''Grease Monkey'' is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

created by Tim Eldred. There were two issues published in color by

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...

in 1996, then

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

reprinted the first four stories in black and white in 1998. Currently

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

has released in book form: the first six stories, with previously unpublished material, and three vignettes. A second book, ''A Tale of Two Species'', was published on the internet in 19 chapters, approximately monthly, starting in October 2007. Both volumes depict life aboard the military

space station A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station i ...

''Fist of Earth'', or adjacent smaller spaceships.

Main characters

* Robin Plotnik - An assistant mechanic serving the 'Barbarians', an all-female fighter squadron stationed on the ''Fist of Earth''. * McGimben Gimbensky - Called Mac; an iconoclast anthropomorphic gorilla. Chief mechanic to 'Barbarian Squadron', and therefore Robin's

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

. Often a source both of

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

and social wisdom. Robin's closest friend; but disliked by most of the station's human staff.

Other characters

* Kevin Nedelmat - Assistant mechanic for Hardrider Squadron, until dismissed and sent to Earth for taking part in a betting scandal. Robin's classmate. * Barbara Brand - Captain, and namesake, of Barbarian Squadron. A vociferous speaker, able pilot, and clear thinker. In later episodes, something of an elder-sister figure to Robin. * Admiral Evelyn Stettler - Supporting character. Commander of the ''Fist of Earth'' (described as the first gorilla to achieve equal rank), and also Mac's paramour. Highly intelligent, well-disciplined, and known to oppose thoughtless enforcement of regulations. * Reg Dibson - Supporting character; an aging gorilla,

janitor A janitor (American English, Scottish English), also known as a custodian, porter, cleanser, cleaner or caretaker, is a person who cleans and maintains buildings. In some cases, they will also carry out maintenance and security duties. A simil ...

aboard the ''Fist''. He is Mac's best friend and fellow

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

. * Kara Soki - Assistant

Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...

, and Robin's primary

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

until she leaves for Earth. * Major ater ColonelBenjamin Henniker -

Systems analyst A systems analyst, also known as business technology analyst, is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and implementing information systems. Systems analysts assess the suitability of information syst ...

and quintessential

bureaucrat A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government. The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", ...

; personifies conformity, and is therefore antagonist to Mac and Robin. * Lyle Brand - Barbara's brother, and leader of a rival squadron. * Jeff Simons -

Chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

in the Astro Bistro; Mac's assistant before Robin, and Robin's ally. Following the betting scandals, he returns to Earth, accompanied by Kara. * Dr. Savin - ship's

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

; a caricature obsessed with "devious practices" of

oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...

. * Kim Barnett - Youngest member of Barbarian Squadron; introduced in Book 2. Robin's second paramour.

Story

The

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

states that an extraterrestrial armada (later known as 'Grakks') having destroyed sixty percent of the

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

population, a society of

god In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

like 'Benefactors' rebuild Earthly civilization, in exchange for military help against the attackers. To replace the missing sixty percent, the Benefactors bestow humanlike intelligence and habits upon Earth's

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

s, and thus produce a combined civilization on Earth. Thereafter the first book depicts a series of anecdotes, dialogues, and misadventures featuring crew of Earth's interstellar military establishment: the immense

''Fist of Earth''. Here, the conflict and

of the story arises from the protagonists' dislike of

middle management Middle management is the intermediate management level of a hierarchical organization that is subordinate to the executive management and responsible for ‘team leading’ line managers and/or ‘specialist’ line managers. Middle management is i ...

and blind enforcement of rules, and the insistence thereon by senior officer 'Benjamin Henniker'. In the second book, the hostile fleet attack the ''Fist of Earth'' after 50 years' absence, and are opposed by the ''Fists crew and scientists in a short series of

dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...

s. Following the first such sequence, the Benefactors identify the fleet as renegade creations of their own, under the command of a single rogue of the Benefactors' own species. In the second sequence of fights, this rogue's own battleship nearly cripples the ''Fist''; but Mac, wielding an immense

directed-energy weapon A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams. Potential applications of this technology include we ...

equipped with the enemy's technology, destroys part of the battleship, and thus provokes a retreat.

Footnotes

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.greasemonkeybook.com 1996 comics debuts Gorilla characters in comics Image Comics titles Kitchen Sink Press titles Comics about animals