BotTalk Reviews

The Gorilla soldiers of General Ursus sniff out the cloaked Predator (an alien Yautja warrior) and shoot at it. The injured Predator kills even more soldiers and disappears. Ursus decides to team up with Arch (the American National Space Administration astronaut) to find George Taylor. Arch gives one of her fuel cells to Ursus. Cornelius and Zira discover the Predator out like a light and patch him up. Ursus and Arch reach the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France, Planet of the Apes (the original novel) was written by a French author). Mutant controlled Gorilla soldiers (a platoon previously sent by Ursus into the Forbidden Zone (the ruins of New York City)) attack Ursus and Arch! Cornelius, Zira and their new Predator compadre arrive to save Ursus and Arch from the crazed soldiers.  What I did like: Dr. Zaius appears on one page! Fantastic covers by Stonehouse, Christopher Campana/Cam Smith/Rachelle Rosenberg, Dave Wachter and Mike Henderson/Nolan Woodard! What I did not like: St...

A special forces team and an American National Space Administration astronaut (Arch) are shadowing John Christopher Brent (James Franciscus)'s spaceship (the rescue mission from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)). Fired upon by a Yautja ship, the spaceship of Arch and the soldiers crash-lands on the Planet of the Apes. Searching for George Taylor (Charlton Heston)'s ship (The Icarus/Liberty 1), Cornelius and Zira encounter the two soldiers that survived their ship's emergency landing. The soldiers threaten the chimpanzee couple, a wounded Predator (an alien Yautja warrior) slays the soldiers. Freshly ejected from her spaceship, astronaut Arch encounters primitive, mute humans, she overhears General Ursus proclaiming that "The only good human is a dead human!", that Taylor has ventured into the Forbidden Zone (the ruins of New York City) and that they should follow and invade the Zone. Gorilla soldiers mounted on horseback assail the wild humans and Arch, the w...

Marvel Preview Presents: Merlin the Magician, a saga of epic beauty by John Buscema (Conan the Barbarian, Mephisto vs., Weirdworld: Warriors of the Shadow Realm...), Doug Moench (Batman, Weirdworld: The Dragonmaster of Klarn, Master of Kung Fu, Planet of the Apes...), Tom Palmer (The Avengers, Tomb Of Dracula, Star Wars...) and John Tartaglione (The Life of Pope John Paul II). Arturus Rex (King Arthur) Pendragon of Camelot finds a seriously wounded Knight. Arthur tells his traitorous nephew Mordred to notify the castle. King Arthur asks for Merlin's help to heal the youthful Knight (Beliar (not Belial))... who is too handsome to die. Merlin the Sorcerer is suspicious, Beliar is just too good-looking to be good.  Beliar (son of Asmodiar (not Asmodeus), a baron of the "Nether"lands) tells his tall tale: Beliar kills his brother (Asmodiar's eldest son) by mistake. To atone for his blunder, Beliar tries to right wrongs across the land as a Knight-Errant. Beliar kills an e...

With parts from The Icarus/Liberty 1 spacecraft, Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) has concocted an intricate Power Glove that can transfer cosmic energy. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Ben Grimm (The Thing) regain their powers from Cornelius, Dr. Zira and Dr. Zaius respectively. Puppet President Ursus has quelled the farmer uprising/rebellion, he invites the farmers to join him on his new crusade... the eradication of the human threat. The Red Ghost (Russian scientist Ivan Kragoff) orders his Super-Apes Peotor (orangutan) and Igor (baboon) to kill Cornelius, Dr. Zira and Dr. Zaius; the Super-Apes (Miklho, Peotor and Igor) who have become pro-ape (thanks to Dr. Zaius) refuse to obey Kragoff. Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) regains his powers by using the Power Glove on Ursus. Doctor Doom explains to Dr. Zaius that Kragoff used a Neural disruptor on President Gaius (supreme leader of Ape City). Doom wants Zaius to kill President Gaius, Zaius smashes a b...

aka Alien, Predator & Planet of the Apes CGD 2026 #1 (Comics Giveaway Day 2026). Strange visitors have arrived on the Planet of the Apes. Astronaut Arch overhears General Ursus proclaiming that "The only good human is a dead human!". Arch encounters wild humans, three soldier apes attack. Two of the apes start gunning down the men, a combistick/telescoping spear kills the third ape who was longing to lacerate a woman and her child, one of the other two apes starts shooting at the Predator, the Yautja slaughters the soldiers with his wristblades. What I did like: A sweet cover by Davide Paratore featuring Dr. Zaius! We get to see the statue of the Lawgiver. Arch says the famous George Taylor line: "It's A Mad House." from Planet of the Apes (1968). What I did not like: The ANSA (American National Space Administration) uniform of Arch is incorrect, the flag of the United States should be on her left shoulder. The Predator does not use his plasmacaster shoulder...

Doctor Doom wants General Ursus to be the new ruler of the Planet of the Apes. Doom gifts Ursus with a suit of armor. Zaius loses his cool, he fights with Cornelius and Dr. Zira. Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Cornelius, Zira and Zaius fish George Taylor's submerged spacecraft (The Icarus/Liberty 1) out of the water. Two Super-Apes (Peotor (orangutan) and Igor (baboon)) attack our heroes! Zaius calms and befriends the Super-Apes.  Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) deduces that they are on Earth... in the future. Ape City. Soldier Apes begin to shoot at the wrathful farmers who have seized the city. President Gaius (supreme leader of Ape City) decides not to flee from the angry mob. Ursus incinerates the guards of Gaius. The Red Ghost (Russian scientist Ivan Kragoff, the brain behind the farmer uprising/rebellion) knocks out Gaius. The reign of puppet President Ursus has commenced. What I did like: A letters page (Parcels of the Apes)! Marvellous covers by Greg Land/Rachelle Rosenb...

President Gaius (supreme leader of Ape City) sends Cornelius and Dr. Zira to jail. The Red Ghost (Russian scientist Ivan Kragoff) entices unappreciated farmers to attack Ape City. Dr. Zaius and General Ursus break Dr. Zira, Cornelius and The Fantastic Four out of prison. They decide to locate George Taylor (who grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana)'s sunken spaceship (The Icarus/Liberty 1).  Ben Grimm mentions Rabbi Lowenthal and quotes 1 Samuel 16:7 (But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.).  Johnny Storm enters Taylor's ship and stumbles upon the mummified corpse of Lieutenant Maryann Stewart.  The hot-headed General Ursus decides to go back (on his own) to Ape City, to defend it from the wrathful farmers. Assisted by Miklho the gorilla Super-Ape, Doctor Doom intercepts General Ursus...

The year is 26 CE. Tektons (craftsmen/builders), including a young Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth and three of his siblings (Joses/Joseph, Jude and Simon (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55)), have been hired to rebuild the city of Sepphoris (inspired by Matthew 5:14) by Herod Antipas (the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea under the Roman Empire during the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1)). During the day, Jesus is suffering from headaches caused by divine visions (John 5:20) of the past (we glimpse the destruction of Sepphoris by Publius Quinctilius Varus). Pontius Pilate, the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea mentions Caiaphas (Jesus will be sent before the high priest after his arrest (Matthew 26:57; Mark 14:53; John 11:49; John 18:14)) who was appointed by Valerius Gratus (the prefect who preceded Pilate). Jesus has a nightmare, he sees SIX (Revelation 13:18; The sixth commandment is "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13)) serpents within the clouds of heaven.  Jesus ventures in...

Uatu the Watcher is our narrator for this crossover event. Baxter Building, New York City. Assisted by his Super-Apes (Miklho (gorilla), Peotor (orangutan) and Igor (baboon)) the Red Ghost (Russian scientist Ivan Kragoff) makes use of Reed Richards' Di-Quantum Stabilizer to strip The Fantastic Four of their superpowers AND to banish them to another dimension... The Planet of the Apes! Ape City. Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Ben Grimm (The Thing) and Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) are about to be convicted for their crime of heresy against apekind... when somehow Cornelius, Dr. Zira, General Ursus and Dr. Zaius get exposed to cosmic rays! Cornelius can now stretch his body, Zira can make herself invisible, Ursus can produce flames and Zaius' flesh turns to stone. Back on Earth in the European country of Latveria. Seeking an alliance, Kragoff pays Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom, the nemesis of The Fantastic Four) a visit. What I did like: First ...

A seinen manga by Osamu Tezuka (Translation: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements) Spoilers! Spoilers!  EPISODE 1: The Woman in the Box (Count Alucard/Dracula entrusts his mysterious niece, I.L/Aiel (pronounced "I’ll"), a vampire and actress who can change her physical appearance by slipping into her coffin, to a dispirited film director, Daisaku/Masterpiece Imari.) EPISODE 2: Moths (Can I.L cure Shihoko's husband from his freaky moth obsession?) EPISODE 3: The Messenger (I.L helps a cancer stricken woman find contentment one final time. Hyotantsugi (Gourdski) appears.) EPISODE 4: President Flareluno/Fralerno’s Treasure (Just before his execution, I.L will make Micronesia's former president believe that his Japanese wife Mayako never betrayed him. We get a The Reptile (1966) homage. Cornell Woolrich gets mentioned. Masami Fukushima, Shoji Otomo, Sakyo Komatsu, Hiroshi Manabe, Junnosuke Kishida, Taro Okamoto and Shigeru Mizuki appear.) EPISODE 5: The Monster in Broc...

The all-new PREQUEL to the original simian sci-fi classic from 1968 is finally over. Cornelius frees the Gibbon slaves from their gigantic prison. Our favourite hippie chimpanzee Lucius saves his aunt Zira from being trampled by horses. The Hominidae empire is actually planning an invasion of Ape City. Nova kills Sergeant Audhild. Mutant leader Ivana makes Colonel Jarl see insects, he runs away.  The Gibbons do not want to fight the Gorillas, Cornelius tries to motivate them with a stirring "Caesar" speech. Surrounded by Gorillas, Sniper Kennard wants to retreat, Ivana says no. Nova wants to fight some more. Cornelius attacks with his Gibbon allies. Ivana avenges Lyla. Cornelius runs away with Lucius and Zira. The Gibbons win the day, Ivana wants Colonel Jarl to order his troops to surrender, he refuses. Ivana takes control of Jarl and the Colonel orders his soldiers to stand down. Ivana sends the gorillas to the gigantic Gibbon prison.   Back at Hope's Point (the ruins ...