PLANET OF THE APES URSUS #1

“Untitled”
Writer: David F. Walker
Artist: Chris Mooneyham

We start where the three astronauts are caught up in the hunt. After the hunt a Gorilla notices the dark skinned human and decides to take it to General Ursus who has an interest in such humans. Ursus meanwhile has just been to a council meeting and is not happy. Humans are destroying the crops and Ape City is in danger of famine. The solution is to turn soldiers into farmers. This doesn’t go over well with Ursus who storms out. Later he is shown the dark skinned human and we get a flashback.

Ursus as a young ape with his traveling father in Terminus. The apes there are using humans as gladiators for sport in the arena. The leaders feel this is the best way to control humans. So back in the present Ursus goes to Zaius and tells of the dark skinned human. From the conversation something real bad happened in Terminus and Zaius was there too. An excited sergeant brings Ursus and Zaius to a talking human.

So this is the first in a mini-series about General Ursus the militaristic “Only good human is a dead human” from the movies. In every story he is a one dimensional character but here we get another side. An ape who lives alone and is a widower. A young gorilla who looks at the world with innocence and wide-eyes. This is a character with a past and history that shaped him. Already we get a hint of a tragedy that involved humans in his life. A friendship between Zaius and Ursus that we never have seen before. I look forward to learning more about Ursus.