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Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1 review

By Barlow Adams

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The King of the apes finally finds his chosen people in Kong on Planet of the Apes.

Kong on Planet of the Apes #1

Writer: Ryan Ferrier

Illustrator: Carlos Magno

Sometimes two mythologies evolve in such a way that they practically invite interaction. Sometimes you just need more monkeys in your life.

The Planet of the Apes and King Kong are two of science fiction’s most beloved and enduring franchises, with origin movies that are considered not just classics but touchstones for the entire genre, and multiple reboots and sequels (a staggering 22 movies, and 5 television shows between the two franchises) that have proven both profitable and popular with a completely new generation of fans

That cinema’s two premier primate properties would come together in one story seems almost predestined. Both original stories are, at their roots, cautionary tales tackling issues such as sentience, animal cruelty, and racism, set against a backdrop of perceived human inferiority. In both pieces, humans are no longer the dominant species. Our reaction as a species to that predicament is a driving force in both narratives.

Kong on the Planet of the Apes takes things in a slightly different direction. In this tale, which takes place after the events of the original POTA movie, no humans are shown during the first of six planned issues, though astronaut George Taylor (of Charlton Heston fame) is mentioned several times.

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Instead, we find an ape society teetering on the brink of chaos after Taylor’s insurrection has seeded doubt within the ape’s strict caste system which restricts employment based on sub-species. Dr. Zairus, the antagonist from the film, has placed Zira and Cornelius–Taylor’s ape allies–under house arrest, an unheard of punishment in the ape’s formerly utopian society. But everything changes when a female Kong washes up dead on the shores of the Forbidden Zone, the same restricted area that sports the iconic Statue of Liberty from the film.

This sends Dr. Zairus–accompanied by the newly freed Zira and Cornelius, along with the gorilla General Ursus–on a quest across the sea to what was once Africa in search of a mysterious island that is said to be home to the magnificent giant apes.

The three factions of ape society (chimpanzee, orangutan, and gorilla) have splintered in the aftermath of Taylor’s arrival, however. The chimpanzee see the Kong as the pinnacle of scientific inquiry, a gateway to undiscovered advances in ape biology. The general sees the giants as quasi-divine, a potential holy weapon. Zairus views them only as another resource to be controlled.

It’s in this subtle political interaction that the comic shines, staying true to its philosopher roots. For all its savagery and the simplistic almost comical appeal of multiple monkey mayhem (Kong+Apes=Double Monkey Fun). This comic, like its source material, is an intellectual read.

Despite an all-primate cast of characters, this work is about people, about society, about our best and worst traits played out in near-human actors, a step removed from us so that we might be  more comfortable looking into the face of our darkest sins.

For fans of King Kong, Planet of the Apes, or monkey business in general, Kong on the Planet of the Apes looks to deliver exactly what you expect. But like the very best science fiction–stories that are often, on there surface, about weird planets or rampaging monsters–it also looks to give you a little more: something to think on.

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*Disclaimer: The author is aware that monkeys are not apes, but are, in fact, their own suborder of primate. For the purposes of this article “monkey” sometimes worked better from a purely alliterative standpoint. So take your stinking paws off my descriptors, you dang dirty apes.

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