Get Your Hands On BOOM's Damn Dirty Ape's!
Just like just about every other human being on the planet, I have things that I prefer that most people not know about me. For instance I really don't want most people to know that I like the Golden Girls. I don't know why, but whenever they are on my wife and I turn it into a marathon. I find myself quoting lines of the show in really embarrassing situations but yet I can't help myself if they're on I'm going to watch them. However there are many things that I wear on my sleeve and announce to the world my love for. For me Planet of the Apes is one of those guilty pleasures that I hide from no one. I know it's over the top sci-fi, and even the good Planet of the Apes films, tv shows, and cartoons were monumentally bad, but I have to watch them when they are on. Like a lot of people I was disappointed in the latest incarnation of the Planet of the Apes franchise. The special effects and make-up were stellar, but the story failed to connect with most fans, and like a lot of Apes fans I was pretty fearful that the film did poorly enough that it could have truly killed the franchise.
Like a lot of Apes fans I was thrilled to hear that a quality publisher like Boom Studios had acquired the Apes property. Franchises like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Buffy have used comics to help sustain there fans enthusiasm for there properties long after the movie and TV shows have moved out of the spotlight, and with the failed 2001 film this property more than ever needed a revival.
Story Overview and mild spoilers beyond this point!
Going back to original movie continuity (although this story is set years before the events of the original film) BOOM Studio's Planet of the Apes written by Daryl Greggory and drawn by Carlos Magno get back to the social roots of the Ape franchise by opening the book with the murder of Ape City's law giver. He was the ape responsible for bringing Apes and Human together to live in peace and his death serves to drive social unrest between the two races. The biological and adoptive (human) grand-daughters of the law giver find themselves at odds in there quest to find and bring to justice the killer of there grandfather. Greggory builds a nice mystery and kept me engaged throughout the story. I have a tendency to look at how far into a book I am if I find myself getting bored with the story and this was a book that I read straight thru to the end and found myself wanting more.
Carlos Magno was the perfect artistic choice for this book as his pencils really channel the feel of the original films. He demonstrates a real sense of scale and immensity in his cityscapes, and lets face it the scenes with the Ape Army about to hunt down the killer of the lawgiver is just damn cool. Most importantly with this series is the Stan Lee rule which is that every comic is someones first. As I'm sure any reader has gathered to this point I am a die hard Ape's fan, but this book while set in Ape's original movie series continuity requires no knowledge of the Ape franchise to enjoy. I really appreciate a publisher wanting to create a book that both the casual and hardcore fan can enjoy and I think Boom has created a beautifully illustrated and engaging story from start to finish.
My hope for every comic is that it will be good enough to make me want to read the next issue. If it doesn't then in most cases I'm done with that series, but if it does and does it in a way that I want to chat about it in the comic shop or put down my thoughts in a blog I think that is a really cool thing. Issue 1 has me ready for issue two, and has me re-energized for the future of the Apes franchise. Whether you are a fan of the Apes or just a fan of good comics then this is a series that is worth picking up!
1924: The Year That Made Hitler by Peter Ross Range
