Comic Coverage

Monkey Business: The Great Apes of DC Comics

For several months now, I've been educating the next generation of comic book fans with my Know Your Marvel Monsters feature, which provides a handy overview of the aliens and freaks of nature Marvel published before they switched to superheroes with The Fantastic Four.

Well, with the school year just about over, I feel it's imperative to add even more educational content to Comic Coverage to ensure quality learning takes place all summer long!  So, in this new series, I'll be giving equal time to Marvel rival DC Comics...no, not to their giant sci-fi monsters (which weren't really their thing), but to their multitudes of monkeys, gorillas, and apes (oh, my)!

You see, starting in 1951 with Strange Adventures #8, the editors of DC Comics began noticing that comics with gorillas on the cover seemed to sell better than others. In fact, editors began doing so many gorilla covers that their boss Irwin Donenfeld allegedly stepped in and declared that only one gorilla cover per month could appear in their line of comics. However, even with Donenfeld's limitations, gorillas and other primates continued popping up in DC Comics throughout the 1950's and 60's...so find a grooming partner, peel yourself a banana, and let's get to our first Monkey Business profile, shall we?

Name: The Bat-Ape

First Appearance: Batman #114 (1958)

Powers and Abilities: Super intelligent trained circus ape.

History: When a circus box office is robbed, an ape trainer named Arthur Harris is mistakenly arrested for the crime.

As a skeptical Batman investigates the robbery, Harris's super intelligent ape named "Mogo" befriends him and follows him back to the Batcave.

Donning a spare cowl, Mojo tags along with Batman and Robin as "Bat-Ape" and helps capture the real thieves.

Freed from police custody, Harris decides to return the favor by bringing Mogo back to his African homeland and setting the heroic ape free.

Superman@70: Monkey Business

As part of my ongoing survey of The Great Apes of DC Comics, I thought Superman@70 month would be the perfect occasion to go on a Super-Simian Safari through the dense jungle of Superman history.

(click on the covers for a larger view)

Name: Kingorilla

First Appearance: Adventure Comics #196 (1954)

Powers and Abilities: Giant sized, super-strong gorilla.

History: When Lana Lang's parents were captured by jungle natives, Clark Kent and Lana saved them from being sacrificed to Kingorilla, a giant ape worshiped by the natives. After he chased off Kingorilla as Superboy, Clark helped the natives replace diamonds stolen from their idol.

Name: Bongo

First Appearance: Superboy #38 (1955)

Powers and Abilities: Highly trained TV chimp.

History: A television chimp named Bongo is abducted by criminals and trained to assist in their robberies. However, instead of following their instructions, Bongo always found a way to alert Superboy to the robberies.

Name: Chandu

First Appearance: Adventure Comics #219 (1955)

Powers and Abilities: X-Ray vision.

History: When an ex-con noticed that a captured gorilla named Chandu possessed x-ray vision, he and his gang stole the beast and used the x-rays to melt bank walls and start fires. The rays could also weaken Superboy, which revealed that Chandu's power may have came from Kryptonite-contaminated water (of course!). Shortly after Superboy defeated the criminals and Chandu, the gorilla's x-ray vision disapeared as the effects of the K-water wore off. 

Name: Super-Ape

First Appearance: Action Comics #218 (1956)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed the super powers of any Kryptonian creature under a yellow sun, as well as the ability to speak.

History: Believing Jor-El's warnings of Krypton's impending destruction, scientist Shir-Kan rocketed several of his apes into space to save them from the explosion. One of the apes made it to Earth and was raised by normal apes. Gaining superpowers and the ability to speak, Super-Ape eventually met Superman and helped him bring illegal trappers to justice. Learning Super-Ape's story, Superman tracked down the remaining Kryptonian apes and reunited them with the grateful Super-Ape.

Name: Jimmy Olsen,
       Gorilla Reporter

First Appearance: Jimmy Olsen #24 (1957); Reprinted in Jimmy Olsen #116 (1968)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed the human intelligence and "Superman's Pal" status of Jimmy Olsen.

History: Helping Professor Thorne with a device that could read the thoughts of animals, a malfunction caused Jimmy Olsen's mind to switch with that of a test gorilla. Unable to cure his Primate Pal, Superman built a pen to hold his gorilla-controlled human body while Gorilla Jimmy returned to work at the Daily Planet. Following some awkward newspaper assignments, Superman reversed the mind switch when he realized the signal watch he'd given Jimmy was responsible for the malfuction of Thorne's device.

Name: King Krypton,
      The Super-Gorilla

First Appearance: Action Comics #238 (1958)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed the super powers of any Kryptonian creature under a yellow sun, as well as the ability to speak.

History: Summoned to Africa by Jimmy Olsen, Superman learned of a super-powered gorilla the boy reporter had dubbed King Krypton. Weakened by the Kryptonite-tipped spearheads of a local tribe, both Superman and King Krypton were captured and forced to battle each other. Sacrificing his life to save Superman's, King Krypton suddenly assumed human form. Just before dying of Kryptonite poisoning, the ex-gorilla explained that he had actually been a devolved Kryptonian scientist who'd been launched into space for a cosmic ray cure (which obviously didn't do the trick).

Name:Titano,
     The Super-Ape

First Appearance: Superman #127 (1959)

Powers and Abilities: A 40 ft. tall mutated chimp with the ability to project Kryptonite rays from his eyes.

History: When a chimpanzee named Toto was launched into space aboard an experimental satellite, two meteors collided near the tiny capsule. One Uranium, the other pure Kryptonite, the radiation from the meteors caused Toto to grow at an alarming rate when he returned to Earth. Reaching a height of 40 ft. and earning the new name of Titano, the giant ape's rampage brought Superman to the scene. As Superman attempted to subdue him, Titano blasted Superman with a shocking new power...Kryptonite Vision! Assisted by Lois Lane (who'd befriended Titano when he was Toto), Superman tricked Titano into covering his eyes with giant lead spectacles and, once shielded, hurled Titano "back in time" to Earth's Mesozoic Era where he could battle beasts his own size.

Name: Beppo,
      The Super-Monkey

First Appearance: Superboy #76 (1959)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed the super powers of any Kryptonian creature under a yellow sun.

History: Initially a test animal used by Jor-El as he developed his spaceflight project, Beppo stowed away aboard Kal-El's rocket ship as it escaped Krypton's destruction. Upon landing on Earth, Beppo scurried away and lived in Africa for a time, then returned to Smallville to inflict some good-natured monkey mischief. Eventually tricked to leave Earth, Beppo returned years later and met Supergirl, who then introduced him to Krypto and Streaky the Super-Cat.

Name: Super(boy) Ape

First Appearance: Superboy #143 (1967)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed super powers identical to the human Superboy.

History: When Red Kryptonite transformed Superboy into a monkey, a "delayed secondary effect" turned him into a giant ape. After spying the transformed Superboy from his African home, a curious Beppo the Super-Monkey flew to Smallville...where he was promptly transformed by the same piece of Red-K into a double of Clark Kent! After a brief conflict, the two Kryptonians reverted back to their proper forms...but not before Beppo's stint as Clark Kent saved his secret identity from a suspicious Lana Lang.

Name: Bruna

First Appearance: Jimmy Olsen #98 (1966)

Powers and Abilities: Highly amorous jungle goddess.

History: When Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen visited a jungle movie location, a gorilla named Bruna fell in love with Jimmy and wanted to make him her mate. Trying not to offend the local natives, Superman suggested that Jimmy play along until a solution could be found (thanks, "pal"!). Taking matters into his own hands, Jimmy tricked Bruna into tossing him over a cliff, allowing him to escape from his involuntary inter-species marriage.

Name: Yango

First Appearance: Superboy #172 (1971)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed the super powers of any Kryptonian creature under a yellow sun.

History: Rocketed from Krypton by yet another scientist, a baby ape named Yango landed on Earth. Raised by a tribe of African apes, Yango used his enhanced intelligence and super-powers to lead and protect them. Superboy learned of Yango's presense on Earth and, after a brief conflict, became his friend and approved of the super-ape's protection of the animal kingdom.

Name: Supermonkey

First Appearance: JLA Annual #3 (1999)

Powers and Abilities: Possessed super powers identical to the human Superman.

History: When a "gorilla bomb" transformed the Justice League into gorillas, Supermonkey defended Metropolis from Grogamesh, a gigantic robot gorilla in Superman Annual #11 (pictured).

Monkey Business: Monsieur Mallah

Continuing my ongoing survey of The Great Apes of DC Comics with a simian supervillain of The Doom Patrol: 

Name: Monsieur Mallah

First Appearance: Doom Patrol #86 (1964)

Powers and Abilities: In addition to superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and agility, Mallah possessed an I.Q. of 178. Intellectual abilities included speaking several languages and expertise in many areas of science, technology, and combat/firearm skills.  

History: After capturing a gorilla in the wild, an unnamed scientist experimented on the animal with "secret teaching methods" and shock treatments until its intellect was increased to genius level. Further educating the gorilla, now named "Monsieur Mallah", the scientist made Mallah his loyal personal assistant. After the scientist's death, Mallah followed his master's instructions and placed his brain into a special container to keep it alive. With world domination as their new goal, the disembodied scientist (now calling himself "The Brain") and Monsieur Mallah formed a criminal organization known as The Brotherhood of Evil.  Years later, the Brain and Monsieur Mallah were exiled to a prison planet where they were both beaten to death by fellow super-criminal Gorilla Grodd.

Ah, but let's not end Monsieur Mallah's story on such a dreary, depressing note.

Instead, let's think of the better days...when a machine gun-toting, beret-wearing genius gorilla shared a special friendship...and the crazy dream of world domination...with a brain in a jar.

Monkey Business: Beware the Octi-Ape!

Name: Octi-Ape

First Appearance: Blackhawk #152 (1960)

History: As a sort of interstellar Noah, an alien named Kar Han escaped his world's destruction in a giant "artificial asteroid" filled with two of every life form from the doomed planet. Arriving on Earth, they met the Blackhawks, who then helped Kar Han find a plot of land for his family and their alien zoo (which wasn't appreciated by their bigoted "anti-greenie" neighbors). However, their stay was short-lived, since an element in Earth's atmosphere began causing Kar Han's bizarre animals to rampage across the countryside, including the Octi-Ape. After immobilizing the eight-limbed primate with giant tractor tires and capturing the other beasts, the Blackhawks calm the tensions between the angry townsfolk and Kar Han. Realizing Earth's atmosphere would soon affect the minds of not only their animals but also themselves, Kar Han loaded up the space ark and resumed his search for a new world.

Powers and Abilities: Able to hurl twice the feces of an earth-born primate.

Monkey Business: Gorilla Grodd

Name: Gorilla Grodd

First Appearance: Flash #106 (1959)

Powers and Abilities: In addition to his advanced strength and intelligence, Grodd also possessed vast "Force of Mind" powers, some of which included telepathy, mind control, psychic blasts, consciousness transference, matter manipulation, and telekinesis.

History: At some point during the 19th century, the radiation of a space meteor transformed a tribe of normal gorillas into a super-intelligent society, complete with a hidden Gorilla City of their own making. Amongst the otherwise peaceful super-simians, a rogue scientist and revolutionary named Grodd arose, using his superior mental powers against both his fellow gorillas and humankind.

Splash panel from Grodd's first appearance in Flash #106 (1959).

For a bonus Gorilla Grodd fact, click here.

For more Monkey Business, click here.

Monkey Business: Frontier Chimp

Name: Chigger, the Frontier Chimp

First Appearance: Tomahawk #61 (1959)

Powers and Abilities: As the "world's best-trained chimp", Chigger used his acrobatic prowess to assist Tomahawk and his young sidekick Dan.

History: Escaping into the wilderness from a traveling circus, a trained chimp named Chigger is found by Tomahawk and Dan. No sooner is Chigger given his own tiny buckskins to wear (to protect him from the elements, naturally) than a tribe of hostile Indians attacks and captures his human rescuers. After freeing Tomahawk and Dan by chewing through the rope binding them, Chigger spooks the horses of the Indians, sending the braves chasing after them.

Chigger, the Frontier Chimp in action.

For more Monkey Business, click here.

Monkey Business: Gorilla Witch!

 

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! As crazy as DC's penchant for ape, gorilla, and monkey covers could get, few covers surpassed the sheer insanity of an eyepatch-wearing gorilla stirring up a witch's brew of world domination! 

Name: Taro, the Gorilla Witch

First Appearance: Strange Adventures #186 (1966)

History: While he brewed a magic potion that would allow him to communicate with animals, a jungle explorer named Reed was suddenly attacked by a gorilla. During the attack, the potion's potent fumes turned Reed into a gorilla while giving Taro (the attacking gorilla) human intelligence. The newly-intelligent Taro put on Reed's clothes (including Reed's eyepatch!), mixed up some more gorilla potion, then set about making an army of intelligent apes to take over the world (ala The Planet of the Apes). Luckily for humanity, Reed's friend Bruce slipped a transformation-neutralizing antidote into the brew, causing Taro to lose his intelligence and Reed to regain his humanity.  Taro was then captured and shipped off to a zoo...while still wearing Reed's eyepatch! 

Powers and Abilities: As Gorilla Witch, the witch brew gave Taro the capability of making a vast army of intelligent apes with which to take over the world, which he imagined in the panel below (click to enlarge).

Taro's human intelligence gave him the ability to "impersonate" Reed....with the amusing exception of putting his eyepatch over the wrong eye, thereby sowing the seeds of his defeat.

 

For more DC Comics Monkey Business, click here.

Monkey Business: Who's the Boss?

 

This time around, a couple of gorilla-human hybrids...

Name: Gorilla Boss

First Appearance: Batman #75 (1953)

History: Following his execution in the gas chamber, the brain of mobster George Dyke was transplanted by renegade scientist Doc Willard into the body of "the world's largest gorilla". Not wasting any time, Gorilla Boss and his henchmen embarked on a million dollar crime spree, culminating in the defeat and capture of Batman. Gorilla Boss then commanded Doc Willard to transplant his brain into Batman's body, a plan that foiled when Batman regained consciousness in the nick of time (of course). An enraged Gorilla Boss then escaped with Doc Willard in tow, but soon died in a fall.

Some years later, the Gorilla Boss' brain was expanded to the size of a planet and used as a power source by Sinestro, only to be destroyed by Superman.

Powers and Abilities: In addition to his sneaky mobster brain, George Dyke's gorilla form possessed incredible strength, dexterity, and (most likely) odor.

Not to be confused with:

Name: Mod Gorilla Boss

First Appearance: Strange Adventures #201 (1967)

History: While foiling a jewelry store robbery, Animal Man (then called "A-Man" for some reason) was grabbed from behind by a talking gorilla wearing a zoot suit. Mysteriously unable to absorb the beast's power (as he could with any other animal), Animal Man is captured by the groovy gorilla and his gang. While in captivity, Animal Man observed his laboratory surroundings and deduced the Mod Gorilla Boss wasn't actually a gorilla at all, but a human transformed by regular injections of a special serum. With this in mind, Animal Man escaped and began a marathon battle with Mod Gorilla Boss, causing the serum to wear off and return him to human form.

 

Powers and Abilities: A groovy fashion sense.

Monkey Business: Ape Me Out to the Ballgame

 

Question: What's more American than the game of baseball?  Answer: An Amazon warrior in a flag-themed costume and her trained gorilla PLAYING the game of baseball! Truly one of the most insane Wonder Woman stories of all time...and THAT'S saying something!

Name: Andy the Gorilla

First Appearance: Wonder Woman #78 (1955)

History: In an effort to save a beloved private school from closing, Wonder Woman must defeat an entire baseball team...with her only teammate a circus gorilla named Andy...who can't play baseball. So...Wonder Woman expertly pitches, bats, and fields, while simultaneously teaching Andy the same skills. Needless to say, Wonder Woman and Andy win the game and save the school from closing.

Powers and Abilities: A .300 batting average and an animal behind the plate.