New Planet of the Apes Comic Book
 

For you fellow POTA fans out there, here is a little heads up. An independent comic publisher called Mr. Comics has the rights to publish stories based on the original five films. I have discovered it with issue #2 and I am now scouring all the comic shops in my area to find #1. Titled "Revolution on the Planet of The Apes," it tells the story of what Caesar does after "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes." Basically, The six issue mini series fills in the gaps between "Conquest" and "Battle." Unlike the Tim Burton movie, (forever known as POTAINO) it is very faithful to Arthur P. Jacob's ape legacy. With the release later this year of the Mega Ape DVD set, and the current efforts of Mr. Comics, It looks like 2006 will be a great year for Ape fans.

This would be the second such comics series set in the universe of the original films? I remember one about ten years back that started its storyline a couple centuries after the events of "Battle."

I still wish there was a way of seeing a series that totally disregarded all of the sequels and picked things up after the first movie but that can never be.

The series that came out in the early 90s (I think it was published by NOW comics) was an extention of the Apes movies. However, it did not have any characters or direct situations from the movies. Frankly, I was disappointed. When they got to the point where they were doing cross overs with Alien Nation, I crossed them off my list. The Mr. Comics version is, so far, very faithful to the source material. Basically, it is picking up where "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" left off. The artwork reflects the ape make-up designes of John Chambers. As I read Caesar's dialog, I can hear Roddy McDowel's voice. This is the real deal. I hope this series is successful and that it will be around for many years to come.

As for your wish, Eric, what would you have in mind? How would you have continued the series if Beneath, Escape, Conquest and Battle were never made?

Leaving aside my own Galactica crossover story of course ( :) ), I would have really put the focus on Taylor and Nova exploring further what else lies on the destroyed Earth, where there was always the possibility of finding things even more diverse as a civilization of apes, who after all only comprised a tiny portion of the Earth all told. So I guess for me, what was always interesting from a dramatic standpoint was not so much further adventures of the apes, but exploring more the development of Taylor as he sees what else there is now that he finds himself home again.

I see your point of view. "Beneath" did introduce the mutant telepaths. In that movie we also learn Taylor and Nova's final fate. While I think the original Planet of the Apes was the best of the series, the other installments have their charms and virtures. I think they did a decent job storywise considering they painted themselves into a corner a few times. I am a continutiy freak. I think this comes from growing up watching POTA movies. When I first realized that the movies had a timeline and was pretty internally consistant, I was hooked. While the later movies were a little threadbare in the production values, they are enjoyable as parts of the greater POTA tapestry. The new comics are welcomed by me because they add to the saga as a whole.