Sky Ape
Encyclopedia
Sky Ape is a titular character
of a black-and-white
comic book
series. He is an ape who wears a jetpack and fights crime.
, Massachusetts area. Phil Amara and Michael Russo were from East Boston
, while Tim McCarney was from West Roxbury
. They wanted to do a story about a gorilla with a jetpack that would rather do peoples taxes than fight crime. An artist search began, and eventually ended with Oklahoma
-native Richard Jenkins. Jenkins has been the artist and co-creator on the series from the first published page to the last (with guest artists Shannon Gallant and Paul Corrigan helping Jenkins for only one stint).
The series was first published by Slave Labor Graphics
and publisher Dan Vado
. The series lasted four issues under SLG (including a trade paperback edition). After languishing for several months without a publisher, Sky Ape was picked up by Larry Young and AiT/PlanetLar publishing. AiT first re-published the original SLG series is one squarebound collection with a cover design by graphic designer Amy Arendts. Next, in 2001, AiT published a second paperback entitled Sky Ape: Waiting for Crime. In 2003, a third volume called Sky Ape: All the Heroes followed. The creators then became overworked with side projects and parted ways. They rejoined in 2005 for a final saddlestitched one-shot called Sky Ape: King of Girls. Each Sky Ape comic has also included guest art by comic creators such as Alex Maleev, Craig Thompson, Pop Mhan, Mark Martin, Ben Stenbeck, Jack Pollock, Mark Schultz, Guy Davis, and many others.
Batman (TV series)
, The Monkees
TV series. But the major influence is Monty Python's Flying Circus
, as evidenced by the onslaught of nonsequiturs in the book. The series heavily uses media references as part of its gags. The collection garnered praise from Entertainment Weekly. Sky Ape has also become discussed on blog sites, using phrases like "Suck factor is high!" becoming somewhat of a minor mantra.
The property is currently in development in Hollywood by Kickstart Entertainment as television animation.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of a black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series. He is an ape who wears a jetpack and fights crime.
History
Sky Ape was created by boyhood friends from different neighborhoods in the BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts area. Phil Amara and Michael Russo were from East Boston
East Boston, Massachusetts
East Boston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately 40,000 residents. The community was created by connecting several islands using landfill and was annexed by Boston in 1836. East Boston is separated from the rest of the city by Boston Harbor and bordered by Winthrop,...
, while Tim McCarney was from West Roxbury
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
. They wanted to do a story about a gorilla with a jetpack that would rather do peoples taxes than fight crime. An artist search began, and eventually ended with Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
-native Richard Jenkins. Jenkins has been the artist and co-creator on the series from the first published page to the last (with guest artists Shannon Gallant and Paul Corrigan helping Jenkins for only one stint).
The series was first published by Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
and publisher Dan Vado
Dan Vado
Dan Vado is a comic book publisher and writer, and a fixture of the independent comics community. Vado is the owner, president, and publisher of Slave Labor Graphics.-Biography:...
. The series lasted four issues under SLG (including a trade paperback edition). After languishing for several months without a publisher, Sky Ape was picked up by Larry Young and AiT/PlanetLar publishing. AiT first re-published the original SLG series is one squarebound collection with a cover design by graphic designer Amy Arendts. Next, in 2001, AiT published a second paperback entitled Sky Ape: Waiting for Crime. In 2003, a third volume called Sky Ape: All the Heroes followed. The creators then became overworked with side projects and parted ways. They rejoined in 2005 for a final saddlestitched one-shot called Sky Ape: King of Girls. Each Sky Ape comic has also included guest art by comic creators such as Alex Maleev, Craig Thompson, Pop Mhan, Mark Martin, Ben Stenbeck, Jack Pollock, Mark Schultz, Guy Davis, and many others.
Style
The humor in Sky Ape is reminiscent of the old Adam WestAdam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
Batman (TV series)
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
TV series. But the major influence is Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, as evidenced by the onslaught of nonsequiturs in the book. The series heavily uses media references as part of its gags. The collection garnered praise from Entertainment Weekly. Sky Ape has also become discussed on blog sites, using phrases like "Suck factor is high!" becoming somewhat of a minor mantra.
The property is currently in development in Hollywood by Kickstart Entertainment as television animation.