No long intro this time. Let's get into the second half!
On a re-read, I still stand by what I put in the original review. So except for a bit of polish, some pictures, and creator credits, this is pretty much as originally written. . .
ORIGINAL INTRO:
YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! YOU BLEW THE ENDING UP!
Er. . .spoiler alert?
PLANET OF THE APES
PART 2: ISSUES 9 - 16
BOOM! Studios (2011 - 2012)
ISSUE 9
CHILDREN OF FIRE PART 1
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Sam Kennedy
Okay. . .I get it now.
I guess I should have thought of it before, but new ARC doesn't really mean new STORY in this age of TPB collections of series. . .it just means a cliffhanger to encourage buying the next TPB for those not reading the series issue by issue.
So my lower rating of issue #8 (the last issue of Part 1 of this series review) for not resolving the end of the story wasn't entirely justified, because things pick up right where they left off in this issue.
The insurgency is in full swing, using terrorist tactics to strike against the superior numbers and firepower of the apes. The parallels to the Holocaust become more evident as the remaining humans are branded with numbers and forced to work as slaves living in ghettos or deported to concentration camps. The apes conduct brutal door to door searches for insurgents right out of what we see from the Middle East.
So my lower rating of issue #8 (the last issue of Part 1 of this series review) for not resolving the end of the story wasn't entirely justified, because things pick up right where they left off in this issue.
The insurgency is in full swing, using terrorist tactics to strike against the superior numbers and firepower of the apes. The parallels to the Holocaust become more evident as the remaining humans are branded with numbers and forced to work as slaves living in ghettos or deported to concentration camps. The apes conduct brutal door to door searches for insurgents right out of what we see from the Middle East.
It's a very dark and deliberate reflection on real-world issues. . .mixing the Holocaust with today's war against terror to great effect. I don't know where it's going, but I can tell there aren't going to be any happy endings here. . .
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Mitch Gerads
This issue was particularly brutal and dark. It's told mostly in flashback and gives us the tale of how the leader of the humans (Mayor Sully) and the leader of the apes (voice Alaya) became friends when young, united through the tragedy of them both seeing their families killed on the same day during a battle at the end of the human war of independence. They are the "Children of Fire" in the title of this arc.
The artwork on this series is still stunning! Of particular note is the battle mentioned above, even better is a centerfold 2 page spread with three thin panels stacked on top of each other of when the apes and humans finally meet each other in full battle. There's a LOT of detail in just those 3 panels!
The writing remains great, but the art is really the star of the show in this issue. . .
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
And now Planet of The Apes hits a very dark note that should be obvious to even the most oblivious reader, even if they've missed the others. The insurgents hijack an ape airship and crash it into the highest building in the city with devastating effects. The parallels to 9/11 and the War on Terror couldn't get any more clear.
BUT. . .
One little thing bothers me. The tower they crash into (known as the "City Tree") is obviously a run-down Eiffel Tower. But this series takes place in a city called Mak, which is to the WEST of the ape capital of Ape City (the same city in the original movie). This is shown on a map that the apes look at in a previous issue while they try to find where the insurgents are at.
If (as seen on the map and in the original movie) Ape City is near the East Coast (with the iconic "THEY BLEW IT UP!" Statue of Liberty ending), then how is Mak's central building the Eiffel Tower?
Generally speaking, this issue was great. It has a very strong story backed up by some fantastic artwork. It just jarred my sense of comic book disbelief a bit with the Eiffel Tower being in North America.
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
Holy time jump, Batman! About midpoint of this issue, they jump the story ahead by TEN YEARS!
Before that, we see the City Tree in flames in a fantastic opening panel (It's still obviously the Eiffel Tower in North America for some reason, but it's one SWEET picture!)
Voice Alaya steals Sully's newborn son, and Bako (the main human insurgent leader) meets his end, then. . . BAM! It's Ten Years Later!
Sully is now the leader of the insurgent forces, Alaya is now the Lawgiver (the Ape that er. . .gives the Law), and her former right hand man (ape) is part of the human resistance. Oh. . .and Sully's son is a spoiled 10 year old raised as a wealthy ape and hating humans.
I found the sudden time jump a bit strange but the writing and art remain extremely strong.
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
Damn it. I knew it couldn't last.
With the time jump of last issue and the beginning of the final story arc, BOOM! Studio's fantastic take on Planet of The Apes finally goes off the rails. It was a long time coming, but when it happened it happened quick. One issue. . .THIS issue.
Trying to find weapons for her insurgent forces, Sully is taken to a huge Oriental-style ship on the Atlantic ocean and meets "The Golden Khan" and Princess Wengchen. The Khan is a shaved Gorilla.
Why the hell are there shaved Oriental Gorilla Pirate Kings sailing the Atlantic Ocean? WHY?
It's a testament to Carlos Magno's art skills that he can make even this ridiculous turn of events look awesome, but the direction the story is now heading is right off the rails and over the cliff. A damn shame because this series lasted a LOT longer than any other I've ever reviewed without a single bad issue.
SCRIPT: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Carlos Magno
In this issue, we learn the uncomfortable origin of The Golden Khan (shaved oriental gorilla Pirate King) and Princess Wengchen (Human woman). I guess it was only a matter of time for a Planet of The Apes story to touch on inter-species love.
It's pretty plain that at this point, the series was winding down and heading for a big finish. Aside from the ridiculous Shaved Oriental Gorilla Pirate King/Bestiality sub-plot, the story here is actually pretty engaging as the pieces move into place for the final issues. Lawgiver Alaya is the target of a coup and Sully gets the weapons she needs for an attack on the city. Looks like things are going to end on a violent note. . .
After the uncomfortable shaved oriental gorilla Pirate King nonsense of the past couple issues, this one was pretty darn good. In the run-up to the final issue, Sully is reunited with her son and discovers he hates her. Lawgiver Alaya stumbles into a full-on coup, and the insurgents prepare to take down the concentration camps to bolster their forces for an attack on the city. All illustrated with Magno's fantastic, detailed art.
Thank God there aren't any shaved Gorilla pirates waving their cutlasses about.
AND FINALLY. . .
That's the REAL problem with this "Finale". . . EVERYTHING is left hanging.
It all ends abruptly with NO resolution. Everything! Nothing! Why?
There's partial resolution in that we learn that Brother Kale was behind EVERYTHING in the series (He's one of the creepy atomic bomb cultists seen in "Beneath The Planet Of The Apes" who's been sort of hanging around the edges of this story from the beginning) and when things are to his liking, some more of the cult shows up with a nuke. But THAT'S left hanging as well! We see the insurgency take down the concentration camps, but what happens after that? Who knows? Left hanging!
This HAS to be one of the worst endings for a series I've seen. It's not even an ending!
I suspect there was supposed to be more, but the series was cancelled. I have the Annual, but it doesn't continue the story. The annual is a collection of short stories from various periods of the "Apes" timeline. And doesn't really have much to do with the ongoing story in the series.
This is no way to end a series! I can't believe that such a great series completely jumped the rails in the final story arc and then failed to stick the landing on the finale by just leaving everything hanging!
Overall, I'd say that if you are looking for a good political/war comic, then Planet of The Apes is definitely worth a read. Just be prepared to be disappointed at the end of it. . .in that there ISN'T an end of it! Fortunately, the journey to that non-ending is one of the best I've seen in comics in a long time.
I just feel sad now. It was so damn GOOD and ended so damn BAD!
ISSUE 10
CHILDREN OF FIRE PART 2
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Mitch Gerads
This issue was particularly brutal and dark. It's told mostly in flashback and gives us the tale of how the leader of the humans (Mayor Sully) and the leader of the apes (voice Alaya) became friends when young, united through the tragedy of them both seeing their families killed on the same day during a battle at the end of the human war of independence. They are the "Children of Fire" in the title of this arc.
The artwork on this series is still stunning! Of particular note is the battle mentioned above, even better is a centerfold 2 page spread with three thin panels stacked on top of each other of when the apes and humans finally meet each other in full battle. There's a LOT of detail in just those 3 panels!
The writing remains great, but the art is really the star of the show in this issue. . .
ISSUE 11
CHILDREN OF FIRE PART 3
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
And now Planet of The Apes hits a very dark note that should be obvious to even the most oblivious reader, even if they've missed the others. The insurgents hijack an ape airship and crash it into the highest building in the city with devastating effects. The parallels to 9/11 and the War on Terror couldn't get any more clear.
BUT. . .
One little thing bothers me. The tower they crash into (known as the "City Tree") is obviously a run-down Eiffel Tower. But this series takes place in a city called Mak, which is to the WEST of the ape capital of Ape City (the same city in the original movie). This is shown on a map that the apes look at in a previous issue while they try to find where the insurgents are at.
From Issue 9
If (as seen on the map and in the original movie) Ape City is near the East Coast (with the iconic "THEY BLEW IT UP!" Statue of Liberty ending), then how is Mak's central building the Eiffel Tower?
Generally speaking, this issue was great. It has a very strong story backed up by some fantastic artwork. It just jarred my sense of comic book disbelief a bit with the Eiffel Tower being in North America.
ISSUE 12
CHILDREN OF FIRE PART 4
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
Holy time jump, Batman! About midpoint of this issue, they jump the story ahead by TEN YEARS!
Before that, we see the City Tree in flames in a fantastic opening panel (It's still obviously the Eiffel Tower in North America for some reason, but it's one SWEET picture!)
Sully is now the leader of the insurgent forces, Alaya is now the Lawgiver (the Ape that er. . .gives the Law), and her former right hand man (ape) is part of the human resistance. Oh. . .and Sully's son is a spoiled 10 year old raised as a wealthy ape and hating humans.
I found the sudden time jump a bit strange but the writing and art remain extremely strong.
ISSUE 13
THE HALF MAN PART 1
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
Damn it. I knew it couldn't last.
With the time jump of last issue and the beginning of the final story arc, BOOM! Studio's fantastic take on Planet of The Apes finally goes off the rails. It was a long time coming, but when it happened it happened quick. One issue. . .THIS issue.
Trying to find weapons for her insurgent forces, Sully is taken to a huge Oriental-style ship on the Atlantic ocean and meets "The Golden Khan" and Princess Wengchen. The Khan is a shaved Gorilla.
Why the hell are there shaved Oriental Gorilla Pirate Kings sailing the Atlantic Ocean? WHY?
ISSUE 14
THE HALF MAN PART 2
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Carlos Magno
In this issue, we learn the uncomfortable origin of The Golden Khan (shaved oriental gorilla Pirate King) and Princess Wengchen (Human woman). I guess it was only a matter of time for a Planet of The Apes story to touch on inter-species love.
It's pretty plain that at this point, the series was winding down and heading for a big finish. Aside from the ridiculous Shaved Oriental Gorilla Pirate King/Bestiality sub-plot, the story here is actually pretty engaging as the pieces move into place for the final issues. Lawgiver Alaya is the target of a coup and Sully gets the weapons she needs for an attack on the city. Looks like things are going to end on a violent note. . .
ISSUE 15
THE HALF-MAN PART 3
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
AND FINALLY. . .
ISSUE 16
THE HALF MAN PART 4
SCRIPTS: Daryl Gregory
PENCILS: Carlos Magno
COVER: Damian Couceiro
I was disappointed with the end of this series, to say the least.
Not only are we treated to more Shaved Oriental Gorilla Pirates. . .a LOT more. . .turns out there's a whole armada of them, thousands, as the Golden Khan puts it. A giant Armada of Oriental ships filled with shaved Gorilla Pirates? WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYY? But that's just left hanging.
That's the REAL problem with this "Finale". . . EVERYTHING is left hanging.
It all ends abruptly with NO resolution. Everything! Nothing! Why?
There's partial resolution in that we learn that Brother Kale was behind EVERYTHING in the series (He's one of the creepy atomic bomb cultists seen in "Beneath The Planet Of The Apes" who's been sort of hanging around the edges of this story from the beginning) and when things are to his liking, some more of the cult shows up with a nuke. But THAT'S left hanging as well! We see the insurgency take down the concentration camps, but what happens after that? Who knows? Left hanging!
This HAS to be one of the worst endings for a series I've seen. It's not even an ending!
I suspect there was supposed to be more, but the series was cancelled. I have the Annual, but it doesn't continue the story. The annual is a collection of short stories from various periods of the "Apes" timeline. And doesn't really have much to do with the ongoing story in the series.
This is no way to end a series! I can't believe that such a great series completely jumped the rails in the final story arc and then failed to stick the landing on the finale by just leaving everything hanging!
CONCLUSION
All in all, I really enjoyed this series, except for the final 4 issues. Consistently fantastic writing and art, touching on unexpected subjects for a book about intelligent apes including The Holocaust, Terrorism, racial discrimination, class warfare, and even (I guess) mixed race relationships. It dives deep into the darkness and shines a spotlight on a lot of the current issues facing our own society.Overall, I'd say that if you are looking for a good political/war comic, then Planet of The Apes is definitely worth a read. Just be prepared to be disappointed at the end of it. . .in that there ISN'T an end of it! Fortunately, the journey to that non-ending is one of the best I've seen in comics in a long time.
I just feel sad now. It was so damn GOOD and ended so damn BAD!
2019 CONCLUSION UPDATE
In the years since I wrote this review, I've discovered that there IS a conclusion to the story that was just left hanging unfinished in the final issue of this series. It's a Planet of The Apes "Special" that came out 7 months after the ongoing series ended. I haven't read it, but I keep my eye out for it in the bargain bins where I'm sure I'll come across it some day.
I'm not sure what happened with the extremely abrupt "ending" of this series and then the "real" ending coming out almost a year later, but whatever their reasons, BOOM! Studios definitely hit a foul ball on the ending of this series.
THAT SAID. . .
Putting the ending aside for a moment, this version of Planet of The Apes is truly one of the all-time BEST comic series I've ever read! And believe me. . .I've read a lot of comics. You can take THAT check to the bank and cash it.
This is an extremely dark story. . .a cracked mirror held up to current events in our own world and played out on a stage filled with fully-drawn and interesting characters trapped in a storm of political intrigue and violence completely out of their control.
Beyond the engaging political/war narrative. . .from issue one to issue last, EVERY PAGE of this series is filled with stunning, detailed artwork that perfectly compliments the story being told and raises the bar of quality FAR above my expectations for a licensed property comic from a second (maybe third?) tier publisher.
Overall, despite the disappointing ending, BOOM! Studios' Planet of The Apes is a true hidden Longbox Junk gem. If you are a fan of Planet of The Apes or a fan of military/political drama in general, I HIGHLY recommend this series. Trust me on this one, son.
Up Next. . .
To tell the truth. Not really sure right now.
Maybe another "Rescue Review". I still have about 25 more.
Maybe something new and give the "Rescue Reviews" a break.
I must ponder.
In any case. . .be there or be square!
Maybe something new and give the "Rescue Reviews" a break.
I must ponder.
In any case. . .be there or be square!
