The multitalented award-winning cartoonist Juni Ba (The Boy Wonder, Djeliya) is returning to his dark fantasy anthology series Monkey Meat this upcoming March. The five-issue arc entitled, The Summer Batch, will see a return to force of Ba’s critically acclaimed and satirical anthology that takes on issues like capitalism and climate change – all while told in a summer magazine-styled issue.
“I’ve needed this! Monkey Meat is where I get to have fun, shed the corporate expectations and rules, and conceive comics that are cartoonish, experimental, and infectious. Hopefully, they are as enjoyable to read as they are to draw,” said Juni Ba in a statement through Image. “This is by far the comic I get the most requests to continue making, and I’m happy to oblige. This new batch goes for a more underground feel. Like a comic, you’d find dusty and ruffled on the floor of a Senegalese dibiterie meat restaurant. Dig in!”
Here’s the synopsis via Image:
Written and drawn by Ba with special authorization from the Monkey Meat Company, the tasty critically acclaimed anthology is back for a second serving! It’s been established that the Monkey Meat Company, famous for their processed goods, has funded wacky experiments on Monkey Meat Island, turning the once native island full of magical creatures into a hyper-capitalist hellscape where even demons have to pay rent. And now summer is transforming it into the ideal escape. Going on vacation this year? How about coming to a hellish west African fantasy island run by a corporation selling cans of monkey meat? Embark for a brand new set of adventures to amuse (and mentally scar) the whole family! Exotic locations, debt-collecting forest witches and a superhero monkey suing the corporation that owns him. All these and more await our guests.
The comic is going to feature a cover by Ba and will kick off with Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch #1 which will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, March 5th 2025. Here’s some interior artwork and covers to check out while you wait!
