By: Anton Massopust III

“I’m afraid there’s no place to run, there’s no place left to go” – Thomas

In the new graphic novel: “Planet of the Apes: Visionaries,” Famous Science Fiction Writer and Producer of Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s original script finally comes to print. The new graphic novel from Boom Studios is one of the many new projects on the Planet of the Apes.

This new graphic novel gives us a fresh look at the classic story of Taylor (in the original story, the astronaut is named Thomas) who Journeys to a distant planet when his ship lands without incident. The astronauts emerge from cryogenic sleep but find one of their crew members dead from an oxygen leak (a male astronaut named “Stewart”). The astronauts discover that the planet is breathable. They use their vehicle to go across the terrain but soon lose their vehicle and all their equipment to quicksand. The astronauts find a strange group of human beings who are throwbacks to the Stone Age. 

In this new version of the story, the Apes have helicopters, trucks and other vehicles as well as guns. The apes meet up with the astronauts and hunt them down like deer. Thomas’s friend, Dodge is killed, and Landon and Thomas are wounded and captured. Thomas is taken to the City of the Apes which is a modern city like New York with skyscrapers. 

Throughout the rest of the story, Thomas tries to prove to a young chimpanzee scientist, Zira that he is not only a visitor from another planet, but that he is civilized being. Dr. Zaius is convinced that Thomas is a danger to their civilization.  

The ending you expect but not the ending you’re going to get.  The art is awesome and eye-popping and beautiful. Artist Chad Lewis does the apes justice. The apes look more like the apes from new newer films, if you’re a big Planet of the Apes film like I am, this is definitely something you should add to your growing comic or book collection. Rod Serling would be proud.