Writer: Daryl Gregory
Artist: Carlos Magno
This wraps up the run for Planet Of The Apes. But not to worry! Boom! isn't going to stop there. We've got other titles, including the first Planet Of The Apes annual (which I'll talk about in this coming week's comic book update) to keep us in touch with Sully, Alaya and the war.
We find out that, behind the scenes, there's been a cabal that has been pushing towards this war for years. Long before the events from issue #1 and the assassination of the Lawgiver. Machinations whose sole purpose was the bring down ape society and destroy the peace between apes and humans.
A great conclusion to this run, and I highly recommend picking up the trades (16 issues = 2 trades, easy) if you've not been reading since the beginning. It's an excellent way of tying together the original franchise with the newly reimagined one from last year. And I look forward to more installments in time.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
This issue moves the story of Arthur's history with the Others, while giving us the answer: for what item is Black Manta searching?
Johns gives us some history for, Vostok, one of the Others. We find that he was raised specifically by the former Soviet Union to be a survivor. And to ensure that, they kept him isolated for most of his life. So much so that when he is not actively on a mission, he cannot just be with people. And so he isolates himself on the Moon.
And when he reaches out to Arthur as one of the few people with whom he can relate, Aquaman turns away, isolating himself. And in that moment we see the self-imposed, as opposed to conditioned, isolation Aquaman himself feels. He's more at home alone, like a fish in a vast ocean.
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: John Romita Jr.
In the second issue of her solo story, we explore even more about what makes our heroine tic. As she trains Kick-Ass to be her sidekick (with the great line when Kick-Ass complains, saying "Bitch, don't even go there. They might as well call you Hit-Boy.") we get a little more depth of character out of her.
She's more of an anti-hero than a true hero in this issue. While she's still a likeable character (who wouldn't like a 12 year old who can clean up a room of thugs on her own?) you want her to have some kind of redemption, something that pulls her out of the world of blood and violence.
But, sadly, when she treats fitting in as developing a secret identity, you start to feel she may be a lost cause. At least we have Kick-Ass there as a sort of moral compass, our voice in her world trying to keep her under some restraint. Something Big Daddy never did for her when he pushed her into this life.
