Ape-Men of the Apocalypse
by Brad Dwyer
I finally was able to understand the Cosmic Superhero Epic genre when I read Joe Casey’s G0DLAND. Until then I had only read Jack Kirby’s Fourth World series and was thoroughly shocked by it. Shocked because it was so terrible. Honestly, there’s bad and then there’s embarrassing. The dialogue and story and characters were so laughable that I thought I was reading the wrong comics.
Then G0DLAND came along and I understood the key to Cosmic Superhero Comics was to not take yourself seriously. What makes the genre work nowadays is to make it a complete throwback: the dialogue is heavy-handed, the characters are clearly defined, and the artwork is supposed to look like Kirby’s.
Brad Dwyer does all of these things and does it right. Ape-Men of the Apocalypse knows the extravagance of its story and is a fitting addition to the Cosmic Superhero Epic genre. It’s got it all and then some. Beautiful art (yes, it looks like Kirby), an uninhibited plot, dramatic dialogue, and interesting characters. Think of Planet of the Apes, mixed with 2001 A Space Odyssey, all through the gritty and gory lens of a b-movie. And what’s more, Dwyer adds a DIY element to the project by writing, drawing, inking and self-publishing the book. That’s a thumbs up on all accounts.
It’s unknown when we’ll get more Ape-Men of the Apocalypse, but I for one am waiting eagerly for the next chapter.
