Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth #16

This story was Jack Kirby's attempt to explain,atleast partially how Kamandi's Planet of the Apes and other smart animals got started,by using the diary of a human scientist Doctor Michael Grant,seeing the results of testing to upgrade apes intelligence,while using Kamandi,as duplicate for Whiz Kid-the first smart ape years ago and what might happen years on.Whiz Kid,being the Kamandi of his time is captured by a scientist,we assume was the first smart ape.Kamandi,trapped a hospital,where an ape scientist,is trying to dublicate the Cortexin,that gave rise his kind.Kamandi,being the forerunner of the next humans seemed suggest,this might happen eventually to the human drinking Cortexin,as the apes and other animals did long ago.Sure,originally,the Cortexin made the humans stupid,but the story also suggest otherwise,as things may change now as they did years ago.Brilliant in a way,yet the story lacks any real conclusion.Sure recent Planet of the Apes uses a similar element,saying just this.Apes elvolve-get smarter and humans don't.Outside the Tigers are attacking the area,as we assume someone once did so upon this decades before.

Kamandi encounters an ape doctor who knows about Cortexin, the substance responsible for evolving animals into human-like creatures.If events are to follow,that happened to the humans,making stupid,while evolving the apes intelligence,then we never see the reverse.The story hints,that the same might happen in reverse.the apes and other animals might,became stupid again,while evolving the humans might regain their former intelligence.But no where,do we see the process reverse anywhere after this story.If the apes and other animals got smart,something I find hard after all these years,knowing generally on our planet one species gain dominence and the other lifeforms didn't and humans got stupid,because of Cortexin,because some created the stuff and got released into the environment-why did not the reverse happen when the ape science did the same in Kamandi's time.If this happened,Kamandi could have kept his vow to help mankind regain his rightful place.No Jack Kirby drops the ball here,for great resolution to this series and decades onward nobody has ever picked up on this.Slowly,the idea of smarter humans could have been introduced over time,Kamandi leading them toward that making him mankinds savior and not the Kamandi Laziest Boy on Earth-the Jeff Speculi of his world.But no Kamandi whimps out as does his creator Jack Kirby-King of Comics and all those successors to this series.The book got stuck in a rut and it shows after this.Conan could become King and change his would,but Kamandi could evolve and grow as a character.Silly retreads didn't neither.Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth #16-Unfinished Business decades on.It might have a turning point from another same,same Kamandi adventure-justing picking material from elsewhere and making a great story comic,people will back on decade hense as great.