The ApeCast

Reunited in the ApeCast studios for the first time in a long time, Jack and Geoff finally tackle the sixth Apes movie—Tim Burton's 2001 POTA! Returning guest Sean Davis joins the two for a spirited discussion about the delightfully snarly Thade, the mostly-great production design and makeup work, the mostly-bad everything else, and the protagonistic void that is Leo Davidson. Is there a soul in this movie? Get thee a towel and find out!

In a special bonus Ape-ril throwdown, Jack and Geoff are joined by Erin Clarke, Sam Stovold and new guest Lauren Petronaci for a discussion of the long-awaited Godzilla vs. Kong! In this Titan-sized episode, the five break down exactly what this final (?) Monsterverse entry gets right, luxuriate in the sheer spectacle of the titular bouts, and even find time for fast food talk! In this matchup, whoever wins, so too do the Ape Faithful!

In this final episode before Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, Jack & Geoff take a look at two fun-sized lesser-known comics from Dark Horse's early-00s Apes run: a short tale featured in Dark Horse Extra, and the Toys "R" Us Collector's comic! These stories—featuring Attar and Thade respectively—may not be substantial (or even essential), but there is fun to be had within their slim page counts. Also: human/ape hybrid talk, POTA gets its own version of Sybok, and a certain Dr. gets his own YouTube talk show!

Inching ever-closer to the Burton POTA remake, Jack and Geoff take a gander at Resistance, the second and final prequel novel—for the younger reader—written by John Whitman. With the plague behind them, Sarai and her daughter Danae find themselves enslaved and forced to build a grand new temple of Semos, under the villainous thumb of Colonel Thade and his cadre of murderous apes! Will Ari be able to help her human friends? Will Attar summon some ape-manity from the depths of his newly-pious soul? Will Jack and Geoff repeatedly bring up The Legend of Zelda? Listen and learn, Ape faithful!

With the Quick books behind them, Jack and Geoff move a few thousand years into Ashlar's future and encounter...Force! In this—the first of two short novels targeted towards the younger Apes fan—teen versions of beloved characters Ari and Attar find themselves contending with a mysterious plague and even more mysterious humans. Will Ari survive her Goosebumps-style encounter with ape mummies? Will Attar unwittingly deliver Colonel Thade's plague blankets to the Tek-folk? Will this book also prove superior to its source material? Tune in and find out!

Jack and Geoff are joined again by Sam Stovold for a look at William T. Quick's second Tim Burton POTA prequel novel Colony! As gengineered super-chimp Semos sends his sons Thados and Zaius into unexplored territory, our human hosts marvel once again at Quick's delightful prose, elegant thematic tie-ins to the Apes franchise as a whole, the resonant characterization of Thados, and dinos riding dinos!

And now...the Burtonverse, as Jack and Geoff begin their exploration of the various books and comics tying into Tim Burton's 2001 POTA! First up: William T. Quick's 2002 novel The Fall, which details the fates of the movie's non-Wahlbergian spacefaring humans and their gengineered ape companions. Sam Stovold is along for the ride, and while the humans, apes and Brax may fall, our hosts' estimation of this surprisingly engaging work only continues to rise!

The final four Power Records vinyl tales are in Jack and Geoff's sights, and once again guest Derek Buckley is along to share his thoughts and reminiscences! Although lacking comic book accompaniment, these stories do feature all-new adventures from everyone's favorite TV trinity of Pete, Alan and Galen (aka PAG). And they run the gamut of what POTA is all about: self-destructive zealotry from both man and ape alike, still-relevant social commentary, and American landmarks that show up where you'd least expect. All this, plus alligator wrasslin'!

Jack and Geoff are joined by Derek Buckley for a look at the Power Records comic/vinyl versions of the original Apes' movies! These kid-friendly adaptations excise and/or reimagine a lot of the classic Apes moments we know and love, but possess a charm all their own. Also, the three discuss distinctive mutants, blue space booze's entry into the Star Wars universe, ragamuffins, and get into a little hockey talk!

For this year's bonus Chimpsmas Ape-isode, Jack and Geoff welcome back Erin Clarke, Sam Stovold and Kevin Young for a discussion of the little-remembered 1998 direct-to-VHS animated musical The Mighty Kong! Is this a forgotten gem in the King Kong oeuvre, or a bafflingly soulless, perfunctory attempt to re-frame the classic Kong narrative for the youth of the 90's? Either way, it makes for a festive discussion! And also, to celebrate anime movie Demon Slayer's crowning as the all-time King of the Japanese box office, a special bonus game show: Geoff Clarke's Grinnin' Chimp Japanese Box Office Christmas Challenge!