Silent And Deadly On The Planet Of The Apes

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Covers, in order: Cover A, cover B (published), cover B (preliminary), cover C, cover D

“The Long War,” BOOM! Studios’ opening story arc, kicks into high gear in issue #3, as the identity of the Lawgiver’s assassin is revealed in a surprising twist ending worthy of the Planet of the Apes mythos.

Those yet to read this issue, be warned: There be spoilers ahead.

SYNOPSIS:
During the siege of the bridges out of Skintown, General Nix’s White Troop quells the human resistance in only ten minutes. Many are hurt, though none are killed, and Sully consoles the wounded with drinks at her tavern. Chiaka, disgusted at their willingness to accept defeat, storms out of the bar and visits Brother Kale’s mission, where many Silents have gathered to pray and seek guidance. The mutant cleric promises to help, saying he came to Mak to remind them what humans are capable of, and of what life was like before the apes took over. Alaya, meanwhile, searches the Lawgiver’s scrolls for words to incorporate into a eulogy at her grandfather’s impending funeral. That night, the Lawgiver’s assassin tries to slay Alaya, but the chimp injures the would-be shooter with a weapon of her own. The masked killer stumbles home, where Bako finds her lying bloody on the floor, and realizes the truth: The assassin is Chaika–his daughter.

REVIEW:
In previous reviews, I broke up my comments in terms of “The Good,” the “Not-so-Good” and “The Bottom Line,” and that worked fine for those two issues, since quality was not yet consistent in some areas as the series found its footing. In ordering my thoughts for this latest edition, however, I find myself unable to come up with a list of negatives. Instead, I’m going to switch tactics and address my one criticism first, so that I can then delve into all that is right about this chapter.

What is that one negative? Well, it’s something I’ve mentioned in prior reviews: namely, Alaya’s appearance. Although a chimpanzee, the Lawgiver’s granddaughter seems mostly hairless, aside from sideburns, with a completely smooth and human-looking neck, chest and shoulders visible beneath her low-cut neckline. This art decision continues to baffle me, as it would seem to indicate Alaya is an ape-human hybrid, or that she has a decidedly un-ape-like fetish for going around partially shaved.

While this series has been anything but predictable–and while a human-ape hybrid would provide an unexpected homage to the hybrid child at one time conceived to appear in Beneath the Planet of the Apes–it seems unlikely that writer Daryl Gregory would go either route. Rather, this would appear to be an unfortunate artistic choice on the part of illustrator Carlos Magno.

But really, that’s the only criticism I can muster with regarding to this issue. Magno is otherwise a brilliant artist, and his work in this chapter shines (Alaya’s smooth skin notwithstanding). The opening scene of the apes on horseback, the shot of the descending airship, the faces of the terrified and outnumbered humans, the interior of Alaya’s home, the visuals in Skintown, the beauty of Chiaka contrasted with the scarred face of her father, the long view of Kale’s congregation… all are wonderfully and vibrantly drawn. Particularly effective are the jaw-dropping final scenes, in which Chiaka attempts but fails to assassinate Alaya, then is shot herself and found dying by her father. Having to wait a month to read the next part of the story after those final panels is maddening.

Magno’s illustrations perfectly complement Gregory’s scripting. With the past two chapters, I noted the slow pacing, and indicated that while I greatly enjoyed “The Long War,” I was a bit concerned that little was happening in terms of plot. That is no longer an issue. The pacing here is breakneck, and there’s a real sense of urgency that carries the reader along to the ending shocker. As soon as I finished reading the comic, I immediately re-read it, disappointed to see it end so quickly. I was that pulled in.

The characters of Alaya and Sully continue to fascinate me–both concerned for their respective peoples, both disenchanted over how society has degenerated, both carrying grudges over past grievances, and both hurting over the Lawgiver’s death, and yet with very different outlooks and motivations. Something horrible and game-changing is clearly in store for these two foster-sisters, and given this issue’s cliffhanger ending–and the fact that Nix is one seriously dangerous gorilla–anything is possible.

Whereas I expected the mystery of the assassin’s identity to remain unanswered over a long stretch of story, Gregory has pleasantly surprised me with the final two pages, in which that person is revealed to be the mute peasant Chaika. Seemingly deceased (though perhaps just badly wounded) by the final panel, Chaika makes a grave (possibly final) sacrifice for her cause. As Bako finds her bloody body crumpled on the floor, she weakly signs a single word to him–“Daddy”–and then lies motionless.

We won’t know until issue #4, of course, if Gregory has actually chosen to kill off so important a character this early in the game, or if the tagline for that upcoming chapter, “Next Issue: A Death in Skintown,” truly refers to Chaika. But if that is what’s in store, then readers would be wise to heed that lesson not to take anything for granted herein, and to expect the story to take many unanticipated twists and transformations before its conclusion.

Transformation, Brother Kale tells his Silent congregation, is at the core of mutant belief, “from alpha to omega, slavery to freedom.” And that, perhaps, is the strongest clue as to what the author has planned. Alaya has forsaken her grandfather’s desire for interspecies harmony, transforming society by placing man and ape at the brink of war. Nix has changed from imprisoned war criminal to empowered military leader, upsetting the balance by bringing war to Skintown. Sully will soon give birth, her body physically going through a natural transformation. Industrialization is altering the environment for the worse, to the detriment of all. And humanity as a whole is undergoing multiple transformations, with some losing the power of speech, others developing telepathic abilities, and all facing poverty, starvation and even extinction.

As the long war wages on, the outcome-man’s downfall and the bastardizing of the Lawgiver’s teachings to a philosophy of anti-human rhetoric-is inevitable (assuming Daryl Gregory prescribes to a circular timeline model, that is). But the individual battles, victories and losses along the way have yet to be revealed, and if this issue is any indication, then it’s all headed, as Brother Kale tells us, for “revolutionary change.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this enthralled with a comic book. It’s a nice change–a revolutionary one, if you will.