Is this a banana daiquiri recipe book? No, it's a comic book.
Is this a Planet of the Aches adaptation? Be serious, No.
Is this an adaptation of Pierre Boulle's screenplay La Planète des Hommes by Dana Gould? Sadly, No.
An all-new PREQUEL to the original simian sci-fi classic from 1968? Yes.
Far from Ape City, we find our favourite hippie chimpanzee Lucius connecting with nature next to a giant tree. He saves Nova from a Gorilla patrol helmed by the helmeted General Ursus (Played excellently by James Gregory in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)).
Suddenly, a giant someone looms over Lucius.
The next day, Lucius's aunt Zira is worried about her nephew's disappearance.
Her fiancé Cornelius goes looking for Lucius, but finds Nova instead.
Nova "tells him" that Lucius was taken into the Forbidden Zone aka The radioactive ruins of New York City.
A vexed and remorseful Dr. Zaius forbids Cornelius from venturing into the Zone... because it's Forbidden.
As we all know, Dr. Z, Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith, is fully aware that humans were once the dominant species on Earth.
Zira decides to go anyway. Cornelius follows his betrothed. They find beneath the giant tree a hole that leads into the sanitary sewers of New York City.
Nova attacks Cornelius. Zira offers her a banana. Nova agrees to take them both to Lucius.
They arrive at the ruins of the Yankee Stadium, last seen in 1975 in the UK exclusive ApeSlayer comic (a redrawn Killraven comic: Amazing Adventures #21 in Marvel UK's Planet of the Apes #30).
We spot some concealed snipers... that are about to kill all 3 of our heroes.
What I did like:
Art and colouring are both really good.
Can't wait to visit "Hope's point" and "The Hominidae Empire".
Can't wait to revisit the Statue of Liberty and the Queensboro Plaza station!
Fantastic variant covers by Leinil Francis Yu + Romulo Fajardo Jr., Ben Harvey and Skottie Young.
What I did not like:
If you read the Pierre Boulle novel and/or watched the 1968 film it is clear that Zira and Cornelius never encountered Nova prior to meeting Taylor.
Zira is not jealous at all that Nova is really into Cornelius.
We get weird callbacks to the old Planet of the Apes film adaption by Doug Moench and George Tuska from Adventures on the Planet of the Apes. But this is a PREQUEL. Weird choice. I don't get it.
We get excerpts from Adventures on the Planet of the Apes instead of getting multiple NEW PAGES OF ART from Alvaro Lopez. Shame on you, Marvel!
Dr. Zira loathes bananas. She wouldn't be carrying around a fruit she dislikes.
I wanted to see the statue of the Lawgiver.
Needed more Minister Sabian, cigar-chomping Julius, Ursus and Zaius. A lot more.
No blue suit or Mego white-brown outfit for Dr. Zaius. Lame.
No smart aleck giant brains in jars aka The Inheritors or Mutant Drones. Very disappointing.
You'll find NO Charlton Heston, NO Jeff Burton, NO Robert Gunner and maybe some Linda Harrison inside this comic. Disney is too cash-strapped to pay for likenesses? Sure, sure.
No Lou Wagner interview! Shame on you, Disney!
No intro by uberfan Eddie Murphy from Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Season 11, Episode 1!
No variant cover by Benjamin Marra.
Many pages where nothing really happens. Boring.
No letters page! Editors: Lindsey Cohick and Sarah Brunstad can't be bothered.
Only a four issue mini-series? Pathetic. The previous hate-filled Planet of the Apes mini-series which deserved zero issues got five issues.
I give it a 5/10. Beware indeed. Lots of turn-offs in just one little comic! Fans of savage women with hirsute axillae, but with perfectly plucked legs will be in paradise. LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK has actor likenesses, I support LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK!
