Planet Of The Plagiarists

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD FOR A 50+ YEAR OLD MOVIE!

Hey, remember the original 1986 movie Planet Of The Apes? Remember the amazing ape makeup, the offbeat costumes and otherworldly set design? Remember the brilliant script by Rod Serling, filled with satire, allegory and scathing social commentary?

And most of all, remember that shocking twist ending? The one in which main character Taylor discovers he's not on an alien planet after all, but has landed on a nightmarishly altered futuristic Earth? Chilling!

That scene of Taylor collapsing before a decimated Statue Of Liberty is one of the most famous images in all of pop culture. It was stunning, devastating and completely unexpected. Best of all, it was completely original! Audiences had never before seen anything... like...

Wait, what's that?

Oh... I see. Sci-fi pulp magazine Fantastic Universe used a virtually identical cover image in 1953— fifteen years before Planet Of The Apes premiered.

Ah well, I'm sure it's just a coincidence! There's no way a beloved writer like Rod Serling would ever stoop to stea... 

What is it now?

Seriously? Apparently Lady Liberty's was a popular subject among sci-fi illustrators, as she popped up on the cover of this novel in 1959.

OK, so there were two similar covers out of millions. Not a big de...

Oh for frak's sake! Amazing Stories used the same goddamn images in 1964! Four years before Planet Of The Apes! This is getting ridic...

JESUS WEPT! Another one from 1966! I give up!