Donkey Kong Jungle Action Special
Template:Manga infobox The Donkey Kong Jungle Action Special is a magazine issue published by Fleetway Publications in 1995. The book features comics based on Donkey Kong Country and the 1994 Game Boy game, character profiles, a preview of Donkey Kong Land, a retrospective of the original arcade game and hints for Donkey Kong Country. Despite the opener stating that Fleetway has "got big plans for the Big Ape!" and invitations to the readers to express their interest, no further issues were published.
Contents
- Donkey Kong in "The Big Banana Robbery" (comic)
- Meet the Family Kong: Character profiles for Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, Candy Kong and an ad for the 1995 Judge Dredd game.
- Special Preview: a one-page preview of Donkey Kong Land.
- Kong-Size Kompo: Competition to win "Donkey Kong Country goodies".
- "Donkey Kong: A Giant of a Game": Retrospective of the original Donkey Kong.
- Cranky Kong in "A Blast from the Past" (comic)
- DKC FAQ: Basic gameplay hints for Donkey Kong Country
- Ringo's Guide to Drawing Donkey Kong: Two five-steps tutorial by Ringo showing how to draw Donkey Kong's head and a full-body Donkey Kong.
- Diddy Kong in "Diddy's Day" (comic)
Comic summaries
The Big Banana Robbery
Story: Nigel Kitching
Art: John Moore
Letterer: Ellie de Ville
At Donkey Kong's Treehouse, Cranky Kong yells at Donkey Kong to wake up. As he does, Donkey realizes he overslept and becomes worried that Diddy will be mad at him for missing his watch of the banana hoard again. He swings from the tire swing, but the rope breaks and Donkey lands on Cranky, who invites him to check the hoard "fer a laugh". Seeing that all of the bananas are gone and that Diddy is missing, Donkey Kong sets out to find both as Cranky watches, saying "he can't be bothered" to help.
Following a trail of bananas, Donkey Kong is ambushed by a gang of Kritters and is almost subdued, only to be saved at the last moment by Rambi. He finds Diddy inside a nearby Barrel, and the Kongs mutually apologize for what happened. Moments later, the Kongs interrogate a Kritter on the location of the bananas, threatening to have Rambi fall on him. The Kremling explains the bananas were taken to the Lost Mines. Donkey and Diddy discuss rumors that the mines are haunted and decide to head off.
Rambi deposes the Kongs at the mine entrance and bids farewell, saying he will not be able to help much in a mine shaft. The duo explore the mine and board a Mine Cart. Heading down the tracks, the Kongs' cart quickly catches up to the banana convoy led by Klump and two Krashes. To repel the Kongs, Klump throws banana peels on the tracks, but the Kongs' cart luckily lands on another set of tracks. Now next to the Kremlings' carts, Donkey Kong is about to pummel Klump, but Diddy realizes they're about to collide head-on with a solid wall. However, instead of crashing, they are transported to a mysterious hall filled with golden statues of Kongs and cave drawings of Donkey Kong and the Kremlings. Donkey Kong tells Diddy to look at the mysterious place, but he can't, saying his eyes are stuck shut.
The Kongs soon return to the tracks, now ahead of the Kremlings. Donkey Kong throws the Kremlings out of their cart, and Donkey and Diddy board the cart in their place. However, the Kongs' reunion with the banana hoard is short-lived, as the track ends and the mine cart convoy falls into the ocean. They find that the banana carts are floating safely, but Donkey ponders how they can get the hoard back to the island. Enguarde suddenly appears and offers to help. Donkey explains to Diddy what he saw in the cavern, but Diddy does not believe him, as Enguarde drags the convoy back to the island.
A Blast From The Past
Story: Nigel Kitching
Art: John Moore
Letterer: Tom Frame
Cranky Kong is struggling to unclog a pipe in his cabin. Suddenly, a man pops out of it. Introducing himself as an investigative reporter, he asks Cranky if the name "Pauline" rings any bell. His memory jogged, Cranky proceeds to tell of the last day he saw her.
A younger Cranky Kong is climbing a construction site, telling Pauline it's "something I saw in a movie once". A nearby electrician hears the commotion and, reasoning that the event is likely a publicity stunt, nonetheless decides to climb the site on the chance Pauline is truly in danger. Donkey Kong throws a barrel at the individual, but he manages to get to the top of the construction site. Donkey Kong hits him with another barrel, but the electrician gets back up yet another time and taunts that Donkey Kong is going to have throw a lot more barrels if he wants to hit him again, something Donkey Kong immediately obliges.
As the electrician seemingly falls out of sight, Donkey Kong becomes worried, saying he didn't actually want to hit him. The man pops out of the barrel Donkey Kong is holding, which greatly scares him. A furious Pauline admonishes Donkey Kong for ruining her dress and kicks him, saying she is tired of his games and she'll find a way to "get even".
In the present, Cranky Kong ends his telling by saying the event made him "get out of the city". The reporter insults Cranky and shows him Pauline managed to get a book and a movie made out of her version of the events, whose depictions of him makes Cranky foam with rage. The man reveals he was sent by his paper to get Cranky's side of the story, and promises Cranky will be paid plenty. Cranky claims he will tell the ugly truth about Pauline, starting his new tales with the words "The first time I carried her to the top of a building..." before the story ends.
Diddy's Day
Story: Nigel Kitching
Art: John Moore
Letterer: Tom Frame
In a secluded part of Donkey Kong Island, Diddy Kong is practicing cartwheels while Donkey Kong watches from the bushes. Diddy sits on what appears to be a rock, but it turns out to be a Rock Kroc who brought a Kritter, a Krusha, and a Klaptrap along. The Kremlings taunt Diddy by saying he should crawl back to Donkey Kong, but Diddy insists to stay and fight. Watching this, Donkey Kong decides he will help Diddy fight the Kremlings without revealing himself.
Diddy kicks the Kritter in the chest while Donkey Kong throws a coconut at Krusha's head. Diddy climbs into a tree and vine-swings at the climbing Kritter. The Kritter attempts to sneak up on Diddy, but Donkey neutralizes him by smashing him on the head. Diddy kicks the Klaptrap off the tree, leaving only the Rock Kroc.
The Rock Kroc tries to punch Diddy, but the monkey dodges him at the last second and he hits Donkey Kong behind the bushes. Donkey Kong falls off the tree and Diddy neutralizes the Kremling by tying his feet to a hidden rope.
The next day, Diddy heads back to Donkey Kong's tree house. A heavily-bandaged Donkey Kong ponders if Diddy will believe his story that he slipped on a banana skin.
Staff
Managing editor: Richard Burton
Editorial consultant: Walter Burns
Designer: Steve Cooker
Publisher: Rob McMenemy
Product Manager: Gary Bell
Advertising: Sarah Connell
Notably, the writer of all three comic strips, Nigel Kitching, was one of the main writer of Fleetway's Sonic The Comic.
Trivia
- In one panel of the "A Blast From The Past" comic, Cranky Kong is drawn with six fingers on one hand.
- Around the time of the publication of the Jungle Action Special, Fleetway had also pitched a regular Nintendo comic, which ended up being rejected.
