There's something rotten in the Planet of the Apes...
Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes is Boom! Studios four-issues series published in 2011, written by Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, with Hardman also providing art duties.
Set two decades before the man called Taylor would come from the stars, when the orangutan Cato is found dead for having taught his human friend how to communicate, it leads the former general, Aleron to uncover a vast political conspiracy in Ape City. Where it seems the most sacred rule, "Ape shall not kill Ape", has been broken.
All the while the young councilor, Dr. Zaius, finds himself navigating the growing pro-human sentiment within the Ape community and learning of political upsets that threaten to shake Ape society to it's core.
This would be the first in a trilogy by Hardman and Bechko, followed by Exile on the Planet of the Apes and Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm.
This works contains examples of;
- Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: The main moral underpinning of Ape society and the murder of the orangutan Cato is what kickstarts of the events of the series.
- Aleron being suspected of killing a fellow gorilla, Varus, from over a decade ago is what gets him sent to "The Reef" when in actuality Varus was killed by a human using a dropped gun, Aleron was defending the humans from Varus.
- Big Bad: Councilor Tenebris.
- Dark Secret: Aleron spends much of the series being accused of having killed Varus, a subordinate of his, from his time as a general. It's revealed in the final issue, Varus was actually killed by a human using his own dropped gun. Aleron was actually defending the human family from Varus. Aleron kept this a secret as he didn't want to cause a panic humans knew how to use guns.
- Deadly Environment Prison: The Apes have "The Reef", an Alcatraz-like prison only accessible by boat where Apes who have gone insane, killed another ape, or are too politically inconvenient are sent to.
- Erudite Orangutan:
- There's Zaius, obviously, but Councilor Tenebris takes the lead as the story's Big Bad and largely plays the same role Zaius did in the first film.
- Cato is worth mentioning, Much like Aleron, he averts the usual portrayal of his species in the classic films. Unlike other orangutans, he's in favor of societal progress and treats the human Tern as a friend rather than his pet.
- Everyone Has Standards: Aleron saw no need for excessive bloodshed in his time leading the gorilla army against humans. He's introduced ordering a subordinate to simply clear out and scare off humans rather than actively murder them, stating he had no intention of leading a slaughter.
- Eyepatch of Power: Aleron, a former general and war hero, wears one.
- Expy: Aleron can be seen as one for Attar, Michael Clarke Duncan's character from the Tim Burton remake.
- Four-Star Badass: Aleron has been out of military service for years by the start of the story but he's still able to hold his own in ifgts and his reputation commands him a great deal of respect.
- Gentle Gorilla: While no pushover in the slightest, Aleron largely averts the standard portrayal of gorillas in the classic films. While as a general, he had no interest in causing needless bloodshed and he gets along with non-gorillas such as Cato the orangutan and Prisca the chimpanzee.
- Government Conspiracy: The main plot is one of General Aleron and company uncovering one lead by the Orangutan Councilor, Tenebris.
- The Gulag: The Reef. It's main function is supposedly for apes who have broken the "Ape shall not kill Ape" rule but seems for the most part where politically inconvenient apes are sent to.
- Human Pet: Tern, one of the mute humans of the series. He was a pet to Cato, an elderly Orangutan who taught him how to communicate through Sign Language. Something that lands him in trouble with the Orangutan Council.
- Interspecies Friendship: Cato, an elderly Orangutan, considered his pet human Tern a genuine friend and took the time to teach him sign language. Tern largely seems to return the sentiment and is broken when Cato is murdered.
- Killer Gorilla: Notably averted with Aleron, who bucks the trend of the original films of gorillas being the most blood-thirsty of the apes.
- Played straight with the more villainous gorillas, Ursus and Varus.
- Mythology Gag: Tern, a human raised by an elderly Orangutan named Cato, is taught to communicate via sign-language. Much like how the apes from the 2010s rebooted films do.
- New Era Speech: Zaius gives one at the end of the book. On one hand, he loosens some of the caste restrictions and releases the political prisoners at the Reef. However, what little rights humans have are fully revoked and Zaius implores it's time for the three species of ape to come together to end the human menace.
- Predecessor Villain: Councilor Tenebris acts as this to Zaius.
- Prequel: The main story takes place 20 years before the first film, along with flashbacks set 15 years before the story's present. Notable film characters like Zaius and Ursus are shown in early in their careers.
- Retired Badass: Aleron has long retired from military service by the start of the book.
- Signed Language: How Tern, the main human character, communicates. He learned from his owner, Cato an Orangutan. And Cato teaching Tern this is what gets Cato in the sights of the Orangutan Council.
- Start of Darkness: For Dr. Zaius. He starts out as a well-meaning new member of the city council but by the end is informed by Tenebris of the true history of Apes and Humans, and becomes a participant in the government conspiracy.
