Crossover time! I love crossovers, or at least I must, going by all the ones I review. Perhaps it’s just the idea of seeing how two unconnected franchises can work together, but they’re always ripe for reviewing. So here we are with another crossover that I can quite honestly say I never saw coming: “Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern.”
Written by Robbie Thompson and Justin Jordan
Illustrated by Barnaby Bagenda
• BOOM! Studios and DC Comics are proud to bring together two classic properties in a historic crossover event.
• When Taylor goes missing, Cornelius investigates and discovers an ancient ring, unlike anything the universe has ever seen.
• As its power echoes through the stars, the Guardians of the Universe must reveal to their Lanterns a secret they had hoped would remain buried.
• With the Green Lantern Corps, led by Hal Jordan, racing to get to the source of this power before Sinestro can get his hands on it, they will discover a truth that will change them forever on…THE PLANET OF THE APES.
So, with any good “Green Lantern” crossover, there’s a few important notes to hit. First and foremost: whatever it crosses over with, someone from that series gets a power ring. We saw it happen in “Star Trek/Green Lantern,” and we’re seeing it happen now. The difference, however, is in the importance of the ring, and the effect it has.
Another consistency is Sinestro’s role as villain, regardless of when in comic continuity this takes place. The past few years have been an interesting ride for Sinestro, but have cemented him as an extreme anti-hero who still believes what he’s doing is the best way to restore peace and security to the universe. His solo run showed how he can utilize fear to act as a force for, well, I hesitate to say “good,” but at least a force for not as evil as one would think, even granting a majority of Earth’s heroes a yellow ring for a time.
Yet in this he still appears to be as generically evil as ever; it’s almost surprising that he hasn’t given his mustache a twirl yet.
Speaking of continuity, it seems the classic Guardians are still running things in this comic. So for all intents and purposes, it’s a “generic” point in the “Green Lantern” timeline, where all the lanterns are around (except for Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz), Sinestro is a basic evil, and the major changes in recent times haven’t set in yet. It still gives a nod to Guy Gardner being a Red Lantern for a time, but that’s just a short line that only serves to make me glad he no longer has that ridiculous facial hair. So while those who are well into the “Green Lantern” story arcs may have cause to gripe, it makes it easier for readers who aren’t entirely caught up to dive in and get the basics.
On the other side of the crossover, we get more on the Planet of the Apes, as a mysterious ring falls to Earth. (Would it be spoilers to say it’s Earth? We all know how the movie ends, right?) Given the comic, it’s obviously tied to the lantern rings in some way, but it doesn’t have an insignia related to any of the other rings.
Seeing the ape Cornelius study the ring and try to figure out what it does is a decent enough scene; it reveals a fair amount about his character, both in his dialogue and how the ring reacts to him. The artwork also manages to set the mood well, using the glow from the ring to add an ominous shadow about the scene, and adding just enough color to the ring’s glow to hint at things to come.
Speaking of the ring, let’s take a look at what we know so far. Sinestro calls it the “Universal Ring,” which appears to be made through a ritual involving members of every lantern corps, and for some reason drops itself into existence on an entirely different timeline than the one it’s made in. Considering we see it go yellow, briefly orange, and red, it’s clear that this ring, like the Phantom Ring from the recent “Green Lanterns” story arc and Kyle’s White Lantern ring, can channel each of the colors of the emotional spectrum. It’s not the most original of MacGuffin rings, but as a catalyst for the plot, it works.
Continued belowAnd of course, any crossover between universes needs reasons for “how” and “why.” For the “how,” we get a “crosschronal disruption,” presumably caused by Sinestro creating a Universal Ring in an entirely different universe. That, plus an output of energy from the ring is enough to tear a whole in the fabric of spacetime that drops Hal and Sinestro through… frankly, it’s a comic book, I’m willing to accept the explanation.
The “why” on the other hand is not yet explained. Is there any purpose to creating the Universal Ring other than “more power?” Is there any particular reason why it fell into the “Planet of the Apes” universe? That, I suppose, will have to wait, but hopefully the answer will prove satisfactory.
The artwork by Barnaby Bagenda is more than passable; the opening scene with a dark ritual to create the Universal Ring is fittingly dramatic, and later scenes do a fine job showcasing the characters and setting the mood. There’s a fair amount of action in the comic, and it all looks quite nice, whether it’s Guy thwacking a Red Lantern with a giant green mallet or Hal and Sinestro sword fighting in the sky.
Of particular note are the backgrounds, which look great thanks to the color work by Alex Guimaraes. The skies on the planets and in space all look great, with a wonderful blend of colors that add to the scenes without clashing with the characters or the action. In any comic involving the emotional spectrum, color work is essential, and Alex is a fine choice for the job.
So if nothing else, the comic looks very nice.
Overall, the comic manages to set everything up. It gets the MacGuffin into play, drops characters from one universe to another, and gives a decent but all-too on-the-nose reference to the original Planet of the Apes movie when Hal crawls out of the sea and sees the wrecked Statue of Liberty. (Though in all honesty, I can no longer see that scene without thinking of Spaceballs. “There goes the planet.”) I can’t say it’s the most interesting crossover setup I’ve ever read, but it has an odd concept to work with and is doing its best to get things rolling.
Final Verdict: 6.8 – An alright setup to an odd concept, but one with enough potential to be perhaps worthwhile.
