HELMET OF FATE: DETECTIVE CHIMP #1
By Bill Willingham and Shawn McManus

Anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist a comic-book chimp (read my last chimp comic-book review here). Nevertheless, I kept passing up “Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp #1″ on the shelf each week in favor of more “important” comics. This week I finally gave in.

Detective Chimp goes back to 1952, when he appeared in “The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog.” He is a super investigator on the level of Batman and wears a deerstalker and houndstooth coat as a nod to Sherlock Holmes. In this DC story, “The Case of the Massively Magical Monkey Mage” (one of five one-shot comics in the “Helmet of Fate” series), the simian investigator has been entrusted with Doctor Fate’s helmet until a new Doctor is found. He decides to let fate decide who ends up with the helmet, so he has Captain Marvel toss it into space. In the meantime, Detective Chimp is called in to investigate the murders of four superheroes. He gets sidetracked, however, when the helmet returns to Earth and knocks him on the head. That’s when Detective Chimp dons the helmet and becomes Doctor Fate…but not for long.

It’s a fun story. Can you really resist a chimp in a deerstalker and houndstooth jacket? But writer Bill Willingham doesn’t know whether to go all-out for laughs or play it serious. You’d expect a talking chimp detective story to be light, but there are many sober moments and dialogue. Like when Detective Chimp first wears the Doctor Fate helmet: “I realize that stars are sentient and dream epic dreams — from the glorious, soaring imaginings of red giants, to the sullen, greedy ponderings of black holes!” Not any yucks there. Too often you’re waiting for a punch line that never appears. I prefer little, talking chimps in funny hats to be, well, funny. Shawn McManus does a great job with the artwork, though, as he strikes a fine balance between the comical and the serious side of the story.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed “Helmet of Fate: Detective Chimp #1″ and now further believe that apes and comics are a perfect match. Now let’s see a Detective Chimp series. Just work on the funny, Willingham!