This other new APE series from BOOM! takes place twenty years before Taylor appears, in the first movie. The main gorilla, Aleron, is a war hero general who acts as a lawyer. In the opening scene he's getting rid of a human infestation at the edge of the Forbidden Zone and has a disagreement with a subordinate, who wants to blow up the whole mountain range. Then, we go to fifteen years later, where he's defending an orangutang scientist to the Council. This animal psychologist, Cato, has taught a human, Tern, to use sign language. He's charged with heresy-- defying the word of the Lawgiver by elevating a human to Apehood. Zaius is the council's newest member. Fortunately, the kindly scientist is found not guilty. This does not set will with Ursus, a military gorilla on the rise (and seen in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES). Soon, some gorillas show up at Cato's dwelling and force him to drink poison so that it looks like a suicide. The mute human Tern attacks, trying to protect his master--but it's too late. He flees into the city. Aleron sees some of this and presents his information to the Council. They are in an uproar, not believing that an ape would dare kill another ape. Aleron wants to find the human and ask him what happened, since he can communicate via sign language. However, some of the Council members are in collusion with Ursus and also want to find the human-- to terminate him. So they go to the edge of the Forbidden Zone and uncover evidence that Aleron may have killed another ape those fifteen years before.
This first issue packs in a lot of information and fits in well with the continuing Classic Ape mythos. I thought teaching a human sign language was a great idea to explore. Highly recommended.
This other new APE series from BOOM! takes place twenty years before Taylor appears, in the first movie. The main gorilla, Aleron, is a war hero general who acts as a lawyer. In the opening scene he's getting rid of a human infestation at the edge of the Forbidden Zone and has a disagreement with a subordinate, who wants to blow up the whole mountain range. Then, we go to fifteen years later, where he's defending an orangutang scientist to the Council. This animal psychologist, Cato, has taught a human, Tern, to use sign language. He's charged with heresy-- defying the word of the Lawgiver by elevating a human to Apehood. Zaius is the council's newest member. Fortunately, the kindly scientist is found not guilty. This does not set will with Ursus, a military gorilla on the rise (and seen in BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES). Soon, some gorillas show up at Cato's dwelling and force him to drink poison so that it looks like a suicide. The mute human Tern attacks, trying to protect his master--but it's too late. He flees into the city. Aleron sees some of this and presents his information to the Council. They are in an uproar, not believing that an ape would dare kill another ape. Aleron wants to find the human and ask him what happened, since he can communicate via sign language. However, some of the Council members are in collusion with Ursus and also want to find the human-- to terminate him. So they go to the edge of the Forbidden Zone and uncover evidence that Aleron may have killed another ape those fifteen years before.
