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Classic Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes: Visionaries
Based on the original screenplay for Planet of the Apes by The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling.
On the road to making the landmark science-fiction classic, 20th Century Fox commissioned Rod Serling to adapt the source material. Serling’s first draft, which was drastically revised before filming, is a radically different vision of the franchise than the one the world has come to know and love.
Now, for the first time in any medium, that vision is fully realized as a graphic novel with Planet of the Apes: Visionaries from acclaimed actor/comedian/writer Dana Gould (The Simpsons) and Chad Lewis (Avengers Origins).
This is the world you know from the acclaimed Planet of the Apes film series, but with key differences - Taylor is Thomas, and Ape City isn’t a crude, primitive grouping of huts; instead, it’s a bustling and urbane metropolis filled with cars and skyscrapers and a vibrant Ape culture. In a world where Apes wear modern clothes, drive modern cars and rule the late night talk show scene, the arrival of one man will forever change how Apes – and Humans – view themselves.
On the road to making the landmark science-fiction classic, 20th Century Fox commissioned Rod Serling to adapt the source material. Serling’s first draft, which was drastically revised before filming, is a radically different vision of the franchise than the one the world has come to know and love.
Now, for the first time in any medium, that vision is fully realized as a graphic novel with Planet of the Apes: Visionaries from acclaimed actor/comedian/writer Dana Gould (The Simpsons) and Chad Lewis (Avengers Origins).
This is the world you know from the acclaimed Planet of the Apes film series, but with key differences - Taylor is Thomas, and Ape City isn’t a crude, primitive grouping of huts; instead, it’s a bustling and urbane metropolis filled with cars and skyscrapers and a vibrant Ape culture. In a world where Apes wear modern clothes, drive modern cars and rule the late night talk show scene, the arrival of one man will forever change how Apes – and Humans – view themselves.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published August 28, 2018
6 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Dana Gould
18 books7 followersDana John Gould is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and voice artist who has been featured on HBO, Showtime, and Comedy Central
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
August 15, 2022
Based on Rod Serling's original screenplay and the original screen tests for the movie. This was interesting for any fan of the original. The apes are almost a mirror flip of 60's society, with skyscrapers, vehicles, and dress of the era. The story is even bleaker than the original. A quick and interesting read.
November 16, 2018
My first encounter with Planet of the Apes was watching the TV series as a child in the 1970s. Since then I've seen all the original films (& the reboots) many times, but the original 1968 movie is still my favourite.
This graphic novel, based on Rod Serling's screenplay, is a bit of a gem. Quite a lot of Serling's screenplay was used for the 1968 film, but due to budget restrictions we never saw his full vision. Now we get to see the ape city as originally imagined, as well as many other treats. There are some great visual surprises here, & a damn good story too. I just wish that this graphic novel had been longer.
This graphic novel, based on Rod Serling's screenplay, is a bit of a gem. Quite a lot of Serling's screenplay was used for the 1968 film, but due to budget restrictions we never saw his full vision. Now we get to see the ape city as originally imagined, as well as many other treats. There are some great visual surprises here, & a damn good story too. I just wish that this graphic novel had been longer.
July 8, 2021
Dana Gould adapts Rod Serling's original script for The Planet of the Apes film into graphic novel format in an interesting read with the main difference being that the apes live and thrive in an actual metropolis and not a crude stone city. The protagonist is Thomas and Taylor.
Dr. Zaius is a much more malevolent and evil in this rendition and the ending is even more bleak than the film, but I found this to be a pretty decent read as a pretty big fan of the Planet of the Apes films which I always looked forward to on our channel 9 out of Chicago showing all 5 films during "Ape Week" during their 9 a.m. movie of the day.
Dr. Zaius is a much more malevolent and evil in this rendition and the ending is even more bleak than the film, but I found this to be a pretty decent read as a pretty big fan of the Planet of the Apes films which I always looked forward to on our channel 9 out of Chicago showing all 5 films during "Ape Week" during their 9 a.m. movie of the day.
August 23, 2018
It was great to read the - very different - story based on Serling's original script adapting Pierre Boulle's novel. The comic adaptation writer and artist have done a great job of boiling the script down into a compelling story, and it's interesting to see what elements survived into the final script, and some of the very interesting moments that were never filmed. It's a quick read, lots of fun - if dystopian 60's SF with an appropriately dark feel can be described as 'fun.' (I grew up reading this stuff, so yes, it is to me.) It's a quick read, so you might want to borrow it from a library. Personally I'm happy to own a copy.
July 24, 2021
A literary exploration of a cinematic 'what if'? Rod Serling's original script for Planet of the Apes, before it got chopped up by studio politics and budget considerations. Well worth reading for the differences, but also for the strong script - RS always was a hell of a writer.
February 2, 2021
This was pretty neat. It felt like a quick read and it wasn't super different from the original movie, I haven't seen it in a while but the noticeable differences were interesting. Most notible is the more modern setting which I think works very well and also makes some aspects of the story much darker and more reflective of our world. Also visually I liked the artwork and thought the more cartoony feel helped with the sifi/fantasy mood.
Some of the panel structures felt off and kinda ruined tension for me and nothing super interesting was done with the fact that this is a comicbook. From adapting from one medium to the next they just didn't take advantage of the opportunity as well as they could have.
Probably closer to a 3.5 since I still mostly enjoyed it.
Some of the panel structures felt off and kinda ruined tension for me and nothing super interesting was done with the fact that this is a comicbook. From adapting from one medium to the next they just didn't take advantage of the opportunity as well as they could have.
Probably closer to a 3.5 since I still mostly enjoyed it.
June 11, 2022
At first, to be honest, my initial reaction to this book being released was ... why? Sure, sure, sure, Rod Serling is a masterful craftsman of American letters. The Twilight Zone is not just a classic television series, it has influenced all genres of entertainment medium over the subsequent decades in ways both subtle and obvious. Sterling’s fingers have been inexorably woven into the fabric of America in the same way as Norman Rockwell defined America with his iconic images, Serling defined America with his encapsulated television dramas of what it meant to be American. So when it was announced that his original script for the initial adaptation to film of Pierre Boulle’s novel was being adapted as a graphic novel, I should have been thrilled. But I wasn’t. Why? Hard to say exactly. I think it had more to do with the ill conceived notion that the script must not have been that good, or it would have been used and not revised several times before it was filmed. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to have my love of the original film further tarnished as it has with my diminished appreciation of Heston’s awkward fumbling in his attempts to elevate a man into clear superiority over everything around him. In any case, I was not all that thrilled with the idea of the original, unused script being adapted. Clearly, I should have been.
This graphic novel adaptation is brilliant.
I have not read the Serling script, so I’m perhaps not properly qualified to speak of this as an adaptation, but even as just a kind of shadowy reflection of what the original film might have been in other hands ... this is brilliant. The pacing is not as choppy as the film. The characters are more authentic and well developed. Gone is the clear line in the sand between Heston’s GOOD GUY high moral ground and everyone else is a bad guy attitude. In its place we have much more nuanced characters with strengths and weaknesses. Thomas becomes a much more likely character than the films Taylor. And the ending then becomes that much more tragic and unavoidable.
Of course, I’m now left with the hopeless desire to see this treatment filmed. While I absolutely love the latest incarnation of the Planet of the Apes franchise, using Sterling’s original script to reboot the franchise yet again would be perfectly acceptable to me.
This graphic novel is brilliant and deserves a place in every Planet of the Apes fanatic’s collection of memorabilia.
This graphic novel adaptation is brilliant.
I have not read the Serling script, so I’m perhaps not properly qualified to speak of this as an adaptation, but even as just a kind of shadowy reflection of what the original film might have been in other hands ... this is brilliant. The pacing is not as choppy as the film. The characters are more authentic and well developed. Gone is the clear line in the sand between Heston’s GOOD GUY high moral ground and everyone else is a bad guy attitude. In its place we have much more nuanced characters with strengths and weaknesses. Thomas becomes a much more likely character than the films Taylor. And the ending then becomes that much more tragic and unavoidable.
Of course, I’m now left with the hopeless desire to see this treatment filmed. While I absolutely love the latest incarnation of the Planet of the Apes franchise, using Sterling’s original script to reboot the franchise yet again would be perfectly acceptable to me.
This graphic novel is brilliant and deserves a place in every Planet of the Apes fanatic’s collection of memorabilia.
February 15, 2024
Imagine if Planet Of The Apes‘s Ape City had been a New York City-like metropolis and its simian inhabitants much more technologically advanced. That is what Rod Serling had in mind when he penned a screenplay from Pierre Boulle’s novel for the 1968 film for 20th Century Fox. But the studio felt Serling’s adaptation would be too costly to translate to the big screen, so they hired Michael Wilson (who had previously adapted Boulle’s The Bridge over the River Kwai) to rewrite the dialogue and revise the script to give the apes a more primitive society. Now, Serling’s original vision has been brought to life in Planet Of The Apes: Visionaries, a graphic novel from BOOM! Studios.
For this 112-page full-colour hardcover graphic novel, Simpsons television series writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both Planet Of The Apes and The Twilight Zone, adapts Serling’s original screenplay, with art by Chad Lewis (Avengers Origins). The creative team used the original 1966 makeup test and concept art as inspiration and had access to several drafts of Serling’s script in order to craft this re-imagining that has a story similar to the film, but differs drastically in tone and setting.
Visionaries centres on an Earth astronaut named Thomas, not Tyler as portrayed on screen by Charlton Heston, who crash-lands with his crew on a planet ruled by intelligent, civilized apes who treat the primitive human race like animals. While Thomas experiences what Tyler did — the apes mistake him for a native human; they believe he’s not intelligent enough to speak; they treat him harshly as they do other humans — his reactions aren’t identical and his demeanour is less abrupt.
You wouldn’t expect Thomas to yell, “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”; instead, his is an inner-strength that relies on brains instead of brawn, although he’ll use brute force when necessary. He’s a different kind of hero than Heston — not all machismo — and is definitely better in the way in which he interacts with females. (In the graphic novels’s back matter material, Gould said he envisioned Paul Newman as Thomas, and Lewis’s art renders this strongly in some of the panels.)
As was done regularly on The Twilight Zone, Planet Of The Apes used a bizarre, fantastical, science fiction tale to tackle controversial themes like racism, bigotry, and violence, as well as humanity’s propensity for self-destruction. While these themes were present in Boulle’s novel, it was Serling’s forte in these areas that made him perfect to adapt the story for the silver screen and it was his knack for including thought-provoking “twists” that made the film’s ending one of the most memorable moments in movie history.
Visionaries is a fascinating and refreshing “what if” dive back into the iconic world of Planet Of The Apes. Gould’s passion for the Apes franchise is apparent in the way he interprets Serling’s tale, choosing to build tension and craft a succinct, intriguing narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat, while Lewis’s layouts are captivating and engrossing. The dark opening page, which shows Thomas’s ship in deep space in the calm moments before its crew goes into their scheduled hibernation, draws the reader in immediately and is a stark contrast to the subsequent bright panels that depict a catastrophe.
Lewis’s panel placement along with Ed Dukeshire‘s clear, well-positioned lettering punctuate the story’s flowing script, while the colours by Darrin Moore, Miquel Muerto, and Marcelo Costa enhance each setting. Also, the page spreads throughout were all impressive, especially the ominous scarecrow perimeter and the introduction to the skyscraper-lined Ape City.
This graphic novel also contains ancillary material, including notes from Gould and Lewis on their vision of bringing Serling’s original script to the comics page; scene breakdowns; character design; an Afterword by Gould; and an interview with cover artist by Paolo Rivera, all of which make Visionaries that much more interesting to explore.
After reading Visionaries, it seems unfortunate now that Fox didn’t have the budget to create Serling’s sprawling, advanced version of this society, which would have allowed for the creation of Thomas, a clearly more likeable, admirable protagonist. But at least it’s come to light now in graphic novel form. Visionaries can be enjoyed all on its own without any previous knowledge of Planet Of The Apes, but fans of the franchise will definitely want to delve into this enthralling adaptation of Serling’s original screenplay.
For this 112-page full-colour hardcover graphic novel, Simpsons television series writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both Planet Of The Apes and The Twilight Zone, adapts Serling’s original screenplay, with art by Chad Lewis (Avengers Origins). The creative team used the original 1966 makeup test and concept art as inspiration and had access to several drafts of Serling’s script in order to craft this re-imagining that has a story similar to the film, but differs drastically in tone and setting.
Visionaries centres on an Earth astronaut named Thomas, not Tyler as portrayed on screen by Charlton Heston, who crash-lands with his crew on a planet ruled by intelligent, civilized apes who treat the primitive human race like animals. While Thomas experiences what Tyler did — the apes mistake him for a native human; they believe he’s not intelligent enough to speak; they treat him harshly as they do other humans — his reactions aren’t identical and his demeanour is less abrupt.
You wouldn’t expect Thomas to yell, “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”; instead, his is an inner-strength that relies on brains instead of brawn, although he’ll use brute force when necessary. He’s a different kind of hero than Heston — not all machismo — and is definitely better in the way in which he interacts with females. (In the graphic novels’s back matter material, Gould said he envisioned Paul Newman as Thomas, and Lewis’s art renders this strongly in some of the panels.)
As was done regularly on The Twilight Zone, Planet Of The Apes used a bizarre, fantastical, science fiction tale to tackle controversial themes like racism, bigotry, and violence, as well as humanity’s propensity for self-destruction. While these themes were present in Boulle’s novel, it was Serling’s forte in these areas that made him perfect to adapt the story for the silver screen and it was his knack for including thought-provoking “twists” that made the film’s ending one of the most memorable moments in movie history.
Visionaries is a fascinating and refreshing “what if” dive back into the iconic world of Planet Of The Apes. Gould’s passion for the Apes franchise is apparent in the way he interprets Serling’s tale, choosing to build tension and craft a succinct, intriguing narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat, while Lewis’s layouts are captivating and engrossing. The dark opening page, which shows Thomas’s ship in deep space in the calm moments before its crew goes into their scheduled hibernation, draws the reader in immediately and is a stark contrast to the subsequent bright panels that depict a catastrophe.
Lewis’s panel placement along with Ed Dukeshire‘s clear, well-positioned lettering punctuate the story’s flowing script, while the colours by Darrin Moore, Miquel Muerto, and Marcelo Costa enhance each setting. Also, the page spreads throughout were all impressive, especially the ominous scarecrow perimeter and the introduction to the skyscraper-lined Ape City.
This graphic novel also contains ancillary material, including notes from Gould and Lewis on their vision of bringing Serling’s original script to the comics page; scene breakdowns; character design; an Afterword by Gould; and an interview with cover artist by Paolo Rivera, all of which make Visionaries that much more interesting to explore.
After reading Visionaries, it seems unfortunate now that Fox didn’t have the budget to create Serling’s sprawling, advanced version of this society, which would have allowed for the creation of Thomas, a clearly more likeable, admirable protagonist. But at least it’s come to light now in graphic novel form. Visionaries can be enjoyed all on its own without any previous knowledge of Planet Of The Apes, but fans of the franchise will definitely want to delve into this enthralling adaptation of Serling’s original screenplay.
January 1, 2021
I've always been curious to know what was in Rod Serling's original script for Planet of the Apes, and thanks to this graphic novel version, now I know. You can see the main bones of the final film here (with some obvious conceptual differences such as a modern ape society) as well as some other interesting ideas that never made it into the finished film. The artwork is well done and I found it to be an enjoyable read.
October 15, 2025
Rod Serling's original script for "The Planet of the Apes" was an even bleaker story. There are meditations on the futility of war and the kind of destruction that humankind's thoughtless behavior will cause.
We also see thought-provoking commentary on humanity's wars against all other species: Thomas, the crash-landed astronaut, must wrestle with the fact that humans are seen as inconsequential animals in sophisticated Ape society: they are hunted for sport, used for entertainment, experimented upon, etc. How do we feel when we are treated as we treat the rest of life on Earth?
We also see thought-provoking commentary on humanity's wars against all other species: Thomas, the crash-landed astronaut, must wrestle with the fact that humans are seen as inconsequential animals in sophisticated Ape society: they are hunted for sport, used for entertainment, experimented upon, etc. How do we feel when we are treated as we treat the rest of life on Earth?
June 2, 2020
I put off reading this for a while because I was afraid I'd be disappointed. I was wrong. Its fascinating to see the differences and similarities between Serling's original script and the finished film.
August 6, 2019
A big part of the appeal in grabbing this was the lure of Dana Gould's writing... though, in retrospect his role seems more to be "adapting" the Serling script to a comic format. Still - I'm a long time Gould fan and happy to indulge in his projects. The story keeps many of the key events of the movie, but overall it leans towards the book's vision of ape society instead of the screen version. That is the culture and trappings seem very "20th century human".
On the art side, the cover's dynamite. That set me up for some disappointment on the interior art, but in all fairness the "art guts" of the book deliver pretty well when it comes to emotion, drama, and character design. It's just not as "refined" as style as I usually look for. And... well, me being me... the spaceship design was... "poor".
Overall, it was a good reading experience and I enjoyed Gould's afterward more than I should have. He relates his experience of growing up in Massachusetts in the '70's and catching the Twilight Zone at 11pm. If I remember correctly that was Channel 56. The whole thing was very familiar, as I grew up about 50 miles away from his home town.
On the art side, the cover's dynamite. That set me up for some disappointment on the interior art, but in all fairness the "art guts" of the book deliver pretty well when it comes to emotion, drama, and character design. It's just not as "refined" as style as I usually look for. And... well, me being me... the spaceship design was... "poor".
Overall, it was a good reading experience and I enjoyed Gould's afterward more than I should have. He relates his experience of growing up in Massachusetts in the '70's and catching the Twilight Zone at 11pm. If I remember correctly that was Channel 56. The whole thing was very familiar, as I grew up about 50 miles away from his home town.
October 29, 2018
In this original graphic novel, we get a comic book adaptation of Rod Serling's original script for the film, "Planet of the Apes." In this graphic novel, you get a story that has aspects of the movie that eventually came out in 1968, but you also get a lot of material reminiscent of the original book which the film is based on. Having read the book, and seen the film, there wasn't much new content in here, but it was fun to see the two stories blended together here. This was a surprisingly quick read, and there is some backmatter at the end of the book.
August 29, 2018
Absolutely fantastic! Dana Gould was the perfect person to lead this book. You can tell he is a life long fan and he made this for other life long fans. It captures the original draft of rod serling perfectly. The art work is beautiful and the story is compelling. I could not put it down. I know want a movie version of this!
March 10, 2020
This graphic Novel is based on Rod Serling's 1st screenplay for the film.
While several things will look familiar to fans of the film, there are differences.(Nova is not in this version as much, and her name comes out of no where)
The ending is more bleak than the 1968 film, though similar in many ways. It works though.
Not sure what I was expecting, but I came away a little bit let down.
While several things will look familiar to fans of the film, there are differences.(Nova is not in this version as much, and her name comes out of no where)
The ending is more bleak than the 1968 film, though similar in many ways. It works though.
Not sure what I was expecting, but I came away a little bit let down.
October 8, 2021
This one is an unusual choice for me: I rarely read graphic novels. It’s nothing to do with the style or storytelling format. I suspect it’s more to do with personal preference. I like to imagine the characters, scenes and settings for myself, and this preference/prejudice has been a difficult one for me to work around.
But I made one of my rare forays into this format (a previous one also included a graphic novel interpretation of a favorite TV episode of the Original Star Trek series, City on the Edge of Forever). The two pieces have similarities. “City” was a graphic novelization of Harlan Ellison’s original script for the episode and one that was much more complex in terms of plot development and character. “Planet” is based on Rod Serling’s original script for the film version of Planet of the Apes, which in turn was a screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel.
Although Ellison would be awarded the
coveted Nebula award for his script (very little of which actually made it to the screen), Serling would not receive accolades or much credit for the final Planet of the Apes film audiences would see in the theater.
I suspect this may be because it’s extremely difficult to do an absolute faithful rendering of Boulle’s novel on film. A lot of elements would make it R-rated or even NC-17. For those most familiar with the final film, I suggest perusing both the original novel AND this graphic novel vision of Serling’s script.
Serling went where the film was too shy to go — namely the blatant comparison of the Ape planet’s culture to contemporary American civilization. Mr. Thomas (Taylor) takes a trip into the heart of a bustling Ape city that could pass for New York or Los Angeles, right down to automobiles, mass transit, and “pedestrian crosswalks” that are overhead jungle gyms for the Ape inhabitants. This is taken directly from Boulle’s novel, and an ingenious plot feature the film missed out on in a huge way.
The ending has a twist too, like the film and the novel. Serling’s vision combines the visual impact of that searing final scene in the film with yet another twist. It doesn’t have quite the same level of shock as either the film or novel, but it is as unexpected and forlorn.
Of course before we arrive at this point, we get to meet the familiar players known so well in the film — Dr, Zira, Cornelius and Dr. Zaius. Boulle’s novel features different names for these characters but they are all similar to what we end up seeing in Serling’s script and in the film.
Most interesting to me is the character of Thomas (Charlton Heston’s Taylor). He’s a lot more likable and sympathetic than Heston’s interpretation, which one of the illustrators/artists accurately observes is very much in the spirit of the tough, cynical late-1960s anti-hero. Thomas, in contrast, is close to the impression the reader gets of the unnamed hero in Boulle’s novel. Neither are pushovers and do fight when cornered, but they have much more emotional depth and are far more likely to show passive resistance than outright violence.
My one criticism is that we’re not given a deep sense of emotional connection between Thomas and the lady Nova. The film, and the novel especially, do this with great success. (In the Serling adaptation, we don’t even find out her name until Dr. Zira arranges for Thomas to meet her at Zira’s apartments). I mention this because it might have made the final set of events even more meaningful. With Thomas unable to reunite with her fast enough, it would make his last act (or inaction) all the more terrible.
But I made one of my rare forays into this format (a previous one also included a graphic novel interpretation of a favorite TV episode of the Original Star Trek series, City on the Edge of Forever). The two pieces have similarities. “City” was a graphic novelization of Harlan Ellison’s original script for the episode and one that was much more complex in terms of plot development and character. “Planet” is based on Rod Serling’s original script for the film version of Planet of the Apes, which in turn was a screen adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel.
Although Ellison would be awarded the
coveted Nebula award for his script (very little of which actually made it to the screen), Serling would not receive accolades or much credit for the final Planet of the Apes film audiences would see in the theater.
I suspect this may be because it’s extremely difficult to do an absolute faithful rendering of Boulle’s novel on film. A lot of elements would make it R-rated or even NC-17. For those most familiar with the final film, I suggest perusing both the original novel AND this graphic novel vision of Serling’s script.
Serling went where the film was too shy to go — namely the blatant comparison of the Ape planet’s culture to contemporary American civilization. Mr. Thomas (Taylor) takes a trip into the heart of a bustling Ape city that could pass for New York or Los Angeles, right down to automobiles, mass transit, and “pedestrian crosswalks” that are overhead jungle gyms for the Ape inhabitants. This is taken directly from Boulle’s novel, and an ingenious plot feature the film missed out on in a huge way.
The ending has a twist too, like the film and the novel. Serling’s vision combines the visual impact of that searing final scene in the film with yet another twist. It doesn’t have quite the same level of shock as either the film or novel, but it is as unexpected and forlorn.
Of course before we arrive at this point, we get to meet the familiar players known so well in the film — Dr, Zira, Cornelius and Dr. Zaius. Boulle’s novel features different names for these characters but they are all similar to what we end up seeing in Serling’s script and in the film.
Most interesting to me is the character of Thomas (Charlton Heston’s Taylor). He’s a lot more likable and sympathetic than Heston’s interpretation, which one of the illustrators/artists accurately observes is very much in the spirit of the tough, cynical late-1960s anti-hero. Thomas, in contrast, is close to the impression the reader gets of the unnamed hero in Boulle’s novel. Neither are pushovers and do fight when cornered, but they have much more emotional depth and are far more likely to show passive resistance than outright violence.
My one criticism is that we’re not given a deep sense of emotional connection between Thomas and the lady Nova. The film, and the novel especially, do this with great success. (In the Serling adaptation, we don’t even find out her name until Dr. Zira arranges for Thomas to meet her at Zira’s apartments). I mention this because it might have made the final set of events even more meaningful. With Thomas unable to reunite with her fast enough, it would make his last act (or inaction) all the more terrible.
September 12, 2025
The original screenplay for ‘Planet of the Apes’ was written by Rod Serling of ‘Twilight Zone’ fame. It is adapted here by writer Dana Gould and artists Chad Lewis and David Wilson. This book was rendered largely free of influence from production design or casting. It doesn’t look anything like the movie and most of what we see will be new to those familiar with it. Although this version was radically altered for filming, the basic outline of the story and virtually all of the story beats survived.
The original novel has the story set on another planet with the apes having taken over Earth upon the traveler’s return. Incredibly enough, it is the Marky Mark version’s ending which most closely mirrors the source material. Setting the story on a far into the distant future Earth and the iconic Statue of Liberty ending were purely the creation of Sterling.
The first significant difference is that the spacecraft soft landed itself on the planet. But we still see that initial sinking scene here as the astronauts lose their rover vehicle.
There are some moments of high drama which did not make it on to the screen. Most notably, Thomas (rather than Taylor) risks his life in an act of self-injury in an early attempt to communicate. It’s notable that the amount of blood in this scene would render an automatic ‘R’ rating by current standards while the theatrical film carried a ‘G’.
The starkest contrast is that rather than the advanced stone ages, the apes have a completely replicated version of what was then contemporary society. In what was likely the visual highlight of the entire volume, we are treated to a stunning cityscape as lively and vibrant as anything seen in a film in that era. I do not believe such a representation could have been created on a backlot. This would have required a location shot to do it justice. The effort and cost to render this seems massive. In one panel, apes are seen crossing a busy street on monkey bars, an amazingly humorous image.
In this version, Thomas is given much more respect and even some autonomy. He is a speaker at a large academic gathering and becomes something of a local celebrity, staying in hotels and hosting teas. We will see a reflection of these events in the series' third film ‘Escape From the Planet of the Apes’.
Another big contrast, the revelation that Thomas has traveled 2,000 years into the future is revealed very late in the story here, almost to the end. This would have been a jarring turn which would have created sudden tension to draw the story out to its conclusion. The end of the story is familiar, although considerably darker.
The original novel has the story set on another planet with the apes having taken over Earth upon the traveler’s return. Incredibly enough, it is the Marky Mark version’s ending which most closely mirrors the source material. Setting the story on a far into the distant future Earth and the iconic Statue of Liberty ending were purely the creation of Sterling.
The first significant difference is that the spacecraft soft landed itself on the planet. But we still see that initial sinking scene here as the astronauts lose their rover vehicle.
There are some moments of high drama which did not make it on to the screen. Most notably, Thomas (rather than Taylor) risks his life in an act of self-injury in an early attempt to communicate. It’s notable that the amount of blood in this scene would render an automatic ‘R’ rating by current standards while the theatrical film carried a ‘G’.
The starkest contrast is that rather than the advanced stone ages, the apes have a completely replicated version of what was then contemporary society. In what was likely the visual highlight of the entire volume, we are treated to a stunning cityscape as lively and vibrant as anything seen in a film in that era. I do not believe such a representation could have been created on a backlot. This would have required a location shot to do it justice. The effort and cost to render this seems massive. In one panel, apes are seen crossing a busy street on monkey bars, an amazingly humorous image.
In this version, Thomas is given much more respect and even some autonomy. He is a speaker at a large academic gathering and becomes something of a local celebrity, staying in hotels and hosting teas. We will see a reflection of these events in the series' third film ‘Escape From the Planet of the Apes’.
Another big contrast, the revelation that Thomas has traveled 2,000 years into the future is revealed very late in the story here, almost to the end. This would have been a jarring turn which would have created sudden tension to draw the story out to its conclusion. The end of the story is familiar, although considerably darker.
May 21, 2020
Throughout my reading of the Visionaries graphic novel adaptation of Rod Serling’s Planet of the Apes script, I felt like I was missing the connective tissue. The book interprets Rod Serling’s script and whether the problem was in the adaptation or the original, the graphic novel feels like a collection of scenes that roughly make the story. There’s almost no flow or synergy.
The nice thing about this book is that we see what Rod Serling would have intended for the film, but the graphic novel mostly just gives newish designs on the characters. The most fascinating part of the adaptation is that Serling intended to have the apes live in a civilized Americana society, a parallel to our human society in the post-war 1950s and 1960s. However, as cool as this is, it’s pretty much brushed over in a few pages aside from a couple set pieces and the apes wearing human-like clothing in boardrooms and theaters.
The primary problem with the book as mentioned above is that the story jumps from one scene to the next without explaining or elegantly transitioning from one key moment to the next. This is perhaps most apparent with the female human Nova character that our main character teaches how to speak. She’s only in 3 brief scenes, but the book tells us rather than shows us how important she is. Even if they’re adapting the script, they could have made these leaps in logic and scenery a bit smoother and explainable.
The art is passable but sketchy and the writing is spotty at best. Overall, it’s an okay adaptation that I could have lived without reading. I’ll probably forget about it in a few weeks.
The nice thing about this book is that we see what Rod Serling would have intended for the film, but the graphic novel mostly just gives newish designs on the characters. The most fascinating part of the adaptation is that Serling intended to have the apes live in a civilized Americana society, a parallel to our human society in the post-war 1950s and 1960s. However, as cool as this is, it’s pretty much brushed over in a few pages aside from a couple set pieces and the apes wearing human-like clothing in boardrooms and theaters.
The primary problem with the book as mentioned above is that the story jumps from one scene to the next without explaining or elegantly transitioning from one key moment to the next. This is perhaps most apparent with the female human Nova character that our main character teaches how to speak. She’s only in 3 brief scenes, but the book tells us rather than shows us how important she is. Even if they’re adapting the script, they could have made these leaps in logic and scenery a bit smoother and explainable.
The art is passable but sketchy and the writing is spotty at best. Overall, it’s an okay adaptation that I could have lived without reading. I’ll probably forget about it in a few weeks.
September 26, 2023
Rod Serling's movie treatment for Planet Of The Apes is the stuff of legend. It is set in a futuristic city like the book. The scenario is very, very similar to the original movie, only with an Ape City which looks an awful lot like Manhattan, robbing the Statue Of Liberty ending of all of it's shock during the twist ending. The rest of the differences are subtle and the story plays out more like a 90 minute episode of The Twilight Zone.
Serling did multiple swings at bat with his treatments, and this is sort of a hybrid of the later ones. The basic framework of the original film is largely unchanged. The Apes live in a society that appears to be the mid-1960s and are intelligent and civilized. Humans are primitive animals kept in cages. Elements of the original production art are utilized here. The original design of Doctor Zaius is used in this book.
None of the wow moments in the original movie are present here. The writers who came in after Serling punched things up considerably. If the movie were made to this script it would have been successful but not as fondly remembered. It's easy to take the movie for granted today, but those special effects were cutting edge stuff for their time.
This is a good read, but that's about it. It's not great. The artwork has a storyboard vibe to it, being left intentionally unpolished. I would have liked to see it spit shined to mid-60s photo realism perfection. I'm glad that this book was released, as Rod Serling's treatment deserves to be experienced after all of these years.
Serling did multiple swings at bat with his treatments, and this is sort of a hybrid of the later ones. The basic framework of the original film is largely unchanged. The Apes live in a society that appears to be the mid-1960s and are intelligent and civilized. Humans are primitive animals kept in cages. Elements of the original production art are utilized here. The original design of Doctor Zaius is used in this book.
None of the wow moments in the original movie are present here. The writers who came in after Serling punched things up considerably. If the movie were made to this script it would have been successful but not as fondly remembered. It's easy to take the movie for granted today, but those special effects were cutting edge stuff for their time.
This is a good read, but that's about it. It's not great. The artwork has a storyboard vibe to it, being left intentionally unpolished. I would have liked to see it spit shined to mid-60s photo realism perfection. I'm glad that this book was released, as Rod Serling's treatment deserves to be experienced after all of these years.
November 13, 2025
As a huge fan of Rod Serling's work on The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, I was super excited to check out Planet of the Apes: Visionaries. This comic, written by Dana Gould with art by Chad Lewis, adapts Serling's original screenplay for the 1968 Planet of the Apes film. Serling's script stayed closer to Pierre Boulle's novel, featuring a fully advanced ape civilization with modern technology, cars, and skyscrapers, instead of the primitive stone society we ended up with in the film. Budget constraints forced rewrites ahead of production, and Serling's version was sadly shelved... until now!
I haven't read Serling's original script, so I can't say for sure how closely this sticks to that, but it certainly feels like Rod Serling's writing. The satirical edge, the social commentary, and those gut-punch moments of irony are all there. On top of this, Chad Lewis's artwork perfectly captures the whole "uncanny valley" aspect of the advanced ape society. What's likely to stick with you more than anything else, though, is the ending, which somehow manages to be even more bleak that what ended up in the film. Obviously, I recommend the original film as the sci-fi classic that it is, but it's worth noting that this easily stands on its own and doesn't require literally any prior knowledge of the franchise.
I haven't read Serling's original script, so I can't say for sure how closely this sticks to that, but it certainly feels like Rod Serling's writing. The satirical edge, the social commentary, and those gut-punch moments of irony are all there. On top of this, Chad Lewis's artwork perfectly captures the whole "uncanny valley" aspect of the advanced ape society. What's likely to stick with you more than anything else, though, is the ending, which somehow manages to be even more bleak that what ended up in the film. Obviously, I recommend the original film as the sci-fi classic that it is, but it's worth noting that this easily stands on its own and doesn't require literally any prior knowledge of the franchise.
March 29, 2023
This is so good. A testament to what comics can do so well. We all know that Pierre Boulle's original story is different, and that the only reason they are agrarian in the film is due to budget constraints. Well then, you also know that Rod Twilight Zone Sterling wrote an original script..
THIS is a comic adaption of that!
For serious POTA nerds this is the Chimpanzee! Taylor is much closer to James Stewart or Paul Newman than Heston's misanthropic arsehole!
It's a delight!
And I want more of this sort of thing, comics adaptation of scripts that never were - Lucas's Flash Gordon, Spielberg's Bond, the never filmed Flash Gordon sequel, Jodorowsky's Dune, that mad Superman film that was supposed to have Nicholas Cage...
All these neverwere films, can finally live as comics!
I have seen a possible future...
THIS is a comic adaption of that!
For serious POTA nerds this is the Chimpanzee! Taylor is much closer to James Stewart or Paul Newman than Heston's misanthropic arsehole!
It's a delight!
And I want more of this sort of thing, comics adaptation of scripts that never were - Lucas's Flash Gordon, Spielberg's Bond, the never filmed Flash Gordon sequel, Jodorowsky's Dune, that mad Superman film that was supposed to have Nicholas Cage...
All these neverwere films, can finally live as comics!
I have seen a possible future...
September 3, 2018
PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES is an intriguing and captivating graphic novel adaptation of the 1968 film’s original screenplay by Rod Serling. 🦍
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For this 112-page full-color graphic novel from BOOM! Studios, SIMPSONS writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both PLANET OF THE APES and THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and artist Chad Lewis (AVENGERS ORIGINS) drew inspiration from the film’s original 1966 makeup test and concept art, and had access to several drafts of Serling’s original script before it was heavily rewritten by Michael Wilson.
📚
Read my full review at www.geeksofdoom.com/2018/08/28/comic-review-planet-of-the-apes-visionaries.
📚
For this 112-page full-color graphic novel from BOOM! Studios, SIMPSONS writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both PLANET OF THE APES and THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and artist Chad Lewis (AVENGERS ORIGINS) drew inspiration from the film’s original 1966 makeup test and concept art, and had access to several drafts of Serling’s original script before it was heavily rewritten by Michael Wilson.
📚
Read my full review at www.geeksofdoom.com/2018/08/28/comic-review-planet-of-the-apes-visionaries.
July 5, 2019
Como fan de la saga de los simios, me ha encantado poder disfrutar del guión original de Rod Serling. No han habido tantas diferencias como esperaba, pero las pocas que hay me han parecido bastante interesantes.
La sociedad de los simios es más avanzada, lo que nos permite ver más paralelismos, como las universidades de estos peludos personajes; y Thomas es menos odioso que Taylor (aunque quizás con esto se pierde algo de la faceta autodestructiva humana que critica la obra), y vemos como trata de educar a Nova para demostrar a los simios las posibilidades de los humanos.
Y el arte del cómic es genial, un estilo moderno pero que a la vez recuerda a los cómics antiguos, de la época en la que se estrenó la película original.
La sociedad de los simios es más avanzada, lo que nos permite ver más paralelismos, como las universidades de estos peludos personajes; y Thomas es menos odioso que Taylor (aunque quizás con esto se pierde algo de la faceta autodestructiva humana que critica la obra), y vemos como trata de educar a Nova para demostrar a los simios las posibilidades de los humanos.
Y el arte del cómic es genial, un estilo moderno pero que a la vez recuerda a los cómics antiguos, de la época en la que se estrenó la película original.
April 22, 2020
Rod Serling's words are one of the great treasures of the twentieth century. The closer they can be brought to fruition, the better the art is for it.
This is a case where you can see Serling's vision, before life, studios and other artisans began to alter it.
Thomas is certainly not Taylor, not Charleton Heston, and the story is better for it. The ending is more poignant and the journey to get there more fascinating because there are no limitations on the brightly colored pages.
I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the movie, the concept, or Serling as an author. A lovely communion with one of the giants.
This is a case where you can see Serling's vision, before life, studios and other artisans began to alter it.
Thomas is certainly not Taylor, not Charleton Heston, and the story is better for it. The ending is more poignant and the journey to get there more fascinating because there are no limitations on the brightly colored pages.
I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the movie, the concept, or Serling as an author. A lovely communion with one of the giants.
June 5, 2021
I've really enjoyed the recent trend for adapting early drafts of scripts for much loved movies, the Alien 3 William Gibson adaption being a highlight. This is certainly up there as one of the more interesting in this micro genre, and provides insight into how different the film could have been. Despite the 'classic' status of the ending from the original Charlton Heston movie, I actually preferred the ending here, albeit one which would have left cinema audiences even more depressed upon leaving the theatre.
November 6, 2023
Shocking absolutely no one, God’s favorite PLOAs fan Dana Gould writes one helluva adaptation of the original script (using further the original makeup tests as as design template).
As Gould himself admits in the book’s backmatter, a lot of people are familiar with a lot of the beats and visuals of the original, but this volume consistently finds a lot of super novel (and crazy harrowing) new angles on the whole deal.
I’ve been kinda in an Apes headspace since that new trailer dropped so I’m happy I finally got around to this AND that it was a lot of fun to boot!
As Gould himself admits in the book’s backmatter, a lot of people are familiar with a lot of the beats and visuals of the original, but this volume consistently finds a lot of super novel (and crazy harrowing) new angles on the whole deal.
I’ve been kinda in an Apes headspace since that new trailer dropped so I’m happy I finally got around to this AND that it was a lot of fun to boot!
March 23, 2019
This is a graphic novel, Illustrated if you're not familiar with the term. This was Rod Serling's original telling but Hollywood rewrote it. In this telling the apes were living in a modern city and had all the trappings of a human civilization. The script written for a graphic novel is well done as is the artwork by Chad Lewis. The story moves along quickly with the visuals and can be read in under an hour.
March 5, 2020
A great addition to the POTA mythology. I wish this graphic novel was longer because I enjoyed it a lot. The illustrations are gorgeous and I can tell a lot of effort was put into this. I also wish this was made into a feature film so we could forget the terrible Tim Burton version from 2001. This would make for an awesome movie with a few changes so it isn't so similar to the original Planet of the Apes from 1968.
March 14, 2021
This was a joy to read. I think it very much captured the spirit of Rod Serling, as well as Dana Gould’s voice. Dr. Zaius especially felt like Gould was shining through every panel. There were less religious themes running through this version of the story. I don’t know if those were absent from Serling’s script, or if they got cut as a result of constraints of the comic book page count. It was a quick read, and the art work was very clear and expressive. A pleasure.
September 1, 2021
It's better than most of these "first-draft" of unfilmed screenplays. This is one of several of this concept-type I've read. It does illuminate how the novel was adapted into the final film version of the 1970s. Rod Serling's is much closer to the original novel. But I have to admit this new adaption is still not as good as the Charleton Heston feature film. Worth a read though for fans of the material.
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