Ah, Thank God for Boom studios. The original Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite franchises. I grew up with these movies like I grew up with Star Trek TV. And now, we’ve got some of their finest work in one giant volume. As the forward to this volume (by Ed Brubaker) says, this is Dr. Zaius: Year One. Boom studios obviously loves POTA as much as I do, maybe more, and it shows. So many franchises are turned into comic books with only dollar signs in the company’s eyes and the work is only a passable homage to the franchise that it’s representing, but not POTA, Boom gave it their all and may they continue to do so. This volume takes place before the first film and no talking humans from the past have yet arrived.
The Creative Team:
Bechko and Hardman open with the familiar verse from the ape’s sacred scrolls quoted so well by Dr. Zaius in the first film. The gorillas are on another hunt in the pouring rain. Then we cut to an ape on trial for teaching his pet human sign language. This team loves the Apes franchise and the stories presented in this volume answer a lot of questions brought about by the movies that inspired them. the ape world is captured almost spot on perfect to the vision of the filmmakers. Great stuff includes a murder mystery (Ape has killed ape!) on the Planet of the Apes and a human that learns to communicate without using speech.
Hardman, Laming, Couceiro, and Taibo work together to bring the society of the apes to us in a real way. They could almost be storyboards, with better art, from the movies themselves. When Tim Burton did his version of the ape world and then the recent spate of films took is in a similar, but different direction from the original series, I was wondering if anyone would bring us back to the Simian stronghold as envisioned by Arthur P. Jacobs and company in the ’60s and ’70s. Boom Studios has done a superior job in revisiting this world. It clearly shows in these amazing panels. Highlights include General Aleron’s escape and the gorilla riot.
In Conclusion:
This is a highly satisfactory read. It’s 500 pages and I finished it in one sitting. All the familiar tropes from the original film franchise are here and put to good use. Ape shall not kill ape, The council of the elders and the trial of Aleron also Zira and Cornelious trusting of a human. Our favorite characters are well drawn out and they all behave in ways true fans will appreciate. I had read a few of these stories as comic books, but not all of them. I am so appreciative of this volume as I feel that the creators at Boom are doing more than just throwing together a volume as a cash grab. They have a good feel for the characters and what makes them work. They have crafted these stories with care and truly know the franchise from beginning to end. May they create many more. ***** (9.8 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Corinna Bechko, Gabriel Hardman
Art – Gabriel Hardman, Marc Laming, Damian Couceiro, Mariano Taibo
Colors – Jordie Bellaire, Darrin Moore, Matthew Wilson
Letters – Ed Dukeshire, Deron Bennett
Publisher – Boom
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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