'War For The Planet Of The Apes' Comic Prequel Announced

War for the Planet of the Apes takes place two years after the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. And to help bridge that time jump, 20th Century Fox has teamed up with BOOM! Studios to present a new comic book miniseries. Read on to learn more about the War For the Planet of the Apes comic book mini-series and to take a look at the first issue.

War For the Planet of the Apes Comic Book Miniseries Covers

Strangely, this series is titled War for the Planet of the Apes, just like Matt Reeves' upcoming film, which could be confusing for those buying the book at retail. The comics will feature an in-continuity story (read: canon) that takes place between the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming sequel, War for the Planet of the Apes, which is due out this summer. Dawn was one of my favorite movies of 2014, and War is one of my most anticipated films of this year.

The War for the Planet of the Apes comic book miniseries will be written by David F. Walker (Power Man and Iron Fist and Shaft) and illustrated by Jonas Scharf (Warlords of Appalachia). /Film's Jacob Hall highly recommends checking out Walker's Power Man and Iron Fist comics if you want to see him at his best. Each of the four issues will be 32 pages of full color art, priced at $3.99 at your friendly local comic book shop.

ScreenRant debuted the covers of the first issue by Mikhail Borulko (main cover) and Jay Shaw (subscription cover), artists we've previously written about on the site in the past. The official synopsis for the comic miniseries follows:

In this prequel to the upcoming blockbuster film from 20th Century Fox, San Francisco lies in ruin as the war for survival between man and ape rests on the shoulders of one solitary soul.

BOOM! also published a Dawn of the Planet of the Apes limited series that was set between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn, so it's likely they will continue to do this with the series.

As for what the book will delve into, we aren't completely sure.  We know that since the events of Dawn, the virus has found a rebirth, mutating and becoming more aggressive. Meanwhile, the drug has evolved, enabling Caesar and his apes to develop further and learn that there are other apes outside of their tribe who are evolving and changing. It's possible the comic will also delve into the backstory of Woody Harrelson's villainous character, known as the Colonel, or possibly introduce the backstory of the new chimp character, nicknamed Bad Ape and portrayed in the film by Steve Zahn,

The first issue will arrive in comic book stores July 12 2017,  just a few days before the movie hits theaters on July 14, 2017.