Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1 Review

Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1

Writer: Robbie Thompson and Justin Jordan
Artist: Barnaby Bagenda
Publisher: BOOM! Studios

A review by Adrian Hodgkiss

A new crossover event from BOOM! and DC has arrived in the form of Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1. The crossover will comprise of a limited run of six editions. In this addition we are introduced to both universes separately. We meet Cornelius from the original Planet of the Apes movie as he is still trying to find his friend Taylor who has disappeared. During his search he stumbles across an ancient ring, the likes of which has never been seen in his universe.

The other side of the crossover coin is Hal Jordan and other familiar Green Lantern corps members such as Guy Gardner and Kilowog. Different lanterns across the spectrum seem to be disappearing and Hal and his colleagues want to investigate a strange phenomena. They are forbidden from doing so by the guardians. When Hal decides to defy the orders, a run in with arch nemesis Sinestro leaves Hal stranded on a strange world. This particular sequence has a fun nod to the Planet of the Apes franchise which I won’t spoil!

Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1 is well paced and does a good job of making both universes accessible. I dare say there are a fair few people who are fans of both universes but you wouldn’t need to be to enjoy this book. The story skips from one plot line to another with veritable ease and the mysteries and action on both sides of the story are genuinely interesting and engaging. By the end of Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1 the two casts of characters still haven’t met and so I was definitely left wishing for more.

The art here is very well executed, it can’t be easy to jump from drawing ape men to drawing space battles but Barnaby Bagenda pulls it off nicely. The colors, in particular for the Green Lantern pages really do pop. The vivid battles between different colored ring bearers and their constructs are particularly nice. Likewise, the landscapes and world building on the Planet of the Apes are excellent.

The Verdict
Wait and see. Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern #1 is only the first in a limited run of six. So far the crossover has not begun in earnest and so it’s hard to gauge whether this combination will really work. There is definitely some fun to be had here and I have a lot of hope that this book will really take off in the next few editions. All the pieces are there to make this a great book, I just really hope that they fit together by the end!