Monkeyman and O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Monkeyman and O'Brien is an American comic book series created by artist Art Adams
in 1993. The series was published from 1993 to 1999 by Dark Horse Comics
in various types of installments including short features in anthologies, backup stories in other series, a three issue limited series
, a two issue crossover
series and a comic strip
in the promotional newspaper, Dark Horse Extra.
In 1997, a trade paperback collection of the 5 comic issues was published. ISBN 1-56971-232-8
, the daughter of a missing scientist, who at the time of his disappearance was working on experiments in interdimensional
travel. When one of her father's experimental machines was accidentally activated by Ann, it teleported from another dimension
Axewell Tiberius (a.k.a "Monkeyman"), a 10 feet (3 m) super-intelligent gorilla
-like being that Adams conceived as "the Reed Richards of the gorilla world." The same accident also bathed Ann in a mysterious radiation which caused her grow to seven feet tall and endowed her with superhuman strength, endurance and speed. Axewell quickly became Ann's friend and the two went on to face numerous Silver Age
style threats including the "Shrewmanoid" and the "Froglodytes". The duo also encountered the Image Comics
super-team Gen¹³
. In the last Monkeyman and O'Brien stories published to date, humorous situations arise between the pair such as O'Brien growing to colossal size after being hit by one of Monkeyman's experimental devices. Monkeyman's brother Nonny O'Brien also features in the series.
Art Adams
Arthur "Art" Adams is an American comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries Longshot...
in 1993. The series was published from 1993 to 1999 by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
in various types of installments including short features in anthologies, backup stories in other series, a three issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, a two issue crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
series and a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in the promotional newspaper, Dark Horse Extra.
In 1997, a trade paperback collection of the 5 comic issues was published. ISBN 1-56971-232-8
Plot
The series follows the story of Ann O'BrienAnn O'Brien
Ann O'Brien is a comic book superheroine created by American comic book artist Art Adams. Along with Axwell Tiberious, she is one of the two primary characters in Adams' Dark Horse Comics series Monkeyman and O'Brien.-Publication history:...
, the daughter of a missing scientist, who at the time of his disappearance was working on experiments in interdimensional
Interdimensional
Interdimensional may refer to:* Interdimensional hypothesis* Interdimensional doorway* Interdimensional travel* Interdimensional being...
travel. When one of her father's experimental machines was accidentally activated by Ann, it teleported from another dimension
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
Axewell Tiberius (a.k.a "Monkeyman"), a 10 feet (3 m) super-intelligent gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
-like being that Adams conceived as "the Reed Richards of the gorilla world." The same accident also bathed Ann in a mysterious radiation which caused her grow to seven feet tall and endowed her with superhuman strength, endurance and speed. Axewell quickly became Ann's friend and the two went on to face numerous Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
style threats including the "Shrewmanoid" and the "Froglodytes". The duo also encountered the Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
super-team Gen¹³
Gen¹³
Gen¹³ is a fictional superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was originally published by Image Comics under the banner Wildstorm, which went on to become an imprint for DC Comics, who continued publishing the Gen¹³...
. In the last Monkeyman and O'Brien stories published to date, humorous situations arise between the pair such as O'Brien growing to colossal size after being hit by one of Monkeyman's experimental devices. Monkeyman's brother Nonny O'Brien also features in the series.
Supporting characters
- Akiko Oki, O'Brien's friend and assistant. She shares the vast O'Brien estate, sets up appointments, and takes on any non-science- or law-related task that O'Brien assigns. Before the arrival of Tiberius she was O'Brien's closest companion, regularly joining her for workouts or sharing new clothes.
Villains
- The Shrewmanoid, a mysterious handyman and lumberjack who encountered alien technology that transformed him into a giant, anthropomorphic shrew. The transformation left the Shrewmanoid with all of his intelligence, albeit deranged, and he moved swiftly to become a supervillain. He can command subterranean monsters to do his bidding but has exhibited no other special powers. The Shrewmanoid is convinced that he is a supremely evolved being: Indeed, he believed this even before his transformation. After he saw news reports of a San Francisco scientist transforming into a seven-foot-tall superhero he led an army of monsters to San Francisco to capture her. He failed and was sucked into another dimension, "The Negative Zone," where he fended for himself until Monkeyman and O'Brien arrived there on an exploratory mission. They rescued him in order to imprison him on Earth, but after the Shrewmanoid professed his love for O'Brien and she rejected him, he bit her and escaped. As of the last Monkeyman and O'Brien story the Shrewmanoid was still at large. He appeared again in John Byrne's 1994 Babe 2 in which he tried to capture the titular amazonian hero (physically similar to O'Brien, although not as tall) and failed. (First appearance: Babe 2 #1, 1994)
- The Froglodytes, a race of world-conquering, intelligent frogs. One of their ships was plotting an attack on Earth and scouring the planet for threats when they found Axewell Tiberius. They teleported him into their custody, but O'Brien arrived with him and the two of them sabotaged the Froglodytes' plan. As O'Brien distracted the creatures and mangled their control room, Tiberius sent a false alarm to the rest of the fleet, convincing them that the Earth was already under attack from giant insects. The Froglodytes fled after that message. (First appearance: Monkeyman and O'Brien #2, 1996)