Beware the Planet of the Apes is a pretty ominous title, one that brings to mind a terrifying future, armed gorillas on horseback, and that haunting 
image of the Statue of Liberty, buried on a beach as Charlton Heston bangs his fists in despair. Set in that same distant future, this miniseries reintroduces us to friendly chimps Cornelius and Zira, despotic gorilla General Ursus, and supreme-dickwad orangutan Dr. Zaius.
The story takes place some time before the events of the original Planet of the Apes film and focuses on Cornelius and Zira’s attempts to locate the latter’s missing nephew Lucius. An extended prologue reveals that the young chimp has run afoul of some mysterious threat. Thankfully the older chimps manage to locate one of the last people to see him alive: a mute human female who will one day be known as Nova. The three embark on a journey that takes them to the outskirts of the Forbidden Zone where an unknown enemy awaits.
Writer Marc Guggenheim’s experience writing for tv and film absolutely works to his advantage when crafting Beware the Planet of the Apes. His script is heavy on dialogue and light on action but he manages to keep the story moving at a steady pace. Even though most readers are probably familiar with the mythos and its cast, the quieter moments do an excellent job of building character or tension, or both, depending on the tone of the scene. Guggenheim’s dialogue is strong and he has no trouble finding the voice of the characters, whether it be the passionate Zira’s or comparatively timid Cornelius.
Joining Guggenheim is Alvaro Lopez on art and he absolutely kills it. It may have been easier to go with stylistic, anthropomorphic designs but Lopez takes on the challenge of depicting the characters as they appeared on-film. They’re not photo-realistic by any means (thankfully) but the “monkey make-up effects” look utterly fantastic. Not only that but Lopez is able to show expression and emotion without compromising their appearance, which is no small feat when half your cast are man-size chimpanzees. Colorist Alex Guimaraes washes the book in soft tones that give every panel that classic cinematic quality. This book is downright beautiful.
Even though established canon tells us everyone will be fine (for a while at least), the dangers our characters face still provide a great deal of suspense and intrigue, right up to that nail-biter of a cliffhanger. Likewise, the racial tension between the various ape species is on full-display and while it’s hard not to cringe when a favorite character expresses their prejudice against another, it’s oddly refreshing to see the heroes cast in shades of gray. However, there are a few strange narrative choices. The opening scene is essentially a reprint of Marvel’s older Apes series that was based on the film, retelling the events that lead to fateful meeting between time-displaced astronauts and horse-riding gorillas. While this is both fun and effective in establishing setting, the same device is used again twice, with both panels feeling totally out of place. Were the scene in question a flashback, it would make sense but here, it’s just jarring.
Beware the Planet of the Apes
4.99
Credits
- Writer: Marc Guggenheim
- Artist: Alvaro Lopez
- Colorist: Alex Guimaraes
- Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Designer: Jay Bowen
Credits (cont)
- Editor: Sarah Brunstad
- Publisher: Marvel Comics
