Tarzan on The Planet of The Apes is the crossover fans wanted but never thought to ask for! Written by Tim Seeley and David Walker, the story centers around the reunion of Tarzan and Caesar who, in this iteration, grew up with Tarzan, and their united fight against an enemy that threatens their home while contending with issues at home. The story delves into very familiar subject matter and successfully brings the worlds of Tarzan and The Planet Of The Apes together in a cohesive timeline.
The strongest points in this comic come from how seamlessly the worlds of Tarzan and Caesar come together. While it could have ended up coming off as a gimmick, the writing elevates the premise and draws the reader into this universe. The story opens on a flashback which serves as both a backstory to the current predicament and a crash course into this brand new world. It is fast paced but not rushed and never misses an opportunity to slow down for smaller moments when it needs to.
The art is also used expertly to capture and sustain the feel and tone of the story with great detail put into the aesthetic of the world in a way that would please classic Burroughs fans and fans of the original Apes series.
While the book is a blast, it isn’t without some flaws. For one, despite the entertaining value, the story does seem predictable at times, especially with the choice of villain. Which isn’t the writer’s fault because these classic stories come with their very specific and iconic adversaries. There was also one particular piece of dialogue that felt like it was there purposely to be a homage to the classic Apes films.
Overall, Tim Seeley and David Walker have set up a world that can definitely go to new and exciting places with these classic characters and yet continue to feel familiar to the audience.
