Customer Reviews

The Annotated Mantooth!

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is great!

This graphic novel has Matt Fraction's annotated script side-by-side with the actual comic pages. Andy Kuhn and Tim Fisher provide the art on the comic pages, and it is excellent!

Rex Mantooth, Kung-Fu Gorilla is a secret agent who saves the world again and again with the help of his sidekick (and special lady friend), Honey Hamptonwick. They battle robot ninjas, rabid mallard ducks, lesbian she-commandos, zombie scientists, and even Hitler!

Fraction's notes on the script are just as funny, and sometimes funnier, as the actual comic pages.

There are three text pages by Fraction, one after every chapter of the main story, and a pin-up gallery in the back of the book, with pin-ups by Jeremy Love, Steven Sanders and Carla Speed McNeil.

Finally, the book also features an introduction by Warren Ellis, a foreward by Joe Casey, a preface by Greg Rucka AND a note from the publisher by Larry Young!

With all of that great supplementary material, you know this book must be important, so buy it!

This concept is just too great not to give it a try. Mantooth is an international man of mystery AND he's a big ape, literally. He's also got a giant robot named "world's greatest grandpa" and saves the world many times. Andy Kuhn is rapidly becoming one of the hottest illustrators in comics and this is a breakout work for him. That Fraction guy ain't bad neither.

If Jeffy from Family Circus were a talking super-spy gorilla in a tuxedo, Family Circus would be a much different comic strip. Jeffy from Family Circus is not a gorilla.

I think there's a gorilla in The Annotated Mantooth! That's crazy. I would not let a real gorilla into my house; but a book gorilla, maybe that's OK.

Matt Fraction has written some other comics, and he invented those mesh half-shirt things that dudes used to wear in the 80s. Does he speak Russian? I will not tell you that. You will have to answer that question on your own time.

Matt Fraction has never written Family Circus. Because of this, Mama Fraction does cry herself to sleep at night.

If you happen to be 12 or just like to pretend you are, this is the perfect book for you. Following the premise that monkeys apprently bring inherent humour to the table, The Annotated Mantooth seems to've felt no need to be inventive beyond that, unless you think using an endless amount of swear words to make up for paper-thin writing is inventive. I suppose this book is a riot if you happen to be one of the people involved in its creation, but for anyone else, spend your money elsewhere.