The prospect of any "Planet of the Apes" crossover gets me excited, and yet I must confess, teaming the time-tested simians with DC's iconic "Green Lantern" never struck me as the most ideal. Personally, I'd have opted for an all-out "Apes"/"Flash" team-up, if only due to the Gorilla Grodd connection, but then who's to say that the great ape can't figure into other factions of DC mythology and beyond? Hint, hint.
Much to my delight and contrary to the odds, DC/Boom!'s "Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern" has turned out to be a fantastic "what if" tale, focusing on what might occur if Cornelius found a Lantern ring and the dimensional-shaking consequences that would stem from such. The sprawling, speculative events are detailed in a six-issue series, now available in one, nifty paperback volume.
Written/conceived by Robbie Thompson and Justin Jordan, with artwork by Barnaby "Omega Men" Bagenda (abetted by Alex Guimaraes; Ed Dukeshire; Ethan Van Sciver; and Paul Rivoche), "Apes/Green Lantern", is tiered with recognizable elements from the original, five-movie series (with focus placed on the '68 original; "Beneath"; and "Battle"), but of course, the parameters are expanded to incorporate the Lantern Corps. What plays out is thrilling, poignant and appropriately strange: a formula that fits both franchises.
Hal Jordan is the main Lantern featured, with Kilowog, Arisia Rrab and Guy Gardner accompany his journey, which should make DC fans, in particular, feel right at home.
After a series of tense events, Jordan lands on Ape Earth, where he becomes a substitute George Taylor, while the persistent Sinestro interrogates Dr. Zaius and Cornelius commences an unexpected, dictatorial rise. It's all thanks to the all-powerful Universal Ring which the priggish yet blundering Guardians of the Universe dispatched to a convenient, sandy cranny called the Forbidden Zone.
Experiencing Cornelius' change per the ring's mad influence is both awe-inspiring and unsettling, but it never strays to the point of becoming blasphemous or silly. Then again, the chimp's encounter with "Beneath'"s human mutants is one for the books, with Roddy McDowall's celebrated persona showing the misguided humans the error of the bomb-worshiping ways, only then to turn them into his devoted, ring-bearing disciples. Wild and weird, indeed, and man, is it ever engaging!
Without giving too much more away, the story leads to a vigorous confrontation. What we encounter prior to such includes many related, movie scenarios, featuring such significant supporting players as Ursus, Zira and Nova (with the aforementioned Grodd making a logical, guest appearance). These cameos are matched by a cavalcade of Lantern-character intervention (including Red Lantern infiltration), which reinvents one helluva, rousing "Battle".
To heighten the momentum, Bagenda's artwork is thoroughly pleasing, even if some stylish liberties are taken: Case in point, Nova isn't precisely Linda Harrison, but all the same, still a mighty fine sight for sore eyes.
As a back-of-the-book bonus, the team-up gives us some fun parallel-universe extras, including poster artwork based on the original, five Apes theatrical films, enhanced by lively, Lantern trimmings, plus Mego Apes dolls, garbed in Lantern gear. These imaginative supplements look and feel like genuine artifacts culled from an alternate '60-'70s culture. Who knows? Maybe they are!
On the whole, "Apes/Lantern" is unlike any comic-book crossover to date: radical in some respects, but so cleverly conceived that it feels like a splicing we've always known. That's a huge achievement, and DC/Boom! ought to be damn proud for pulling it off.
This one clicks way too well not to trail-blaze onward, and things would only get more interesting if Barry Allen and his alternate-reality antics were employed. Come on, now: For the sake of continuation, wouldn't that only go to reason? Then again, the ending seems to imply...well, you'll just have to read the adventure to see.
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