of plot... eh...
I was annoyed. I quit. End of story.

The arc was provided by the publisher

The title really says it all. Creative, humorous, and full of imagination. I enjoyed this book as a collection for older fans of comics, and recommend it for younger readers, as well.

The Saga of Evil Monkey Man follows a man turned into a monkey. He doesn't seem evil, despite having a bit of a temper.

The story seems to jump about and mash a ton of concepts together. There's a scientist who only exists as a jar in a head, a kung fu teacher, pirates and being pursued by the feds. It doesn't really feel like these are melded together well. The overarching plot isn't particularly interesting either and many of the characters don't seem interesting or to have much in the way of their own motivations. Events seem entirely too conveniently lined up too.

The art isn't bad, but I'm not really a fan of the style and it's not too detailed.

I'd suggest give this one a miss. I don't really see it appealing to many people.

The book is based on a local band's song about an evil monkey man, but the monkey man in the book doesn't seem evil at all. more like a wannabe hulk

The monkey man used to be a human, and seems to have been monkified by a semi-evil scientist who is now just a head in a jar, but is also offering to help the monkey man to de-monkify. There's also a kung fu lady, who moves a bit along the 'angry black woman' trope.

feels like they just added her for diversity and tried to give her character but fell short

The whole thing is drawn quite well, but the coloring looks quite flat and it doesn't work because of the awkwardness of the book. its not non-sensical or whimsical just awkward and seems like the story is scattered here and there

And then the book ends on a big cliffhanger, which is a really not even that interesting.

•Character development- 2☆
• Story Plot- 2.5☆
• Side characters- 2.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 3☆

What a curious book. I'm not entirely sure who this is aimed at - it almost reads like a children's graphic novel (and it looks like it), but I don't think it is, but I'm not sure..?

The book is based on a local band's song about an evil monkey man, but the monkey man in the book doesn't seem evil at all. More confusion.

The monkey man used to be a human man, and seems to have been monkified by a semi-evil scientist who is now just a head in a jar, but is also offering to help the monkey man demonkify. There's also a kung fu lady, who moves a bit along the 'angry black woman' trope.

The whole thing is drawn quite well, but the colouring looks quite flat and I can't really put my finger on why it doesn't work (it's also what makes the book look like a children's book).

And then the book ends on a big cliffhanger, which is a really big no for me. Write an arc for the book, so it has some sense of closure while keeping things open for more.

I'm so confused.

It probably goes without saying that the story is rather silly. It mishmashes elements from the sci-fi, pirate, fantasy and road trip genres, and there are plenty of jokes along the way. Not all of it is original, but it's certainly fun if you're into quirky variations on Scooby-Doo style adventure stories.

This was so, so silly but overall enjoyable.

I was not the biggest fan of the art, but I think the story here is really where the story shone the most. I loved the concept and just how original (albeit very strange) this story was.

This is perfect for those looking for something very strange to read.

Thank you for the e-galley!