By Jamie Smart, with Sammy Borras, Armin Roshdi, Sophie Jones, Asimina Hollingsworth & various (DFB/Phoenix)
ISBN: 978-1-78845-367-7 (Trade HB), 978-1-78845-435-3 (Independent Special Edition)
Win’s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Beyond Your Control, But Worth It… 10/10
¡Hola! Happy Dia de los Muertos! Ooh! Look! Funny little animals fighting! Is it a party?
Bunny vs Monkey has been the inspirationally bonkers breakout star of The Phoenix since the premiere issue back in 2012, cataloguing a madcap vendetta gripping animal archenemies set amidst an idyllic arcadia, masquerading as more-or-less mundane but critically endangered English woodlands. Concocted with gleefully gusto – but with cerebral cosmic crescendoes in mind – by cartoonist/comics artist/novelist Jamie Smart (Fish Head Steve!; Looshkin; Max and Chaffy, Flember, Find Chaffy; Megalomaniacs), these trendsetting, mindbending yarns have been wisely retooled as multi award-winning, bestselling graphic albums available in digest softcover such as this one hardback and sponsored special editions and even as AUDIOBOOKs. Just let that one last one sink in…
All that tail-biting tension and animal argy-bargy began yonks ago after an obnoxious little beast plopped down in after a disastrous British space shot. OR DID IT? This epic tome is very much in the manner of our beloved and much-missed British Annuals (some of which are still going, so get out there and uphold tradition!!) and will be an ideal gift. Hint, Hint!
Crashlanding in Crinkle Woods – scant miles from his launch site – lab animal Monkey believed himself the rightful inheritor of a strange new world, despite every effort of genteel, contemplative, reasonably sensible resident Bunny to dissuade him. For all his patience, propriety and refined breeding, the laid-back lepine could not contain or control the incorrigible idiot ape, who to this moment remains a rude, troublemaking, chaos-causing, noise-loving lout intent on building his perfect “Monkeyopia” and/or being a robot, with or without the aid of evil supergenius Skunky or useless “henches” Metal Steve & Action Beaver…
All those daily wonders and catastrophes were exacerbated by a mixed melange of mildly unconventional Crinkle creatures, none more so than aforementioned monochrome mad scientist Skunky, whose intellect and cavalier attitude to life and consequences presents as a propensity for building dangerous robots, bio-beasts and sundry other super-weapons. He is, at his core, a dangerously inquisitive thinker and tinkerer…
That’s an awful lot to remember, right? Thus, this tidy tome, delivering a dozen chapters of densely packed (and densely populated by dense creatures and deadly concoctions) fun-fuelled factoids and memory moments all bundled up around loads of maps, games, puzzles and activities, in an overarching new comics story, which neatly retells and recapitulates what’s gone before, sneakily decked out as the day when the ever-snooping Hooman spies dubbed “The Park Rangers” accidentally lost all their meticulously compiled Case Files…
With artistic amendments and augmentations supplied by inker/design deputy Sammy Borras, Armin Roshdi, Sophie Jones, Asimina Hollingsworth, and more, the unending war of nerves and mega-ordnances is re-assessed, after a bold opening spread reintroduces the recurring cast in ‘The Good, The Bad and The Baffled’ and one last chance to turn back by viewing the action-packed Contents section…
In opening chapter ‘Welcome to the Woods’ the potential catastrophe of the Rangers’ files fallen into the paws and claws of their subjects coincides with Skunky unleashing his awesome Egg of Knowledge. Mist people know that Knowledge is Power and his gadget was built to absorb every fact in creation. Typically, now that it’s almost finished gathering data, it’s also gone missing…
Aided by crucial intel in the form of the Rangers’ ‘Map of the Woods’, ‘Underground Map of the Woods’ and their handy guide to ‘The Mysterious Signposts’, the panicking animals split up to search as we focus of Chapter 2 and learn all about ‘Bunny… And What’s Bothering Him!’ through biographical data and snippets from past stories. These include what keeps happening to ‘Bunny’s House’, ‘Bunny’s House Repairs!’ and who to usually blame in ‘Who’s Bothering Bunny?’ That’s offset by ‘Bunny’s Guide to Self-Defence’ and a glimpse at his cosmic counterparts and alt-reality revisions in quiz ‘A Bevy of Bunnies’, before the third bit probes the immensely shallow depths of his nemesis in ‘Monkey… and Monkeyopia!’
Following full disclosures (with pictures!) in comprehensive ‘Confidential Top Secret: Park Ranger’s Case File #2 – Monkey’ the background origin is filled in with ‘The Adventures of Astro Monkey’, his guiding philosophy is discussed in ‘This is Monkeyopia!’, before a catalogue of his fiendish impostures in ‘Monkey: Master of Disguise!’ and a concluding test of what you’ve learned in perplexing puzzle ‘Masses and Masses of Monkeys!’
After checking in on the progress of the Egg of Knowledge it’s time to define ‘Skunky… and his Ingenious Inventions!’ beginning with a scan of his case file and key calamities caused, with additional data specifically supplied via ‘Skunky’s Ingenious Inventions!’ extensively subdivided into ‘Animals of Terror!’; ‘Skunky’s Genius Inventions Guide’; ‘Vehicles of Destruction’; ‘Animal Mash-Ups’ and surprise pop-quiz ‘Skunky’s Crossed Cables’ before the stream of revelation resumes in ‘Skunky’s Inventions: Most Disgusting!’.
The master of disruption diverts attention after ‘Skunky’s Inventions: World-Changing Genius!’ by rudely – how else? – interrupting with ‘Monkey’s: Much Beter Inventions’ so perhaps it’s just as well that we move on to the minor actors next…
In Chapter 5 we learn of ‘Pig and Weenie… and the Best Picnics!’ as the excitable and confused ninnies are covered by specific Case Files and explored through remembered moments including ‘Pig and Weenie’s Happy Memories’ and ‘Pig and Weenie’s Good Picnic Guide’ prior to ‘Weenie’s Tasty Treats Challenge’ taxing tastebuds and observational skills. Then, surviving ‘Pig and Weenie’s Train of Terror’ tumbles into close contact with Crinkle Woods’ master of the enigmatic and uncanny…
French-ish figure of mystery ‘Le Fox… and an Underground Maze!’ reveals much – but “nozzing of importance” – in his Case File, other than his irascible resting state of annoyance, but does deliver his own contradictory ‘Confidential! Le Fox’s TRUE CASE FILE #1 (Ignore the ozzer one!)’ before a large dossier on subterranean shenanigans is delivered, designated ‘Rumblings Underground’ and accompanied by a twistedly testing trip through ‘Le Fox’s Underground Maze’…
Adrenaline junkie ‘Action Beaver… and his Perilous Stunts!’ are put through the wringer in Chapter 7, with his rescued Case File supplemented by ‘How to Speak Action Beaver’ and a sharp look at ‘The Action Beaver Fan Club’…
The regulation end-of-chapter catch-ups on the search for the egg and vapid responses of the Hooman Park Rangers swiftly segues in Chapter 8’s mechanoid meanderings as ‘Metal Steve. and Metal E.V.E…. and the Meaning of Life!’ augments probing Case File factoids with a cunning challenge in ‘Metal Steve’s Laser Maze’ and the crazed conditional logic of ‘The Meaning of Life (According to Metal Steve. and Metal E.V.E.)’ after which ninth segment ‘Lucky and Ai… and Mountain Mayhem!’ detail the appropriate Case Files before smoothly change lanes into a multi-player board game (complete with instruction to make a number-spinner at the back if you can’t turn up dice!) ‘Ai’s and Mountain Mayhem’ and offering the variably-fortunate Red Panda’s survival secrets in ‘Lucky’s Guide to Staying Lucky’, even as elsewhere extended searching is conveniently converging on that pesky Egg…
Closing chapters 10, 11 & 12 focus on ‘Everyone Else!’, tapping the vast expanses of space, time, parallel dimensions and other cosmic conventions, covering weird life forms, visiting extra and non-terrestrial beasts, bogles and bears (oh my!), explains the painful necessity for ‘The Whiff-o-meter’ constructed as vital woodland safeguard, and details how a grizzly mum passes her days in ‘Weenie’s Guide to Bear’. That’s all supported by participatory puzzle ‘Alien Invasion’; ‘Wanted’ poster for lesser inhabitants like ‘Stan Stoat’, ‘Brick Warthog’ & ‘Pootle B. Thunderbum’; Pig’s Family Album; Le Fox’s Family Album and observation test ‘Swallowed by Bungamungus!’ plus exploring aquatic aberrations in ‘Weird and Watery’ and learning nothing of use from ‘Pig and Weenie’s Weird Hooman Facts’…
‘The Worlds of Bunny vs. Monkey!’ offers ‘The Tour of Infinite Dimensions’ that were changed forever by contact with our warring wild things: regions of ‘Fire Ice and… Poo’ prior to ‘A Crash Landing!’ spilling pasts and present together for a mashed-up mix-up that culminates in ‘The Worlds of Bunny vs. Monkey Quiz… and a Massive Explosion’.
In fact all the preceding sidereal shenanigans, farty fooffawraws, rampaging reconstructions and monster bum gags only result in a rather difficult ‘Fiendish Bunny vs. Monkey Quiz’, some daunting self-determinism of ‘Who Are You in the World of Bunny vs. Monkey?’ and that aforementioned biggish bang before comfort comes in ‘Answers – How Many Puzzles Did You Solve?’
Inextricably linked to the Phoenix Comics Club, the back of this book is a virtual (but printed!) emporium of further things to do. Bring paper, pencils and yourself to a compact online course in all aspects of comic strip creation supervised by Jamie Smart and others on the website instantly accessible via QR or maybe first peruse a commercial presentation of all the other wonderful comic tomes your life will remain incomplete until you also own…
Another book for your kids to explain to you, this is glorious concatenation of weird wit, wild invention, potent sentiment and superb cartooning – but with TESTS & EXAMS! – crammed into one eccentrically excellent package. These tails never fail to deliver jubilant joy for grown-ups of every vintage, even those who claim they only get it for their kids. Is that you?
Text and illustrations © Fumboo Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.
The World of Bunny vs Monkey will be released on November 5th 2026 and is available for pre-order now.