There’s no contest (in my feeble brain, at least) that Gorilla Grodd is the most impressive ape in all comics gorilladom. I loved this story, and I even remember where I was when I first read itġ. But, as noted above, later somebody found that Bizarro duplicator ray. Like the original Superboy Bizarro story, Titano’s initial appearance ended quite nicely and in a laudable, humane fashion. This made Superman’s day all the more difficult. Talk about upping the ante: Not only was Titano a truly great ape, but he had Kryptonite rays beaming out of his eyes. It wasn’t too long before Superman’s simian foe Titano got his own Bizarro doppelgänger. Before long, there were Bizarros made of all the members of the Superman family and many of the members of the DCU at the time… not to mention a Bizarro Marilyn Monroe hanging out with a Bizarro-President Kennedy. Bizarro wasn’t an ape, but he sold comics during the JFK administration as though he was. The original Bizarro was manufactured by a malfunctioning duplicator ray that was shined upon the Boy of Steel. If all you know of Bizarro is the current not-well-defined Solomon Grundy pastiche, you’re missing out on “Tales of the Bizarro World,” one of the most unusual, bizarre, and clever volumes in the greater Superboy oeuvre. Evidently, Judge Heston had a thing for doing Batman-like poses.ģ. Take a closer look and you will see the name “Heston” was engraved on the badge by, evidently, someone who’s penmanship was lacking in an opposable thumb. Note that this guy is called “Judge Heston,” in tribute to the astronaut who inspired one of Jack Kirby’s best covers. In fact, I’d say it was about as surprising as the sun coming up. The big ape thing was not just an American thing, to be sure, but in the world of Judge Dredd having a big ape Judge was just another day in Mega-City One. So compelling, in fact, that the actual stories rarely matched their impact.Ĥ. I should point out that the covers to this Julie Schwartz title were by and large quite compelling. This one is my favorite, as it explains exactly why reading is, indeed, fundamental. I haven’t counted, but it’s possible that this particular s-f title had more gorilla covers than the Planet of the Apes. Obviously, when you’re taking on a gorilla so huge King Kong would cross his legs in shame you need all the help you can get.ĥ. It’s nice to see that by this time Tomahawk and his Rangers opened their ranks to the people they conquered. As we began to realize the whole cowboys-and-Indians thing was exploitative, inaccurate and bigoted, Tomahawk - one of DC’s longer-lasting features - switched from chasing native Americans to protecting America from the evil British. Here are six stunning examples of the form, each completely lacking in the type of realism that readers of the time demanded.Ħ. But, just as those horror comics before them, things started to get kind of weird – particularly at DC Comics, and then, particularly when editor Julius Schwartz was involved.
Smarky laser code#
I’m sure there have been thousands of doctoral theses written explaining why people are so attracted to our simian brethren, but I am certain about one thing: in the 1950s and 1960s, when you slapped a gorilla on the cover, you sold comic books.īy the time the Comics Code came into being, publishers were trying to cater to their horror-story-loving audience by deploying these colossus of sinew and fur as the Big Bad. The big apes have been a cultural force since staples started to bend and popcorn started to pop.
Smarky laser movie#
With Kong v Godzilla lighting up movie theaters real and virtual, it’s time to revisit that wonderful phenomenon, our gorilla-laden comic books.
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