The Monarchs are the greatest fighters in the galaxy, superstar sportsmen who inspire the youth to try and attain their greatness. One such youth is the feisty Ja’Khari, who has his eyes set on one day beating a Monarch and taking their crown. With the assistance of his trusted side-kick, Pepper, Ja’Khari hones his skills in backyard fights in the Bloks. This time he is up against the fearsome brothers Jar and Jug Gallon, who may be only ten years old but have the overgrown physique of mountainous men. Can Ja’Khari’s superior skills propel him onwards in his quest for fame and glory, or will the Gallon brothers block his path?
MONARCHS, subtitled “Beat Em Down To Win The Crown,” is the first chapter in this graphic series. Author Joshua Bullock is more interested in delivering dynamic action than moving the story forward, and so page after page is devoted to a long, and very well rendered, fight sequence. It’s relentless and fun, punctuated by the kind of knowing asides familiar from superhero battles. Intriguingly the story is introduced by the “Mysterious Griot” (a griot being a traditional African storyteller/historian), which lends an element of folklore to Ja’Khari’s tale. This narrator doesn’t appear again after his early single panel, but it might have been a welcome intrusion if he had returned as a satisfying framing device after the somewhat abrupt closing panel.
The character of Pepper, an aspiring hype man in the mold of Muhammad Ali’s Drew Bundini Brown, is an entertaining character. The self-styled “champ of the amp” has all the best lines, and as the story progresses the reader may look to him for more than comic relief. As far as this first chapter is concerned, there is enough action to hook an audience. It’s frequently frantic and sometimes slapstick; the violence is much more cartoonish than realistic. And in spite of seemingly high stakes, there is no real meanness evident. This is a battle for all ages.
MONARCHS is a great showcase for Bullock’s art. His character designs (most notably in the gargantuan Gallon brothers, with their echo of Miller/Darrow’s The Big Guy) are fun, and he demonstrates his skill in being able to choreograph entertaining fight sequences with just enough drama and kinetic movement to keep the reader turning pages. As a stand-alone book, though, it’s somewhat insubstantial.
Joshua Bullock’s MONARCHS (Volume 1) is a bright, engaging opening chapter in an ongoing tale of aspirant superstar galactic fighters.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader