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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:11:58 GMT -5
 Finally got my hands on the remaining Power Records film adaptations and read them today. What's so interesting about these adaptations is both that they do a generally excellent job of condensing the entire films into smooth-flowing 20 page comic book stories and that, while the art is competent but avoids taking risks, the scripts sometimes make pretty significant departures from the source material. In the case of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, which I read eons ago, I assumed this was because they were working with a shooting script (the film was less than a year old when these adaptations were published, so it may not have even been in theaters yet when the adaptation was written), but now I'm not so sure. In that adaptation, Ape City was far more futuristic, Cornelius never died, and Governer Breck stuck around as the chief antagonist. I believe I've read elsewhere that Breck was included in the original shooting script, but the other two changes don't seem to have existed in the early scripts. I think Power Records just made the call to do those things (and I can see leaving out the Cornelius bit in an attempt to keep the comic kid friendly. After all, they avoided adapting Conquest entirely, presumably for the same reason). Anyway, here's what I noted about the adaptations I read today: Planet of the Apes (Power Records, 1974): This is really a great adaptation. I love that the first twenty minutes of the film, which drags on for ages, is covered in two pages of story here. Generally, speaking, until the very end (which is a tad abrupt), the story flows very well and manages to avoid cutting out or glossing over anything too significant. In addition, they make several conscious changes early on to present Taylor as a pretty likable character who has genuine concern for his crew and the ability to joke without any hint of Heston's jaded edge. Essentially, this adaptation fixes my two largest problems with the first film: pacing and Taylor being thoroughly unlikable/unsympathetic. As a result, I enjoyed this adaptation tremendously! Beneath the Planet of the Apes (Power Records, 1974): Generally flows better than the actual film and comes off far less hokey, but they glossed over far too much with the mutants, and I consider them the strong point of the film. It seems like, much with the re-characterization of Taylor in the first adaptation, the writers were trying to create a clear sense of good guy/bad guy in the story and, in order for the gorillas to be bad, the mutant humans had to be good (or at least neutral). As a result, faces get ripped off, inner selves are revealed, and the bomb is worshipped, but there's no psychic interrogation scene, it's implied that Taylor has been their guest instead of their prisoner, and the mutants are generally glossed over after their brief introduction so that the gorillas can show up and trigger the end of the Earth. Disappointing. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Power Records, 1974): As with the other adaptations this one removes particularly troubling/non-family friendly material (in this case, the entire existence of Dr. Milo in order to avoid his senseless death) and makes general improvements as well (removing the whole high society tangent to the plot, having Cornelius give a lot more thought to the morality of killing in order to survive, and finally providing a more powerful ending with Hasslein gloating that he'd "changed man's fate" with his last breath, as Dixon replies "Have you, Hasslein? Have you?" before cutting to the final scene with the infant ape), but what I found unique about this one was that it took the most liberties with the script. Whereas the other adaptations generally used actual lines from the film, only making tweaks and changes when it made sense to, I don't think this one used a single actual line from the film. Even Zira's famous "...because I loathe bananas!" line is only loosely adapted as "I DETEST bananas, young man!". This has always been my least favorite of the Apes films, and I truly like some of the changes made here, but it bothers me that none of the lines ring familiar to me. (Note: There was no adaptation of Conquest on the Planet of the Apes) |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:15:13 GMT -5
Well, it took forever and a half, but I finally built up the nerve to return to this tedious series. How odd to be trudging through at issue #8 with full knowledge the series just ended at #12 three weeks ago due to low sales. Ah well. The completeist in my pushes forward... Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #8  writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman art: Damian Couceiro colors: Darrin Moore Letters: Ed Dukeshire editor: Dafna Pleban grade: C With #5 of this series, I surmised that Bechko and Hardman were still plotting their stories as 4 issue limited series, but that Boom! was pushing it as a regular title for sales reasons. I get that feeling again with #8, where the storyline comes to a full ending with the conflict resolved and all mysteries explained, and just a hint of the next conflict to be faced. It looks like I had Painted Valley figured wrong all along. It is NOT an area that we'd seen previously during the General Aleron storyline, but rather an entirely different sealed off area in which Chimpanzees apparently overthrew Gorillas and Orangutans a century earlier. The big reveal turns out to be that the mutants are not humans, but rather their own apes who have been poisoned by contaminated drinking water coming from the Forbidden Zone. Not a bad twist, I suppose, unless you've been reading from the beginning and know that such a twist was already tried in Vol. 1, #5: "Evolution's Nightmare," one of the better known stories from the original volume. I'd chalk the whole thing up to coincidence, except that we'll see more borrowing from Vol. 1 in three more issues. The focus, at this point, and which appears to be the crux of the remaining four issues, is a quest for chimpanzee rights in the face of Orangutan oppression. Do we really need this story? It's just taking every other POTA story and replacing the word "human" with "chimpanzee". So the Orangutan, and Dr. Zaius specifically, just believe in oppressing anyone who isn't them? It's a little far fetched for a villain who was played remarkably sympathetically in the films (and, indeed, at the start of this run). Important Details: -Prisca is now leading the Chimpanzee resistance group -Cornelius tells the resistance about Painted Valley and the Chimpanzees who threw off their oppressors there, but Vitus reports to Zaius that the entire population there was killed after the Moon exploded. Minor Details: - still no significant environmental consequences from the moon's destruction? Still no real purpose behind having the moon destroyed in this storyline other than to give Zaius a second opportunity to rise to power? - If those who are mutated by radiation can use their power of illusion to the extent that they can each individually change how others perceive their faces, why did the mutants need to wear masks in the second film? - As usual, the covers have nothing to do with the content. It's obvious Boom! has no interest in even trying. plot synopsis in one sentence: Cadmus is in prison and doesn't like it, Cornelius and Milo discover the mutants at Painted Valley's water source and are captured, Zaius promises big public works but really means Chimpanzees will be forced to do farm labor and kept in camps, it turns out that the mutants at Painted Valley are chimpanzees, affected when an earthquake from 20 years ago changed the course of their water supply through the Forbideen Zone, Cornelius also figures out that the Chimpanzees overthrew the Orangutan and Gorillas and killed them all 100 years ago, and the town leader's mutant daughter pleads for Vitus, Milo, and Cornelius to be released unharmed, they return to Ape City and intend to tell everyone that Painted Valley was destroyed with no survivors, Zira encourages Prisca to form a Chimpanzee resistance movement, and Cornelius tells them what happened at Painted Valley. I've said it before: where can this story go from here? We know exactly what Ape City society is going to look like in eight more years, with Zaius and the Orangutans still in control. Unless we get some serious character building soon, this entire run has been a pretty drawn out waste. |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:16:12 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #9  writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman art: Damien Couceiro colors: Darrin Moore letters: Deron Bennett editor: Dafna Pleban grade: C True to my suspicions, this issue starts a final four part storyline, though it's not labelled as such. The Chimpanzee resistance is in full swing with strikes and passive resistance, the first two chimpanzees have been killed inadvertently in trying to get away from Gorilla police, and Cornelius suddenly thinks telling the story of Painted Valley wasn't such a good idea. As I've pointed out again and again, with eight years to go before Taylor arrives, what issues of consequence can possibly arise in this storyline if we already know how Ape City will be in the end? Bechko and Hardman begin attempting to answer that concern this time, building their plot on the tension of how things will get back to the normal we see in that first film from the horrors we're beginning to witness now. Odd to now make the society of that first film an idealic destination point while still acknowledging it as a dystopia. Of course, part of the problem there is also that these characters don't feel at all genuine to the characters we'll see in that first film. That Zaius isn't a mad, power grabbing authoritarian; he's a tired old watchdog for the public and theological good. And that Cornelius doesn't strike me as someone who's ever played a role in a revolution, nor as someone who has ever angered the Orangutans before. Even Zira, while just as rebellious as her movie self without any of the charm, has no real relationship with Lucius in that first film, yet she's like a mother to him here. I just don't see that we're going to arrive at a match point where the characters of this series end up feeling like those of the first film. Finally, I'm a bit confused by the theological aspects of this storyline. I can't remember the last time the Lawgiver was mentioned (if ever) in a series in which order is upset and people are dying. Perhaps he's been largely forgotten, and that will be the unifying belief from which Zaius is finally able to unite Ape society? Surely this new "Book of Aleron" that sprouts up in this issue isn't going to be sticking around. Important Details: - First appearance of The Augur, Pin (his human assistant), and the Book of Aleron Minor Details: - It has been two months since Cataclysm #1. - Two gorillas are randomly given focus for a page each in this issue, and I have no idea why. One is named Marcus (should I remember him from a previous issue?), and the other is an unnamed ferryman. Plot synopsis in one sentence: During the time of the moon explosion, The Auger decides it is time to return to Ape Society, back in the present, The Chimpanzee strike is shutting down Ape City, the story of Painted Valley is spreading, tensions increase when two chimpanzee teens running from Gorilla police end up dying inadvertently, Zaius wants to put the Chimps back to work by military force, his wife begs him to calm down and listen to reason, and The Auger and Pin arrive in Ape City, preaching tolerance and co-existence, even with humans, and citing The Book of Aleron. |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:17:22 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #10  writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman art: Damian Couceiro colors: Darrin Moore letters: Deron Bennett editor: Dafna Pleban grade: B- On the one hand, things are finally beginning to come together. Aleron's story at the beginning of Bechko and Hardman's work is becoming central to events playing out now. On the other, our writers are expecting us to clearly remember events from a year earlier. I honestly had no memory of who Timon was and, even looking back at the review I wrote for Exile on the Planet of the Apes #3 now, I have no idea what the circumstances behind Timon betraying Aleron were. And yet that's incredibly pertinent to what is unfolding. So, to answer my question in the previous review, Zaius is Defender of the Faith (I'm sure we knew that from earlier), but he's certainly not wearing the Lawgiver on his sleeve the way he does in the films. Theological concerns seem pretty far from his immediate concerns until Timon shows up with the Book of Aleron. Additionally, Marcus, who received an odd amount of focus in the previous issue, is apparently the head of the police, but quickly losing power to Ursus, who Zaius depends upon to act with less moral concern. Really though, there are three things that are important about this issue... Important Details: 1. The Auger is actually Timon, one time betrayer to Aleron, who has now apparently come to decide that betraying him for his own good wasn't for his own good after all, and thus has turned Aleron's story into a religion. Pin is the child he rescued from the rubble in Exile #4 who, I assume, is Tern's daughter. 2. Zaius commands Ursus to begin violent attacks against the Chimpanzees, including Timon's new followers, and this results in the possible death (or at least silencing) of Pin. 3. Cadmus has been corrupted by Zaius' wife and is now free again, trying to induce the Chimpanzees to go back to work. I do respect the tying up of old plot points from the first two limited series into the concluding storyline of this limited run, especially with subtle comparisons and contrasts between Cadmus, Timon, and Aleron. Still, is it enough? Is any of this really all that interesting when we know how it's all going to end up eight years later anyway, and, worse yet, that it's all going to get blown up soon after? Better POTA writers have stuck to emphasis on telling new sides to the old story in terms of motivations and revelations of deeper characterization, played with time paradoxes to suggest that the fate seen in the films may not stick, or at least stayed far away from the time period of the first two films in order to alleviate this problem, but Bechko and Hardman are right in the thick of it. Minor Details: - This issue would seem to suggest that "The Scroll," from Planet of the Apes (vol. 4) Annual #1 may have been Timon's retelling of Aluren's origin, as opposed to a factual account. Unless a Raven truly did peck Aluren's eye out, of course... Plot synopsis: The Auger tells an idealized version of Aleron's story from Betrayal and Exile, he turns out to be Timon (from Exile) and explains that he and Pin are from Aleron's community before it was destroyed by the Orangutans and Gorillas, ravens appear, and the Auger is quick to call them a sign from Aleron (he'd already conveniently mentioned Aleron lost his one eye to a raven and that gave him wisdom), Pin (a human)'s ability to talk is widely attributed to trickery, some chimpanzees attempt to free Cadmus from the Reef, but they see Zaius' wife already taking him somewhere, Zaius confronts Timon and tells him to leave, at Tomon's next gathering, the gorillas, led by Ursus, attack and massacre the followers, Cornelius rescues General Marcus' daughter, and Pini's throat is slashed, Cadmus shows up in the chimpanzee camp preaching co-existence and getting back to work, Ursus (leader of the military) and Marcus (leader of the police) have a power struggle, while some chimpanzees decide it's time to go the route of Painted Valley and resort to violence. |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:19:19 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #11  writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman pencils: Damian Couceiro inks: Mariano Taibo colors: Darrin Moore letters: Deron Bennett editor: Dafna Pleban grade: C- A pretty conventional preaching about co-existence and sending a message of solidarity amidst two sides heading toward mutual destruction. It's been done, and nothing about its treatment here is particularly remarkable. A certain death occurs this issue that was inevitable and long overdue. No shock there. We find out that Pin never spoke; it was a trick, and everything winds down to a natural conclusion -- except that an unnecessary twist is added at the end, which will be resolved in the next and final issue. Really nothing special about this issue, as even Couceiro not doing his own inks this time around takes a toll on the art, which, previously had been at least one strength for the series to boast. Truly, everything about this massively important climax to a 19 issue story arc spanning 12 years felt pretty "blah," and that's a problem in my book. Important details: -Zaius' wife is killed. Of course, everything Zaius did right was her idea so, without her, he's being set up to become an even worse tyrant than before, but, again, this doesn't jibe with his characterization in the films. He wasn't a tyrant; he was a man who did the evil things he did out of a misguided sense of protectiveness for his people. -Ursus is working for the mutants who worship the other Alpha Omega bomb (you know, from the second film). Interesting take on the character. I suppose it was his actions in the second film that brought the apes to the mutants, too. - Zira and Cornelius begin dating in the wake of all that has transpired. Minor Details: - So what was the point of ever introducing Timon last issue? He proves to be pretty useless in the story that transpires, neither effective nor meaningful/evocative in his ineffectiveness. - It's already a massive suspension of disbelief that Apes from a thousand years in the future speak the same language we do with nearly the exact same accent and dialect, but now they quote Latin as well? It just stretches that already overtaxed suspension of disbelief a tad farther than it needs to. - Ursus covers the distance from Ape City to the human mutants beneath the old city with astonishing speed. Couciero makes it look like they live right next door to one another. - Okay, we learn that Pin never really spoke; it was just a trick. But then what was up with the ravens last issue? Ridiculous coincidence, or something Timon somehow planned? -The idea of the leader of the Gorilla militia being a traitor/infiltrator working for the mutant humans was first done in Vol. 1, #4: "A Riverboat Named Simian", possibly the greatest POTA comic story ever written. You could pass it off as coincidence that both stories take this same direction, except that we just saw this same creative team "borrow" another clever twist from Vol. 1 three issues ago. Plot synopsis in one sentence: Cornelius and Timon bring Pin to Prisca for help, she exposes Timon for the traitor he was, the chimpanzees are fired up to stage an all out coupe despite Zira's warnings, Marcus going looking for Timon in order to protect him from Ursus finding him first, Marcus' daughter is revealed as being Timon's compatriot, as well as the voice of Pin, the coupe is staged, Zaius is attacked, his wife is killed, as the gorillas and chimpanzees are about to go to all out war, Timon tries to unite them and fails, but Cornelius and Marcus then stand up together and send the right message, dispersing the crowd and easing hostilities, so things return to relative normal, Zira and Cornelius are in love, and we learn that Ursus has been working for the human mutants from the second film. |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:20:01 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #12  writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman pencils: Damian Couceiro inks: Mariano Taibo colors: Darrin Moore letters" Deron Bennett editor: Dafna Pleban grade: B- It's not a bad idea. With sales lagging badly, it's clear that this series was forced to come to a conclusion faster than Bechko and Hardman had intended, and so they try fast-forwarding and taking us through the events of the first two films, up to the destruction of the planet, through the eyes of Dr. Milo, our favorite under-developed blank slate of a character from the film series that writers seem to love playing with. From a narrative perspective, it's always fun to watch familiar stories play out from an entirely different perspective -- this time the perspective of someone largely outside of Ape Society. However, this final conclusion to the series has two significant problems: 1. It depends upon a lot of silly conveniences. I'd always wondered how the heck apes in a pre-industrial society repaired Taylor's spaceship, synthesized its fuel, and launched it back into space. They spend FIVE pages on this, but never bother to provide any reasonable explanations. Milo just mysteriously knows how to do it all, constructs great mechanisms to dredge the ship out of the ocean and also builds a rocket launchpad BY HIMSELF in a matter of days, and Behcko and Hardman fly through all of this to instead have him worried about a single damaged piece he can't repair that then conveniently arrives in the form of Brent's ship. Now I have to ask -- could the most advanced NASA engineer have repaired such a shuttle completely by him/herself in a matter of days? How about without the aid of computers? And yet a smart and learned ape in a pre-industrial society can magically repair micro-processors with a magnifying glass. 2. The second problem is a larger one. Namely that, while the events of this story are fun and do a decent job of connecting the Milo we've been following in Bechko and Hardman's run to the Milo we know from the second film, this conclusion to their 20 part series has no thematic relationship to any of the stories/conflicts that came before. Nothing about who General Aluren, nor Prisca, nor Timon, were, nor Zaius having fallen so far from his younger ideals, bears any weight at all on this story. The destruction of the moon in Cataclysm #1 factors in in the most marginal of ways, but that's about it. This is a cute epilogue to the series, but hardly a satisfying conclusion. Important Details: You already know the events of the second film, and we already know the gist of what Dr. Milo was doing during this time from explanations offered in the third film, so there isn't all that much mystery here. Minor Details: - Okay, explain this whole Ursa as imposter business to me. His entire purpose was to agitate the apes towards war, but it's been clear all along (not just during Milo's revelation at the end) that Zaius was the one truly pushing for war, yet we definitely saw last issue that Ursus is the imposter -- so why did the humans need an infiltrator? Zaius was already doing their job for them. All they had to do was send him a letter that essentially said "come get us." - Wait -- so you want to convince us that Zira was like a mother to Lucius AND that she saw him get brutally murdered immediately before being launched into space...and yet she NEVER brings this up in the third film??? For Pete's sake, she cries about Dr. Milo's death, yet that was an accident, and he was practically a stranger. This really ties into the larger problem that the Zira, Cornelius, and Zaius of these comic books never really connect with their film selves; they still feel like very different characters, even as they catch up with the timing and events of the films. - How does the moon's destruction ultimately lead to Earth's destruction via environmental consequences? Environmental catastrophe? Perhaps. Wholesale destruction? I seriously doubt it. -Why would an ancient race have written down a solution for what to do if the moon is ever destroyed and thus endangers the Earth's existence? That's a little outside of Nostradamus' line. - This book goes out of its way to always provide the name of the location for every single scene change (it's quite annoying) yet there's NEVER any indication when five years abruptly pass while Dr. Milo appears to spend a couple of days as the mutants' prisoner. - If Ursus knows that Dr. Milo knows he's really a mutant infiltrator, how can he allow him to live? Yes, friends walk by just as he's about to kill Milo, but he can't go back for him later that night? He can't follow him into the Forbidden Zone and kill him then??? - No letter at the end about the Boom! POTA franchise ending? Wow. I guess truly no one was reading these anymore. - For what it's worth, the original Curtis POTA volume lasted for 29 issues. Boom! produced 39 POTA books before calling it quits, though some were published concurrently. plot synopsis in one sentence: It's now three years later (5 years before Taylor) and Dr. Milo, convinced the world is going to end because of long term ramifications from the moon's destruction (how would that work?), goes into the forbidden zone hoping to find solutions written by the great ancestors (the ancient humans, but he doesn't know that), he accidentally discovers the mutant humans living below ground (that was convenient), is made to be their prisoner and tortured for five years, is finally rescued by a sympathetic human who wants to prevent world destruction, he gets back to Ape City, but Zaius isn't interested, and Ursus tries to kill him for knowing the truth about him (but friends conveniently walk by at just the right moment, so Ursus just kind of forgets about it -- what?  ), Milo learns about Taylor (who is now gone) and goes looking for his ship to see if it can get people off the planet before it is destroyed, he dredges it up and repairs it (how convenient that he knows how! And so quickly!) and the convenient sympathetic mutant once again moves the plot forward by psychically sending Zira, Cornelius, and Lucius to his aid, they take off as the war between Apes and Mutants begins, Lucius is killed, and we get to the beginning of the third film, with Milo, Zira, and Cornelius arriving on the beach. Cute idea, but a lot is lost in the execution. I had higher hopes for this final issue. |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:20:59 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes Spectacular #1  writer: Daryl Gregory art: Diego Barreto colors: Darrin Moore letters: Ed Dukeshire editor: Dafna Pleban special thanks to: Lauren Winarski grade: B- It's hard not to discuss "Spectacular" without discussing how Boom! is packaging this series. It's clear that, concerned with low sales, someone at Boom! has gotten creative with how to keep selling its two core storylines. With the Bechko/Hardman run, Boom! tried selling each of their intended four part limited series as one ongoing "Cataclysm" title. Meanwhile, with Gregory's run, the final issues are sold as stand-alone specials rather than a continuing run. Funny that one series that is written to be separate is forced to be a continuous run, while the other is written to be a continuous run and is forced to be sold as separate one-shots. This is important because, while the story in this issue would have worked just fine as a Planet of the Apes (Vol. 4) #18, it doesn't make any sense as a Spectacular. Whereas the "Special" from five months earlier attempted to cover a tremendous amount of ground in a limited span, "Spectacular" feels much like a filler issue, sort of just getting us to the final installment. Enough interesting things happen to make it a worthwhile read, but certainly nothing about it feels "Spectacular," and I worry whether Gregory is leaving himself enough time to cover all that still needs to be explained/revealed in the final installment. Another problem with this issue is the art of Diego Barreto, which is several steps down from the work of Gabriel Hardman in the regular title issues. The characters often look cartoony, and that feels odd in a comic dealing with such mature subject matter. The arrangements and action are fine, and Darrin Moore covers for him with some outstanding coloring, but this comic is written to be cinematic in scope, and that doesn't work when the art isn't firing on all cylinders. However, I think the biggest failing of an issue that, to be fair, is sufficiently engaging outside of these problems, is that, with one issue remaining, I still have a poor read on the relationship between Alaya and Sully. I get that they were raised as sisters and found themselves on opposite ends of a racial and political divide, but I still don't understand who either character is deep down, nor how they feel about each other. Sully is willing to risk everything to save Alaya's life after Alaya stole her son and raised him as her own for all these years, yet we still have absolutely no understanding of Alaya's motivations for ANY of the horrendous things she's done in this series, and so we cannot forgive along with Sully. Nor do we understand why she is important to Sully. We've been provided with two flashbacks to their childhood, but neither really helped to define the relationship between the two of them. These battling step sisters are the center of this entire continuity, now running for two years and 20 stories, but who they are and how they feel about each other still remains undefined beyond the most basic of universal truths (they are sisters, sisters fight, and sisters forgive). That's not enough for me. Important Details: - The future from which Julian is telling this story has broken down cars strewn about, which you would not have seen in Mak. Perhaps he is in the ruins that Caesar and the others travel to in Battle for the Planet of the Apes. - Sully rescues Aleya and, for the moment, they are working together. - The Golden and his forces are just outside of Mak, building regiments and siege weapons - Wait....Nix is still alive??? I am so confused. Didn't we watch him die in the "Special"? I can't even tell whether we're supposed to be surprised by this or should have known it all along. - Nix, Sully, and Aleya plan an insurgency ahead of the Golden invading Mak. What still needs to be addressed in the final issue: - What is Brother Kale's agenda? - Who is Julian's father? - What is motivating The Golden's wife? - How will Mak get destroyed? - Where is Julian in the future, and why is that important? Why is he writing all of this down? Is he, perhaps, re-revising the Lawgiver's passages that Aleya had previously revised? - What will Gregory's final thoughts be on racial co-existence? Can the dream be attained to any degree, or is it foolishness? Does he really believe we are all animals, concerned primarily with protecting our own, as this issue would seem to espouse? - Is this storyline intended to have any significant connection to the core film series? Will we discover that Julian is about to play some vital role in the events of the second film or something? Or is this a self-contained storyline, also existing elsewhere on the Planet of the Apes (as it has appeared to be, thus far)? - All three of the previous unresolved issues can be answered if Julian IS rewriting the Lawgiver's words, essentially making him the Lawgiver whose words were passed down for generation after generation, ultimately creating the society we see in the first film. Perhaps Zaius and others misinterpreted his ideas, believing that humans were animals, but apes were not. Minor Details: - Upon reflection of information we've already had for some time now, it seems to me that if the Lawgiver resided in Mak, and Ape City is a separate place, than Gregory is interpreting the city Caesar founded in the fifth film as being a separate place from the Ape City seen in the first and second film. This solves some geographical issues that exist in both the films and in several of the comic book adaptations, all of which treat the setting of of the fourth and fifth film as being on the West Coast, while Ape City is clearly in close proximity to the remnants of New York City, on the East Coast. - And yet, it's hard to accept that, in a world with multiple cities inhabited by simians, one would call itself "Ape City." The name really only makes sense if it's the only one. Plot synopsis in one sentence: Sully and her resistance arrive in time to rescue Aleya from execution, Hulss races back to Mak to give them warning about The Golden coming, Julian of the future reflects on how we are all animals, fighting to protect our own, he flashes back to Brother Kale giving him the same lesson, Sully suggests that she and Aleya create seperate-but-equal societies as a solution to their problems, Aleya is not convinced, Julian still views Aleya as his mother, Hulss finally reaches Sully and tells her about the Golden, Nix is apparently still alive and points out that they cannot win against The Golden -- they must either surrender (they won't) or plan an insurgency ahead of the Golden's invasion. Not a bad story in any respect other than the art, but it didn't do enough to justify being the penultimate, spectacular chapter in this series. ...Exactly ONE issue left, but who knows when it will finally see print? |
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:21:50 GMT -5
Summary of Betrayal/Exile on the Planet of the Apes, and Cataclysm (Boom!)
(2011-2013)
Overview: What began as a group of limited series portraying events leading up to the first Planet of the Apes film eventually spawned into an ongoing series. The initial focus was on both the new character General Aleron, a respected Ape leader fighting for human co-existence, and on Dr. Zaius, his rise to power in Ape City, and the corruption of his ideals that occurs in the process. It was a solid concept, but it never quite hit its mark, the film characters (primarily Zaius, Cornelius, Zira, and Ursus) never quite felt authentic to the films, and the series quickly lost its focus when it went to the ongoing Cataclysm title.
Note: Though these series were published concurrently with Planet of the Apes, Vol. 4, there is no shared continuity between the two series. Both occur on the Planet of the Apes, but in different times, in different geographical locations, and were written by two different writing teams.
Worthwhile To Read?: Not bad. It wouldn't hurt you.
Key Issues/Highlights?: Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes #1-4 (the first volume) is as strong as the series gets, though it ends with a cliff-hanger of sorts. Exile on the Planet of the Apes #1-4 (the second volume) is still relatively captivating. The climax falls short, but the series at least arrives at a firmer ending than Betrayal did. Planet of the Apes Cataclysm (the third/final volume) loses all sense of what the series were building to and also progresses at a snail's pace. I think most readers could do without reading it, but, again, it's not bad; it wouldn't hurt you. The final issue, Cataclysm #12, is a cute but unimpressive attempt to fill in gaps between the second and third films, yet it functions as a poor and disconnected conclusion to the series.
Worth Re-Reading?: Maybe Betrayal #1-4 and Exile #1-4. Probably Cataclysm #12 if you're a fan of Dr. Milo.
These volumes include: Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes #1-4, Exile on the Planet of the Apes #1-4, "The Scroll," from Planet of the Apes (Vol. 4) Annual #1, and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #1-12.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:22:27 GMT -5
You know, if Boom! does decide to stop producing POTA content once Gregory's series concludes, that would mean that, after forty years and six English language publishers, the longest running POTA stretch would still be Volume 1 (Curtis/Marvel Magazine format), running for a total of only three years from 1974-1976. Unless you count the British volume, which reprinted the exact same content but also tacked on Apeslayer, and thus ran for a few more months and into 1977.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:23:16 GMT -5
Planet of the Apes Giant #1  writer: Daryl Gregory art: Diego Barreto colors: Darrin Moore letters: Ed Dukeshire editor: Dafna Pleban grade: A+ Well here it is: the final issue. I have such mixed emotions about this one that it's going to be a challenge to put into words. There were aspects of this issue that were truly the finest moments in the entire Boom! POTA franchise. There were others that were not. And Diego Barreto still has no business doing art on this book. Without providing any spoilers yet, most of this issue made up the PERFECT resolution to this series, with tons of loving but unforced nods to so many earlier events, storylines, and even notable lines of dialogue in the run, one loving nod to the first film, and lots of beautiful and fitting resolution to the interpersonal conflicts and character progressions from throughout the series. I still have no read on who Sully and Aleya were as individuals, but their relationship and all its history and complications couldn't have arrived at a better/more touching end. Best yet, as a means of wrapping up the overarching conflict of the entire run, we receive these amazing lines: "The Golden outnumbered us and outgunned us, but I will say this for them...they united the apes and humans of Mak as no one and nothing else had done before." But then we get to the ending, and here's where things fell apart for me. Without giving anything away, it's abundantly clear Gregory had major plans for a new direction this series was going to take and simply copped out on the last page due to lack of time. It's not a surprise/twist ending because it isn't earned. Looking back, everything we saw in the previous issue was leading to something very different than what we received on that last page. Gregory should have just left that doorway open rather than try to tie it up with a hastily tied bow. And Barreto's art was truly still disruptive in my enjoyment of this issue, especially when he put expressions on characters' faces that weren't appropriate. Aleya, for example, should not have been wearing a goofy smile when appearing in soldier garb before the climactic battle, especially when you consider what had taken place between her and Sully only a few pages earlier. Important Details: Let's revisit the questions I posed in my review of the last issue and see what got answered: - What is Brother Kale's agenda? Apparently, nothing more complicated than putting humans in power in Mak. How disappointing for such a shadowy, conspiring character. - Who is Julian's father? Never answered, and not even purposefully avoided. It isn't even mentioned again in this issue, yet Brother Kale's people were hinting at it back in the Special. How infuriating. - What is motivating The Golden's wife? Never answered. Self-preservation? Loyalty to fellow humans? We just don't know. - How will Mak get destroyed? Yup. We got that answer in spades. Pretty darn cool, actually. - Where is Julian in the future, and why is that important? Why is he writing all of this down? Is he, perhaps, re-revising the Lawgiver's passages that Aleya had previously revised? Really not answered in any kind of satisfying away. Again, I think Gregory ran out of time and just tried to toss this all aside in favor of a saccharine happy ending. - What will Gregory's final thoughts be on racial co-existence? Can the dream be attained to any degree, or is it foolishness? Does he really believe we are all animals, concerned primarily with protecting our own, as this issue would seem to espouse? Not really addressed beyond the idea implied that factions will always rally together against a more pressing opponent. I suppose the ideal family we see on that last page provides some sort of message about co-existence, but it felt so forced and arbitrary that I refuse to accept it as a solution to the hard questions being posed in these pages over the past two years. - Is this storyline intended to have any significant connection to the core film series? Will we discover that Julian is about to play some vital role in the events of the second film or something? Or is this a self-contained storyline, also existing elsewhere on the Planet of the Apes (as it has appeared to be, thus far)? No tie-in to the films beyond the Order obviously being a subset of the mutants seen in the second film. Maybe a more substantial connection would have been established if Gregory had been given more time to explore Julian's destiny. - All three of the previous unresolved issues can be answered if Julian IS rewriting the Lawgiver's words, essentially making him the Lawgiver whose words were passed down for generation after generation, ultimately creating the society we see in the first film. Perhaps Zaius and others misinterpreted his ideas, believing that humans were animals, but apes were not. But, apparently, he wasn't. So I can't say I'm satisfied that so much of this went unaddressed. Gregory probably could have used the Spectacular better and maybe fought to get four special issues published instead of three in order to resolve future Julian's arc successfully, but, given the corner he wrote himself into with the Giant, he did as well as he could have within such constraints. I just would have left Julian's ending open instead of forcing a resolution. - One more idea here -- why couldn't one of Brother Kale's order have gone to the Golden, presented the warhead as a gift, and then nuked him and his army, meanwhile providing distraction so that much of Mak's population could move safely out of range? Are we to presume that Sully and Aleya suspected the order could have saved them, yet sacrificed this option for the sake of attaining some final peace? If so, that could have been played up far more powerfully -- choosing peace in death rather than conflict in survival? Or did they (and/or Gregory) simply not consider that something more could have been done to avert conquest with the Order's help? plot synopsis in one long sentence: Julian is leaving the city he was just in and headed into the country while reflecting on the importance of hope, back in the past The Golden gives Sully and Aleya 48 hours to surrender the city to him or he will raze it to the ground, the humans and apes discuss strategy, old secrets come to light causing them to fight again, Julian stops the fighting, revealing that he has embraced the teachings of the Lawgiver and feels that both Sully and Aleya have strayed from that path, Aleya decides to ask Brother Kale's order to leave for the sake of alleviating distrust between the races, The Golden betrays his promise and commences an attack, Brother Kale is killed with the first shots, Hulss is given custody of Julian and told to flee with him, the Golden win, Nix, Aleya, and Sully have a touching moment as they fight and die together as a family again (bookending their childhood rescue at Red Creek), the Order approaches The Golden with a warhead and detonate it as a message to other would be attackers, taking all of Mak and its inhabitants with them while uttering the famous lines spoken when the Lawgiver was killed ("Thus to tyrants"), Julian reflects on the Lawgiver's legacy, and we discover the destination he has been heading towards is his own remote home, with a small family happily awaiting him including a wife, children, an aging Hulss, and some other ape. A very disappointing last page and Barreto's art aside, this was a BEAUTIFUL conclusion to the series that soared far higher than I ever thought it could. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jul 2, 2014 22:24:09 GMT -5
Summary of Planet of the Apes Vol. 4 (Boom!)
(2011-2013)
Overview: A gritty, post September 11th philosophical discourse about terrorism, segregation, and the role of militarism and extremism in resolving social injustice. Though the series is often light on characterization, the action and political allegory are strong and captivating.
Note: Initially a tremendously successful single title for Boom!, promising sales and critical acclaim led the publisher to launch a POTA limited series that ultimately grew into a second parallel POTA continuity which, for a while, became the lead POTA publication for Boom! while this series transitioned into a series of one-shot specials before arriving at its intended conclusion.
Worthwhile To Read?: Yes.
Key Issues/Highlights?: The first four issues are the strongest. After that, the series drags and meanders quite a bit before arriving at an incredibly powerful conclusion.
Worth Re-Reading?: #1-4, and then #13-16, the Special, the Spectacular, and the Giant for the final storyline.
This volume includes: Planet of the Apes (vol. 4) #1-16, Annual #1, Special #1, Spectacular #1, and Giant #1.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2014 9:09:14 GMT -5
Been going through this thread again, updating the images/links/etc, and have decided in hindsight that, while virtually every other POTA comics volume was a sincere pleasure, I now firmly believe that The Adventure Comics volume is truly the worst run of comic books I have ever read. And yet, going back to read the reviews for that series has been tremendously entertaining in hindsight  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 11:24:06 GMT -5
Worst POTA or worst overall?
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2014 15:22:34 GMT -5
Worst POTA or worst overall? Overall! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 20:50:47 GMT -5
Shax, do you plan on getting the Planet of the Apes Star Trek cross-over comics announced at SDCC and reviewing them?
-M
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), Milo learns about Taylor (who is now gone) and goes looking for his ship to see if it can get people off the planet before it is destroyed, he dredges it up and repairs it (how convenient that he knows how! And so quickly!) and the convenient sympathetic mutant once again moves the plot forward by psychically sending Zira, Cornelius, and Lucius to his aid, they take off as the war between Apes and Mutants begins, Lucius is killed, and we get to the beginning of the third film, with Milo, Zira, and Cornelius arriving on the beach.
