Monkey King Volume 02: The Bane of Heaven

kids love the story

really happy with this purchase.

Beautiful work. Fast pace , absolutely entertaining

I grew up with the story of the Monkey King, or Journey to the West, as it's called in Chinese. I've read both the three-volume written version and the Chinese comic book version cover to cover. I was intoxicated with the story of this magical monkey that obeys no rules, yet is deeply principled and ethical in his own way. Only years later did I discover the deeper meaning behind this ageless coming of age story. Fast forward a few decades and now I'm reading this graphic novel to my grand-daughter (a "monkey" herself) and am finding renewed delight in all the narrative details the book has faithfully captured, with the added visual drama provided by the dazzling renderings. My 4-year old grand-daughter, who normally prances around like an energetic monkey herself, can sit spell-bound for a whole hour(!), totally immersed in the mythical world created by the illustrations. We finished the first two books and I know we'll go through all 20 before she turns 5. I'm looking forward to it myself.

To keep him from making trouble, the Jade Emperor appoints the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong, as Emperor of Heaven and assigns him to protect the garden of peaches. Sun Wu Kong loves peaches, but he's even happier to crash a party thrown by the Goddess Niang Niang and to steal elixir from a wizard. This cheeses off the Jade Emperor, who wonders (and not for the first time) how one small monkey can make so much trouble. The Jade Emperor sends 100,000 heavenly soldiers to capture the mischievous monkey. The odds still favor the Monkey King, but he may have met his match when the Jade Emperor sends his nephew, God Er Lang, into the battle.The Bane of Heaven is the second volume of a series that retells (in modern English) an ancient and enduring Chinese legend. I would suggest starting with volume one and reading them sequentially. The Bane of Heaven is the second volume and it picks up where volume one left off, so it won't necessarily make sense to a reader who didn't start at the beginning. Near the end of volume two, when the Jade Emperor says "Burn in Hell, you impertinent monkey," things are looking bleak ... but the little monkey has even more woes when Buddha shows up. If anyone can teach an impertinent monkey a lesson, it's Buddha.Sun Wu Kong's facial expressions are worth the price of the book. Every page of art is glorious, but the battle scenes -- heavenly ghosts against the monkey army -- knocked me out. Supplementary materials give the reader a chance to learn some Chinese history and to place the story in its original context, but readers who shun anything of educational value can still enjoy the incredible art and a story that is funny and exciting.

I love all the Monkey King stories and art work.