Planet of the Apes from the beginning (reviews by shaxper)

[shaxper]

Planet of the Apes (Curtis/Marvel) #16

What a sincere disappointment! This issue includes two film adaptation installments, completing "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" by Moench and Rival but, with the reduced page count, provides absolutely nothing else aside from a letters column (we didn't get one last issue).

Thoughts on this issue:

- Rival's depiction of the apes really bothers me this time for some reason. I guess Rival's Cornelius has never looked like Cornelius, but that baby Milo/Caesar at the end just looks ridiculous to me. I was a big fan of Rival's work on "Kingdom," but this final dramatic moment to the film adaptation just looked ridiculous.

- The fan letters are sharply divided about the first chapter of the Future Chronicles, with naysayers finding exactly the same problem with Sutton's art that I have. I still enjoyed the concept of that story, but I can't believe Moench is continuing the storyline. I don't find anything endearing or even noteworthy about those characters.

Not much of an issue to discuss besides the above comments. There's $15 I'd like back.

[CromagnonMan]

ha, yeah, there is a chunk of issues , maybe 4 or 5 together without any decent material in them. Terror returns eventually though.

[benday-dot]

ha, yeah, there is a chunk of issues , maybe 4 or 5 together without any decent material in them. Terror returns eventually though.

And what can I say, but I enjoyed Future History Chronicles.... um, actually more than Terror.

[shaxper]

ha, yeah, there is a chunk of issues , maybe 4 or 5 together without any decent material in them. Terror returns eventually though.

I already acquired all but one of the film-adaptation-only issues in lots, but the sole remaining issue of that kind is #25. I have to seriously debate whether I'm going to buy the issue or let it go. Since it's adapting my favorite Apes film, I'll probably end up buying it.

[shaxper]

And what can I say, but I enjoyed Future History Chronicles.... um, actually more than Terror.

I think CromagnonMan was referring to the issues that only contained film adaptations, not the Future History Chronicles.


So did you like Future History Chronicles more from the start, or does that series get better as it goes? It definitely hasn't won me over yet, but I'm keeping an open mind.

[CromagnonMan]

I already acquired all but one of the film-adaptation-only issues in lots, but the sole remaining issue of that kind is #25. I have to seriously debate whether I'm going to buy the issue or let it go. Since it's adapting my favorite Apes film, I'll probably end up buying it.

i may have a spare #25. i can send it you if you like, if youre prpared to wait a while. wont be for a while because its at my parents house.

[shaxper]

i may have a spare #25. i can send it you if you like, if youre prpared to wait a while. wont be for a while because its at my parents house.

You have spare copies of these comics? Wow.

I'm very tempted, but I'm probably going to want to read it sooner rather than later since I'm flying through these issues. I really appreciate the offer, though.

[CromagnonMan]

You have spare copies of these comics? Wow.

I'm very tempted, but I'm probably going to want to read it sooner rather than later since I'm flying through these issues. I really appreciate the offer, though.

no problem. i have some spares as i replaced them with better copies. actually, i cant remember if i replaced #25 or not, so its a good job you didnt take up my offer. id hate to disappoint you.

[benday-dot]

I think CromagnonMan was referring to the issues that only contained film adaptations, not the Future History Chronicles.


So did you like Future History Chronicles more from the start, or does that series get better as it goes? It definitely hasn't won me over yet, but I'm keeping an open mind.

I liked it right from the get-go. I actually have never read the last episode since I don't have a copy of the hard to find issue#29.

I know its not the most coherent thing Moench has ever written, but it has that gonzo shoot for the moon aesthetic that was a characteristic of a certain wilder strain of 70's sci-fi. As I said earlier I very much am a fan of Sutton's dreamy-like vistas matching step by step Moench's mind-bending concepts. It's not exactly what anyone would expect of a PotA series, but I like it all the same.

Are you reading any of the current on-going Planet of the Apes series from Boom! ? The main series as well as the just concluded Betrayal (and I assume the upcoming Exile) mini are quite outstanding.

[shaxper]

I know its not the most coherent thing Moench has ever written, but it has that gonzo shoot for the moon aesthetic that was a characteristic of a certain wilder strain of 70's sci-fi. As I said earlier I very much am a fan of Sutton's dreamy-like vistas matching step by step Moench's mind-bending concepts. It's not exactly what anyone would expect of a PotA series, but I like it all the same.

See, I feel Terror has those qualities too. "Future Chronicles" is slightly more gonzo, but it lacks the rich characterization that "Terror" provides. Terror just feels like a more solid work all around, still stepping daringly outside of the expectations of a Planet of the Apes book, but still putting the characters first and the concepts second.

Still, I do agree that the two installments of "Future Chronicles" I've read contained "mind-bending" concepts, and I enjoyed them for that. I just wish, then, that each story could have been a stand-alone based upon such a concept, rather than attempting to provide an ongoing narrative for uninteresting characters.

Are you reading any of the current on-going Planet of the Apes series from Boom! ? The main series as well as the just concluded Betrayal (and I assume the upcoming Exile) mini are quite outstanding.

I'm approaching the whole thing chronologically, so I do plan to get to them, but not until I've finished the Curtis/Marvel mags and gotten through the Adventure Comics and Mr. Comics runs.

[shaxper]

Planet of the Apes (Curtis/Marvel) #17

Future History Chronicles III: "Graveyard of Lost Cities"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Tom Sutton

grade: B+

Once more, this Future History chapter is based on one central visual concept -- in this case a floating city made up of a variety of tethered city ships, all rotating around a central pivot point. As usual, it's an impressive idea, though I wish we'd had more of an opportunity to explore it's many sides and cultures. My biggest criticism of these "Future History" stories is always that I don't find the characters particularly interesting or well developed. This time around, Moench tries to give a little more attention to the characters that are proving to now be our protagonists -- Alaric, Greymalkyn, Starkor, and Reena, though there still isn't much there. I think the larger problem might be that Moench is trying to force so much into these chapters -- an entire story arc in 22 pages, whereas the first "Terror" story arc took 7 chapters to complete.

Sutton's artwork still alternates between inspired and indecipherable, though I'm now growing to hate how he does human faces (especially Reena's). Also, I may be grasping at straws here, but I think Sutton's got some kind of issue with women, sex, or maybe both. Even putting aside his creation of Vamperella, I find his choice of how to draw Reena fascinating. Moench is clearly trying to show that she is capable and not to be dismissed, yet Sutton depicts her just sitting on a bed in Alaric's quarters while he's away, ready and waiting for sex when he returns. Also, check out Grimstark's tower, especially on page 15 -- it's a giant hairy penis.

So I liked this chapter of "Future History," actually seeing more potential in it than I did in the first two, but it still feels rather limited, even while the central concepts that drive these stories are outrageous and compelling.


Supplemental features:

We finally get the long promised Glossary of the Planet of the Apes by Jim Whitmore. A fun idea in an age before the internet. It's pretty limited, but it's a nice start.

"Slaves," the first chapter of the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes film adaptation by Moench and Alcala. A pretty literal adaptation thus far. I'd hoped Moench would shed some further light on the pet virus and link it to a rise in ape intelligence (as Whitmore did in his Timeline of the Planet of the Apes), but no such leaps are taken here. Aldo does appear as a gorilla instead of a chimp and gets a little more attention though. I can't say I like the faces Alcala gives to Caesar and Lisa. I understand that they were legally prohibited from drawing resemblances to the actors' faces, but I'd hoped at least the apes could maintain a resemblance. Apparently not.

[shaxper]

Planet of the Apes (Curtis/Marvel) #18

Jim Shooter isn't a very likeable person, but that's partially because he's almost always right. Case and point -- the fact that he's going to marginalize Mike Ploog in a few years' time and essentially be the cause of his leaving Marvel and the comic book industry. It was cruel, and it didn't seem like it should happen to an artist as talented as Ploog, but the guy couldn't keep a deadline, even after numerous extensions, and Shooter wouldn't put up with it.

Meanwhile, at this point in the POTA run, Archie Goodwyn is putting up with it. He had Moench create the "Future History" stories with Sutton in order to give Ploog more time to make deadlines, but here we are after one issue of all film adaptations and two issues of "Future History" stories (essentially, Ploog has had three months to catch up) and we're STILL getting another back to back film adaptation issue. This is just inexcusable. I adore Ploog's art but, at this point, I would have shown him the door and asked Alcala to move to the lead feature.

So this issue contains parts 2 and 3 of Moench's adaptation of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and it remains a pretty literal adaptation. Unlike in the first two film adaptations, Moench takes precious few creative liberties here.

The only other feature is the continuation of Jim Whitmore's Glossary of the Planet of the Apes, an ambitious attempt to index every proper noun associated with the Apes franchise (excluding the animated series).

Next issue's installment of "Terror" had better be worth waiting four issues for!

[shaxper]

Planet of the Apes #19

Terror on the Planet of the Apes, Phase Two: "Demons of the Psychedrome"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Mike Ploog

grade: C

There's always that moment in the horse race where you have to accept that the one you had your money on won't be coming in first. That's how I'm suddenly feeling about "Terror on the Planet of the Apes" (the horse my money is riding on) and "Future Chronicles" (the horse that's winning). It sure seems like Ploog's constant delays have led Moench to pour into "Future Chronicles" the serious imagination that once made "Terror" shine with potential, and now he and Ploog are just having fun with the remaining "Terror" chapters.

I'm actually a bit surprised that Moench and Ploog found a way to outdothe silliness of the previous chapter, which involved climbing up Abe Lincoln's nose and throwing grenades out of his eyes This time around, the crew falls in with peaceful mystics who get them high, Jason goes on a bad trip, and flying monkeys attack them (AFTER Jason has sobered up!). One weird story every now and then is fun, but this is all getting a little too goofy for my taste.

I am curious about the underground world of the pscyhedrome with a lake on its ceiling, though very little of it was glimpsed in this issue, and nothing else we saw this time around was particularly compelling.

Beyond what I've already stated, important events in this issue include Brutus and his forces (already including the mutants and their war machines) joining up with the Assimians, Lightsmith getting taken to the pscyhedrome and mentally reprogrammed, and Jason and Alex getting stuck in the underground world of the psychedrome without any possibility of escape.



IMPORTANT DETAILS

- On page 10, Lightsmith verifies what I'd always suspected -- there are numerous "forbidden zones" on the planet, not just one.

- On page 11, Jason contradicts what we learned early on in this story. Now apes are still naturally stronger and faster than humans, and not the reverse.



Minor details:

- How does Brutus know his map is now missing? He left it behind when he fled Ape City and would not have had the opportunity to return. Did he forget it?

- Mutant drones can calculate percentiles? Are they drones or are they robots? And, if Brutus doesn't know what a percentage is and doesn't expect the mutant drone to provide him with one, then why does he ask the mutant drone the chances that Jason is headed in the same direction as them? Why not ask his second in command?

- Dynamite sticks can blow through a high tech blast door entryway into an advanced subterranean civilization when said door survived the atomic apocalypse?

- I could care less about the Jason/Alex/Malaguena love triangle. These are the three least interesting characters in an otherwise profoundly character rich series.

- What's up with the entryway to the Psychedrome on page 18? Why would such an advanced chamber have such a weird way of entering from the ceiling through what looks like cardboard box flaps?


All in all, I'm not sure I like where Moench is taking this series. Here's hoping the next installment is a little more serious and a lot more imaginative than this one was.


Supplemental features:

- Jim Whitmore provides a review of every Planet of the Apes book on the market, including film adaptations and original novels. I can't imagine feeling the need to read these now, with 5 films, two TV series, and a whole mess of Apes comics at my disposal, but I may eventually find this article useful anyway. At the very least, I love Whitmore's enthusiasm. Until he came along, the article contributors felt less than passionate about this subject, but Whitmore is clearly an Apes geek.

- The letters column indicates that there have been technical issues that have delayed the release of the animated series.

- The "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" film adaptation by Moench and Alcala continues with "The Savage is King!" an installment that covers Armando's death up to the moment that Caesar reveals his intellect to McDonald.

[shaxper]

Planet of the Apes #20

Terror on the Planet of the Apes: "Society of the Psychedrome!"
writer: Doug Moench
art: Tom Sutton

grade: A+

Wow. Archie Goodwin and I must be on the same page. Just as I complained, last issue, that Mike Ploog's delays had gone too far and it was time to replace him, Goodwin has done just that, putting Tom Sutton on as the regular artist for "Terror" beginning with this issue.

Beyond the obvious benefit of having an artist who can produce work on schedule, it's also nice to see the comic take on a more serious tone again. Interviews with Moench have suggested that he gave Ploog a lot of control over the direction of the stories, and they were getting almost absurdly silly as of late. This first issue with Sutton is a return to a far more serious, more intense, more imaginative brand of storytelling, and I loved it.

As for Sutton himself, it's interesting to watch him learn as the issue progresses. At first, he seems to have no idea how to draw Jason, Malaguena, Alex, or Gilbert, but his depictions of them become much stronger as the issue progresses, and his artwork gradually becomes more confident and complex as the story moves forward as well. By the climax, he's comfortable with the characters and again drawing his panels with the same level of complexity that we've seen in the Future Chronicles stories. And again, it's brilliant to look at, but also requires tremendous effort to make sense of. I'm always impressed by Sutton's art, but I don't like having to work this hard to make sense of his visuals.

All in all, this was one intense and fun chapter, in which we explore the amazingly complex inner workings of the society of the psychedrome, learn that it's occupied by aliens who arrived shortly before the nuclear holocaust (their ship was damaged and rendered unable to move during the crisis) and seem like they were intent upon making mental slaves of humans, and we watch the stories of Jason and Alex, Lightsmith, Gilbert and Malaguena, and Brutus unfold in parallel and occasionally intersect, all while getting a glimpse of how life is faring in Ape City, with new racial tensions arising and the Lawgiver appearing to have a stroke or heart attack.

GREAT issue, over all. Just wish Sutton would tone down the artwork a tiny bit so that it would be easier to follow!


1st appearance: The Keeper


supplemental features:

Letters page indicates a coming story bridging the gap between Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. YES! In my mind, this is the most exciting chapter of the Apes saga, and yet it has never been depicted.

"SFX on the Planet of the Apes, part 1" article by James Glenn about the use of special effects in the films and TV show.

"Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Part V: Army of Slaves!" by Moench and Alcala. The second to last installment of the Conquest movie adaptation.


Note: I am having great difficulty tracking down affordable copies of POTA #24 and #26, and I'm rapidly approaching those issues in the run. When we get to that point, I will take a break from these reviews and switch over to reviewing the following related comics series until I can track down affordable copies of the missing issues:

- Killraven. This 21 issue comic series is also set in post-apocalyptic America and was adapted by the British POTA magazine series when they were in need of new content. By changing all instances of the word "martians" to "apes," the series became "Apeslayer," another storyline set in the POTA universe. I'll be looking at the original, non-altered storyline.

- Electric Warrior. This 18 issue post apocalyptic series is written by Doug Moench, the author of "Terror," "Kingdom," and "Future Chronicles."

[shaxper]

Before the Beginning
Reviews of the Planet of the Apes films and television series that preceded the comic adaptations.


While the Planet of the Apes comics are written in such a way that viewing the films is not a necessary pre-requisite for following most of the stories, it might help to know what had come before the writing of these stories. And, if you’ve already viewed and remember all of these works, it might be fun to compare your memory of them with mine.


Planet of the Apes (1968)
Director: Franklin J. Scaffner
Writers: Michael Wilson and Rod Serling

Grade: A-

The classic that started it all. In this film, three astronauts are hurled into the future and find themselves on a planet in which Apes are the dominant civilized species and man is persecuted as a mindless pest that destroys crops. Only one astronaut, Taylor (played by Charlton Heston) survives the initial introduction and then spends the film searching for his freedom, aided by chimp scientists Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Zira (Kim Hunter) and persectured by Orangutan governer/Defender of the Faith, Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans).

The Pros: Intelligent, subtle critique of McCarthy era politics and religious theocracy, strong filmmaking, outstanding acting by all apes cast members, a strong mix of humor, legal/political drama, and action, and one heck of a surprise ending (everyone knows what it is these days, but it’s still powerful to watch).

The Cons: Painfully slow start to the film, Charlton Heston comes off as an outdated ham actor, and his character comes off as so unlikable that it’s hard to understand why Cornelius and Zira actually want to help him. His love interest, Nova (Linda Harrison), is played by the then girlfriend to the head of 20th Century Fox, and it shows.

Worth noting: This is the basic template for the entire apes franchise, with a city and chief antagonist who are often resurrected or duplicated in later stories.

Glitches: This film makes it clear that the astronauts undertook their journey with the clear understanding that the time difference caused by lightspeed travel would result in their being thousands of years in the future, never able to return. What, then, was the point of the journey? Who were they going to report back to? Were they planning on returning to a future Earth once their journey was complete?


Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1969)
Director: Ted Post
Writers: Paul Dehn and Mort Abrahams

Grade: D

A sequel that had no idea how to be a sequel. This film spends the first third of its running time attempting to replicate the first film with a new stand-in for Taylor who has similarly journeyed forward in time to find him. It eventually finds new footing with the underground world of the human mutants, but its compulsory need to reinsert the apes as antagonists by the end feels forced. Ultimately, Charlton Heston agreed to come back for only the very beginning and ending of the film, and with the guarantee that he’d get to blow up the entire planet by the close so that no more sequels would be made (oops. Didn't work).

The Pros: The mutant civilization is somewhat fascinating, even though the acting is poor and much of their civilization feels like a rip-off of the pilot episode to Star Trek. I must also add that the odd mockery of organized religion in this film is actually quite fun, if entirely distasteful.

The Cons: Roughly 80% of this film is terrible and comes off like B movie fare. The acting is weak, the writing is weak, and neither Taylor (Charlton Heston), Taylor-stand-in Brent ( James Franciscos), nor Nova (Linda Harrison) are particularly likable/compelling. Plus, the ending in which the world is blown up comes off as completely ridiculous. The strongest characters from the first film, Cornelius and Zira, are thoroughly underused in this one, and Cornelius isn’t even played by Roddy McDowall this time.

Worth noting: Whereas the first “Planet of the Apes” film only showed us one city, this film expands our view of the “planet,” showing us that other civilizations exist outside of the boundaries and knowledge of Ape City, and with different cultures and levels of technology. Essentially, this film more than any other laid the groundwork for what Doug Moench attempts to do in the first POTA comic series, exploring what these other places and cultures on the Planet of the Apes would have been. Also, this is the first film to feature a power-hungry, ape supremacist leader of the gorilla military as a chief antagonist. This archtype will be resurrected in the fifth film (Aldo), the TV series (Urko), the “Terror on the Planet of the Apes” storyline in the first comic book volume (Brutus), and the major storyline in the second comic book volume (Ollo).

Glitches: This is the first film to create the oft perpetuated misunderstanding that Taylor and the other astronauts were somehow lost in space. The first film made it clear that they’d always intended to go on a one way course into the future, only believing that they’d arrived at a different time and location than they were initially aiming for. Based upon Dr. Hasslein’s theories explained by Taylor in the first film, it would be impossible for Brent or anyone else to rescue them and take them back without the aid of a time machine (thus Derek Zane’s rescue attempt in POTA (vol. 1) #9 and #10 is the only rescue attempt that ever made sense).


Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Director: Don Taylor
Writer: Paul Dehn

Grade: C+

As the Apes sequels continued, 20th Century Fox continued to slash the budgets for each ensuing sequel, and that probably drove the premise of this film (set in modern day California) more than anything else. In this film, Cornelius (again played by Roddy McDowall), Zira (Kim Hunter), and Dr. Milo (a new character played by Sal Mineo) narrowly escape the destruction of the planet in the previous film, having repaired Taylor’s spaceship from the first film and taken it for a flight at the time. The explosion somehow shot them back in time, leaving them to spend this film in a full reversal of the first film, with apes now being hunted and persecuted by man on man's turf.

Pros. Kim Hunter and Roddy McDowall are the true stars of this series, always playing lovable, sympathetic protagonists that make you smile and warm your heart at the same time. They’re hardly action heroes, instead feeling like real people, and that makes us root for them even more.

Cons: Fans of the sci-fi aspects of this series aren’t going to find anything all that exciting about a political drama set in 1970s America. Whereas the first film was a fantasy with undertones of political implications, this film lacks both the fantasy (it’s modern day) and the political undertones since the outlandish behavior of the American government against the chimps does not clearly reflect any real moment in American history.

Worth noting: Cornelius provides an explanation for how apes first came to power, with apes being used as servants, and “Aldo” being the first to speak and say “no” to a human. More importantly, whereas the second film was a direct sequel to the first, the remaining films in the POTA series function as sequels to this film. Essentially, the entire franchise is rebooted with this film, and the focus shifts from that of stranded astronauts on a world of apes battling for their freedom, to apes on a world of men battling for their own independent destiny.

Glitches: How in the world did three apes in a pre-industrial society dredge Taylor’s ship from the bay, repair it, and fly it again? Where did they get the fuel? Did they build a launch pad and mission control? And how did they get thrown back in time to the precise age from which Taylor left?


(continued in next post)