Planet of the Apes: Ursus is a Planet of the Apes comic put out by Boom! Studios, written by David Walker (Luke Cage) and illustrated by Christopher Mooneyham and Lalit Kumar Sharma.
General Ursus has always hated and feared mankind. Taking pride in being considered the fiercest enemy of man, even more than Dr. Zaius. But was he always like this? And what made him the way he was? Get a glimpse at his rise through the ranks to General.
And when a strange talking human appears in Ape City, see how these experiences bring him on a collision course with his ultimate fate in the Forbidden Zone.
This work contains examples of:
- Art Shift: Sequences in Ursus' past are done in a different, more faded, art style than the ones set in the present.
- Continuity Nod: To other Apes comics put out by Boom! Studios:
- Ursus attends a meeting with the Orangutan Council on how to deal with the food shortages caused by the destruction of the Moon, as seen in Planet Of The Apes: Cataclysm.
- The crisis brought about by the gorilla general Aleron and human Tern, from Betrayal and Exile on the Planet of the Apes. is also made reference to by Ursus,
- Downer Ending: True to most Ape films, especially given it's as a Prequel to Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but hits much closer when viewed from Ursus' perspective. In his dying moments, he realizes how meaningless his life has been, left with nothing but hatred of humans, and how it could have been so much more if Qama was still alive. His final words are him begging for Qama's forgiveness before the planet explodes.
- Fantastic Racism: While obviously loathing humans, Ursus has little regard for non-gorillas. Implied to be learned from his parental figure, Kananaois, but also because of how orangutans and chimps look down on gorillas in general.
- Inter-Service Rivalry: Ursus prefers not work with gorillas who work as police in Ape City, as they take orders from the orangutans. Preferring to be with his own troops in the army.
- Interquel: The parts of the story set in the present are adjacent to the events of the first two films.
- Like an Old Married Couple: It's a joke by many in Ape City that Zaius and Ursus are seen as an old married couple with how much they bicker and argue with one another.
- Like a Son to Me: Ursus' actions seemed to suggest he considered Sergeant Moench this. Moench being driven insane and eventually dying from torture by the Mutants in the Forbidden Zone are part the reason for him pushing to conquer the region. He partly blames himself as he ordered Moench to go in the first place.
- Monumental Battle: In their younger days, Zaius and Ursus battled a tribe of aggressive humans in the remains of the Lincoln Memorial.
- Naytheist: By the time of the films, Ursus doesn't disbelieve in God but states if the God does exist then he only exists to make their lives miserable.
- Only Friend: Not that either is particularly friendly with the other by the present but the narration notes Ursus and Zaius are pretty much the only other's true friend. Flashbacks even show they were rather cordial with one another at a certain point.
- Prequel: Half the story are flashbacks depicting Ursus' past and several key events in his life.
- Religious Bruiser: Kananaois is as religious as he brutal in killing humans. Even a younger Zaius is also shown able to hold himself in a fight.
- Smash the Symbol: Following their battle with the humans, Zaius orders the remains of the Lincoln Memorial burned and destroyed.
- Villain Episode: The entire story is from Ursus' perspective of the first two films, along with sequences set in his past.
