Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat anthology feels like a mix of The White Lotus and Rick and Morty, but it’s its own thing. Set on a tropical island where demons, ghosts, and monkeys reside, it’s no wonder Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch #4 is focused on vacation life. With the twist of the series on vacations, one can assume things will get very bad for some, while the few prevail, which is the case in more ways than one.
Kicking things off in the first story is a hotel receipt for what appears to be an overly expensive room for what you’re getting. Soon, we see a family of four is staying there so they can be close to an amusement park, but it’s a real dump. So much of a dump, the power goes out, but when illuminated with a phone, they learn a strange man is in there with them. So begins a rush to slay and escape the man, who seems familiar with the location.
Ba infuses this story with great cartooning, like a close-up of the man who is drawn in black and white except for his yellow eyes that are piercing. The family is understandably afraid, but once they learn the truth about the apartment, we’re reminded of how the Monkey Meat Corp is a leech on all they come in contact with. Mostly a story of characters confused about the situation, leaning into the action in the moment, it hits its stride with a three-star review on some app we’ve all used before.
Look at those eyes!
Credit: Image
The second tale follows a travel influencer who has come to Monkey Meat Island and somehow thinks a giant army mech is some kind of vacation experience. Ba does a great job sprinkling story details so by the end, you get the full picture of this character’s backstory, though if you follow any travel influencers on Instagram, he’ll be very familiar. He’s ignorant of his surroundings while pretending to become one with the culture.
As the story progresses, the situation shifts from a confused traveler to an outright war against an ancient spirit. The battle is intense, featuring cool designs of the mech and the spirit, alongside a depressing yet all-too-real revelation of what goes on behind the walls put up by the rich. One of the saddest truths of this tale is how influencers will sell their soul for likes and followers.
Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch #4 continues Juni Ba’s one-of-a-kind anthology with another set of riotously weird, visually arresting stories that blend humor, horror, and biting social critique. It’s bold, bizarre, and brilliant—though definitely not for the faint of heart or the conventionally minded.
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