The ApeCast

Jack and Geoff return to the world of Boom! POTA comics with a look at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Contagion. Released right before the movie that shares its title, this one-shot comic may be little more than an appetite-whetter, but your Ape hosts are here to break it down nonetheless! Also: exciting Marvel POTA news, and a brief tour through the history of (largely Japan-centric) King Kong games!

Jack and Geoff bid adieu to Juliana Tobon, Pug and the rest with a look at the fifth and final issue of Marvel's POTA series! It's a mixed bag here, as ostensibly-climactic showdowns and character motivation alike are glossed over in order to wrap things up. Nevertheless, your Ape hosts find things to enjoy here, and ponder the future of Marvel's forays into the world of POTA.

Stepping away from the usual talking apes, Jack and Geoff discuss talking alien robot gorillas and their companions in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts! The two also share their histories with the franchise, discuss its star-studded 1986 animated installment, and have a grand ol' time along the way! Also: Geoff talks way too much about Optimus Prime.

It's all-out war in the Atlantic in Marvel's POTA #4! As Juliana Tobon and her human & ape companions engage Exercitus Viri in cruise ship combat, Jack and Geoff revel in the simple pleasures: Oreo-like page composition, death-defying ship-to-ship leaps, and a chimp firing a bazooka. Also, Pug speaks!

Days after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, San Francisco starts to sizzle in Greg Keyes' sequel/Dawn prequel novel Firestorm! As the ALZ-113 retrovirus cuts a catastrophic swath through humanity, Caesar and his ape crew strive to stay one step ahead of the humans hell-bent on their fiery destruction! And your Ape hosts are here to unpack this unrelentingly bleak tale, full of fascinating characters on both sides of the ape/human divide, unnervingly prescient speculations on pandemic behavior, and lots and lots of FIRE!

Love blooms and danger looms in issue #3 of Marvel's Planet of the Apes! As Juliana Tobon and her crew transport a thousand apes on a cruise ship across the Atlantic, we learn more about the origins of Exercitus Viri and check in once again with the Smartest Gorilla in the World! Meanhwile, Jack and Geoff discuss the issue's real-world parallels, delight in apes at sea, ponder classic action movie one-liners, and repeatedly fail to remember something Caeser said!

Jack and Geoff are joined again by Barm for a look at Netflix's documentary Chimp Empire! The Ngogo chimpanzees of Uganda—despite a resource-rich environment—have splintered into two warring factions. Seemingly inured to human contact, the apes go about their brutal business as cameras capture it all, telling a compelling tale that vividly illustrates how close to us these primates truly are.

The ALZ-113 pandemic continues to spread as Jack & Geoff look at issue #2 of Marvel's POTA! As UN Peacekeeper Juliana Tobon arrives in Ghana with her precious ape cargo and receives further marching orders, we see both extremes of current ape/human relations around the world, and learn more about a certain French gorilla who inspires true esprit de corps!

After nearly a decade in the post-Burton doldrums, the POTA franchise was ready for a revival, and it came in the form of an unassuming tale about a scientist. a chimp, and a certain experimental virus. And thus a new Ape-och rises! Jack and Geoff are joined by Derek Buckley for a look at the film's exploration of classic POTA themes, the new territory it carves out for itself, and the creation of a new ape protagonist for the ages!

Marvel Comics is back in the Planet of the Apes game! It's the early 2010s, and a mysterious new virus is ravaging humanity while imbuing apes with increased intelligence--and the wherewithal to use street signage as weaponry--a radical terrorist group is waging war against a convenient scapegoat for this new pandemic, and a young UN Peacekeeper is doing her part to ensure the survival of the apes! It's a tantalizing start, and your Ape hosts are here to break it all down!