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Planet of the Apes: Visionaries
by
Based on the original screenplay for Planet of the Apes by The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling.
On the road to making the landmark science-fiction classic, 20th Century Fox commissioned Rod Serling to adapt the source material. Serling’s first draft, which was drastically revised before filming, is a radically different vision of the franchise than the one the world has come to ...more
On the road to making the landmark science-fiction classic, 20th Century Fox commissioned Rod Serling to adapt the source material. Serling’s first draft, which was drastically revised before filming, is a radically different vision of the franchise than the one the world has come to ...more
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My first encounter with Planet of the Apes was watching the TV series as a child in the 1970s. Since then I've seen all the original films (& the reboots) many times, but the original 1968 movie is still my favourite.
This graphic novel, based on Rod Serling's screenplay, is a bit of a gem. Quite a lot of Serling's screenplay was used for the 1968 film, but due to budget restrictions we never saw his full vision. Now we get to see the ape city as originally imagined, as well as many other treats. ...more
This graphic novel, based on Rod Serling's screenplay, is a bit of a gem. Quite a lot of Serling's screenplay was used for the 1968 film, but due to budget restrictions we never saw his full vision. Now we get to see the ape city as originally imagined, as well as many other treats. ...more
Based on Rod Serling's original screenplay and the original screen tests for the movie. This was interesting for any fan of the original. The apes are almost a mirror flip of 60's society, with skyscrapers, vehicles, and dress of the era. The story is even bleaker than the original. A quick and interesting read.
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Aug 23, 2018
Stan Hyde
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
interested film fans and those obsessed with Serling's satirical writing.
It was great to read the - very different - story based on Serling's original script adapting Pierre Boulle's novel. The comic adaptation writer and artist have done a great job of boiling the script down into a compelling story, and it's interesting to see what elements survived into the final script, and some of the very interesting moments that were never filmed. It's a quick read, lots of fun - if dystopian 60's SF with an appropriately dark feel can be described as 'fun.' (I grew up reading
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This was pretty neat. It felt like a quick read and it wasn't super different from the original movie, I haven't seen it in a while but the noticeable differences were interesting. Most notible is the more modern setting which I think works very well and also makes some aspects of the story much darker and more reflective of our world. Also visually I liked the artwork and thought the more cartoony feel helped with the sifi/fantasy mood.
Some of the panel structures felt off and kinda ruined ten ...more
Some of the panel structures felt off and kinda ruined ten ...more
I've always been curious to know what was in Rod Serling's original script for Planet of the Apes, and thanks to this graphic novel version, now I know. You can see the main bones of the final film here (with some obvious conceptual differences such as a modern ape society) as well as some other interesting ideas that never made it into the finished film. The artwork is well done and I found it to be an enjoyable read.
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I put off reading this for a while because I was afraid I'd be disappointed. I was wrong. Its fascinating to see the differences and similarities between Serling's original script and the finished film.
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At first, to be honest, my initial reaction to this book being released was ... why? Sure, sure, sure, Rod Serling is a masterful craftsman of American letters. The Twilight Zone is not just a classic television series, it has influenced all genres of entertainment medium over the subsequent decades to ways both subtle and obvious. Sterling’s fingers have been inexorably woven into the fabric of America I. The same way as Norman Rockwell defined American with his iconic images, Serling defined A
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In this original graphic novel, we get a comic book adaptation of Rod Serling's original script for the film, "Planet of the Apes." In this graphic novel, you get a story that has aspects of the movie that eventually came out in 1968, but you also get a lot of material reminiscent of the original book which the film is based on. Having read the book, and seen the film, there wasn't much new content in here, but it was fun to see the two stories blended together here. This was a surprisingly quic
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Absolutely fantastic! Dana Gould was the perfect person to lead this book. You can tell he is a life long fan and he made this for other life long fans. It captures the original draft of rod serling perfectly. The art work is beautiful and the story is compelling. I could not put it down. I know want a movie version of this!
Throughout my reading of the Visionaries graphic novel adaptation of Rod Serling’s Planet of the Apes script, I felt like I was missing the connective tissue. The book interprets Rod Serling’s script and whether the problem was in the adaptation or the original, the graphic novel feels like a collection of scenes that roughly make the story. There’s almost no flow or synergy.
The nice thing about this book is that we see what Rod Serling would have intended for the film, but the graphic novel mos ...more
The nice thing about this book is that we see what Rod Serling would have intended for the film, but the graphic novel mos ...more
This book is a masterpiece. The 'Behind the Planet of the Apes' documentary alluded to Rod Serling's involvement in adapting the Pierre Boulle novel into a film script. The original scripts were ultimately jettisoned and reworked to create something more commercially viable. Recently, a feature length discussion of those scripts shed much more light on them, and piqued my interest in the original scripts. A link to that audio, for reference, is http://thetwilightzonepodcast.com/rod....
Dana Goul ...more
Dana Goul ...more
A big part of the appeal in grabbing this was the lure of Dana Gould's writing... though, in retrospect his role seems more to be "adapting" the Serling script to a comic format. Still - I'm a long time Gould fan and happy to indulge in his projects. The story keeps many of the key events of the movie, but overall it leans towards the book's vision of ape society instead of the screen version. That is the culture and trappings seem very "20th century human".
On the art side, the cover's dynamite ...more
On the art side, the cover's dynamite ...more
PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES is an intriguing and captivating graphic novel adaptation of the 1968 film’s original screenplay by Rod Serling. 🦍
📚
For this 112-page full-color graphic novel from BOOM! Studios, SIMPSONS writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both PLANET OF THE APES and THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and artist Chad Lewis (AVENGERS ORIGINS) drew inspiration from the film’s original 1966 makeup test and concept art, and had access to several drafts of Serling’s original script bef ...more
📚
For this 112-page full-color graphic novel from BOOM! Studios, SIMPSONS writer Dana Gould, a self-professed lifelong fan of both PLANET OF THE APES and THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and artist Chad Lewis (AVENGERS ORIGINS) drew inspiration from the film’s original 1966 makeup test and concept art, and had access to several drafts of Serling’s original script bef ...more
Rod Serling's words are one of the great treasures of the twentieth century. The closer they can be brought to fruition, the better the art is for it.
This is a case where you can see Serling's vision, before life, studios and other artisans began to alter it.
Thomas is certainly not Taylor, not Charleton Heston, and the story is better for it. The ending is more poignant and the journey to get there more fascinating because there are no limitations on the brightly colored pages.
I highly recomm ...more
This is a case where you can see Serling's vision, before life, studios and other artisans began to alter it.
Thomas is certainly not Taylor, not Charleton Heston, and the story is better for it. The ending is more poignant and the journey to get there more fascinating because there are no limitations on the brightly colored pages.
I highly recomm ...more
This is a graphic novel, Illustrated if you're not familiar with the term. This was Rod Serling's original telling but Hollywood rewrote it. In this telling the apes were living in a modern city and had all the trappings of a human civilization. The script written for a graphic novel is well done as is the artwork by Chad Lewis. The story moves along quickly with the visuals and can be read in under an hour.
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A great addition to the POTA mythology. I wish this graphic novel was longer because I enjoyed it a lot. The illustrations are gorgeous and I can tell a lot of effort was put into this. I also wish this was made into a feature film so we could forget the terrible Tim Burton version from 2001. This would make for an awesome movie with a few changes so it isn't so similar to the original Planet of the Apes from 1968.
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Absolutely fantastic! Dana Gould was the perfect person to lead this book. You can tell he is a life long fan and he made this for other life long fans. It captures the original draft of rod serling perfectly. The art work is beautiful and the story is compelling. I could not put it down. I know want a movie version of this!
It thought that this was a good, thoughtful version of this now classic tale. It’s been redone so many times at this point, but recreating the original screenplay as a graphic novel worked well.
I also appreciate the redesign of the apes, they look more natural.
All in all, fans of Planet should enjoy it, unless they be snobby for reasons I cannot foresee.
I also appreciate the redesign of the apes, they look more natural.
All in all, fans of Planet should enjoy it, unless they be snobby for reasons I cannot foresee.
An excellent adaptation of Rod Serling’s first draft and original vision for Planet of the Apes. You’ll notice the familiar DNA of the late 60’s version we originally got, but this is a much darker telling of the tale. It’s POTA by way of vintage TZ Serling with a Mad Men aesthetic. If you’re a Serling / POTA / TZ fan...don’t miss this.
Wow this was good. I was amazed at how close this was to the actual movie. Yes, it looks different but it tells a very similar story and feels even more Twilight Zone like than the movie. Dana Gould did a fine job adapting the script to comic book form. It looked great and read even better. Whatever different take. Should be read by all Apeophiles.
Even though I am more of a casual Planet of the Apes fan (I've seen the movies and TV show and that's it), the fact that VISIONARIES is based on a rejected Rod Serling movie draft (or two) was enough to get me to read it. I would have loved to see this on the big screen, and highly recommend this adaptation.
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This graphic Novel is based on Rod Serling's 1st screenplay for the film.
While several things will look familiar to fans of the film, there are differences.(Nova is not in this version as much, and her name comes out of no where)
The ending is more bleak than the 1968 film, though similar in many ways. It works though.
Not sure what I was expecting, but I came away a little bit let down. ...more
While several things will look familiar to fans of the film, there are differences.(Nova is not in this version as much, and her name comes out of no where)
The ending is more bleak than the 1968 film, though similar in many ways. It works though.
Not sure what I was expecting, but I came away a little bit let down. ...more
That was very cool! Just read it all in one sitting but I definitely plan to read it again after I re-read the original novel. I can see some ways that the script that actually became the movie plays better but I’d LOVE to see this original Serling script in live action. Hope somebody does that someday!
Finally, Serling’s Planet of the Apes
I’ve been a huge fan of Planet of the Apes since I was little. When I learned the Rod Serling has written multiple drafts, I became curious to see his version. This is still the same basic story but different enough to justify the purchase. The best part was Dana Gould’s explanations as to the choices he had to make for a graphic novel.
I’ve been a huge fan of Planet of the Apes since I was little. When I learned the Rod Serling has written multiple drafts, I became curious to see his version. This is still the same basic story but different enough to justify the purchase. The best part was Dana Gould’s explanations as to the choices he had to make for a graphic novel.
I don't know the movie other than from Simpson's references. I can tell this veers from the movie's culturally entrenched beats, but Dana Could working with Rod Serling's script makes for a great alternate vision. Now I'll go find the movie.
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"Fantastically realizes Rod Serling’s unused screenplay that shows how adaptable the Apes mythos can be."
Read full review at Popzara Press. ...more
Read full review at Popzara Press. ...more
This is an interesting adaptation that places itself somewhere in the middle, half way between the film and the novel. It features aspects of both to give a new and intriguing look at what could have been had Rod Serling’s original script been used back in the ‘60s.
I was excited to find this at my library, as I have been a Planet of the Apes fan since the mid-70s. Serling's original script certainly kept my interest and the art complements it wonderfully.
My only gripe, I wanted more! If you are a fan of PotA or Rod Serling (I am both) check it out. ...more
My only gripe, I wanted more! If you are a fan of PotA or Rod Serling (I am both) check it out. ...more
Rod Serling was the master. This is a great “sideways” take on PotA, and even though we already know the ending, I still got chills, thanks to the well-staged adaptation and the timeless twist ending Rod Serling cooked up. Recommended for all Apes fans.
Fun quick read. Rod Serlings original script turned into a graphic novel. Much the same as the original movie except the apes have a modern city and the main characters name is changed. You also get the surprise ending which now makes sense knowing it came from Rod Serling.
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