In the decade-long span between the settings of Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the Simian Flu wiped out most of the human population, and a new comic book miniseries from BOOM! Studios follows ape leader Caesar and the human Malcolm as they strive to survive a post-apocalyptic America. We have a set of preview pages from the second issue.

“WHY WE LOVE IT: BOOM! has a long history with Planet of the Apes and for good reason: We love those damn dirty apes. Serving as a perfect tableau to examine society’s ills through the lens of science fiction, we were thrilled to explore those themes in the modern setting of the new films.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Michael Moreci (Curse, Hoax Hunters) and Dan McDaid (Mind the Gap) bring the hard-bitten world of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to life—dealing with both classic and modern POTA questions of what the true meaning of “society” is, and if being “civilized” is even possible in a world wracked with strife. Great for fans of end-of-the-world stories like 12 Monkeys,The Road, and Children of Men.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Bridging the 10-year gap between the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes films, fans will bear witness to the fall of humanity and the rise of Caesar’s civilization. While the apes of the world have yet to advance as a species, Caesar must find a way to unify them to one cause. On the other side of the country, Malcom must venture into the decaying Americas with his family to find a cure for the plague slowly killing his wife, Rita. World powers will shift as civilizations collapse and rise.”

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes #2 (of 6)

Author: Michael Moreci
Artist: Dan McDaid

Synopsis: "After their Rise. Before the Dawn. The end for man is only the beginning for ape. At Koba’s request, Caesar sends a search party into the wild. The time to create sanctuary for all apes is upon them. On the other side of the Americas, Malcolm refuses to let Rita, his wife, die alone. Willing to risk the infection, his family must venture through the harsh and dying cities to find some chance for a cure."

If you missed it, check out our exclusive Q&A with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes comic book writer Michael Moreci:

  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.