BotTalk Reviews

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 ...

The all-new PREQUEL to the original simian sci-fi classic from 1968 is almost over. Zira spies on the Hominidae empire, a city of gorilla soldiers. Cornelius (now with a completely healed shoulder) spots our favourite hippie chimpanzee Lucius. Zira wants to go to this new city to save her nephew, Nova doesn't want her to go.  Back to Hope's Point (the ruins of Yankee Stadium). Mutant leader Ivana tells Zira that they have been at peace with the Hominidae empire FOR GENERATIONS. Zira thinks that the Gorillas could be planning an invasion of her city (Ape City). Zira selfishly suggests to the mutants that they should attack the Hominidae empire first, before they too are raided. Sniper Kennard and Lyla like the idea of invading the empire. Clairvoyant Ivana reaches again telepathically into Nova's mind, this time using "The Wizard of Oz" as a template. Ivana mentions once more Mendez, the mutant leader living beneath the radioactive ruins of New York City from Benea...

The all-new PREQUEL to the original simian sci-fi classic from 1968 continues. We start with more than 3 pages of badly reprinted and horribly coloured vintage pages by Doug Moench, Alfredo Alcala and George Roussos. Clairvoyant mutant Ivana wakes up from this Alcala dream, which is the future of Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). Ivana and Lyla telepathically feel that sniper Kennard is about to kill our heroes. Ivana stops him and recognizes Nova from her dream. Cornelius approaches 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) and gets shot in the shoulder. Ivana puts Zira to sleep. The mutants bring our three heroes to their colony, Hope's Point. Ivana and Nova converse telepathically. We get even more vintage art by the late, great, Filipino artist Alfredo Alcala. Ivana asks about Mendez, the mutant leader living beneath the radioactive rui...

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 ...

Don't look for this Marvel Masterworks that is masquerading as an Omnibus. You may not like what you find. But, all joking aside, if you are a fan of extremely lurid colours in your comics you'll be in bronze age ape heaven. The direct market edition with the Gil Kane cover has Dr. Zaius on its spine while the standard edition with the new E.M. Gist cover has a Dr. Zira spine. Pick your spine doctor wisely for your bookshelf. The scripts, not the actual movies, of Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) are expertly adapted by Doug Moench, George Tuska and Alfredo Alcala. This means that both adaptions feature many altered, extra and cut scenes not seen on screen. Note that you will find absolutely no physical likenesses to actors. Charlton Heston (1923-2008), Robert Gunner (1931-2001), Jeff Burton (1924-1988), James Franciscus (1934-1991), Victor Buono (1938-1982) and Linda Harrison are completely unrecognizable. The Omnibus collects the complete el...

aka La Planète des Singes: La fin des Hommes Collecting Planet of The Apes (2023) #1-5. Planet Of The Apes #5 finishes with the following epitaph: "This is the end for now..." And I say: Good! A repetitive, repetitive, nasty, boring comic book that went nowhere finally comes to its merciful end. The disappointing Planet Of The Apes comic from The House of Ideas featured 2 tales: a much too coordinated Militia murdering apes AND the story of a Gorilla soldier leading his guerrilla comrades. What I did NOT like: NO James Franco! NO Dr. Zaius! Disrespecting the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France. A pandemic thriller with no thrills that fixates on fanaticism and hate. Mainstream heavy metal bands referenced too many times. The frequent time hopping. Trained soldiers unaware that apes can communicate via sign language. Incompetent people in power. Executions without due process of law. A multitude of simians with toilet seats around their necks. No letters page! ...