''Planet of the Apes'' comics are tie-ins to the ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' media franchise. They have been released by several publishers over the years and include

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

s and

spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

Publishers

Japanese comics (manga)

There are two manga adaptations of the first film, both entitled ''Saru no Wakusei'' (lit. "''Planet of Monkeys''"). The first was written and drawn by Jôji Enami and published in the manga magazine ''Bessatsu Bôken'Ô'' in April 1968. The second was drawn by Minoru Kuroda and published in the manga ''Tengoku Zôkan'' in June 1971. ''

Battle for the Planet of the Apes ''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and final installment in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series, produced by Arthur P. Jacobs, following ''Conquest of ...

'' (最後の猿の惑星 - ''Saigo no Saru no Wakusei'', "''Battle on the Planet of Monkeys''", in Japanese) was also adapted into a manga by Mitsuru Sugaya, and published in a 1973 special issue of the magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Champion is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten. History ''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, Masa ...

''.

Gold Key Comics

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

produced an adaptation of the second film in 1970. That was the first Western comics publication in the ''Planet of the Apes'' franchise.

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

released a number of titles, the longest-lived being ''Planet of the Apes'' (published under the Marvel imprint

Curtis Magazines Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and G ...

), which appeared in black-and-white magazine format, and ran for twenty-nine issues from 1974 to 1977. Besides adaptations of all five movies, the magazine featured original ''Apes'' stories, with writing from

Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948) is an American comic book writer notable for his ''Batman'' work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, '' Electric Warrior'' and '' Six from Sirius''. He is also known for his critica ...

and

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...

and art from Mike Esposito,

Mike Ploog Michael G. Ploog (; born July 13, 1940 or 1942) is an American storyboard and comic book artist, and a visual designer for films. In comics, Ploog is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' 1970s ''Man-Thing'' and '' The Monster of Frankenst ...

George Tuska George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),George Tuska
at the

, and many others. Articles about the making of both the movie series and the later ''Planet of the Apes'' television series were also a mainstay. In 1975, ''Adventures on the Planet of the Apes'' offered color versions of the adaptations of the first two films in five- or six-issue arcs, for total of 11 issues. It was written by

. The stories from the U.S. magazine were edited and released by

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Di ...

in a weekly title of the same name, lasting 123 issues from 1974 to 1977. This included adapted reprints of the

Killraven Killraven (Jonathan Raven) is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a freedom fighter in several Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apoca ...

comic, renamed as ''Apeslayer'' and with

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

apes as enemies. The British title changed names to ''Planet of the Apes and Dracula Lives'', before merging into '' The Mighty World of Marvel'' #231-246, where the title spot on the cover was shared between ''Planet of the Apes'' and ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' — also being stories from the U.S. runs. In 2022, Marvel announced that they reacquired the comics license to Planet of the Apes and will release the new comics in 2023, following a reprint of the company's heavily edited 1970s comic, Adventures on the Planet of the Apes.

Power Records

In 1975, Power Records made adaptations of four of the films which were included with

book-and-record set Book-and-record sets are a form of entertainment for children, consisting of a picture storybook (often in comic book format, with drawings or photos) and an accompanying recording (originally in the form of a vinyl record; later in cassette tape ...

s, and appeared in LP format as well, as an audio only compilation album featuring all four adaptations. The only film in the original series that did not receive an adaptation is ''

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes ''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. It is the fourth of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The ...

''. The company also produced an audio-only series on LP that featured the main characters of the television series — Virdon, Burke and Galen — in original stories.

Chad Valley

In 1975, Chad Valley, a U.K. toy company, produced 32 short film-based comic strips containing illustrated scenes from various TV series episodes, packaged as part of the slideshow projector playset, named respectively Chad Valley Picture Show: ''Planet of the Apes'' Sliderama Projector These strips are extremely rare and difficult to come by, and contain many continuity errors.

Brown Watson Books

Between 1975–1977, Brown Watson Books published a trio of UK-published hardcover comic annuals based on the spin-off 1974 television series.

Editorial Mo.Pa.Sa.

Editorial Mo.Pa.Sa., an Argentine company, published seven Spanish-language Apes comics in the 1970s, featuring original tales about the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

' characters. It was written by Jorge Claudio Morhain, and Ricardo Barreiro, with art by Sergio Mulko and T. Toledo. Five additional issues were planned, but were never produced. To date, the Spanish stories have never been published in English, but translations have been made available on fan sites.

Hungarian comic

In 1981, a Hungarian company published a comic adaptation of

Pierre Boulle Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, '' The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (1952) and ''Planet of the Apes'' (1963), that were both made into award-winning films. ...

's original novel, titled ''A Majmok bolygója'' (lit. "''The Monkey Planet''"). This adaptation was written and drawn by Hungarian comic artist Ernő Zórád. To date, the Hungarian comic has never been published in English, but a translation has been made available on fan sites.

Malibu Publishing/Adventure Comics

Between 1990–1993, Adventure Comics, a division of Malibu Publishing, produced more original storylines, set after the time of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

. These included a 24-issue monthly title, a one-shot (''Sins of the Father''), a ''Planet of the Apes'' annual and five original mini-series: ''Urchak's Folly'', ''Forbidden Zone'', ''Ape City'', ''Blood of the Apes'' and a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

with ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for '' Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...

'' called ''Ape Nation''. Adventure also reprinted Marvel's adaptations of the first three films as well as a four-issue mini-series featuring installments from Marvel's ''Terror on the Planet of the Apes'' saga.

Filipino parody

In the 1990s, a Filipino parody adaptation called ''Planet op di Eyps'' was serialized in

Pilipino FUNNY Komiks ''Pilipino FUNNY Komiks'' or simply Funny Komiks is the oldest running comic book publication for children in Philippine comics Comics in the Philippines ( fil, Komiks}) have been widespread and popular throughout the country from the 1920s t ...

Dark Horse Comics

The Dark Horse series was written by

Ian Edginton Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''. Career Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/ alternate history wor ...

and was a tie-in with

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

's 2001 ''Apes'' film. Between 2001–2002, Dark Horse published a film adaptation, a mini-series, a brief ongoing run, a

Toys R' Us A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

and a three-part serial in ''Dark Horse Extra''.

Mr. Comics

Mr. Comics had the license until 2005 and released a six-issue mini-series, ''Revolution on the Planet of the Apes'', by Joe O'Brien,

Ty Templeton Tyrone Templeton is a Canadian comic book artist and writer who has drawn a number of mainstream titles, TV-associated titles, and his own series. Career Templeton first received attention for ''Stig's Inferno'' ( Vortex Comics), now a cult fav ...

Sam Agro, and other writers, with art by Gabriel Morrissette and additional artists. The story picked up shortly after

's conquest of the Earth after the apes' revolt and attempted to bridge the time gap before ''

'' (1973). Further stories were slated for release, including the next planned title, ''Empire on the Planet of the Apes'', but the graphic novel collecting the ''Revolution'' mini-series was canceled, as was the ''Empire'' follow-up.

Boom! Studios

Classic continuity

Boom!'s ''Planet of the Apes'' series of comics is the longest-running adaptation of the series, publishing more comics than Marvel (29 issues) and Malibu (50 issues). Beginning April 2011,

Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Ho ...

launched a new series written by novelist

Daryl Gregory Daryl Gregory (born 1965) is an American science fiction, fantasy and comic book author. Gregory is a 1988 alumnus of the Michigan State University Clarion science fiction workshop, and won the 2009 Crawford Award for his novel ''Pandemonium''. ...

, illustrated by Carlos Magno and edited by Ian Brill, with covers by Karl Richardson and Chad Hardin that took place 500 years before the original 1968 ''Planet of the Apes'' movie in the continuity of the first five films. It ran for a total of 16 issues, ending in August 2012. The storyline was continued in ''Planet of the Apes Annual #1'' (August, 2012), then furthered in ''Planet of the Apes Special #1'' (April 2013), then furthered again in ''Planet of the Apes Spectacular #1'' (July 2013) and finally wrapped up in ''Planet of the Apes Giant #1'' (September, 2013). In late 2011, Boom! also began publishing the four-issue mini-series ''Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes''. This mini-series is set 20 years before the events of the original film, and features different characters, like Dr. Zaius, than the concurrent ongoing series. This was followed up in early 2012 by another mini-series, ''Exile on the Planet of the Apes'', set two years later. Beginning in September 2012, ''Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm'' took over as Boom!'s regular monthly series. Set eight years prior to the original ''

'', this series was written by Corinna Sara Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, authors of both the ''Betrayal'' and ''Exile'' miniseries, and mixed several characters from those series with characters from the original movie. Boom! and IDW Publishing published a crossover between ''Planet of the Apes'' and ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

'', titled '' Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive''. The first issue was published in December 2014. In 2016, Boom! started a miniseries crossover between ''Planet of the Apes'' and ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'', titled ''

Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes ''Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2016 comic book miniseries combining the Tarzan and ''Planet of the Apes'' media franchises. Plot In an alternate take on ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' where Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Milo travel to ...

''. In February 2017, Boom! and DC Comics published a 6 issue crossover called '' Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern''. It was set soon after the events of the first film. This was also the setting for a crossover with

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

in ''Kong on the Planet of the Apes''. In August 2018, Boom! published a one-shot comic titled '' Planet of the Apes: Visionaries'', which is a comic book based on the Rod Serling script for the original 1968 ''

'' movie. A series looked at the early years of Ursus and a number of one-shots drew together stories from different continuities.

Reboot continuity

Just before the release of the feature film ''

Rise of the Planet of the Apes ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2011 American science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is a reboot of the ''Planet of the Apes'' film franchise, which is based on the 1963 nov ...

'' Boom! serialized 6 installments of five-page webcomics that served as a prelude to the movie. The stories featured Alpha and Bright Eyes, Caesar's parents, and detailed their capture in the wild and the time they spent in the Gen-Sys Laboratories. At

San Diego Comic Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...

2014, Boom! published a one-shot stand-alone print comic book, called ''Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Contagion'' bridging ''

'' and ''

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ''Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2014 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is the sequel to ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' (2011), and the second in ...

''. In December 2014, Boom! started the six-issue series ''

'', set in the movie continuity of the second reboot film. A 2017 ''War for the Planet of the Apes'' series served as a prequel to the movie of the same name.

Compilations

Some of the comics have been collected together as

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

: * ''Planet of the Apes'' (with

, for Dark Horse): ** ''Human Wars'' (with Pencils: Paco Medina, Adrian Sibar; Inks: Juan Vlasco, Norman Lee, Christopher Ivy, 2001) ** ''The Ongoing Saga Volume 1: Old Gods'' (with Pencils: Adrian Sibar, Paco Medina; Inks: Norman Lee, Juan Vlasco, 2001–2002,

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...

) ** ''The Ongoing Saga Volume 2: Blood Lines'' (with Co-writer:

Dan Abnett Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...

; Pencils: Sanford Greene,

Pop Mhan Pop Mhan (October 5, 1973) is a comic book penciller and inker. Biography Pop Mhan was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and immigrated to the United States at the age of three. He joined Wildstorm Productions in San Diego and studied sequential art un ...

, Paco Medina, Adrian Sibar; Inks: Norman Lee,

, Juan Vlasco, 2001–2002) In addition, Adventure Comics released trade-paperback compilations of Marvel's adaptations of the first three films, as well as a collection of its own first four monthly issues, entitled ''Monkey Planet.''

References

External links

Reviews of the various Planet of the Apes comic book series
at Comic Book Resources
Reviews of the various Planet of the Apes comic book series
at Comics Fondle

featuring complete versions of Gold Key, Marvel UK and Hungarian PotA comics

featuring complete versions of Power Records PotA Book & Records

featuring all comic strips, short stories and articles from the mid-1970s annuals

featuring fully translated Argentinian PotA comics
Welcome Back to the Planet of the Apes
''Comics Scene'' #13 (1990) about the Adventure Comics run on PotA

as well as Marvel'

an

Dark Horse individual pages
*
Human Wars
' *
Old Gods
' *
Blood Lines
' *

'

preview of the Mr Comics series
Interview with Joe O'Brien about the Mr. Comics series
{{Planet of the Apes Comics Adventure Publications titles Comics based on fiction Comics based on films Comics by Doug Moench Comics by Gerry Conway Comic book limited series Gold Key Comics titles Gorilla characters in comics Marvel Comics titles Malibu Comics titles Dark Horse Comics titles 1974 comics debuts Boom! Studios titles