Review by Frank Plowright

So far over four volumes Jamie Smart has maintained Bunny vs Monkey as creatively hilarious, but Rise of the Maniacal Badger is where he really starts expanding the minds of young readers, not least by requiring them discover the meaning of “maniacal”.

The process began toward the end of Bunny vs Monkey and the Supersonic Aye-Aye!, where almost the entire cast was placed in suspended animation. As seen on the sample art, solving that problem is simple, but when they’re released, it’s to discover a new world. The basis concerns Skunky’s inventions used not just for violent rampages by Monkey, but under the guidance of someone with greater intelligence. Will the community put aside their differences to deal with a common threat? As might be expected, when dealing with the personification of ADHD that is Monkey, the answer is definitively “No”.

In addition to expanding the vocabulary of readers, Smart deals with the concepts of virtual reality, crop circles, the power of belief, terraforming a planet and possibly causes readers lifelong mental damage via the idea of a device sucking parents into Hell. Still, it gives Badger more freedom without having to tidy his room up all the time. Smart’s now planning the weekly strips as book friendly arcs, so the woodland is retrieved from Badger just before the end, employing an incredibly great piece of twisted logic.

Bunny vs Monkey is progression of manic moments, so it’s the quieter interludes have a unique charm. Perhaps a theme tune for Action Beaver doesn’t entirely qualify, but there’s the revelation of the Order of the Moose, which is utterly heartwarming from beginning to end. If there’s a concern about Bunny vs Monkey it’s that Bunny has very much been absorbed into the wider cast, and Smart doesn’t have any great idea about his role. It’ll take a few further collections before that’s rectified. In the meantime this is great, and Machine Mayhem! is next.