Exile on the Planet of the Apes #4



writers: Corrina Bechko & Gabriel Hardman
art: Marc Laming
colors: Darrin Moore
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: C-

Meh. Predictable outcome, poorly paced, adequate writing, and often substandard art and layouts that are alternately anti-dramatic and entirely unclear. This chapter in Bechko and Hardman's saga was certainly a sub par one.

I suppose I should be intrigued by the human child who can talk, or that the humans pass the statue of liberty, but we know we'll never see them again by the time the first Apes film rolls around, so why care? It occurs to me that the follow-up series, Cataclysm, which seems to deal with the world's destruction at the end of the second film, may still attempt to provide a fate for these humans parallel to the main action of the series, but unless they're going to travel back in time with Zira, Cornelius, and Milo and create their own alternate future where humans thrive, their series is a doomed one. That could be an interesting dramatic idea if the writing acknowledged the futility of their quest with the lens of dramatic irony, but it doesn't. Bechko and Hardman are still trying to sell us on the idea that hope remains for these humans, and that's just stupid.

Important Details:

- The humans escape by sea.
- A young non-mute human is found and rescued by Prisca
- Aleron dies. Prisca takes charge of the resistance.

Minor Details:

- Page 4, panel 2. Tern signs "Follow me!" to his fellow humans while holding a gun with both hands. Oops. I don't suppose Bechko and Hardman are trying to subtly hint that these humans are telepathic like their underground mutant brethren.


plot synopsis in one long sentence:

- The human soldiers are captured, Aleron has a heart attack and is dying, he surrenders and then walks over to manually detonate the explosive, causing an avalanche that kills him and drives the apes away, allowing Prisca to free the captured humans, Prisca finds a human baby in the wreckage that can make auditory noises, and the humans find the Statue of Liberty while escaping on rafts along the coast.

Planet of the Apes (Boom!) Annual #1



On a few rare occasions, I've gotten the feeling that the folks behind the Boom! POTA franchise were aware of, and making nods to, the truly awful Adventure Comics volume. This annual marks one such occasion. I had assumed that this issue would be the finale to the Gregory/Magno series since the ending of issue #16 didn't feel like much of an ending, but no. That was it aside from a reasonably strong epilogue/prequel, and the rest of the volume follows the path of the old Adventure Comics annual in providing a variety of short stories featuring different protagonists.

Fortunately, it's better than its predecessor.


"First and Last Days"
writer: Daryl Gregory
art: Carlos Magno
colors: Darrin Moore
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B

This brief story answers a few more questions about the Gregory/Magno series and provides an interesting finale that continues to pose the question of whether the struggle for equality on the Planet of the Apes (and, perhaps, in our time as well) is meaningless. The parallel between their world and ours works in the sense that this story, in which the Lawgiver has Nix escort a young Aleya and Sully to school, clearly parallels Brown vs. the Board of Education, but the parallel really stops there. No black people tried to stone those black kids trying to get into a segregated school, and there's no ironic sense that whites and blacks will resort to being at war again (though equality certainly hasn't been fully achieved in our time).

It makes a somewhat touching, somewhat thought provoking bookmark to the series, but I can't help judging it for what it's not: a proper ending to the 16 part storyline we've been following for all this time. There was no true ending, and some basic questions still remain, such as who Julian's father was or even what Sully's first name is. Is Boom! eventually planning to continue this storyline? It's my understanding that it's over and Gregory wasn't planning to return.

Important details:

Nix was imprisoned for killing Sully's human attacker as she attempted to go to school that first day. His killing a human, and the Lawgiver counting that as the same as ape killing ape, was an important moment in Mak history for cementing human and ape equality.

Plot synopsis: Pretty much that, plus we're given the ironic reminder at the end that Mak would fall in a few short years just as Red Creek had.


"A Boy and His Human"
writer: Corinna Bechko
artist: John Lucas
colors: Studio Parlapa
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: D+

It's interesting seeing Bechko and Hardman take on different stories in this issue. I guess I'm surprised to see just how much Bechko's sucked when compared to Hardman's. This is a simple and not particularly well done story in which an ape boy befriends a young human girl as the humans are being purged from the city. There's no real depth, no true theme beyond "killing humans = not good", and even the writing and characterization are just thoroughly average.

plot synopsis: ape boy finds human girl, ape tries to bring human home, mom tells police, ape and human run, human gets caught, ape decides he's going to go back to try to break her out.


"Old New World"
writer: Jeff Parker
art: Benjamin Dewey
colors: Nolan Woodard
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: A-

This is a great concept that easily could have made for a satisfying mini series, in which two ape officials travel to Port Simian, an ape establishment that is officially not on the map. Gradually, we learn that these apes, having access to a port on the West Coast, are in contact with continents and civilizations that are outside of ape society's insular concept of the world. The real surprise comes when the officials are introduced to imported gorillas who are not evolved, but rather resemble their modern day counterparts. The apes try to reason with their ancestors and are murdered by them.

I'd note the important details, such as the statement that there are no known ape settlements west of Washington (DC?), but this annual is very unclear as to which ape stories take place in which continuities -- a problem exaggerated by the very last panel of the very last story in this volume.

plot synopsis: pretty much covered above.


"The Scroll"
writer and artist: Gabriel Hardman
colors: Matthew Wilson
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B+

The true driving force behind the Bechko/Hardman writing team becomes evident here. "The Scroll" serves as a prologue to their entire saga, set 40 years before Taylor, and therefore 20 years prior to the first issue of Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes, and also 5 years before the Hollow Creek incident in which Aleron ends up owing his life to a human.

In this story, Aleron is a young private who is ordered to go to an old temple to rescue a priest trapped there, but the priest seems to have lost his mind after killing a human and then translating a key scroll of the Lawgiver. While nothing of particular importance happens to Aleron here (beyond his eye randomly being picked out by a raven -- I'm not even sure how to interpret this symbolically), the true key here is in the last panel, in which we see the scroll of the Lawgiver, indicating that:

"Ape and Man shall live together in friendship and share dominance over the world in peace."

This raises a big question: does this mean that Bechko and Hardman's series exists in a different continuity than Gregory's?

If not, then...
1. Aleya must not have gone back and revised the Lawgiver's older scrolls, or Brother Kale and his people later added such lines.
2. The Apes continuity is an endlessly repeating timeline, with the events of the third through fifth films leading to Gregory's series, leading to Bechko and Hardman's series, leading to the first two films, leading back to the third through fifth films, and so on.

If so, then...
1. The events of the third through fifth films generated an alternate timeline that Gregory's series is a part of, while this series remains in the timeline of the first two films.


I assume the latter was intended, though it's still possible to interpret the ending both ways.


plot synopsis: pretty much stated above.

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #1



writers: Corrinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman
art: Damian Couceiro
colors: Darrin Moore
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B-

If Exile on the Planet of the Apes felt too much like the next issue of Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes, then Cataclysm flies hard in the opposite direction; so much so, in fact that it's difficult to find the thread connecting the two series. Sure, Prisca shows up partway through (in a way that is seemingly entirely unimportant to the plot at this point), but what happened to all those humans who were seeking their destiny in the pages of the previous volumes? What happened to Aleron's dream for human independence? Were they the humans that got nuked off panel by chunks of the moon in this issue, or are Bechko and Hardman still planning to go somewhere with them?

No chronological reference is offered for this issue but, considering both that we have a young Cornelius still trying to complete his thesis and seemingly lacking the wisdom he gained from the first Apes film, as well as the facts that Betrayal took place 20 years prior to the first film, Exile took place 10 years prior, and the little Aleron prequel story in the POTA annual took place 40 years prior, I'm guessing Bechko and Hardman are going to be mathematically consistent and will make this series occur 5 years prior to the first Apes film. Amazing how all the big events on the Planet of the Apes occur in intervals of mathematical multiples from each other!

As for the story, itself, while it's full of action, there's a lot I don't like about it:

1. Zaius as a family man with a wife on the council and a pregnant daughter. Whenever you are adding to an already established lore, you can carefully adhere to what was originally there, make your own unique additions that are faithful to what was originally there, or just mess with it for your own gratification. I feel they've chosen the latter here. Though it was never explicitly stated that Zaius lived alone, he's characterized in the apes film as a cold, detached, cranky, and aloof leader who is very old, very set in his ways, and full of dark secrets he guards -- hardly the kind of character that would have a family. And it certainly wasn't implied in the films that any of the members of the council were his wife. Perhaps she died in this issue or will soon after?

2. A religious zealot committing an act of terrorism to serve his own agenda. Once again, this series feels like too much of a replay of the main POTA series.

3. The random explanation for what happened to the Earth. It seems like it's provided just for the sake of providing an explanation, but (unless they're planning on going somewhere with this), it feels random. Even Charles Marshall's explanation from the God-forsaken Adventure Comics volume was better considered than this appears to be.


Important Details:

- CONTINUITY CONUNDRUM: If the Alpha Omega bomb is launched prior to the events of the first film (and Cornelius still working on his thesis definitely seems to imply as much, as well as the fact that he's seeking help from someone at the human clinic other than Zira), then it doesn't align with the events of the second Apes film. Perhaps Bechko and Hardman meant to suggest this storyline is then in the timeline of the final three original Apes films (suggesting that Caesar's alterations to the timeline still result in a similar future, and even the ultimate arrive of a Taylor), but the location of the AO bomb, with all the consoles around it in a modern day looking launch site, doesn't resemble where it was in the fifth Apes film either.

I suppose it's possible that there are two Alpha Omega bombs, but I find that unlikely. Perhaps this series is within the timeline of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the Taylor that keeps getting referenced will be a somewhat different one? Maybe Bechkno and Hardman are building towards the next film in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes series, which will feature a new Taylor? Of course, the general throwback look of apes in this series, as well as the presence of Cornelius (who does not travel back in time to father Caesar in this continuity) would seem to suggest otherwise. What in heck is going on here???

- Though probably an unintended coincidence, Ty Templeton's unfinished Revolution on the Planet of the Apes series included a prophecy in issue #4 that apes would destroy the moon.

- The Chinese are responsible for the nuclear destruction of the Earth. ("Putonghua" is a Chinese dialect), launching missiles from a moon base for some unexplained reason.

- The American government attempts to launch the Alpha Omega bomb in response, but an EM pulse prevents them from doing so.

- A young Cornelius, attempting to complete his thesis, is present in this issue.

- Zaius has a wife on the council and a pregnant daughter

- Prisca is still around and has now established the Anti-Vivisection Society, both a real world organization and (I believe) a group briefly mentioned in the first film.

- The Alpha Omega Bomb gets launched at the moon and destroys it.


Minor Details:

- The segregation of chimps is still pronounced in this issue, contradicting what Zaius promised to end at the conclusion of Betrayal, and emphasizing something that was only marginally hinted at in the first film. I think they're overplaying this.

- Dang. I've never seen someone get a movie ape face as accurate as Couciero gets Cornelius'.

- Okay, this is probably a way off guess, but I wonder if the title of this series wasn't chosen because "Cataclysm" sounds a lot like "Catechism," and we've got a religious figure causing the destruction. Again, probably a way off guess.


Plot synopsis in one long sentence:

The Chinese nuke the Earth from a moon base, the Alpha Omega bomb fails to be fired in retaliation due to an EM pulse, we fast forward to (presumably)5 years prior to Taylor, an Ape priest breaks into the launch chamber of the Alpha Omega bomb and fires it at the moon, Cornelius goes to Prisca at the Anti-Vivisection Society to find out why he can't get his hands on a dead human for his thesis, Zaius has a wife and pregnant daughter, the AO bomb nukes the moon, fallout begins hitting the planet, many die, and Zaius' daughter begins to give birth.

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #2



writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
art: Damian Couceiro
colors: Darrin Moore
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B-

I’ve been trying to keep up with these reviews. Really I have, but the problem is that I truly do not enjoy these Boom! stories. What I’ve said all along about the Daryl Gregory stories still applies to the Bechko and Hardman stories. The art is good, the concepts are decent, and the writing is adequate, but the characterization and focus are lacking.

Nine issues in to the Bechko/Hardman continuity, I’m still not sure what the series is about or building to, who the main characters are, nor who to latch onto. The only likeable character we were given any true reason to care about in the previous series was General Aleron, and yet he’s dead now. Prisca has inherited his mission, but her approach is far more subdued and has since apparently diminished to the point that she’s just harboring a bunch of humans in an attic with no apparent passion nor plan to do anything further. No particular tragedy is attached to this fact, and she’s hardly the focus of the series.

So why am I reading this?

Fortunately, all those lacking qualities aside, this was a pretty decent story. Bechko and Hardman capture the sense of panic in the face of a crisis rather well, from the indecisiveness of government officials to the feeling of those trapped in an area where the waters are suddenly rising throughout their homes without warning (certainly a topical issue in the wake of Katrina and Hurricane Sandy). All that was missing was characterization and a purpose in portraying all this. What, if anything, is this series building to, and why should I care?

Additionally, though Couceiro draws some excellent ape faces close-up (no one draws Cornelius like he does), I found his apes difficult to decipher in most other panels. Cornelius, Prisca, and Cassia were indistinguishable at first glance in many shots, and Val and her mother could only be told apart by Val's pregnant belly in most panels.

Really, this issue doesn't do anything more than this beyond giving Zaius yet another opportunity to rise in power and influence, yet the culmination of Exile on the Planet of the Apes had already implied that he'd taken control of the council (which, apparently, did not happen after all, even with his lengthy address to Ape City at the conclusion of that series). I certainly wasn't hungry to see more of Zaius' rise to power, and yet that's what we're getting here, almost as if Bechko and Hardman were backing up for fear that there'd be no further story to tell otherwise. All the plans for social reform that Zaius promised in Exile have yet to take shape, and he still has to struggle to pull rank in this issue. It feels like an abrupt reversal.


minor detail:

- I'm assuming apes Cassia and Val are named after Cassie and Val, the protagonists of Freelancers, a new Boom! title receiving a lengthy write-up at the back of this very issue. Otherwise, that's quite a coincidence.

- It is now 8 years prior to the first film (not 5, as I surmised in the previous review). This means only two years have passed since Exile.


plot synopsis in one sentence:

Ape City is burning in the wake of the previous issue, Zaius is the only member of the council accounted for and assumes new authority to take control of the panicked military, Val and her mother wind up in Prisca's attic, terrified of the humans living there, while the waters of the river rise and threaten to drown them.

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #4



writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
art: Damian Couceiro
colors: Darrin Moore
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B-


Both the best and worst issue of the series yet, and it all comes down to the revelation about who fired the Omega Bomb at the moon, and why.

I call it the best because the action and dramatic tension are thoroughly enjoyable as Zaius goes so far to learn the truth as to fire a bullet through the chest of his suspect, proclaiming "Ape does not kill ape. Therefore, you are not an ape." And I was also enticed by the final suggestion that the ape in question is a human mutant in disguise, and that others of his order may have similarly infiltrated Ape society.

I call it the worst because they took the easiest way possible out of solving the mysteries put forth in the first issue. So there really ARE two Omega bombs, meaning we are in the continuity of the first film series despite the (I believe intentionally) misleading nature of the Omega Bomb's presence in the first issue, and firing the bomb at the moon has nothing to do with humans firing from the moon to create the initial great disaster (as shown in the first issue) other than the fact that (presumably) it was already targeted to fire back at those coordinates when the US govt. lost the ability to fire it in the flashback in the first issue. Nothing to it beyond that; no elaborate mystery to unravel beyond an unfocused desire for anarchy and destruction.

And I have to ask what the purpose was in killing off Val only one issue after she was miraculously saved by drowning in the most unrealistic of timing coincidences last issue. Was it just so her child could be born?

It feels like a cliche move, and what is Val's child going to amount to anyway? What memorable Orangutans were in the original three movies other than Zaius? This kid can't grow up to be Virgil because that time period has already passed.

So where does this storyline have left to go? Obviously, the mutants are not going to launch the real Omega Bomb because it's still there in the second film, and obviously no one is going to make peace with the humans because we've all seen the first film. It seems like, with half the series left, we're now on story clean-up duty, finding a way to stop the group that is shooting apes and humans, and looking for a way to make that interesting with no unsolved mysteries nor conflicts (internal nor external) to address otherwise.

This issue showed Bechko and Hardman's entire hand a little too early, and there wasn't all that much there.


Minor Details:

- If Couceiro could draw all of his apes faces as distinctly as Cornelius', maybe I would have realized that I was supposed to know which Orangutan got attacked in the flashback at the beginning of the previous issue. That might have been helpful.
- Lucius is shown for the first time
- Cornelius meets Zira for the first time, though it's far from a memorable or even well characterized moment.


plot synopsis in one sentence:

Val's child is born, Val's mom leads a bunch of apes on an escape journey on a flimsy raft, Zaius confronts the priest who launched the bomb (though, for the life of me, I still have no idea what "Brother Corvin"'s role was in Ape City if Zaius is the Defender of the Faith), it turns out that Corvin has mind control powers, Val's mom is severely injured when a bunch of humans try to climb aboard the raft and, being rebuffed, one impales her with an oar, Zaius shoots Corvin and learns that he's really a mutant human, that there may be more of them infiltrating the apes, and that this was not the Omega Bomb that they worship under the city, we learn that Val died during childbirth but her child is fine, and we cut to the mutants under the city, chanting and watching the Omega Bomb.

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #6



writers: Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
art: Damian Couceiro
inks: Mariano Taibo
colors: Darrin Moore
letters: Ed Dukeshire
editor: Dafna Pleban

grade: B-


A little more progress this issue. We now have some definite conflicts around which to center the story progression, and some characterization is beginning to surface (largely for Dr, Milo), though I don't see anything about Cornelius or Zira (POTA's hands-down most compelling characters) that I find distinct nor familiar yet. And then there's still the problem that all this is moot. We know where things will be left by the time of the first film, and we know the entire world gets blown up by the end of the second film, so why bother? Without rich internal conflict, all the exterior drama going on is meaningless in this context.

Can this series help me to understand who Zira, Cornelius, or Zaius was to a better extent, thus enhancing my understanding and enjoyment of the first film? I doubt it.

And everything goes "boom" (no pun intended) in eight more years.

So, if Bechko and Hardman aren't going to hit me in the heart strings, this is going to be a pretty worthless read unless the writing or plotting somehow becomes far more brilliant than it has been.


Minor detail:

- Zaius is now the de-facto leader of the council. Who else is still on the council, anyway? It just seems to be Zaius making decisions by himself now.


plot synopsis:

Milo and Cornelius grow suspicious of the village at Painted Rocks while Vitus tries to make a deal for food as quickly as possible so that he can get back to his newborn, Prisca takes in Zira and Lucius, Milo and Cornelius, concerned about mutations in the food supply, sneak to the cave that serves as the water source for the town, Milo determines that the monster guarding it is an illusion and suspects more mutants are responsible, they follow the water to its source and discover an entire band of mutants there.