Marvel Launches 20th Century Studios Imprint with ‘Planet of the Apes’ Comic (Exclusive)
Marvel Comics is going ape for 20th Century Studios, with the publisher launching a new imprint dedicated to the storied movie studio’s properties.
The imprint will launch with a new Planet of the Apes comic, which hails from writer David F. Walker, artist David Wachter and cover artist Joshua Cassara. It will also include comics based on the Alien and Predator franchises.
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“Ever since we announced our Alien and Predator comics, we hoped to create a special space within our comics line to go even bigger and bolder and keep building on the iconic moments from these properties that we all know and love,” said Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski in a statement. “This 20th Century Studios comics imprint, in collaboration with our friends at 20th Century Studios, is the perfect way to do that. And now that we’re bringing back Planet of the Apes again through classic comic book storytelling, we are absolutely thrilled to officially launch this imprint for the fans, and we’re all honored to expand upon it in the coming months.”
The move comes three years after Marvel parent company Disney acquired 20th Century’s properties in a mega-merger that brought Apes, Aliens and Predator under the same roof as Captain America, X-Men and Iron Man.
In recent years, Marvel has put a renewed focus on these classic properties, launching its most recent Aliens comic in 2021 and a Predator book in 2022. The new 20th Century Studios branding will be seen on Apes No. 1 in April and be followed by Alien No. 1 and Predator No. 2.
20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell remarked of the imprint: “We’ve had a blast working with C.B. and his team and, as lifetime Marvel comics fans, it’s an honor to be a part of such an enduring creative legacy. We think fans will love the fresh takes on these beloved, iconic movies.”
20th Century’s upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has wrapped filming and heads toward a May 24, 2024 release date. The film takes place years after the events of the previous trilogy from director Matt Reeves. The Wes Bal film picks up as Ape society has come a long way. Humans, meanwhile, have devolved into feral-like existence. Some apes have never hard of the Moses-like Caesar, while others have contorted his teachings to build an empire.
20th Century continues to build on its other franchises as well, with the Predator film Prey debuting to acclaim last year, while Fede Álvarez is developing a new Alien film.
