Kinda bummed this series hasn’t got more attention. But… we can change that! What I’ve loved about Monkey Prince so far:
He travels- We first see him in Philadelphia, the we go back to his superhero origins in Gotham City, and then he’s off to Amnesty Bay. The Monkey Prince gets around and this formula could take him across the DC globe.
He has interesting parents- His adoptive mother and father, Laura and Winston Shugel-Shen, seem to be your average, upper-middle class couple. However, they are career hench-people. They are “mad scientists” for hire and end up in the employ of some of DC’s most notable villains. This is an interesting plot point that can lead to even further complications down the line.
He’s powered by soda- Whenever the Prince is looking beat or needs an edge in a fight, his mentor, Shifu Pigsy, tosses him a can of soda pop. Though, Pigsy calls soda “qi shui” which roughly translates to “life force water.” As someone who lived in Asia (South Korea) and got addicted to their refreshing canned beverages, I appreciate this plot piece.
He has an adversarial relationship with Batman- When he was younger, Marcus was traumatized by Batman when the vigilante attempted to question his hench-parents on a rainy night in Gotham. As a consequence, this lead to Marcus’ phobia of water and his dislike of the Dark Knight.
He occupies a previously unexplored area of the DC Universe- DC often looks to mythology for inspiration. However, it rarely delves into Chinese mythology the same was it does Greek or Norse. Monkey Prince gives us a window into how the Chinese gods and heroes of myth operate within the DCU. In this, there’s also a connection to the Robin series and World’s Finest… for the eagle-eyed.
I can easily see this being a video game- Traveling to different locations to battle legendary DC villains possessed by ancient demons using soda as a power up? …I’d play it.
He has potential to be an interesting character within the greater context of this new generation of heroes- Money Prince ends up having some interesting and fun interactions with Robin in the series. This makes me wonder how he’d interact with Naomi, Young Justice, or the kids of Teen Titans Academy. Could you picture Money Prince as a Titan? I would enjoy that.
But, yeah, please read Monkey Prince! It’s a great series.