I believe it goes without saying that last months issue left me a bit lukewarm. From a technical standpoint it was very good comic, but I feel like I’m missing something. The Planet of The Apes series is a series I have little to no experience with and last issue didn’t exactly help me understand what’s going on at least on the Apes side. Robbie Thompson is in a tricky situation as he has to placate different fanbases and tell a compelling story. I want to like this series because of the creative team, let’s see if the second issue can turn it around for me.

One thing that irked me about this issue was that several apes kept referring to someone named Taylor. If you’re a fan or have at least seen the original Planet of The Apes then you know they’re talking about Charlton Heston’s character. It bugged the hell out of me because I had no idea who they were talking about, I can only suspect that Taylor will actually show up in this series at some point, if not why even reference him? Yes there is slight context for what Taylor is doing, but as of the second issue it has zero impact on the main story so far. However I’m sure if you’re are a fan of the Planet of The Apes then I’m sure the reference made you smile from ear to ear.

Barnaby Bagneda’s art from The Omega Men was great but his art for this issue was rough. Faces were inconsistent from panel to panel, body proportions were erratic making Hal Jordan seem unrecognizable outside of costume. On the flip side, the facial expressions for the ape looked great facial expressions and all, which is puzzling when you factor in that Hal is on the same page as some random ape grunts. Honestly it’s the inconsistent art that makes this issue harder to swallow.

This issue was a struggle to finish for me, I have no attachment to what is happening on the Ape’s planet making it seem like a pit stop for Hal Jordan before he can get back to the DCU. I have no stakes as to what’s going on yet. It feels to me that Thompson wants to make it a slow burn, but given that this is only a six issue mini series I’m not sure that the slow burn approach is the right way to tell this story. The final page however hooked me enough to want to see how the next four issues will play out.

Planet of The Apes/Green Lantern #2 of 6 earns a 3/5