The special edition will include the original Monkey vs. Robot graphic novel and the sequel, Monkey vs. Robot and the Crystal of Power, as well as a new 120-page story, Monkey vs. Robot in Love.
The original Monkey vs. Robot tells the story of the battle between the monkeys who live in a forest and a self-replicating robot who comes to exploit the environment. In the second story, the monkeys and an army of robots battle over a crystal that is capable of powering the robots’ factory. Both stories were originally published in black and white, and Kochalka has colored them for the first time for this new edition. The third story, Monkey vs. Robot in Love, brings the trilogy to a close and will be published for the first time in the 20th anniversary edition.
Kochalka has won two Eisner Awards for his children’s graphic novels Johnny Boo and Dragon Puncher, and he is the creator of numerous other graphic novel for children and adults (the latter body of work includes American Elf and Superf*ckers). Although Kochalka did not create the first Monkey vs. Robot book specifically as a children’s story, the simple style and action-packed story drew young readers as well as adults.
