Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Here’s where I get to go full-out fanboy.  Since I was a child, Planet of the Apes has been my favorite movie franchise.  Sure, the first of the Star Wars movies is okay, and I guess there’s something to be said for four or five of those Star Trek films, but Planet of the Apes will forever be where my beating SF heart lies.  Heck, I even like the Tim Burton one, and I’m not at ALL jealous that another writer at BOOM STUDIOS is creating a new POTA comic book.

Last night, I saw the trailer for the new movie, and I messed my pants…. I mean in a good way.

Oh, this movie can put its stinking paws ALL over me.

As readers of this blog may know, I edited, art-directed, and co-wrote a POTA miniseries called REVOLUTION ON THE PLANET OF THE APES in 2006 for Mr. Comics, chronicling the rise of the apes after the events of the 4th film of the original series, CONQUEST.

The cover art to Revolution #1, layout by your humble blogger - masterfully painted by Denis Rodier

I’ve read all the books and novelizations, I own every movie, every TV episode (live action and animated), a heck of a lot of the toys and collectibles, and I’ve even been made into a minor character from the franchise retroactively (see below, or go here).

But that trailer made me jump up and down like a giddy schoolboy.

I have too much work to do, but I’m sitting here playing it over and over, and clapping my hands every time.  Everything is just right.  Well, except for the fact that that robotic-wax-figure-Oscar-host James Franco was accidentally cast in it, but everything has to have at least one flaw, or it would offend the gods.

Is it wrong of me to be this happy?

Ty the Guy.  Busy grooming the nits out of my neighbor’s hair.

Here now, your POTA bonus moment, from Lexicon of the Planet of the Apes by Rich Handley: (Available from Hasslein Books)

This is The End

…of the five part interview of Ty, by Michel Fiffe. Ty discusses Howard the Duck, Mr. Comics and Hoverboy. Check it out over at The Comics Journal.

Ad for Revolution on the Planet of the Apes, from Mr. Comics

Keiren

Piles of Paper

Ty is going through piles of pages, sorting through his career.  Quite the retrospective.  He’s trying to decide what stuff to scan for this site.

Every now and then, one of us will check eBay to see if any of Ty’s stuff is on.  Sometimes, we’ll see a bunch of pages Ty’s inked over a particular penciller.  About eighteen months ago, someone was trying to sell a bunch of Jim Mooney pages, as Jim needed the money for medical/living expenses (he died early last year). Ty had inked Jim on Superboy pages.

It took Ty aback a moment as he tried to remember the issues:  as I’ve mentioned before, with such a wide and varied career it can be hard for Ty to remember what work he’s done, let alone who he’s inked over, or who has inked him. It can be easier to remember the big ones (Ty inked Curt Swan), and/or a tragic story (Ty drew two issues of Batman Adventures, when Mike Parobeck was unable to finish them not long before his death).  Sometimes, Ty will talk to a penciller or inker, through email or facebook, and will be confused when the other artist refers to their mutual work.  This sends Ty off through his pile of pages (or off to the Grand Comic Book Database!).

And, of course, even though Ty has been doing a lot of work on his own in recent years (pencilling and inking Simpsons’ stories which he has written), he’s still busy collaborating.  He was immensely pleased to work with Stephen Molnar on Revolution on the Planet of the Apes, and on Hoverboy, having first seen Stephen’s work in a portfolio review at a local convention.  And the artist for Moonstone’s upcoming Johnny Canuck and the Guardians of the North is David J. Cutler.  David was in Ty’s classes when Ty taught at Max the Mutt Animation School in Toronto.

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A page from Superboy #6 (1990) Jim Mooney pencils, Ty Templeton inks