CREDIT: BOOM! Studios / DC Comics
Rating: 4/5 – Franchise Mash-Up with a Cool Hook.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall.
Franchise crossover have been a staple of comics for years. There seems to be a tendency to cross over Green Lantern, Planet of the Apes, Predator, Star Trek and Tarzan, among other franchises. This has given us Planet of the Apes/Star Trek; Star Trek/Green Lantern; Star Trek/Planet of the Apes; Tarzan/Predator; Tarzan/Planet of the Apes…so it was about time to see Planet of the Apes and Green Lantern get together. I expect to see both of these franchises going up against the Predators before long!
What makes or break one of these franchise mash-ups is the story hook that brings them together and then the concept that drives the story forward. PotA/GL had both of these, in a story by Robbie Thompson (Silk, Doctor Strange and the Sorcerors Supreme) and written by Justin Jordan (Luther Strode, Spread). In this story a mysterious hooded figure with various Lanterns of the different spectral Corps creates a ring that shifts between the colors, for an as yet unknown reason, it crashes down onto the Planet of the Apes where it is found by Cornelius, who (as you might have guessed) ends up putting it on and becomes a Lantern. I can’t go into a whole lot more without giving away the story, but fans of the PotA franchise will get to see Cornelius, Zira, Nova, and the bomb-worshiping mutants from Beneath the Planet of the Apes. On the Green Lantern side, we get a LOT of popular characters including Hal, Guy, Arisia, Kilowog, the Guardians, Sinestro, and many more for sharp-eyed fans to pick out in the various scenes. The art, by Barnaby Bagenda,exhibits solid visual storytelling and some nice page designs, particularly a dimension breaching energy burst from the ring as Cornelius dons it. That said, it felt a bit too hard edged to me, with very sparse backgrounds.
These kinds of crossovers are targeted at fans of one (or even better BOTH) of the franchises involved. In this first issue the Green Lantern mythos seemed to have much more of a role. People not familiar with the GL Corps, especially the various colored Corps from the last decade or so, would likely be a bit lost. Similarly, having at least a basic knowledge of the original Planet of the Apes movie and its first sequel is really helpful. Fortunately I’m versed in both of these things so was really in the “marketing sweet spot” for this series. As a result I really enjoyed the story and I’ll be back for the remainder of the series. If you’re like me and are a fan of the two franchises you should definitely be checking out this comic.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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