Beware The Planet Of The Apes #4 - Marvel Comics

BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES No. 4, June 2024

Whilst Marc Guggenheim has publicly stated that “this [mini] series was a pleasure from start to finish”, it’s probably a bit doubtful that all that many of the title’s readers took much delight out of the American author’s twenty-page long storyline themselves. For despite depicting a somewhat action-packed clash between the newly conceived Hominidae Empire and its neighbouring human mutant colony, Hope’s Point, Issue Four of “Beware The Planet Of The Apes” relies upon far too many manufactured moments to arguably prove even slightly convincing a comic.

In fact, whether it be Cornelius miraculously finding an entire army of never-before-seen Gibbon slave workers, and convincing them to join in the fray so as to unsurprisingly turn the tide of battle against the antagonistic Gorillas. Or Ivana, mentally taking control of the entire population of great apes in order to calmly walk the mighty civilization straight into captivity, the book’s narrative debatably lurches almost unashamedly from one contrivance directly into another; “But then the guards left to join the battle.”

However, perhaps this publication’s most disappointing scene comes towards its end in the desperate conflict’s aftermath, when the television producer realises that all the knowledge acquired by Doctor Zira and her chimpanzee fiancé will make a complete mockery of Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 movie, if the pair, along with nephew Lucius, don’t conveniently have their memories of their adventures in the Forbidden Zone completely wiped. To be perfectly honest, ever since it was established that the human’s leader was capable of such a feat it was clear just such a ploy would be played. Yet even here Guggenheim appears incapable of leaving the original film entirely alone by first claiming that his mind-manipulating character is behind the veterinarian’s willingness to later help astronaut Colonel Taylor, and that Doctor Zaius actually witnesses the Icarus entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

Similarly as unconvincing as this periodical’s plot is sadly Alvaro Lopez’s layouts. The Vitoria-Gasteiz born artist is a proficient enough penciller. But so many of his panels lack any sort of background whatsoever, which makes many a sketched figure, especially the Hominidae Empire gorillas, appear rather awkward-looking and unrealistic. Having said that though, the Spanish illustrator does quite wonderfully capture the essence of late great actor Roddy McDowall when he draws Cornelius rallying the aforementioned Gibbons to his cause.

The regular cover art of "BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES" #4 by Taurin Clarke

Beware The Planet Of The Apes #3 - Marvel Comics

BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES No. 3, May 2024

Desperately trying to depict the shock of Cornelius and Zira discovering they are no longer “alone in this world [as] the only sentient creatures left”, Marc Guggenheim’s penmanship for Issue Three of “Beware The Planet Of The Apes” disappointingly falls frustratingly flat on account of the Long Island-born novelist employing a number of contrivances to keep his story moving. Indeed, the entire twenty-page periodical’s central plot appears to incorporate so many manufactured moments, not least of which is Nova mentally wandering down the Yellow Brick Road of Oz, that many a bibliophile will be scratching their heads in wonderment as to just how this prequel's final instalment will neatly tie in with astronaut George Taylor’s imminent arrival.

One such unsatisfactory set-up is surely Zira’s ability to convince the leader of Hope’s Point that the Hominidae Empire will launch an attack against the mutant human settlement at some point in the future - so their best course of action is to actually attack the gorilla-only civilisation first. This sedentary, dialogue-driven discussion is soon unsurprisingly revealed to have simply been a blatant lie by the chimpanzee psychologist so as to bring much-needed aid to her imprisoned nephew. However, considering that Mistress Ivana can and does read the veterinarian’s mind, it seems rather unbelievable that she didn’t sense the ruse; “I think you’ll say anything to save Lucius.”

Even more bizarrely based though has to be the American author’s belief that his readers will accept a single person can mentally prevent an entire metropolis from seeing a large(ish) mounted army riding straight into the centre of their settlement. Lyla’s mind power is clearly potent. But considering the woman is later shown to be unable to shield just Cornelius from a beating before being butchered herself, it’s difficult to imagine how she is able to control so many minds – unless perhaps Guggenheim considers her to implausibly wield psionic abilities similar to that of the X-Men’s Jean Grey..?

Perhaps this publication’s most significant shortcoming though, can be seen in Ivana’s highly dubious plan of attack. Despite the plot clearly suggesting she has a sizeable force at her back, humanity is still clearly heavily outnumbered by the well-armoured gorilla soldiers. So just why the mind-reader believes chopping down a few apes with axes will defeat them debatably makes little to no sense; especially when the side-scheme to free Lucius consists of her just sending his unarmed relatives frantically searching the huge hostile community for him.

The regular cover art of "BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES" #3 by Taurin Clarke

Beware The Planet Of The Apes #2 - Marvel Comics

BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES No. 2, April 2024

Introducing both a new mutant human settlement which inhabits “the ruins of the old Yankee Stadium”, as well as an enormous gorilla-only civilisation in the Forbidden Zone, Marc Guggenheim’s narrative for Issue Two of “Beware The Planet Of The Apes” probably perplexed those readers who were eagerly anticipating the American author returning them to the science-fiction franchise’s earliest days. True, these “never-before-seen dangers” definitely provide the twenty-page periodical with plenty of mystery. But arguably many a bibliophile will still wonder just why scientists Cornelius and Zira, or even “their human guide Nova”, never mention such evident threats when they later encounter astronaut George Taylor in Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 original movie.

Indeed, whilst the Long Island-born television producer at least attempts to tie Mistress Ivana’s gun-toting tribe of telepathic survivors in with Mendez XXVI’s silver screen worshippers of the Alpha-Omega Bomb, plenty within this comic’s audience will probably still feel that the writer’s storyline contains some frustratingly self-indulgent elements of fan fiction; “With our mutation comes certain… psychic abilities. Mine are more attuned than others. Sometimes, with the right stimulus… I can see ahead of things.”

Perhaps the biggest of these inconsistencies lies with Cornelius actually being shot by the facially-disfigured Kennard because the trigger-happy sharpshooter thought “the ape was charging”. This injury immediately fells the hapless chimpanzee archaeologist, and leads to Zira witnessing another human carry out surgery on her beloved’s wounded shoulder – knowledge which the veterinarian would surely carry with her when it later comes to Doctor Galen operating on Taylor later at the Animal Hospital. Furthermore, the sheer size of the Hominidae Empire apparently dwarves that of Ape City, so just how is its formidable presence kept from the likes of Doctor Zaius and the Ministry of Science in the near future..?

Just as bemusing as this publication’s penmanship though are debatably the book’s layouts, which feature a mish-mash of “excerpts from Adventures On The Planet Of The Apes” sketched by the late Alfredo Alcala, and panels drawn by modern-day artist Alvaro Lopez. Perhaps understandably, the two illustrators’ styles contrast with one another quite dramatically. However, due to the dialogue-heavy nature of the script a lot of the current contributor’s side-on illustrations arguably appear rather flat-looking and one-dimensional, especially when compared to the various ‘camera angles’ employed approximately fifty years ago.

The regular cover art of "BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES" #2 by Taurin Clarke

Beware The Planet Of The Apes #1 - Marvel Comics

BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES No. 1, March 2024

Whilst attempting to take “readers back to the ground-breaking original film saga” certainly appears to have been a dream job for writer Marc Guggenheim, who has “been entertained and intrigued by Planet of the Apes ever since I got a Mego Doctor Zaius doll as a birthday present”, it does arguably cause this four-part mini-series’ opening instalment to be rather dialogue driven. Indeed, apart from a brief flurry of activity at its very start when General Ursus launches a raid against Nova’s tribe, the thirty-page periodical doesn’t contain much in the way of adrenalin-fuelled action.

Happily however, that matters not a jot, as the Television Producer pens both a fascinating insight into the lives of Cornelius and Zira in the East Coast Ape City just before astronaut George Taylor’s spaceship catastrophically crash-lands in the Forbidden Zone, as well as an intriguing mystery concerning the disappearance of their young nephew Lucius. These ‘hooks’ do a nice job of allowing the audience to ‘bump into’ the likes of Doctor Zaius and the aforementioned ape military commander, in addition to exploring the surrounding countryside for archaeological artefacts – such as a Twentieth Century underground sanitation outflow system.

In fact, debatably one of the highlights of this publication is how the American author introduces various remnants of our current civilisation into novelist Pierre Boulle’s post-apocalyptic world. Much of this groundwork is probably established with a stunning double-splash map of the Earth as the science-fiction franchise’s fans know it. Yet this story soon begins to add to it as well, courtesy of New York City’s (luckily) empty drainage tunnels and a glimpse at the derelict, Bronx-based Yankee Stadium.

Equally as enticing though is the inclusion of Doug Moench, George Tuska, and Alfredo Alcala’s original artwork on the Seventies “Marvel Comics” title “Adventures On The Planet Of The Apes”. These classic layouts do admittedly jar somewhat in style with the much more detailed panels of artists Alvaro Lopez and Alex Guimaraes. But the ‘flashbacks into the future’ also help pull any perusing bibliophile right back to the source of Guggenheim’s latest escapade, and serve as a welcome reminder as to just what lies around the corner for all this comic’s considerable cast members; “Yeah,,, Me Tarzan, you Jane.”

The regular cover art of "BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES" #1 by Taurin Clarke

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #5 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 5, October 2023

Those readers who stuck around for Issue Five of “Planet Of The Apes” in August 2023 were probably rather perplexed by the comic’s disappointingly palpable, apathetic atmosphere as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention mission to save mankind supposedly hits another “speed bump”. Indeed, it’s hard to recollect a title where the writer’s narrative arguably smacks so much of them just wanting their story to be finished, and resultantly penning some stunningly underwhelming set-pieces simply to make it happen; “I’d hoped… I’d hoped we were better than them.”

For openers, the desperate struggle for American democracy and the imminent fall of Washington DC., which saw Sergeant Tobon bring her apes halfway across the world from the International Simian Research Centre in Ghana, actually consists of just a dozen or so poorly-equipped terrorists who quickly retreat in the face of a swarm of simians running amok across Duke Ellington Bridge. This highly-anticipated battle is genuinely over before it’s even started, and any suggestion of a nation-wide struggle for survival is quickly scythed down by David F. Walker’s unsatisfactory focus upon a single nearby street being held by four ill-armed combatants.

Of course, the American author does try to imbue some sense of danger and urgency in his (significantly shortened) fifteen-page piece, by having the United Nations Peacekeeper suddenly marry park ranger Omatete, for fear that they might not ever be together again. However, considering that the pair debatably have never before displayed such an inclination, this supposedly emotionally moment sadly smacks of being an ill-thought-out, empty contrivance to just keep the tale going for a few more painful panels.

Unforgivably though, even Juliana’s swift decision to walk out on the victorious United States military and somehow conclude her own adventures by safely trekking all the way to Atlanta without incident, doesn’t come across quite as abruptly as Walker’s conclusion to this publication’s secondary yarn “Pug’s Tale”. The “award-winning comic book writer” doesn’t even bother with a title or explanatory paragraph for this chronicle, and disconcertingly just states that the French gorilla somehow crossed the English Channel into Dorset at the head of a huge Ape army, and defeated all the Exercitus Viri camped there – who were inexplicably holding the land’s inhabitants and children captive for some nefarious purpose..!?!

Writer: David F. Walker, and Artists: Dave Wachter & Andy MacDonald

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #4 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 4, September 2023

Entirely set upon a besieged ocean liner “one hundred miles east of New York”, it is hard to imagine just how a writer could better stir up an almost overwhelming sense of injustice within their audience as David F. Walker does with his narrative for Issue Four of “Planet Of The Apes”. For whilst Exercitus Viri’s merciless armed assault upon Juliana Tobon’s precious passenger ship doesn’t succeed in its mission to wipe-out the world’s last sizable population of apes in captivity. The terrorist’s attack does still cause the sea vessel to be “strewn with blood and death”.

To be honest though, this palpable hostility in any reader towards the irrational anti-simian group is generated well before this comic’s disconcertingly high kill count is even hinted at, and arguably starts with the book’s opening panel as the gas-mask wearing, holier-than-thou pirate leader arrogantly declares that “the human race is depending on us” just as his soldiers’ raid begins. Indeed, the conceit of these fanatics as they mercilessly gun down unarmed chimpanzees is genuinely distressing, and doubtless caused many a bibliophile to involuntarily cheer once the monkeys begin successfully fighting back against the smaller boats surrounding their transportation.

Equally as inspiring as the “award-winning” author’s penmanship however, are Dave Wachter’s layouts, which add a tremendous amount of dynamic and emotional energy to the chaotic scenes breaking out around the ambushed U.N. Peacekeeping force. At one point it shockingly appears to be all over for Tobon, and the illustrator takes this moment to pencil some serious determination upon the faces of the enraged primates as they realise that it is now or never if their species are to survive another day; “No one was giving orders, Everything the apes did – every action they took – they did on their own.”  

Far less pulse-pounding, but just as enthralling, is this publication’s secondary story “The Smartest Gorilla In The World”, in which Walker depicts a now talking Pug realising his band of simians in France need to visit the country’s surviving zoos and animal preserves to protect their inhabitants. Well-drawn by Andy MacDonald, this five-page tale is somewhat sensitively told by having a human prisoner suddenly realise that the Exercitus Viri’s propaganda is wrong and that his captors are neither animals nor savage.

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES" #4 by Joshua Cassara & Dean White

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #3 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 3, August 2023

Considering that almost the entirety of David F. Walker’s script for Issue Three of “Planet Of The Apes” is arguably designed to simply set up this ongoing series’ next edition, there's surprisingly still plenty of plot to keep the comic’s audience hooked throughout its fifteen pages. In fact, it’s debatably difficult not to come away from this periodical without some sympathy for the leader of Exercitus Viri, considering just how traumatic the tragic death of his entire family hits him, despite the anti-simian terrorist subsequently launching a mass attack against an ocean liner packed full of hapless apes, chimpanzees, and orangutans.

Quite possibly this book’s best moment though lies in Juliana Tobon’s short-lived defence of some monkeys in Florida during 2015, in which the U.N. Peacekeeping soldier guns down a handful of misguided “pendejos” who attempt to cold-bloodedly murder her furry friends. This flashback sequence not only provides the publication with some much needed, adrenalin-fuelled fighting. But also demonstrates that the ofttimes politely spoken woman is definitely not to be trifled with when it comes to her mission to ship “the world’s last sizable population of apes in captivity across the world”.

Competently pencilling the Ringo Award-winning author’s script is Dave Wachter, whose panels during the aforementioned gun-battle really help sell the notion of a straightforward, stand-up firefight between two bitterly opposed military forces. Sadly however, the “American artist best known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” doesn’t debatably deliver quite so well when it comes to the more sedentary scenes, especially those set a hundred miles east of New York, with many a simian and human figure appearing strangely square-headed.

Curiously, the same can’t really be said for the illustrator’s work on this comic’s secondary tale, “The Smartest Gorilla In The World”, which focuses upon a group of surviving apes searching through the house of a long dead couple in Calais, France. Despite some quite word-heavy narration by Walker at the start of this story, the vast majority of Pug’s experience with a child’s electronic word game is visually told, and Wachter does an excellent job of showing how the titular character shockingly begins to vocally form words using the handheld toy as a speech prompt.

Writer: David F. Walker, Artist: Dave Wachter, and Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #2 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 2, July 2023

Oddly containing two separate storylines which both tackle the Army of Man’s “misguided attempt to end the spread of the ALZ-113 retrovirus” by storming Switzerland and killing all of the world’s apes, the pacing of this comic probably caused a fair few bibliophiles to scratch their heads in frustration. Indeed, considering that the book’s fourteen-page central tale predominantly consists of nothing more than Doctor Sembene having an argument with the Secretary General of the United Nations over the telephone, it seems somewhat illogical for editor Sarah Brunstad to then allow this publication’s sole source of pulse-pounding action to be exclusively bottled up until its very end with the tiny tale “The Smartest Gorilla In The World”.

True, David F. Walker’s ponderous depiction of a surprisingly idyllic life in Western Malaysia in 2013 and the harsh military training of chimpanzees living at the International Simian Research Centre in Ghana three years later, certainly paints an intriguing insight into the contrasting lifestyles on an Earth where Humanity is slipping “ever closer to the brink of extinction”. But this entire narrative is so sedentary in its delivery that those readers who manage to wade through its increasingly wearisome, word-heavy dialogue will surely wonder why the uninspiring physician’s diatribe about the decline of mankind wasn't intermixed with artist Dave Wachter’s prodigiously pencilled depiction of Pug’s brutal battle against the Exercitus Viri at the periodical’s conclusion.

Just as disconcerting though, is just why Sembene is so bitterly opposed to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) in America taking some of his facility’s specimens in the first place, or what the United Nations actually plan to do with the monkeys when they’ve got them. It’s made crystal clear from the tone of the conversation that both the Doctor and his political superior have very strong polar opposite opinions regarding the decision. However, as the relevance of the “direct order” is never put into context, apart from the Secretary explaining that Ghana now holds “the only sizable population of Great Apes still in captivity”, it will be debatably difficult for any within this comic’s audience to ascertain just who is potentially making the “inexcusable” mistake.

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES" #2 by Joshua Cassara & Dean White

Planet Of The Apes [2023] #1 - Marvel Comics

PLANET OF THE APES No. 1, June 2023

For those long enough in the tooth to be hoping “Marvel’s highly anticipated new Planet Of The Apes comic series” was going to return readers back to the days when the New York City-based publisher was printing books centred upon Franklin J. Schaffner’s “iconic” 1968 science fiction film, this thirty-page periodical is probably going to prove something of a major disappointment. Yet for those within the audience who are much more familiar with the franchise since its modern-day reboot just over a decade ago, David F. Walker’s narrative for “Devolution” should prove much more palatable.

In fact, the vast majority of the Eisner-winning writer’s script is dedicated to reminding the reader as to the silver screen exploits of the primates following the Golden Gate Ape Uprising in 2016 and the deadly effect upon Humanity by the ALZ-113 virus. These flashbacks are certainly well-penned, and nicely intermingled with the World Health Organisation’s desperate attempt to maintain a thriving simian population, as well as combat the military machinations of the Exercitus Viri – an “army of men” who appear to seek salvation in the total extermination of monkeykind and any “misguided souls who have chosen beasts over their fellow humans.”

However, the author’s insistence on persistently placing so many multiple plot-threads in disconnected time zones all over the planet arguably makes navigating them in any semblance of understandable order rather frustrating. True, this zig-zagging technique through history certainly provides the publication with a suitably chaotic atmosphere as different people are depicted attempting to do either right or wrong by the apes in San Francisco, Florida, Switzerland and even across the Atlantic Ocean. But by the time the spotlight refocuses upon peacekeeper Juliana Tobon, only the most strong-minded bibliophile won't have flipped back to a previous point in the story so as to reorientate themselves.

Similarly as spotty as Schaffner’s script is debatably Dave Wachter’s layouts, which seemingly veer from awe-inspiring double splashes featuring hordes of angry primates savagely battering those people foolish enough to confront them, to some quite stiff-looking facial profiles. Indeed, the “Aliens: Aftermath” artist’s style appears far more suited to pencilling soldiers blazing away with their firearms or simians bounding about an International Research Centre in Ghana, than it does drawing anything somewhat sedentary in nature.

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES" #1 by Joshua Cassara & Dean White

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #6 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 6, June 2018

Reading more like an official comic book adaption of Ted Post’s 1970 American science fiction film “Beneath The Planet Of The Apes” than an innovative exploration of the untold story behind arguably the franchise’s most memorable ‘supporting character in POTA lore’, this final instalment to David F. Walker’s six-issue mini-series probably provided its 3,645 fans with a surprisingly poignant ending to the gorilla general’s life which, despite all the acting qualities of James Gregory, was never made clear on the ‘Silver Screen’.

Indeed, as the Simian soldiers invade the mutant humans’ partially ruined subterranean city and Méndez XXVI is subsequently shot before “the instrument of my God”, those within this publication’s audience who were already familiar with the (second) film’s plot were probably just waiting for the military leader to be slain by Brent so the twenty-two page periodical could end. However, rather than simply fall to the wayside dead as in the motion picture, the titular character instead momentarily considers the “kind of life” he perhaps could have lived had his beloved wife, Qama, not died in labour, or at least experienced if he hadn’t allowed Kananaios to fill his heart with hate.

This emotional, remarkably sentimental scene genuinely depicts a regretful side to the military commander which is movingly penned by this comic’s writer, and arguably makes Issue Six of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” worth its cover price alone. In fact, the narrative to this edition is so hauntingly melancholy, and yet strikingly self-contained, that it probably would have worked better if simply published as a stand-a-lone one shot, rather than the dramatic ending to a disappointing extended storyline which in no way depicts the gorilla learning “the truth of the talking human that fell from the sky” as “Boom! Studios” advertised in its pre-print marketing.

Similarly as underwhelming as the publisher's impotent boast is Walker’s decision to ‘kill off’ the then Chief Constable of Terminus’ wife (and baby) as a result of a difficult childbirth. It is clear how such a domestic tragedy could cause Ursus to lose all faith in both the teachings of his ‘father’ and the Lawgiver. But how this loss helps fuel the Ape City leader’s passionate loathing for humanity and strong belief that “the only thing that counts in the end is power. Naked, merciless force” is another matter entirely…

Written by: David F. Walker, Illustrated by: Lalit Kumar Sharma, and Colored by: Jason Wordie

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #5 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 5, May 2018

Focusing far more upon its titular character’s younger years and his brutal battle against a barbaric horde of humans upon the very steps of the Lincoln Memorial, than it does the gorilla General’s ‘current’ exploits within Ape City, David F. Walker’s storyline for Issue Five of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” probably proved something of a choppy experience for its 3,732 readers. For whilst the filmmaker’s intermittent flashback sequences located on the partially destroyed National Mall in Washington are undeniably permeated with an invigorating sense of energy and action, the author’s much more sedentary scenes concerning Doctor Diersa, the increasingly troubled military commander and the “rambling incoherent nonsense” of a shattered Sergeant Moench, are debatably disappointingly lack-lustre and lifeless; “He has answered enough. Please doctor… Give him some relief from the pain.”

Mercifully for this mini-series’ long-suffering audience however, almost three-quarters of this twenty-two page periodical remains firmly fixed in the Simian official’s far more fascinating past and genuinely tells an intriguing tale as to just why perhaps this publication’s writer was “endlessly fascinated and horrified by General Ursus” when “I was a little kid”. Indeed, the gorilla’s incomprehensible dark dread as to why any of his fellow apes “would build a shrine to a human” is only surpassed during the hairless savages’ subsequent brutal assault and the bloody death of Kananaios, who falls beneath the sword of a gore-caked semi-naked African-American.

True, Walker does provide the ‘modern day’ warmonger with an alarming instant of anger when the infuriated ape is disconcertingly pencilled by illustrator Lalit Kumar Sharma taking out all his mounting frustrations with the Simian High Council, the Minister of Science and his soldier friend’s splintered mind, upon the stuffed corpse of Dodge in the Museum of Natural History. But this fleeting moment of violence pales in comparison with the ferocious, close combat witnessed by Qama as a number of her travelling companions are cold-bloodedly dispatched by “the Plague of Man” using spear or sword, and Doctor Zauis ably demonstrates both his physical strength of arms and his determined will to ensure “the truth is whatever we make it -- Whatever we need it to be.”

Written by: David F. Walker, Illustrated by: Lalit Kumar Sharma, and Colored by: Jason Wordie

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #4 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 4, April 2018

The three hundred and third best-selling title in April 2019, at least according to “Diamond Comic Distributors”, David F. Walker’s narrative for Issue Four of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” must surely have disenchanted many of its 3,774 fans with his peculiar plot involving the psychically powered human mutants living beneath the remains of New York City seemingly permitting a petrified Sergeant Moench to escape his captivity having first been driven half-insane with mental pain. Indeed, the “brave gorillas” exploration of the utterly destitute Big Apple appears to have been manufactured by this book’s writer solely to provide East Coast Ape City’s general with irrefutable proof that the destroyed metropolis is inhabited by ‘telepathic beasts’, who can simply immobilise a unit of Ursus’ finest soldiers from a distance just by thinking about it.

This bizarre narrative, which runs alongside a somewhat bloody flashback sequence depicting how truly powerful a fighter Kananaios’ son was in his youth following the town of Terminus falling “into the hands of the Humans”, arguably makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, especially when it’s clear from the dwellers living within St. Patrick's Cathedral, that they believe Moench will probably both inform his fellow apes about their ‘civilisation’ and resultantly return “with more of its kind.” Just why the mutants therefore permit their prisoner to flee from their control is utterly nonsensical and genuinely would appear to simply have been lazily engineered in order to provide Ursus with some semblance of rationale so as to “destroy the enemy with or without the approval of the Simian High Council.” 

Disappointingly, the military commander’s behaviour towards his fellow primates would also suggest that something is badly amiss with Walker’s penmanship of the titular character. There is undoubtedly an increasing darkness found within the young, yet-to-be General’s demeanour towards humans during his disconcerting discovery that “the unsimian evil of these beasts” has caused the destruction of several ape settlements. But such hostility towards mankind later suddenly sees Ursus angrily slap Zaius before their city’s Chancellor in a disrespectful move which many upon the High Council will see as a treasonous attack upon the good doctor, rather than a loyal soldier’s earnest determination to desperately do what he thinks best for his settlement; “Stop wasting time and endangering ape lives! Give the order. Let me do what must be done to protect Ape City.”

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS" No. 4 by Paolo Rivera & Joe Rivera

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #3 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 3, March 2018

Supposedly featuring a gorilla general who is “feeling betrayed by Zaius [for] taking control over the investigation” into a suspected tribe of talking humans, at least according to the pre-publication publicity of publisher “Boom! Studios”, David F. Walker’s storyline for Issue Three of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” arguably promised its audience a great deal upon its release with both the comic’s exciting inclusion of actor Charlton Heston’s 1968 motion picture character, Taylor, as well as its enthralling depiction of Sergeant Moench’s exploration of the Forbidden Zone. But despite the agitated apes’ discovery of New York City’s shattered remains, and nervous passage to the entrance of its Queensboro Plaza subway station, the vast majority of this twenty two page periodical’s plot instead disappointingly focuses upon Ursus desperately trying to drink away his problems with “too much berry wine” and some incredibly long-winded, flashback scenes…

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine many of this book’s dwindling 3,987 readers were impressed with its American author staggeringly squandering a quarter of this magazine’s length depicting Ape City’s befuddled military commander drunkenly getting out of bed and the resentful cell guard Julius simply making his way to Doctor Zaius’ office, rather than further fleshing out Moench’s impressive ability to overcome his fear of the strange phenomenon he witnesses whilst traversing humanity’s radiation-disfigured land. Certainly, it is arguably difficult to understand just why this comic’s creative team wastes three pages portraying a decidedly grim Ursus sat talking to a vacant-eyed, lobotomised Landon only to straight afterwards cram into a single splash panel Kananaios’ son savagely defeating a party of mean-spirited men; “In his youth, Ursus secretly wished humans could talk because if they could talk, they would tremble in fear whenever they spoke his name.”

Mercifully, Chris Mooneyham’s dynamic drawings of Moench leading his “group of frightened female orangutans” through the fiery illusions of the Forbidden Zone does at least imbue this poorly paced comic with a modicum of entertainment. Yet as much as it is enjoyable watching the artist’s well-pencilled gorilla soldiers carefully pick their way through the Big Apple’s deserted streets, especially when it’s clear their progress is being monitored by the destroyed city’s mutated inhabitants, it is difficult not to wish that Ursus was “ten years younger” and leading the expedition himself.

Written by: David F. Walker, Illustrated by: Chris Mooneyham, and Colored by: Jason Wordie

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #2 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 2, February 2018

Considering that this limited series so closely courts the events of Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 American science fiction film, David F. Walker’s narrative for Issue Two of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” must surely have made its 4,453 readers in February 2018 feel that he had missed a major opportunity with which to significantly expand upon Robert Gunner’s ‘Silver Screen’ alter-ego John Landon. For whilst this twenty-two page periodical based upon “the franchise’s most notorious villain” undoubtedly provides a savagely brutal explanation as to why the troubled astronaut’s frontal lobes were removed from his brain by the chimpanzee Doctor Galen, it disappointingly does so within mere moments of the terrified talking human being discovered by Zaius and the orangutan’s former friend; “You call this an interrogation? You’ve fractured its skull.”

Admittedly, the timing to this publication’s plot is somewhat tight, as “the most powerful gorilla in Ape City” has to arrange for Sergeant Moench to assemble and deploy a loyal hunting party to the Forbidden Zone before the Chief Defender of the Faith rather cynically covers up Taylor’s writing in the dirt just outside the voiceless captive’s external exercise pen. Yet even so, it seems a shame that the six-foot-four, 200-pound ‘Liberty 1’ explorer wasn’t given something more ‘meaty’ to do than simply whimper in his cage that “the oxygen levels in my hypersleep chamber are off balance” and plead to “see my wife -- my family” before being beaten half to death by an enraged Ursus.

Mercifully however, the “award-winning journalist” does seem to find the time to depict the titular character’s first meeting with his beloved wife, Qama, when she was a servant of Zaius’ mentor, Doctor Cephina. This tender flashback scene, set against the backdrop of a violent human attack upon an easily overrun Ape City, not only provides the military commander with an opportunity to demonstrate his courageous bravery when he was a young primate, but also continues to reveal just why he “has always hated and feared mankind.”

Easily this comic’s greatest asset though, are Chris Mooneyham’s excellent illustrations. The Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Art graduate really does imbue “the primary antagonist of Beneath the Planet of the Apes” with a formidable presence and it is genuinely a major anti-climax when a disillusioned Ursus is pencilled riding away from his hand-picked “most trusted gorillas” rather than sketched leading them into the Forbidden Zone in search of “a new breed of human [who] has migrated to our land…”

The regular cover art of "PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS" No. 2 by Paolo Rivera & Joe Rivera

Planet Of The Apes: Ursus #1 - BOOM! Studios

PLANET OF THE APES: URSUS No. 1, January 2018

Excitedly announced by both “BOOM! Studios” and “Twentieth Century Consumer Products” in October 2017, David F. Walker’s somewhat sedentary and dialogue-heavy script for Issue One of “Planet Of The Apes: Ursus” probably still provided plenty of entertainment to its 5,788 readers upon the mini-series initial release courtesy of the “award-winning journalist” closely mirroring the opening twenty minutes of Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 American science fiction film. Indeed, the publication’s first four pages so closely follow the motion picture’s plot and dialogue that many within the book’s audience perhaps momentarily feared that they had mistakenly picked up an official comic adaption of the Charlton Heston flick, rather than a title which promised to “follow the rise through the ranks of the ape who has hated (and feared) mankind the most, including what first brought him to the Forbidden Zone.”

Of course, once astronauts Taylor, Landon and Dodge have either been captured, injured or killed, this twenty-two page periodical firmly focuses its attention upon gorilla General Ursus, and immediately starts showing a side to the titular character never before touched upon on the ‘Silver Screen’. Sentimental towards two photographs of his apparently dead wife Qama, and angrily agitated that his “morning will be spent among politicians… The enemy of every true soldier”, these scenes show Walker’s genuine desire to explore ‘what actually makes the villain tick’ rather than simply present the army’s veteran leader as a stereotypical warmonger solely interested “in his own dreams of conquest, glory and power.”

Indeed, Ursus’ subsequent discovery of Dodge’s corpse initiates a truly troubling flashback scene set within an ape coliseum called Terminus “many years ago”, where humans are trained to slaughter one another in brutal unarmed combat simply for the amusement of their Simian onlookers. Gorily graphic as its subject matter is disturbingly distasteful, this memory shows an adolescent Ursus hauntingly looking into the eyes of a grim-faced imprisoned black slave, who perhaps understandably, has nothing but hatred for Kananaios’ shocked son; “I have seen humans like this before. These dark-skinned beasts, they are the most vicious -- The most cunning.”   

Admittedly, so much ponderously slow background development to the General could so easily have turned this comic’s storyline into a dreadfully dire experience which contains little action despite its aforementioned reimaging of “The Hunt.” But whilst this particular instalment certainly does contain plenty of pedestrian-paced talk, particularly when Ursus confronts Zaius in the orangutan’s office, it is fortunately all wonderfully illustrated by Chris Mooneyham, whose pencilling imbues a good deal of emotion to his figure’s furry faces which definitely isn’t generated by this book’s penmanship.

Written by: David F. Walker, Illustrated by: Chris Mooneyham, and Colored by: Jason Wordie