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Beware the Planet of the Apes
Return to a timeless classic of science fiction with a brand new story set in the 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, primitive 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 of the old Yankee Stadium?
In a hostile world run by aggressive gorillas, scientists Cornelius and Zira are the only apes alive who see value in the mute, primitive 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 of the old Yankee Stadium?
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2024
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Marc Guggenheim
923 books173 followersMarc Guggenheim grew up on Long Island, New York, and earned his law degree from Boston University. After over four years in practice, he left law to pursue a career in television.
Today, Guggenheim is an Emmy Award–winning writer who writes for multiple mediums including television, film, video games, comic books, and new media. His work includes projects for such popular franchises as Percy Jackson, Star Wars, Call of Duty, Star Trek, and Planet of the Apes.
His next book, In Any Lifetime, coming from Lake Union Publishing on August 1st.
Guggenheim currently lives in Encino, California, with his wife, two daughters, and a handful of pets.
Keep up to date on his latest projects with LegalDispatch, a weekly newsletter where he shares news and notes about writing, comics, and the entertainment industry.
Today, Guggenheim is an Emmy Award–winning writer who writes for multiple mediums including television, film, video games, comic books, and new media. His work includes projects for such popular franchises as Percy Jackson, Star Wars, Call of Duty, Star Trek, and Planet of the Apes.
His next book, In Any Lifetime, coming from Lake Union Publishing on August 1st.
Guggenheim currently lives in Encino, California, with his wife, two daughters, and a handful of pets.
Keep up to date on his latest projects with LegalDispatch, a weekly newsletter where he shares news and notes about writing, comics, and the entertainment industry.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 18, 2024
This prequel to the original Planet of the Apes features Cornelius, Zira & Nova in a new story which expands nicely on the franchise.
The artwork is very good & there are flash forwards to Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes, featuring artwork from the original Marvel comic editions of these film adaptations. This is another fine science fiction story & a nice addition to my Planet of the Apes collecton.
The artwork is very good & there are flash forwards to Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes, featuring artwork from the original Marvel comic editions of these film adaptations. This is another fine science fiction story & a nice addition to my Planet of the Apes collecton.
July 24, 2024
This was OK. It had really nice artwork and the story was entertaining enough, but the ending was clichéd and disappointing, despite being somewhat inevitable, what with this being a prequel and all.
April 18, 2024
As fun as it is to get back in the world of the classic films, this was a bit confusing. It’s not until the very end that we get a “Last time on Planet of the Apes” that recaps BOTH of the first movies, even detailing the ending, before saying that this takes place before Taylor’s arrival on Planet of the Apes.
The opening panels made me think this takes place after Taylor’s landing but before his arrival in Ape City. But those moments of Taylor are flash forwards, apparently. Turns out they are panels from Doug Mench’s old Planet of the Apes comic adaptation. A nice touch, but the placement of the panels is confusing because they almost seem like memories but are just calls forward. Also, the recap says that while Taylor left Earth in 1972, Brent left Earth in 1979. This throws a wrench in the circular timeline theory, as surely Brent would’ve heard of Zira and Cornelius in 1973 given the publicity. But I always preferred to think the timeline changed anyway. In retrospect, it did seem kind of weird Brent was not mentioned by ANSA in Escape.
While I like that this story is giving Nova a bit more agency, I’m not a huge fan of this idea that she went on this adventure with Lucius, Zira, and Cornelius beforehand. And it was really on the nose that they call her Dark Eyes in this. I am curious about those people in the Forbidden Zone at the end, though.
The opening panels made me think this takes place after Taylor’s landing but before his arrival in Ape City. But those moments of Taylor are flash forwards, apparently. Turns out they are panels from Doug Mench’s old Planet of the Apes comic adaptation. A nice touch, but the placement of the panels is confusing because they almost seem like memories but are just calls forward. Also, the recap says that while Taylor left Earth in 1972, Brent left Earth in 1979. This throws a wrench in the circular timeline theory, as surely Brent would’ve heard of Zira and Cornelius in 1973 given the publicity. But I always preferred to think the timeline changed anyway. In retrospect, it did seem kind of weird Brent was not mentioned by ANSA in Escape.
While I like that this story is giving Nova a bit more agency, I’m not a huge fan of this idea that she went on this adventure with Lucius, Zira, and Cornelius beforehand. And it was really on the nose that they call her Dark Eyes in this. I am curious about those people in the Forbidden Zone at the end, though.
September 18, 2024
Beautiful art and a neat little quick story that plays out like a prequel. Zira and her family accidentally find some mutant humans while one her ape family is kidnapped by a rival gorilla city. A small war breaks out to help release some Gibbons, and everyone’s memory is wiped except for Nova’s. There was a small play on war by convincing the other side one was hostile (and correct) and a point on slavery.
At times the book got blurry to show action and I wasn’t really appreciative of that. And other times the speech bubbles were very lazy and did not have proper EXCLAMATION on words. At times the background seemed very washed out while other times the art was very detailed.
It was a lovely little read and I do recommend it because the artwork and story are quite nice.
At times the book got blurry to show action and I wasn’t really appreciative of that. And other times the speech bubbles were very lazy and did not have proper EXCLAMATION on words. At times the background seemed very washed out while other times the art was very detailed.
It was a lovely little read and I do recommend it because the artwork and story are quite nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2024
Well… I’ll admit this was incredibly disappointing. This makes the first thing within the franchise I think I would give an earnest thumbs down to. Not a harsh one, I suppose, but this isn’t very good, and that’s very sad. It’s upsetting because this is the new one, these are the people still at the wheel, and this is easily my least favorite entry thus far.
To begin with, we once again can’t help ourselves but to show off talking humans. And to Zira and Cornelius, no less, so from the very start the reader knows something’s gotta give. I’m distracted and I’m annoyed by that consistently throughout, never more so than at the end when Harry Potter’s Magical Amnesia Eagles fly in. Oh you see, this story matters… subconsciously! Hm. Okay… Look, if your plot hinges on all of the characters forgetting the entire story, you need some rewrites. I think I’m willing to say “No exceptions,” but I’m sure if I do, I’ll immediately remember a big exception.
On top of that, we have to make Nova some majorly important, special human. She was just a human. Stop making her a Chosen One. She was chosen at random. Ugh. That’s this book’s problem, it’s got a really bad case of prequelitis. It can’t help but make dozens of references to events which haven’t happened yet. Including direct flash-forwards.
I get what they were trying to do with the allusions shown visually in the art, by way of panels from the original Marvel adaptations of the films. It’s cute. It’s clever. It’s so trite and it’s entirely unnecessary. It just makes this kind of awkward as part of a reading order, and honestly they make this book feel like it’s holding your hand as an audience, and it just feels like it’s trying to talk down to me.
I often forget to mention the art. Nothing here wowed me, it was rather standard, if maybe a little too clean (at least compared to the superior Boom! run).
Generally, the story is fine, my misgivings about its very premise aside. Lucius gets lost, they gotta find him, but a hostile warring nation of gorillas and un-devolved humans captures him, and chaos ensues. But it’s not a gripping enough story to hook me in light of its massive pitfalls. It could’ve been something special, telling a story in the mere days before Taylor falls from the heavens, but I’m sorry to say that it feels very dull and uninspired. Nothing of consequence happens and I don’t feel like the characters are any richer for having gone on the quest.
To begin with, we once again can’t help ourselves but to show off talking humans. And to Zira and Cornelius, no less, so from the very start the reader knows something’s gotta give. I’m distracted and I’m annoyed by that consistently throughout, never more so than at the end when Harry Potter’s Magical Amnesia Eagles fly in. Oh you see, this story matters… subconsciously! Hm. Okay… Look, if your plot hinges on all of the characters forgetting the entire story, you need some rewrites. I think I’m willing to say “No exceptions,” but I’m sure if I do, I’ll immediately remember a big exception.
On top of that, we have to make Nova some majorly important, special human. She was just a human. Stop making her a Chosen One. She was chosen at random. Ugh. That’s this book’s problem, it’s got a really bad case of prequelitis. It can’t help but make dozens of references to events which haven’t happened yet. Including direct flash-forwards.
I get what they were trying to do with the allusions shown visually in the art, by way of panels from the original Marvel adaptations of the films. It’s cute. It’s clever. It’s so trite and it’s entirely unnecessary. It just makes this kind of awkward as part of a reading order, and honestly they make this book feel like it’s holding your hand as an audience, and it just feels like it’s trying to talk down to me.
I often forget to mention the art. Nothing here wowed me, it was rather standard, if maybe a little too clean (at least compared to the superior Boom! run).
Generally, the story is fine, my misgivings about its very premise aside. Lucius gets lost, they gotta find him, but a hostile warring nation of gorillas and un-devolved humans captures him, and chaos ensues. But it’s not a gripping enough story to hook me in light of its massive pitfalls. It could’ve been something special, telling a story in the mere days before Taylor falls from the heavens, but I’m sorry to say that it feels very dull and uninspired. Nothing of consequence happens and I don’t feel like the characters are any richer for having gone on the quest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
Beware the Planet of the Apes is a prequel to the films Planet of the Apes (1968) and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), written by Marc Guggenheim with artwork by Álvaro López. Having familiarity in those films will probably help a bit with understanding the story here, since Beware is very referential. Those films were adapted quite faithfully by Doug Moench in the 11 issue Adventures of the Planet of the Apes, now available in both omnibus and Epic Collection format, so if you want to play catch up in comic format you can check those out.
The story here follows Zira and Cornelius prior to the events of the 1968 film. Zira's nephew Lucius has gone missing in the Forbidden Zone, prompting the duo to go searching for them. They run into the mind-controlling society in the ruins of the Queensboro Plaza station (from Beneath) and learn of an impending invasion on Ape City by the Hominidae Empire, a ruthless militant society of gorillas who subjugate "lesser" apes. Zira and Cornelius, along with Nova, work together with some of the understanding humans of the commune to take on the Hominidae Empire deep in the Forbidden Zone.
Understanding the fact that this is a prequel meant to be in canon with the films, the reader will quickly recognize that the only way this can end is for all the toys to go back into the box just as they were found earlier. Hence, there is a significant amount of predictability to the plot that does hamper some of the story elements, but even in this narrow margin, Guggenheim does find some ample ground to develop an interesting story. It has the same early '70s sci-fi feel to it as the original films did, whereby big ideas like the condition of humanity and the inevitability of war is explored through concepts like time travel and telepathy. It's not something that'll blow you away, but there is a lot here for fans of the original films (particularly the first two) to chew on here.
López's artwork is solid as it crafts a familiar world developed for those films. Panels from the original 1975 Marvel Comics series are interspersed throughout the narrative to draw the reader back to the plots of the first two films, and it's pretty seamlessly added. Beware the Planet of the Apes is a good time, especially for fans of the '70s films.
The story here follows Zira and Cornelius prior to the events of the 1968 film. Zira's nephew Lucius has gone missing in the Forbidden Zone, prompting the duo to go searching for them. They run into the mind-controlling society in the ruins of the Queensboro Plaza station (from Beneath) and learn of an impending invasion on Ape City by the Hominidae Empire, a ruthless militant society of gorillas who subjugate "lesser" apes. Zira and Cornelius, along with Nova, work together with some of the understanding humans of the commune to take on the Hominidae Empire deep in the Forbidden Zone.
Understanding the fact that this is a prequel meant to be in canon with the films, the reader will quickly recognize that the only way this can end is for all the toys to go back into the box just as they were found earlier. Hence, there is a significant amount of predictability to the plot that does hamper some of the story elements, but even in this narrow margin, Guggenheim does find some ample ground to develop an interesting story. It has the same early '70s sci-fi feel to it as the original films did, whereby big ideas like the condition of humanity and the inevitability of war is explored through concepts like time travel and telepathy. It's not something that'll blow you away, but there is a lot here for fans of the original films (particularly the first two) to chew on here.
López's artwork is solid as it crafts a familiar world developed for those films. Panels from the original 1975 Marvel Comics series are interspersed throughout the narrative to draw the reader back to the plots of the first two films, and it's pretty seamlessly added. Beware the Planet of the Apes is a good time, especially for fans of the '70s films.
October 12, 2024
Using the original comic panels from the old adaptations was really cool. I was curious the whole time what that was going to mean, either metaphorically or literally in the story. Unfortunately, it means nothing -- nothing in this actually amounts to anything, it's an odd prequel that doesn't matter for the main characters and introduces others who are treated like prequel versions of characters, but they aren't actually from anything else and it isn't leading to their later appearances because there aren't any, so it just feels like a waste of time.
September 12, 2024
Nothing worth reading here. This series breaks cannon, with uninteresting characters, dull plotting that is inconsequential to the overall lore (literally by the end everyone forgets everything). And despite Nova being marketed as the main protagonist, you finish reading the series without a shred of knowing any more about her than what’s already explained in the original movies. For POTA fans, I strongly suggest in skipping this one.
August 27, 2024
When I saw this was a prequel to the original movie, I was leery. Why would you do that when you have the 4 new movies to set this in? But it wasn't half bad. It brings characters from both of the first two movies into the story in a way that stays true to the original films. I liked that they brought in pages and panels from some of the original comics as well. That was a neat idea.
November 7, 2024
A solid read based on the iconic PotA characters Zira, Cornelius, & Lucius as they travel into the forbidden Zone & find a mutated human colony & a community of gorillas hell bent on invading Ape City.
Recommended for fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise.
Recommended for fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise.
November 21, 2024
4.5 stars
Another excellent 20th Century Studios comic from Marvel.
It acts as a prequel to the original Charlton Heston Apes films, blending in work from the Doug Moench 'Adventures of the Planet of the Apes' comic in order to foreshadow events without messing up continuity. I well-woven tale.
Another excellent 20th Century Studios comic from Marvel.
It acts as a prequel to the original Charlton Heston Apes films, blending in work from the Doug Moench 'Adventures of the Planet of the Apes' comic in order to foreshadow events without messing up continuity. I well-woven tale.
May 9, 2024
Prequel to the classic movie...
Interesting take on things.
Interesting take on things.
July 24, 2024
Read as individual comics through Marvel Unlimited, ratings below:
#1= 3.5 stars
#2= 3 stars
#3= 4 stars
#4= 3 stars
Overall rating of 3.5 stars
#1= 3.5 stars
#2= 3 stars
#3= 4 stars
#4= 3 stars
Overall rating of 3.5 stars
August 20, 2024
Nice graphic novel that takes place 28 hours before Taylor crash lands on the POTA. Cool use of the original Marvel comics from the 70s. An enjoyable read with great illustrations.
September 4, 2024
This one was a big improvement over the previous Marvel mini-series and cleverly used the original comics to great effect.
September 4, 2024
Much better than Marvel's previous stab at a new Apes series. Set just before the events of the 1968 movie, this is good stuff.
May 8, 2025
Read the review.
January 29, 2024
(issue #1) I saw the trailer for the new movie last week, so I was looking forward to this.
Yep, hits the spot!
Yep, hits the spot!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews