Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1
Written by Ryan Ferrier
Art by Carlos Mango
Colors by Alex Guimaraes
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Mike Huddleston
Published by Boom! Studios
A review by Stacy Dooks
Apes in comics, I love them so! Also, fun crossover concepts. So putting the two together is the proverbial chocolate and peanut butter as far as your humble reviewer is concerned. Boom studios has done a pretty impressive job with their previous Kong offering, so when I heard they were going to cross over the 8th Wonder of the World with the Planet of the Apes, I was stoked beyond measure. I waited patiently until Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1 was in my hands and devoured it in one sitting. Did it ascend to the heights of the Empire State Building or should it be cast out into the Forbidden Zone?
The series begins almost literally after the events of the first Planet of the Apes film (check out my review of which here, plug plug), with Dr. Zaius leading a cadre of ape soldiers to destroy the most evident contradiction to ape doctrine in existence: the ruin of the Statue of Liberty. Their efforts are interupted by the discovery of something else, something huge. An ape of gigantic proportions dead along the coastline. A female, and after releasing Cornelius, Zira, and Milo from their house arrest and pressing them into service an expedition is mounted to determine just what this gigantic beast is and where it comes from. Which leads, of course, to the shores of Skull Island. . .and to its King.
This book feels of a piece with the original Planet of the Apes, which is the highest praise I can give it. In the wake of Taylor’s upheaval of ape society Zaius and the council are scrambling for any means of restoring order and crushing dissent, and the sudden appearance of a giant ape that was never mentioned in the Lawgiver’s scrolls doesn’t help matters at all. We also get to see more of the Planet of the Apes as the expedition travels from North America to Africa, then on to Skull Island. The art by Mango is top-notch and the writing by Ferrier is deft enough that I could easily hear the actors from the film reciting the dialogue.
The Verdict:
Buy It! Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1 is a fun crossover between two of my favorite properties. If you’ve often thought that post apocalyptic dystopian futures could use more giant apes, this title is very much for you. Recommended.
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