Evolution's Nightmare - a Review from Planet of the Apes 5

Planet of the Apes #5 (February 1975)
"Evolution's Nightmare"
Doug Moench-Ed Hannigan/Jim Mooney

I read this story for the first time about two weeks before Christmas, at the back of the Planet of the Apes Archive, volume 4. It was the final Apes story reprinted in those fabulous hardcovers from Boom! Studios. And I'll say that while I was "Meh..." about the inclusion of all of the articles in the Deadly Hands of Kung fu Omnibus, I really missed them in the recent PotA Archives. I can recall, as a child, generally skipping the comics within the PotA mags and skimming the articles at the grocery store. Stills from the films, especially those dealing with production aspects of the make-up, etc. were enthralling to my young eyes. But as was my condition back then, I was allergic to black & white comics... Dumb me.

I wondered as I read through the four PotA Archive collections how it was arrived to organize the books as they did. At times I felt, and I suppose this is the most practical way, stories were fit into the page allotments of each volume. Sort of like working a literary jigsaw puzzle. Today's offering is a case in point - first appearing in the 5th issue of the PotA magazine, it was the last tale to be included in the the hardcover series. One might argue they saved the best for last, though, as it is a pretty good story. Let's check it out --

100-Word Review:

War rages on the Planet of the Apes in a time long before Taylor’s arrival. Armed humans on one bluff, equally-equipped Apes across from them, with a Forbidden Zone valley the site of what will become near-complete carnage. Yet two survive the drenching of blood – Jovan the human, and Solomon the gorilla. Mutually disabled post-battle, they are forced to collaborate for survival. Setting off in a symbiotic relationship, they encounter the mixed-breed hermit Mordecai. A man-ape of thought and good will, Mordecai nurses the former combatants back to health. But once healed, their hatred still burns. Will it consume them?

The Good: What can I say about Doug Moench's tenure as scribe of these Apes adventures that others have not already said? I certainly was aware of Moench's various writings when I was a child (and onward), but I don't know that I comprehended just how prolific he was - and especially in the B&W mags. Having taken the complete tour of the PotA magazines over the past two years, I think I've elevated Moench in my personal rankings of the pantheon of comics writers. What an imagination, and a true mastery of pace, plot, and parlance. This story is certainly no exception. While the theme is borrowed, that of two former combatants forced to rely on each other for survival, Moench throws this into the apes/humans dichotomy with that extra flair that resonates with the watcher/reader of the PotA mythos. I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how these sworn enemies would resolve their foundational issues. I was not disappointed, even though the morality play conclusion seemed predictable. 

The introduction of the hermit Mordecai proved pivotal, and it was a stroke of genius to craft the character as a human/ape hybrid. Of course, that raises all kinds of other issues (moral, biological, and so on), but maybe that's the point: If Mordecai could grow from a union that would undeniably be considered taboo among the races (nay... species) of his parents and be a fount of virtue, then surely good could come to our combatants if they would but tolerate one another.

As an aside, Andrew E.C. Gaska delved into various ape/human and ape/ape hybrid possibilities in his highly recommended (by this reader) Death of the Planet of the Apes novel. Get a copy!

Ed Hannigan and Jim Mooney were solid on the artwork. Mooney seemed a bit out of his element, as those "Mooney eyes" are perhaps better placed in a Spider-Man or especially Supergirl comic. But for the most part I could get past the inks and enjoy Hannigan's pencils. This team did an excellent job of pacing Moench's script. While the inital battle scene seems long in retrospect, on my first read it was appropriate in length. Moench wanted to establish a) how brutal was the fighting and b) that it could only end in extinction of one side by the other. Yet, when that did not happen, the table was set for the main course. Hannigan and Mooney showed the scope and scale of Moench's desired carnage. I was reminded of another battle that raged to an equally-dreaded conclusion. That panel appears below, by John Buscema and Tony DeZuniga, and comes from Thor Annual 5. Overall, Hannigan chose a pretty straightforward panel layout, but as you can see from the samples I've provided, he did occasionally burst the conventional bounds.

The Bad: I don't have much to say in this box, other than the perplexing implications of Mordecai's parentage. My mind wandered to Dr. Zira's rebuke of Taylor's kiss, telling him, "You're so damned ugly!" Indeed...

The Ugly: And speaking of "ugly", I'd just say that while well done and effective, the previously-mentioned length of the opening battle had a "make it stop!" quality. So while brutal in its telling, Moench achieved his goal. 

If you've never read any of the PotA Bronze Age magazines, I'd heartily encourage you to seek and obtain the four Archive hardcovers. They are a treasure. A pricey treasure, but nonetheless I am happy to have provided them a warm home. These are books I'll return to over and over. As mentioned above, I do wish they'd included the letters pages and articles, but it is nice to have access to the comics. As we move on during the life of this blog, I'll hope to bring reviews of some of the other material from those books - the roster of artistic talent is beyond compare. 

Thanks for reading, and don't hesitate to leave me a comment below, if you're so inclined.