This charming paperback collects four issues of Nibot and Coover's delightful comic book series, Banana Sunday
. The story introduces Kirby Steinberg, a high school girl with an unusual problem: she lives with the three divine monkeys. Literally. They are the Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil trio, and Kirby is charged with caring for them. Luckily, she makes fast friends with another outsider, a girl reporter named Nickels, and a photographer named Martin. Together, they look after the monkeys, try to keep out of harm's way and even have some fun, too. The story is brisk entertainment, not so dissimilar from Archie comics but with a decidedly hip, contemporary edge. Coover is a fine cartoonist—she has a light touch and a pretty line. Her characters have a full range of emotion, but retain a sense of elegance. Her work elevates what could have been a mostly silly story into an affecting, well-crafted comic. While clearly aimed at adults and kids, it might be teenagers looking for a solid, fun comic who get the most out of this. High school, monkeys and romance make an excellent combination. (Mar.)
