PLANET OF THE APES: Army of the Apes



Marvel Comics in the Media

Dark Horse Comics in the Media

Independant Comics in the Media

OVERALL SYNOPSIS:
The Planet of the Apes movies were hugely successful in Japan; Japanese audiences were treated to an extended cut of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes because of their devotion to the movies. In response to the popularity of the movies, a Japanese company, Tsubaraya Productions, created a TV series consisting of twenty-six half-hour episodes in 1974, with a storyline remarkably similar to Planet of the Apes but without actually making any reference to the franchise. 'Saru no Gundan' (猿の軍団, literally 'Army of the Apes') concerns a woman and two children who wake up in a world populated by sentient apes. While it doesn't directly contradict the official Planet of the Apes universe, the regular appearances of a mysterious UFO (albeit created by advanced humans) does cause some problems fitting it in with the established continuity. Although reportedly not a hugely popular show, it nevertheless completed it's 26-episode run, unlike either of the Apes TV shows being made around the same time in the US. The original series has never been translated in it's entirity into English, but in 1987, Sandy Frank Entertainment re-edited and translated them into a 97 minute movie and released it in the US as 'Time of the Apes'.