Written by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
Illustrated by Gabriel HardmanTaking place during the continuity of the original seminal fan-favorite film, the feared and respected General Aleron is banished to a hellish prison island where he will face challenges from all sides if he dares to escape!
This week we saw the release of Boom Studios’ Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #3, and quite honestly, it’s really hard to write about this book and not spend the whole time going on and on about just how damn pretty the thing is, but I’ll do my best. I mean, seriously, if God liked Planet of the Apes, this is probably the comic he would make for himself.
Want to see us gush about it some more? Sure you do! Hit us back after the jump!
If anyone reading Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes can look you in the eye and say that it’s NOT the best Planet of the Apes comic they’ve ever read, they’re a liar of the highest caliber and should be put down where they stand and made an example of. Okay, so that’s probably a little bit of an extreme reaction, but the sentiment is still the same and no less true. I haven’t exactly gone out and polled anyone, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find a longtime Apes fan who hasn’t been blown away by how good this series is.
Unlike the Planet of the Apes ongoing, which takes place a long time before the origina films, Betrayal is set in the not-so-distant past of the first Apes movie (approx 20 years before Taylor shows up), and gives us a sort of “year one” approach to the Apes mythos we already know about, delving into the origins of the more familiar conflict between Apes and humans. Still, despite having a setting that most of us already know and love, the series basic premise owes more to modern police procedurals and prison dramas than any of the classic films.
In Betrayal #3, we end up spending a lot of time in prison with former gorilla general/solicitor Aleron, as he pieces together the conspiracy that landed him in jail in the first place, and begins planning his eventual escape. Meanwhile, Dr. Zaius visits the Forbidden Zone to further investigate the circumstances of the murder that led to Aleron’s unfortunate incarceration, but seemingly runs into some trouble with the locals and is himself seized by unknown assailants. And there you go — one comic, but two really good cliffhangers guarantee Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes stays at the top of my reading list next month.
The husband and wife team of Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechku continue to deliver the kind of comic only two, hardcore, dyed-in-the-fur apes fans can. These two really know what folks are looking for from an Apes comic, and it’s not humans, I’m afraid.
As I said early on, Hardman’s artwork is just gorgeous, and the apes have honestly never looked more believable than they do under his lines. Also, I’m just a little embarrassed to admit how much I’ve overlooked the coloring of Jordie Bellaire until this issue, but the colors are stunning, and despite the story’s somewhat muted tones and textures, there are times in this issue where the characters seem to just leap off the page, especially the panel where Aleron is hosed down near the beginning. Just some really beautiful work from top to bottom.
Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes gets better with each subsequent issue, and with that in mind, the only real negative I can think of is that it’s ending next month with #4. Still, Bechko and Hardman will be following this mini-series up with Exile on the Planet of the Apes. A different artist is attached, but as long as the story quality stays on par with Betrayal, it could probably be drawn by monkeys and I’d still be in love with it.
Final Verdict: 8.5 — Buy
