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Classic Planet of the Apes #6-10
Planet of the Apes: Before the Fall Omnibus
Twenty years before an Astronaut named Taylor fell from the stars, the Planet of the Apes is gripped with a cataclysmic crisis between Apes and Man!
Ape society is in flux. The rigid caste system is breaking down. Humans can't speak and are considered animals, but are tolerated in the City. Scientific curiosity is smashing old taboos. But not everyone is happy with the new status quo. When an Ape general named Aleron discovers that the Lawgiver’s most sacred commandment—Ape Does Not Kill Ape—has been broken, he unwittingly unlocks a vast conspiracy deep in Ape City that will upend society, and all of history. On the run and faced with unspeakable betrayal, Aleron crosses paths with Doctor Zaius, Zira, Cornelius, and others as he journeys into the heart of the Forbidden zone to discover the truth. Collected together for the first time in one prestigious omnibus, experience the entire critically-acclaimed Apes saga from Gabriel Hardman (Green Lantern) and Corinna Bechko (Star Wars: Legacy), and celebrated illustrators Marc Laming (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Damian Couceiro (Old Man Logan). Features Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes, Exile on the Planet of the Apes, and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm.
Ape society is in flux. The rigid caste system is breaking down. Humans can't speak and are considered animals, but are tolerated in the City. Scientific curiosity is smashing old taboos. But not everyone is happy with the new status quo. When an Ape general named Aleron discovers that the Lawgiver’s most sacred commandment—Ape Does Not Kill Ape—has been broken, he unwittingly unlocks a vast conspiracy deep in Ape City that will upend society, and all of history. On the run and faced with unspeakable betrayal, Aleron crosses paths with Doctor Zaius, Zira, Cornelius, and others as he journeys into the heart of the Forbidden zone to discover the truth. Collected together for the first time in one prestigious omnibus, experience the entire critically-acclaimed Apes saga from Gabriel Hardman (Green Lantern) and Corinna Bechko (Star Wars: Legacy), and celebrated illustrators Marc Laming (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Damian Couceiro (Old Man Logan). Features Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes, Exile on the Planet of the Apes, and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm.
496 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 22, 2022
This was a good continuation of the POTA omnibus graphic novel. Again this was a great story, great art work, and went deep into the POTA universe. I would recommend this to POTA fans. Thanks!
April 14, 2021
Three epic adventures make up this huge graphic novel collection. The artwork is excellent throughout, especially when there are moments with little dialogue which leave the reader to focus on the superb drawing instead.
Familiar characters from the original Planet of the Apes film appear with new creations & the stories move along at a decent fast pace. For added atmosphere I listened to Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack to the 1968 film as I read.
A worthy edition to my Planet of the Apes books, & one I'm sure fans will go ape for!
Familiar characters from the original Planet of the Apes film appear with new creations & the stories move along at a decent fast pace. For added atmosphere I listened to Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack to the 1968 film as I read.
A worthy edition to my Planet of the Apes books, & one I'm sure fans will go ape for!
January 13, 2020
All I can say is, “Wow!” I’ve never found a graphic novel so engaging. I am a huge fan of the original POTA film. I even once owned a dog named Taylor. Reading this book was like watching a super-extended version of the film. Fans of POTA will not want to miss “Before The Fall”.
July 25, 2025
Yes I read this whole thing and yes it was worth it and yes I spend most of my free time thinking about apes and yes I’m gonna read the next one
July 17, 2024
I quite thoroughly enjoyed this series. Barring the “Sins of the Father” one-shot, this is the first real introduction to Apes in comic form, ongoing with long term storytelling. And on nearly every front it succeeds. This volume is a collection of two minis and one ongoing, all functionally a total of five arcs of a single title. This touches on so many topics that feel right up this franchise’s alley, including but not limited to civil rights, workers rights, radicalism in combat against social injustice, classism, racism, religious extremism, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Aleron, I believe an original character, is wonderful. I don’t know why, but my brain read him as Samuel L. Jackson from the very first line, and it worked all the way through. Aleron is a noble Ape, a flawed person, and a dangerous martyr. There are clear allegories in his traits and his fate which I’m entirely unqualified to expound upon. And at the same time, he’s a fun character to read. He’s got some snark, some sass. And he’s a rare good person among the Planet of the Apes. Even our protagonists are often morally questionable even if they’re justified. Aleron fits right in.
Once we shift away from him as the protagonist, my interest does wane somewhat. It never is extinguished, but from that point on it’s more difficult to establish a throughline. There are so many chimpanzees that look so very similar… In the movies, we can identify their voices. Here?… Not so much. So it’s tricky to keep up, at least for me. I also think the story might go just a tad bit overboard in its scale, considering the ‘68 movie is right around the corner from these events and it doesn’t quite feel like so much has happened so recently. But it’s a small gripe. It’s certainly better than what Canon comics have done for Return of the Jedi…
I love seeing the destruction of the moon. It’s so obvious that this story needed to be told, but it surprised me so much when I saw it. And the Ross covers are gorgeous. I just wish it were a little more focused on Zaius and Zira and pushed the rest to the background a little harder.
The cliffhanger reveal is really unfortunate. I think it’s clear they intended a fourth arc to explain the #11 reveal, and when they got the call that they were cancelled, they decided to forego that in favor of the Milo story (which is a standout issue, as well as a standalone issue; I would recommend #12 even to people who didn’t want to read the rest, as it’s a nice, brief bridge between Beneath and Escape).
The art is relatively consistent throughout, it’s never my favorite but it’s never distractingly bad (again, I just wish some of the chimps were a little more distinct). But the writing is perfect and always feels natural for the characters. I definitely recommend it, though I also will say if you’ve fatigued by the time you hit Cataclysm, you’ll be fine to just read #12 and “The Scroll” (a short strip included in the back of the volume) and call it a day.
Aleron, I believe an original character, is wonderful. I don’t know why, but my brain read him as Samuel L. Jackson from the very first line, and it worked all the way through. Aleron is a noble Ape, a flawed person, and a dangerous martyr. There are clear allegories in his traits and his fate which I’m entirely unqualified to expound upon. And at the same time, he’s a fun character to read. He’s got some snark, some sass. And he’s a rare good person among the Planet of the Apes. Even our protagonists are often morally questionable even if they’re justified. Aleron fits right in.
Once we shift away from him as the protagonist, my interest does wane somewhat. It never is extinguished, but from that point on it’s more difficult to establish a throughline. There are so many chimpanzees that look so very similar… In the movies, we can identify their voices. Here?… Not so much. So it’s tricky to keep up, at least for me. I also think the story might go just a tad bit overboard in its scale, considering the ‘68 movie is right around the corner from these events and it doesn’t quite feel like so much has happened so recently. But it’s a small gripe. It’s certainly better than what Canon comics have done for Return of the Jedi…
I love seeing the destruction of the moon. It’s so obvious that this story needed to be told, but it surprised me so much when I saw it. And the Ross covers are gorgeous. I just wish it were a little more focused on Zaius and Zira and pushed the rest to the background a little harder.
The cliffhanger reveal is really unfortunate. I think it’s clear they intended a fourth arc to explain the #11 reveal, and when they got the call that they were cancelled, they decided to forego that in favor of the Milo story (which is a standout issue, as well as a standalone issue; I would recommend #12 even to people who didn’t want to read the rest, as it’s a nice, brief bridge between Beneath and Escape).
The art is relatively consistent throughout, it’s never my favorite but it’s never distractingly bad (again, I just wish some of the chimps were a little more distinct). But the writing is perfect and always feels natural for the characters. I definitely recommend it, though I also will say if you’ve fatigued by the time you hit Cataclysm, you’ll be fine to just read #12 and “The Scroll” (a short strip included in the back of the volume) and call it a day.
September 22, 2022
Pretty decent follow up to the original series. Exile and Betrayal were good stories but i'm not sure why they were cut to just a few issues each. Would've like those expanded on instead of Cataclysm.
The Cataclysm stories make up the bulk of this but it really doesn't build to anything that makes a lot of sense. Was confused about who was who and their relationship to each other. Honestly the complex relationships are my favorite part of this series because it reminds me of Game of Thrones in that way like surprisingly few other series even attempt. Unfortunately, I was very confused by who was who so it lost some charm. I still tore through this expecting to make sense of it later, enjoyed the journey more than what happened at the end.
The Cataclysm stories make up the bulk of this but it really doesn't build to anything that makes a lot of sense. Was confused about who was who and their relationship to each other. Honestly the complex relationships are my favorite part of this series because it reminds me of Game of Thrones in that way like surprisingly few other series even attempt. Unfortunately, I was very confused by who was who so it lost some charm. I still tore through this expecting to make sense of it later, enjoyed the journey more than what happened at the end.
July 29, 2023
Pretty solid book, but I think I like the previous omnibus more. This one relies pretty heavily on your knowledge of the original films, and even though it’s only been a year, I found myself struggling to remember some references. Some of the connections are cool though.
There are a lot of characters with not enough distinguishing physical characteristics. But, I think I would enjoy this more on a reread if I was able to keep track of everything easier. Art is fairly good, and the Cataclysm arc feels like a standout.
There are a lot of characters with not enough distinguishing physical characteristics. But, I think I would enjoy this more on a reread if I was able to keep track of everything easier. Art is fairly good, and the Cataclysm arc feels like a standout.
June 25, 2022
Started out great, Aleron the gorilla was a great character. The idea of an ape teaching humans to sign, also fine. BUT, the second half goes totally off the rails. Why would there be two Alpha-Omega bombs? Why destroy the moon? In beneath, it's quite clear Ursus has never seen the NYC mutants before yet here he's working with them? Way too many plot holes in cataclysm for this apes fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2022
Great collection with really amazing art. Far as the current modern comics based on films go this is in the top out there, very entertaining storyline. BOOM! are really on top of their game. Book it self it's at very high standard at competitive price. Pages are really thick good quality. Looking forward to reading sequel omnibus.
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March 17, 2021Good. Sometimes the Chimp characters specifically were hard hard to differentiate
April 1, 2022
It's so so niche.
I love Planet of the Apes, especially the 1968 version. This is set 20 years before Charlton Heston arrives.
It's ridiculous.
It's wonderful.
For me it's like being bathed in nostalgia, it's like 1980 when I first saw the original movie, after the Top of the Pops repeat on a Sunday night - Ashes to Ashes was number One - then afterwards a spaceship crashes, I'm over at a mates house, it's passed his bedtime so I run home and plead with my parents to let me stay up.
They relent. I was scared shitless, and didn't sleep a wink.
I love Planet of the Apes, especially the 1968 version. This is set 20 years before Charlton Heston arrives.
It's ridiculous.
It's wonderful.
For me it's like being bathed in nostalgia, it's like 1980 when I first saw the original movie, after the Top of the Pops repeat on a Sunday night - Ashes to Ashes was number One - then afterwards a spaceship crashes, I'm over at a mates house, it's passed his bedtime so I run home and plead with my parents to let me stay up.
They relent. I was scared shitless, and didn't sleep a wink.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews