Marvel Comics to publish The Planet of the Apes comic books and collections

Marvel Comics is bringing back another classic licensed comic book property the publisher once held in the ’70s – in this case, Planet of the Apes. Starting in 2023, Marvel Comics will publish new Planet of the Apes comic stories for the first time since 1975’s adaptation of the film Adventures on the Planet of the Apes.

Announced with new teaser art from Salvador Larroca, Marvel promises their new Planet of the Apes license will include publishing “comic book titles, collections, and reprints.” Some of Marvel’s Planet of the Apes comics were previously reprinted in the early ’90s by Malibu Comics, a publisher that was later bought out by Marvel.

Planet of the Apes from Marvel Comics

Planet of the Apes from Marvel Comics (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

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The first promised collection will be Planet of the Apes Adventures: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus, collecting all 11 issues of Adventures on the Planets of the Apes for the first time. Originally published in 1975, this series adapted the first two films. It’s written by Doug Moench with art by George Tuska and Alfredo Alcala.

The omnibus will feature a main cover by E.M. Gist and a Direct Market exclusive variant by Gil Kane, both seen below. The book goes on sale in March 2023.

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(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

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(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

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“We’re thrilled to welcome Planet of the Apes back to the House of Ideas!” states Marvel editor-in-chief CB Cebulski. “The new saga in the pipeline is going to explore the limits of what this beloved franchise has to offer through bold comics storytelling, and we look forward to setting foot on this new adventure!”

For the uninitiated, Planet of the Apes is a cult classic sci-fi film series in which an astronaut crash lands on a planet ruled by highly evolved, fully sentient ape people – only to discover that he’s not only traveled through space, but through time, discovering that the eponymous Planet of the Apes is not another world, but Earth far in the future after apes have displaced humans as the dominant species.

Marvel Comics has been reinvigorating its licensed comic line in recent years, including bringing back previously licensed properties such as Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian, whose most recent Marvel Comics license is about to expire. Marvel is also about to launch the second volume of an Alien licensed comic, and will soon debut a licensed Predator series.

As for Planet of the Apes itself, it recently received a critically acclaimed trilogy of reboot films showing how Earth was conquered by apes, partially directed by Matt Reeves of The Batman. Given the franchise’s renewed popularity, and the fact that Marvel Comics parent company Disney now owns Fox, the studio that produced the original Planet of the Apes films, it makes sense that the franchise is now returning to Marvel.

Check out our picks for the best sci-fi movies of all time.

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