Bananas Gone Monkey!

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Da New Crew

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:14:31 -0700

Meet the Newbies! - Jessica

So, even more characters join the monkey/animal mix. This time, we present to you our gibbon twins, Mochi and Boba, and our gorilla, Doki. The twins are mischievous pranksters, while Doki is a strong, kindhearted, environmentally conscious ape. Awww...Seriously, we just can't get enough of monkeys. Now we're up to a whopping sixteen comics characters. Sure, it takes us about a month now to post anything, but I blame it the overwhelming cast of characters. ^_^

Da New Guys! - Joe

Yeah, more monkeys to love. Surprisingly, TJ has been very receptive to them. He's becoming a real softie these days.

I'm working hard on a spin-off of "Bananas Gone Monkey", basically an expansion of the "Amazering Zomby Fighturs." The art is a bit more detailed and the tone is definitely gritty. I'm going for that gore-splatter vibe in the vein of "From Dusk til Dawn" and early Peter Jackson circa "Dead Alive." Lot's of pulverized limbs and fluid projectile. I'm thinking maybe ten episodes; it's too early to plot out just yet. It's an exercise in challenging my skills and ideas. My abilities have grown leaps and bounds from doing just the first comic. You'll probably see a change in the art style of "Bananas" because of it. There'll be more comic/cinematic inspired angles and less static Sunday comic four panel type stuff. I'm ready to break out of the standard formula and experiment with the comic form. The postings between comics will just have to be longer because the artwork requires a little more finesse. C'est la vie!

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Summer Movie Extravaganza: Part One

Sat, 23 May 2009 19:10:00 -0700

Summer of the Bummer - Joe

We, the movie seeing populus, have proclaimed this the summer of suck. The only bright light so far was "Star Trek," and I initially wasn't all that jazzed about it. I had such high hopes for "Terminator: Salvation" but McG has now surpassed Brett Ratner for the title of "scourge of the cinema." He had Batman in it and still he fumbled. Uwe Boll has a better chance at taking over the Terminator franchise now. The second part of this comic will entail "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "G.I.Joe." Let's hope there is no more suckitude for the rest of the summer.

Movies and Stuff - Jessica

I don't have much to add, because really, I'm even more critical of movies than Joe. He was actually okay with "Wolverine," whereas I thought it was pretty meh. I did enjoy "Star Trek" though, so I'm not a total douchebag. I'll probably see the Harry Potter movie, but Joe doesn't care about it one way or the other. During the last one, he fell asleep, so yeah...

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Monkey Moments 2

Sun, 17 May 2009 17:14:45 -0700

Cuties on Duty - Joe

Yep, been busy jacked into the matrix and all. This a classic photo taken around Christmas 2009. The monkeys were playing around with ribbons. Monkeys being silly monkeys. Anyway, my output for comics have been slowing down. I have the ideas, but I just don't have the time and energy. Damn DVR is ruling my life. I'm thinking of putting up a mirror site on Drunkduck. Just have to get around to doing it. Maybe I'll have more free time once the tv shows go on summer hiatus. Dammit! Punchout! is coming tomorrow and now I've a surplus of "Primeval" and "Top Gear" to watch. Argh!

Memories...In the Corners of My Mind... - Jessica

Yes, another cop out pic of the monkeys "comic." Joe actually does have a few ready. We're just too lazy to post lately. How sad is that? Oh well. It's not that we're busy (although we were at ACEN all last weekend and had to go the awesome "Star Trek" movie this weekend); we just have 125 shows and counting on our DVR, plus games to play, plus anime to watch, etc., etc. We are entirely media based beings. When our future inevitably becomes a plugged in, media infused cybernetic playground, we will be happily brain fried denizens like the wife in "Fahrenheit 451." Okay, we still read, so we're not totally lost yet. Dammit! Anyway, enjoy our adorable monkey family.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - PIG BOMB!

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:59:20 -0700

On a Rampage - Joe

Our comic posting schedule is seriously shot to hell. Been busy being sick and all.

In other news TJ has found a new insult which he has unleashed upon us. It's from a Discovery Channel documentary on wild pig attacks. It's completely random, yet totally TJ. Nobody is spared the wrath of Pig Bomb!

Bacon Explosion! - Jessica

I'm actually the first one to see the infamous "Pig Bomb" TV documentary. After seeing that title, I started calling Joe pig bomb. He seemed really insulted. ^_^

In this comic, TJ really only insults siblings he dislikes. He also displays his patented-ded-ded way of speaking when words end in -ed. It's adorable, if slightly weird. The pig bomb is also super cute. It does look a lot like P-Chan from "Ranma 1/2," doesn't it?

Bananas Gone Monkey! - The Cap of Dooooom!

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:48:37 -0700

It's Just a Piece of Plastic! - Joe

Another long gap between posts. I just went through a two week cold and then Jessica caught it not too long after. So yeah, those damn bottle caps just suck. I've got nasty gouges in my hand to prove it. Cap removers rule!

Damn Juice Caps - Jessica

This comic is based on our real life experiences trying to get off juice bottle caps. Joe made it a cola bottle for some weird reason, but really, it's all about the juice. Have you ever tried to get off a Motts for Tots cap? It's crazy. Joe kept hounding me to get one of those cap removers, and I finally broke down and bought one. I must say, my hands have stayed intact ever since. Amazing. And now, this prosaic and rather boring story comes to an end. At least the comic is cute.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - TJ vs. the Proboscis

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:58:25 -0700

I'm a Big Boy! - Joe

It's common knowledge that TJ can be a jerk. He picks fights with everyone. TJ would even throw his friends under the bus in a heartbeat. That's just the way he rolls. I just randomly picked a proboscis monkey to be in the comic because they're amusing and quite funny looking - the perfect target for TJ's wrath. He's quite the hatemonger amongst his fellow monkey species. Chimps are on the top of the list of disliked simians/primates. He doesn't like their pink butts and thinks they're ugly. Nice.

Buff and Stuff - Jessica

I'm not sure why TJ hates chimps, since he basically looks like one. (He would typically yell, "Shut up!" here, but he's currently entranced by "X-Play"). However, he doesn't have a pink butt, so maybe he's a very special type of chimp.

"Buff and stuff" is another of TJ's infamous catchphrases. He just keeps coming up with them. TJ says it's so he stays fresh. I think it's just because he's narcissistic.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Sing for Your Life, Monkey!

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:28:29 -0800

TJ: Karaoke Edition - Joe

TJ is a singing and dancing machine. There is never a day that goes by without a jingle or a quick booty dance freakout. I fondly remember when TJ was just a little shy monkey. He's obviously come a long way.

Singin' and Shakin' - Jessica

TJ's patententented (yes, that's how he says patented) dance move is the butt jiggle. His little bean bag butt beads make shaky sounds, his tail wags back and forth, and generally, he's adorable. Awww.

TJ's song list includes "Monkaytown" (AKA Funkytown), "I'm With Mommy" (AKA I Want Candy), "I Like to Move It," and his original rap hit "Nappy Time" (alternate take is "Huggy Time").

Bananas Gone Monkey! - A Fistful of Genki

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:36:03 -0800

Ol' Squinty - Joe

My homage to the spaghetti western starring Genki. He plays the Clint Eastwood/Man with No Name type character. Jessica doesn't feel it fits with the type of personality for Genki. But this comic could be one of his flights of fancy that he usually has.

I'm not a fan of seafood. So naturally the enemy would be a squid. I just find calamari to be rubbery and gross.

Feelin' Lucky, Punk? - Jessica

Poor Giuseppe. He's the cutest little hostage ever.

Anyway, even if this is one of Genki's flights of fancy, he doesn't seem like the type to have violent, tough guy fantasies. Come on, he's a spacy pacifist! Oh well.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - You've Been Booped!

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:27:59 -0800

The Little Italian - Joe

This is the introduction of Giuseppe. He's a Gondola monkey like Vincenzo, but younger. He strongly dislikes the boop. The boop is the sound that comes out when your nose is poked. TJ originated the boop and is not afraid to inflict it upon anyone. The poke to the chin is the beep. TJ had at one time played the face like a piano. Only a piano with two chords, boop and beep. My face piano usually broke after a few boops and that made TJ sad. Now the boop is used like a torture game. Giuseppe repeatedly reminds everyone that he doesn't like the boopa. So no boopa!

Cutie Pie - Jessica

Joe pretty much explained the long and storied history of the boop, so I don't really have too much to add. Giuseppe pretty much looks like a smaller version of Vincenzo, but he always wears his straw hat. So cute.

Giuseppe is surprisingly friends with TJ. He's a little younger than TJ, but they get along well despite their somewhat fiery personalities. Giuseppe is just a lot more tolerant of TJ's eccentricities than Vincenzo.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - It's Jazz Time!

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:32:02 -0800

The Master of All that is Jazz - Joe

So apparently, TJ is a connoisseur of all that is jazz. It all started from us listening to a random jazz hour on the weekends. It's on a radio station we put on before we go to bed on Sunday nights. TJ has since decreed that he is a master of all forms of jazz. He plays the saxophone, trumpet, and I guess his mouth. Not singing mind you, but actually mimicking all the instruments playing jazz. It's jazz music because he sporadically inserts the word "jazz" into said pseudo sax/trumpet/piano solo. So this comic is a tribute to his crazy fascination with the music form of jazz. I considered having the other monkeys playing in his band but I thought that really doesn't happen. It seemed more TJ like to have robots as his back up band. Odd, but cute.

Saxy Monkay - Jessica

TJ is a jazz lover, much in the same way he loves trains. We don't know where this passion originated, but he is a master in his own mind. He actually does this weird scat, freestyle jazz style. He also likes to do jazz hands. I know, random.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Save the Narwhals!

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:40:55 -0800

Silly Genki - Joe

Another random comic focused on Genki's spacey weirdness. He's the perfect antidote to TJ's grandiose adventures. I'll try to create more Genki inspired comics. Somehow, I'll have to create some Serge comics. There's a lot of characters I have to give some face time to. TJ takes up the majority of the comic themes and ideas.

Narwhals? - Jessica

I don't know why Chi and Genki took up the narwhal cause, especially at the local pool. They're just kinda loopy like that. Penny's swimwear is super cute though, and it's amusing that Turbo wears a swimcap. It's like a wackier version of the obligatory "the gang goes to the beach!" manga arc!

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Adventures in Quebec

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:35:59 -0800

Frenchies in the House - Joe

It's all about the poutine. Cheese curds, gravy, and french fries. Mmm...

Keytars! - Jessica

Another Qu�b�cois comic. I don't really think there are random street musicians playing maracas and keytars in Quebec though. I'm not sure where Joe got that idea. And poutine? We actually haven't had poutine yet. I know, shocking, especially considering that we like all the ingredients in poutine. I am a little skeptical of the gravy.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Quebec Beatdown

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:33:52 -0800

We Superior French Canadians! - Joe

Here's the new website design. It's been a long time coming. Also the introduction of one our recent additions to the monkey family. Serge is a turkey vulture. We picked him up when we visited the Lincoln Park Zoo awhile back. He's French Canadian, thus TJ's immediate liking to him. TJ has in the past expressed being French Canadian as well. TJ apparently has many regional identities. Serge speaks in a low raspy tone and is an artist of sorts. He wakes up early in the morning, probably to work out his ideas for his art.

Poutine and Other French Canadian Stuff - Jessica

So, a new look for the website. Yes, I realize it's weird in size and that I should've figured out a way to do this using a liquid layout or something. I'm just lazy though. Maybe I'll go back and fix it later, but for now, we're stuck with it. I'm generally happy with how it turned out though, considering my half assed HTML/CSS skills. (Note they aren't skillz).

Anyway, French Canadians, eh? Or oui? Serge is the struggling, dark artist type. Kinda like Brian from "Spaced," only he's a cartoon turkey vulture. He does like to hug other monkeys with his giant wingspan though. I know, random.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - Monkey Moments

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:21:50 -0800

Long Hiatus AKA My Brain is Fried

12/28/2008 - Joe

I'm all burnt out is what it is. Laziness and the general day to day grind are the culprits for the lack of comic postings. But I've been diligently working on stuff, so there is a surplus of new comics and ideas. A new redesign of the site is on the way. I've pared down my overreaching ambition for each comic, so future ones will not be as ornate. Conversely, the comics may still be elaborate, but also shorter.

The Banana Samurai comic is in the works. The scope and ambition of that comic is something that requires more time and finesse. When it's done, each blade of grass and sword cut will sparkle like diamonds.

Monkey Moments will be the stop gaps between regular postings. Sometimes, I just can't whip them out fast enough.

Whoa

12/28/2008 - Jessica

Wow, we've been gone for over 3 months. How lame is that? (TJ says: Pretty lame). Anyway, it's not that Joe hasn't been working on comics. I just haven't been posting them. So yeah, it's mostly my fault. However, he's also been hassling me to update the website look again. Urgh. Time to break out the old web design book.

So this is kinda a cop out "comic" and is really just pics of the monkeys hanging out on a giant WALL-E promo display that Joe dragged home. It makes noises when you move past it, which can fortunately be turned off. I sorta want to take it around to random places and take pics of it a la Flat Stanley, but I'm not sure I really want to haul it around. Joe has never heard of Flat Stanley, so I had to google him for Joe.

Bananas Gone Monkey! - The Penny-Farthing Bicycle Experience

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:41:27 -0700

Banana Slip!

9/16/2008 - Joe

It's the second comic in a row with TJ beat up and slumped on the ground. I'm pretty sadistic to his character these days. It was only a matter of time before the dreaded "banana peel" joke would appear. Funny it should include the appearance of a Penny-farthing bicycle. I just find those things so strangely amusing.

Next up, the climactic conclusion of "Banana Samurai." More monkey on robot violence!

I Like to Ride My Bicycle

9/16/2008 - Jessica

Joe actually doesn't know how to ride a bike, so I don't know where he gets off drawing violent monkey biking accidents. What a jerk. But yes, a Penny-farthing. Those things are crazy. How do you even get on one? It boggles the mind.

I didn't even realize Joe was continuing the "Banana Samurai" saga. Actually, I don't even remember the last "Banana Samurai" ending on a cliffhanger. Now that says something about the gap between these installments. Yargh.