This new comic series from Boom! takes place two years after the events of BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, when Dr. Zaius had banished all humans from Ape City. In the village of Capua, which is ten miles from Ape City, humans have stolen food and horses. One of these humans is using sign language.
In Ape City, Dr. Prisca, a chimpanzee, is called before the council. They ask her where she was during that human raid--and if she's been experimenting on humans. She brings up Tern, the mute human who was taught sign language (in the previous series), which ticks off Zaius. After she leaves the Orangutans talk amongst themselves--and believe that an ape is involved with teaching these humans sign language. Notices are put up to get to the bottom of this and the soldier gorillas are sent out to investigate every ape citizen.
It turns out that a male Chimp, Timon is helping Tern, who wants to be referred to as "General Tern". He helps them get medicine by trading stuff they stole from Capua--but he's been followed by a squadron of gorillas, who fire on the human group. Some are killed, as well as is a gorilla, with a spear. Timon, who doesn't want to go back to prison, escapes on horseback with Tern, who takes them into the ruins of a human city in the Forbidden Zone, where it's revealed WHO is organizing the humans.
Meanwhile, Prisca is becoming upset because the only way they "study" humans now is to dissect them--and she was one of the apes who helped teach Tern, years ago, sign language. So she feels responsible for the ape being killed in the recent attack and believes it's up to her to communicate with Tern and get him to stop.
I like this better than the previous series and again, it fits as a good prequel to the original PLANET OF THE APES movie. It explains why the Ape Council is so overly paranoid about "The human threat" and how the gorillas basically became human exterminators. Highly recommended.