Friday, July 11, 2014

Fanholes Side Story #21 Ape Prison Break


Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes is a four part mini-series from Boom! Studios which takes place twenty years before the original film. In this mini we see General Aleron accused of breaking the most sacred law handed down by the Lawgiver...that ape shall never kill ape.


Aleron is placed on trial for killing a fellow soldier and convicted. He is sentenced to an ape prison island...which is an interesting concept. Apes do not have the death penalty but there are apes who break the law...just as we humans do. Thrown into the mix is a novice Dr. Zaius. Just recently placed on the council, he is drawn into the web of intrigue and conspiracy that surrounds Aleron.


This story fits in quite nicely with the continuity of the original movies. It's also nice to see Dr. Zaius in his early days, before he became the person we see in the first movie. Boom! Studios is also producing an ongoing Apes title, simply called Planet of the Apes, and there is another mini called Exile on the Planet of the Apes.


Unlike Revolution on the Planet of the Apes, which I covered in a previous Side Story, this series manages to tell an original story without having to fall back on any 'fanwank' moments. It can allude to events we know will happen in the films without it feeling forced or hokey.

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