Marvel Announces Planet of the Apes Prequel Series

Before Planet of the Apes, there was... Planet of the Apes. Marvel Comics and its 20th Century Studios imprint on Thursday announced Beware the Planet of the Apes, a new four-issue limited series set before the events of the original Planet of the Apes. Styled after the iconic 1968 simian sci-fi staple that spawned four sequels — 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1971's Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and 1973's final chapter, Battle for the Planet of the Apes — the prequel comic will explore the origins of the primitive human woman named Nova (Linda Harrison). 

Writer Marc Guggenheim (X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday, Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca) and artist Álvaro López (Captain Marvel, Ka-Zar Lord of the Savage Land) are the creative team taking fans back to the groundbreaking original film saga with the Planet of the Apes prequel releasing its first of four issues in January.

"I've been entertained and intrigued by Planet of the Apes ever since I got a Mego Doctor Zaius doll as a birthday present, and my local television station ran the original pentalogy every afternoon for a week in the summertime," Guggenheim said in a statement. "In many ways, Apes is one of the OG franchises, filled with mystery, fascinating characters, and some truly off-the-wall surprises."

Guggenheim continued: "That's the spirit I'm working to evoke with Beware the Planet of the Apes. I'm particularly excited that we're going to be reusing some of [writer] Doug Moench, [artist] George Tuska, and [artist] Alfredo Alcala's original Marvel work on Adventures on the Planet of the Apes as a part of our storytelling." Moench wrote Marvel's 1970s color comic adaptations of the film series illustrated by Tuska and Alcala, as well as new original Apes stories first published in 1974.

Marvel also revealed the Beware the Planet of the Apes #1 cover by Taurin Clarke (Black Panther, Marvel's Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2) and the synopsis: "Into the Forbidden Zone! In a hostile world run by aggressive gorillas, scientists Cornelius and Zira are the only apes alive who see value in the mute, dumb human race—but even they know human capabilities have severe limits. So when their nephew Lucius goes missing, it is with great trepidation that they turn to a human ally, a young woman who will someday earn the moniker 'Nova.'"

Beware the Planet of the Apes #1 is on sale January 3rd, 2024, from Marvel Comics.