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Beast On The Planet Of The Apes (1974)
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Fiction Review by The Gravedigger
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04.20.21
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This comic-book story follows the events of KINGDOM ON AN ISLAND OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Derek Zane is an Earthman who has time-travelled to the future and found a home on an isolated island, in the city of Camelot, where apes and speaking humans live together in peace. He had fought a dragon (a mutated iguana) and won the heart of the Lady Andrea. His life seems perfect. But he is feeling guilty about not being able to find the four missing astronauts (from the original film). He decides to go an explore-and when he finds the raft he had arrived on has a slain deer on it-and he almost gets shot by an arrow. It's from a chimpanzee named Robin Hood. They fight with some staffs over the raft-but are equally matched-and become friends, proceeding on the journey together. They hear rumors of a talking human in the mainland region and in order to enter Ape City, the two companions put on a disguise as master and mute pet. However, there's a new general in charge, General Zaynor, who took over after Gorodon disappeared with over two hundred soldiers (and were defeated by Camelot in Derek's first adventure). Unfortunately Derek ends up speaking, is captured, and taken to the evil Dr Cassius who wants to dissect him for study. Yet, before they do that they want to experiment on another speaking human-a female-and Derek thinks it may be Stewart, one of the astronauts he's searching for. But it's not-she's a native, though she can talk-and seems to be Taylor's Nova. They try getting away but Derek is caught-and about to be hanged when Robin Hood comes in and rescues him at the last minute. As they flee in a wagon Zaynor and Derek fight hand to hand-and Derek kills him by plunging an arrow into his throat. It's then that the girl shows up, calling his name-and she's shot to death. Enraged, Derek fires a flaming arrow into some gunpowder, which blows up a lot of gorilla soldiers. Once they are safe and back at the water, Derek decides to go off on his own in a mission to find the astronauts while Robin Hood returns to Avedon.
This is an interesting story, showing the diversity in ape cultures as well as different types of humans, and it ties into the same time-line as the original films. Recommended.
Story By Doug Moench
Art By Herb Trimpe, Dan Adkins, Sal Tarpani
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Rating: nan out of 10.0 - votes cast total
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