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 April 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.
Before that, Marvel is taking things a step further with a host of Planet of the Apes-themed variant covers mashing up the venerable sci-fi franchise with Marvel Comics characters.
Here's a gallery of all the covers released so far, followed by the issues on which they'll appear and the artists who created them. Read on after the gallery and cover list for more info on Marvel's plans for Planet of the Apes:
On sale February 1
- Avengers #65 by Pepe Larraz
- Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #9 by Esad Ribić
- Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3 by Ryan Stegman
- Moon Knight #20 by Gerardo Sandoval
- Scarlet Witch #2 by Lee Garbett
- Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #1 by Taurin Clarke
- Venom #16 by Bjorn Barends
On sale February 8
- Amazing Spider-Man #19 by Francesco Mobili
- Bishop: War College #1 by Natacha Bustos
- Black Panther #14 by Leinil Francis Yu
- Captain America: Symbol of Truth #10 by Ron Lim
- Daredevil #8 by Terry Dodson
- Ghost Rider #11 by Declan Shalvey
On sale February 15
- Avengers Forever #14 by David Talaski
- Captain Marvel #46 by Peach Momoko
- Fantastic Four #4 by Juann Cabal
- Hulk #12 by Salvador Larroca
- Invincible Iron Man #3 by Francesco Manna
- Marauders #11 by Carlos Gómez
- Monica Rambeau: Photon #3 by Betsy Cola
- Spider-Man #5 by Paco Medina
- Wolverine #30 by Greg Land
On sale February 22
- Amazing Spider-Man #20 by Ema Lupacchino
- Deadpool #4 by Mike Mckone
- Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #4 by John Cassaday
- Immoral X-Men #1 by Phil Noto
Announced with new teaser art from Salvador Larroca, seen below, 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.
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.
"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 expired in 2022. Marvel is also about to launch the second volume of an Alien licensed comic, and recently debuted 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.
