Beware the Planet of the Apes

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Trade paperback cover

Beware the Planet of the Apes was a 4 issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics, set just before the events of the original Planet of the Apes film. This story disregards all previous tie-in material that served as prequels to the first movie, such as Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes and Death of the Planet of the Apes by E.C. Gaska, along with the entirety of the BOOM! Studios era.

Synopsis:

A new story set in the classic continuity of the original PLANET OF THE APES films! 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"! But the search for Lucius brings them all deeper into the Forbidden Zone - which is forbidden for a reason. What never-before-seen dangers await them in the ruins? The citizens of Ape City believed they were alone on this planet, but a world of violence lies beyond their borders!

Issues:

• Beware the Planet of the Apes #1
• Beware the Planet of the Apes #2
• Beware the Planet of the Apes #3
• Beware the Planet of the Apes #4

Reception

Many of the fans who were introduced to the franchise in the late '70s as kids and teens — now the primary target audience for these comics — considered the story to be inconsequential, as it relied solely on retconning events from the movies instead of presenting an exciting and politically charged narrative like the BOOM! Studios-era comic books. Likewise, newer fans of the 21st century also deemed it unnecesary and boring for the same reasons. Overall, Beware the Planet of the Apes came and went by without much shame or glory, with only a very small number of pages dedicating articles to it.

Notes

• This story reintroduces the gibbons to comic books. This race of lesser apes first appeared in the Planet of the Apes Magazine with the character Gilbert and went without any major appearances for the next 30 years. They appeared only in the unpublished 2001 Burton-adjacent Planet of the Apes: Rule, were briefly mentioned in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Official Movie Novelization, and featured in the short story "Stone Monkey" from the anthology Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone.