Pick of the Week

December 7, 2011 – Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #2

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

135
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.6
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 1.4%
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Story by Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman
Art by Gabriel Hardman
Cover by Gabriel Hardman & Declan Shalvey

Size: 0 pages
Price: 3.99

Ape does not kill ape.

Except when ape does kill ape… and that’s when ape society goes bananas.

I’m not a big Planet of the Apes fan. I’ve seen the original, but it was 20 years ago and I don’t remember much about it. I saw the Tim Burton/Mark Wahlberg remake that was memorable only because it was the day the entire floor at my job (about 20 of us) spontaneously decided to play hooky and go see an afternoon movie because all of the bosses were away. And after all the great buzz on the latest Apes movie, I really wanted to go see it, but never got around to it, so I sit patiently waiting for it to appear on Netflix.

What I’m saying is that I have no particular affection for Planet of the Apes lore. But Gabriel Hardman and his wife Corinna Bechko do, and that love is all over Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #2.

I had no idea what to expect from this series; I had no preconceived notions. The first issue was fantastic for many reasons but mostly because it was completely unexpected. The central conflict in the first issue was the trial of Dr. Cato, an ape scientist who had taught his human pet sign language, thus allowing him to communicate which elevated the human to the same level as the apes. After a stirring speech from his lawyer, the retired military general Aleron, the ape council found him not guilty (new council member Dr. Zaius cast one of the not guilty votes). A faction of the ape ruling class did not agree with the ruling, and dispatched an ape named Ursus to kill Dr. Cato and then (possibly) frame General Aleron for an ape murder that happened 15 years earlier.

In the second issue, we’ve got the fallout from the events in the first. Aleron first flees his would-be captors in a thrilling chase scene expertly drawn by Gabriel Hardman (more on the art in a bit), but is eventually captured and hauled off to The Reef, a particularly rough looking ape prison on the water where a second attempt is made on his life. Meanwhile, Dr. Cato’s human pet Tern is hiding out with the help of Cato’s protegee (Tern is the only witness to the murder), and Dr. Zaius tries in vain to defend Aleron in front of the council.

What you’ve got here with Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes is basically a legal and political thriller. But with apes. Yes, there are exciting chase scenes. Yes, there is horrible murder. Yes, this issue ends in a full-blown prison riot. But at the heart of the story is a society rocked by a philosophical schism–human pets learning language–and the legal and political fallout therein. What does it mean to elevate humans to the level where they can communicate with apes? Would such a thing spread and would apes stop considering humans to be pets? Would ape society, as they know it, crumble? How far are the rich and powerful willing to go to maintain the status quo? (Pretty far, it would seem).

Watching a well constructed thriller is like watching a line of dominos fall. One action begets the next and the next and the next after that and before you, and the characters in the story, know it, everything is out of control and a giant ape is riding a horse through  a busy town while other apes take pot shots at him with rifles. I love that in this story, the  legal and political (and even philosophical) arguments are just as tense as the action scenes and it all adds up to an incredibly enjoyable and utterly surprising read.

One thing that was not at all a surprise is Gabriel Hardman’s art. I’ve made no secret that he’s one of my favorites in comics and he has only elevated his game here. Perhaps it’s his love of the subject matter (he loves Planet of the Apes) or perhaps it’s because it’s his (and his Bechko’s) story that he’s working on, but Hardman is doing some of the best work in Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes that I’ve ever seen from him. It’s commonly known that Hardman splits his time between comics and storyboard work in Hollywood and all that time spent working on laying out films has really done wonders for his work. His level of clean and clear storytelling is probably only rivaled by Darwyn Cooke (who also spent time in Hollywood) and there is an unmistakably cinematic feel to his work. This is particularly evident in the chase scene that opens Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #2 in which Aleron escapes from the ape police by leaping from a second story window (in a wonderful silent wideshot) and escapes on horseback only to be captured after a hail of rifle fire spooks the horse. This is Comic Book Storytelling 101, and anyone who wants to get into drawing comic books needs to study these pages.

Normally, a Planet of the Apes book does not register even a blip on my radar screen. Hell, BOOM! already had a Planet of the Apes series out that I didn’t even think twice about reading. This Pick of the Week is a testament to the power of fantastically talented creators telling a story that they feel passionately about. Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko have crafted a wonderfully accessible ape thriller that features exciting action and a smart story. You don’t have to be a Planet of the Apes fan to love this story but I can only imagine that if you are it’s even better. And for that, I’m kind of jealous. I’m off to add Planet of the Apes (the original) to my Netflix queue.

Conor Kilpatrick
I just like putting “ape” in front of words. It’s like “bat”.
conor@ifanboy.com

Comments

  1. GOOD JOB, CONOR! I APPROVE!

  2. Fist bump.

  3. So want to read this. Is it available digitally? I have no local store.

  4. This book features a sequence that brings me a special joy: Two orangutan politicians discussing matters of deep conspiracy in a horse drawn carriage. If that doesn’t appeal to you, I’m not sure I’d ever want to play air hockey with you.

  5. 0 pages?

    Sorry, I had to say something because I haven’t read mine yet and I would have been ever so pissed if it was only ads. Looking forward to it now.

  6. I forgot to pick up the first one, but I jumped on here. It is indeed fantasticness on paper, and I say that as someone who loved the original movies (Rise of the Planet of the Apes is pretty good too, well worth watching when it gets on Netflix).

  7. Such a find, and I was a whisker’s breadth away from skipping it. Thanks to Paul and company for calling it out.

  8. You are missing out on the ongoing series. The political machinations and revolution are just as amped up, with the conflict turning into full-scale war. I’m loving every moment.

  9. As a huge fan of Planet of the Apes, this is like crack to me. But good crack. The kind that you just can’t get enough of. Wait, that’s all crack, isn’t it? Anyway, yes, it’s awesome.

  10. @conor – You stated…

    “I’m not a big Planet of the Apes fan.”
    “…I have no particular affection for Planet of the Apes lore.”
    “Normally, a Planet of the Apes book does not register even a blip on my radar screen.”
    “Hell, BOOM! already had a Planet of the Apes series out that I didn’t even think twice about reading.”

    and then you add, “I had no idea what to expect from this series; I had no preconceived notions.”

    With these stated facts, what inspired you to jump on this series?

    • “… Gabriel Hardman’s art. I’ve made no secret that he’s one of my favorites in comics and he has only elevated his game here.”

    • Reason enough and brings me to the point I wanted to make. To the timid amongst us, Art alone is reason enough to spend the $3.99 on a non-Big Two comic.

      For anyone who has not seen much of Hardman’s talent, his black & white work on Ape Entertainment’s, The Black Coat was inspiring and Toth-like in its simplistic, yet profound line making.

      For his color treated work, Agents of Atlas is top-notch. Even with the AoA’s underwater scenes, Hardman’s layouts provide plenty of breathing room for his pencils, allowing the reader to drown in his skill.

      Can’t wait to experience issue#2!

  11. Conor, I hope you give colorist Joride Bellaire some credit on the podcast when you talk about this issue. I never heard of her before this, but this is one of those comics that made me look back to see who the colorist is, because her work here is fantastic, with a lot of interesting choices made throughout, e.g., Aleron sitting on the floor in his cell, silhouette outlined in orange.

    And that cover, it’s only until after you read the issue that you realize how many layers of the story are present there. The only downside to this issue is that it ended. I was genuinely disappointed when I realized I was at the last page and that rarely happens to me.

  12. Why can’t I buy this digitally? 🙁

  13. Didn’t Tonci Zonjic do a cover for the first issue of this?

  14. Great pick, great book.

  15. Amazing spiderman ,676 is my puck slots writing camocole art I think u messed up the spelling if his name but it was a fun ride slot is doing a classic spidey run love the new take on vulture

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