PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES
Judging by this adaptation, 1968’s Planet Of The Apes would have been a very different beast if it had stuck to Rod Serling’s screenplay.
Set in a thriving metropolis instead of the more primitive society that we’ve seen in the films, Visionaries benefits from being presented as a complete 118-page whole, allowing Dana Gould to develop the story at a measured pace. Resembling a feature-length episode of The Twilight Zone, the emphasis is firmly on social satire rather than action. More sensitive than Charlton Heston’s gruff Taylor, lead astronaut Thomas is akin to a Victorian curiosity as he becomes the focus of attention at a simian university.
There’s a Paul Pope-esque kinetic energy about Chad Lewis’s art, which is deftly enhanced by Darrin Moore, Miguel Muerto and Marcelo Costa’s evocative colours. From the various ape species to the ’60s architecture, there are plenty of intriguing details.
The famous twist ending (initially Serling’s idea) is preserved, after a fashion, and the more sombre conclusion suggests that there might not have readily been so many sequels if Apes hadn’t changed direction. Not just a cinematic oddity, this is a fascinating story in its own right that perhaps deserves its own comic book continuation. Stephen Jewell