BANANA SUNDAY

Kirby is about to start a new school with three talking primates in tow.

Unlike other students, Kirby Steinberg begins her time at Forest Edge school with a speech to the entire student body introducing her unusual entourage that’s composed of three talking simians: eggheaded orangutan Chuck; Go-Go the gorilla, who is hungry and tired in equal measure; and spider monkey Knobby, who has a fondness for romance. Although Kirby claims the simians were secret experiments of her scientist father, school reporter Nickels smells something deeper to this story and decides to investigate. Meanwhile, Kirby’s new school is filled with human drama, including mean girl Skye’s relentless bullying and gentle romantic tension with lovably goofy Martin. Will Kirby be able to navigate all these pitfalls and look after her rascally primate posse? Originally published in 2006, this reissue both brings the story back to print and adds lively color from Sygh to its tidy and bright panels. While the new hues add a layer of diversity, the characters (including most of those in the periphery) are all uniformly thin with aspirationally long legs complementing their svelte physiques. However, with its adorably mischievous monkeys, this stand-alone offering should appeal to those who can appreciate reality with a healthy dash of simian silliness. Kirby, love interest Martin, and mean girl Skye are all white; best friend Nickels is a Japanese immigrant.

A lot of monkey business.