From the team that brought you Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes comes an all new Apes saga! With ape society gripped in uncertainty, Doctor Zaius must find a way to unite the warring factions before they rip the city apart. It's up to one lowly chimp to seek out the famed, disgraced General Aleron deep in the heart of the Forbidden Zone, with a secret that might help -- or destroy!

We caught up with co-writer, Corinna Bechko, to talk about Exile on the Planet of the Apes.

Horror News Network: Lets talk a bit about your love for Planet of the Apes. When did it start and are you a follower of all things Apes from movies to the cartoons to collectibles?

Corinna Bechko: I had seen the films as a kid but I didn’t truly appreciate them until later, when I first started working with real apes for a living. At the time I was doing behavioral research for the Los Angeles Zoo, looking at how best to keep the chimpanzee troop happy in their new enclosure. My days consisted of recording chimp behavior and collating chimp behavioral data. When a fellow researcher had a Planet of the Apes viewing party I was hooked.

I will admit to collecting some Apes memorabilia too… And to enjoying the television show, even though it’s hard to reconcile with the films. Talking humans? A dog appearing in the first episode? Ah well, maybe it’s a different time stream or something…

Horror News Network: Can you talk a bit about the collaboration process with co-writer Gabriel Hardman?

Corinna Bechko: We sketch out the storyline together, then break it down into issues and pages. After that we break down the pages themselves. This is where the real fun is: throwing ideas back and forth and cutting out things that don’t work. After that I type up everything as an actual script and we take turns beating it into submission from there.

It’s great to write with an artist. Comics have their own unique language and a very steep learning curve for anyone who started out writing for a less visual medium. When people ask me the best way to improve their comics script, I tell them to show it to an artist!

Horror News Network: Who will be the main characters in Exile on the Planet of the Apes?

Corinna Bechko: In our first Apes miniseries we showed a lot of the action from the point of view of a gorilla, a warrior in essence. This time we wanted a different perspective on ape culture so our main character is Prisca, a female chimpanzee scientist who was a supporting character in Betrayal. Exile is set a couple of years after Betrayal, so we get to see how difficult things have been for her. We’ll also follow Tern, the “semi-tame” human who was so mistreated in our first story arc. You could say that Tern has had something of a political awakening in the mean time.

Horror News Network: What can we expect from General Aleron this time around?

Corinna Bechko: Aleron is full of surprises, but you can always count on the fact that he will follow his conscience no matter the consequences.

Horror News Network: What is it like to write a timeless character such as Dr. Ziaus?

Corinna Bechko: Man, I love writing Dr. Zaius. He’s such a complex character, full of hatred and acrimony but whip smart and totally committed to what he thinks is right. He makes a great foil for the other characters because he’s always kind of right. Even in the film, where he’s set up as a villain, by the end you’re thinking “well, he has a point…”

Horror News Network: This is your second Apes mini-series. (Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes being the first) Has it ever been discussed of making your Apes timeline an ongoing, or would that interfere with BOOM’s already ongoing Apes series?

Corinna Bechko: You know, we’ve never talked to them about that. Gabriel and I feel so lucky to contribute a little corner to Apes lore, and we both really like the idea of telling discrete stories with a definite beginning, middle and end.

Horror News Network: Where can our readers find out more about Exile on the Planet of the Apes?

Corinna Bechko: Gabriel and I both have blogs( http://thefrogbag.blogspot.com and http://gabrielhardman.com ) and twitter feeds ( http://twitter.com/gabrielhardman and http://twitter.com/CorinnaBechko )which we update regularly, and lately they have all been filled with Planet of the Apes news. 

Horror News Network: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about Exile on the Planet of the Apes?

Corinna Bechko: Just that I hope everyone enjoys it! The art this time around is by the terrific Marc Laming and the pages I’ve seen so far are fantastic. We’re fortunate to have Jordie Bellaire returning on colors as well. Her work is amazing. With this story we explore a bit more of the Apes world, traveling from a scientist’s lair to the Forbidden Zone as a gorilla army prepares for battle. We hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Horror News Network: Thanks for your time, Corinna! Best of luck with the Exile on the Planet of the Apes comic. Have a comment? Post it here.