The Stop Button

Sins of the Father is pretty darn good for a licensed tie-in.

Mike Valerio’s writing is strong–he mixes a Sherlock Holmes-like investigation into an ape’s death with an explanation of why Maurice Evan’s Zaius is such a tool in the original Planet of the Apes. He also introduces family relationships into the franchise for the first time. It’s neat.

Unfortunately, the art’s wrong. Mitch Byrd is fine artist, but not for an Apes book. Everyone looks cute, whether it’s the gorillas, who are just kind of cute, or the orangutans, who are cuter than Gizmo. It creates a disconnect between the pictures and the words.

But Valerio’s strength isn’t just in his plotting, it’s in how he realizes the society. While it’s not as confined as the movies, it’s also more thoughtful than the majority of Adventure’s comics.

It’s a great tie-in and a good comic.