December 1953: Sinister Simian Strikes Again

Captain Comet’s version of Grodd, the “diabolically intelligent” Man-Ape, returns as a criminal defendant in The Guilty Gorilla (Strange Adventures 39, Dec. 1953).
By telepathically controlling a judge and manhandling police officers like rag dolls, the simian is able to escape and recruit a criminal gang to help him.
This super-gorilla, Comet’s only recurring archenemy, foreshadows the string of early appearances by Grodd in the Silver Age Flash title.
DC’s over-reliance on gorilla covers would become an affectionately mocked cliché in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The trend started in Strange Adventures.
“The eighth issue of Strange Adventures achieved some sort of cult status,” noted Greg Hyland. “The cover showed a gorilla in a zoo holding up a slate that read, ‘Please believe me! I am the victim of a terrible scientific experiment!’ This Incredible Story of an Ape with a Human Brain had strong sales, and [DC editor, Julius] Schwartz recalls that (publisher) ‘Irwin Donenfeld called me in and said we should try it again. Finally all the editors wanted to use gorilla covers, and he said no more than one a month.’ ”
Man-Ape's first appearance
Comics historian Michael E. Grost wrote, “Murphy Anderson’s cover is both beautiful and tongue-in-cheek. It shows the gorilla defendant seated on the witness stand. Captain Comet is standing there, in full red uniform, prosecuting him in the role of noble district attorney. He stands ramrod straight, and holds a rifle he is submitting as evidence and discussing before the court. All of this is done with Anderson's superb draftsmanship and sense of drama.”
“The tale is atypical in being a Captain Comet story involving organized crime,” Grost noted. “Usually the tales were purely science fictional. Unlike many comic book heroes, Captain Comet was not basically a crime fighter or detective.”
Man-Ape enriches his henchmen by using his great strength to commit robberies, but all the gorilla wants is revenge on the Man of Destiny, who’d defeated him in Strange Adventures 32 (May 1953).
Man-Ape sends a gang member to lure Captain Comet into a trap by claiming that the criminals fear the gorilla and are ready to betray him. But the super-gorilla has miscalculated, forgetting how hard it is to trick a telepath.
“This could be a trap,” the Man of 100,000 A.D. thinks, probing the thug’s brain. “Hmm! Just as I thought — it is! The gorilla is relying on the gang to help him destroy me! But I think they’re all due for a surprise!”
When Captain Comet arrives at Man-Ape’s hideout, he distracts the gang with the thing they value most.
“There you are boys — $500 bills — lots of them!” the mutant superhero says, scattering money into the air. “That’s my special reward to you for bringing me here!”
The superhero taunts the gorilla about his unreliable allies, and Man-Ape telepathically projects his rage: “I – I’ll kill you myself — with my bare hands!”
Grappling for long minutes, the adversaries choke each other, but it’s the gorilla who loses consciousness.
Captain Comet explains to police that in the dimly lit hideout, he’d counted on the crooks being momentarily fooled by the stage money he tossed at them.
Meanwhile, Man-Ape is returned to a special cell in Midwest City prison to await trial for murder.
“Grrrr … I wouldn’t mind being on trial … if only it were for the murder of my arch-foe, Captain Comet!” he thinks.
Man-Ape’s powers mirrored Captain Comet’s, but Grodd, who had psychic powers like Man-Ape, was a more asymmetrical opponent for the Flash. The contrast played well dramatically, and Grodd may have been the best of the Flash’s impressive rogues’ gallery of enemies.

Comments

  1. Dan HagenDecember 5, 2023 at 4:18 AM

    Foster H. Coker III:
    Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan HagenDecember 5, 2023 at 4:37 AM

    Paul Zuckerman:
    One can often find tongue-in-cheek humor or satire in John Broome's stories and, from your description, this is one of them. Certainly the Grodd stories had plenty subtle humor. Some of which eight- or nine-year-olds like me might pick up on and some of which just went over our heads until reading the comics again when older!
    Strange that DC never had a gorilla hero -- that was left for Marvel to come up with!

    I replied:
    Well, there was Detective Chimp. An ape hero, anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dan HagenDecember 5, 2023 at 4:42 AM

    Bob Bailey:
    I can’t begin to say how much I loved Captain Comet. And of course John Broome and Murphy Anderson were a major part of it. It is a shame they didn’t name that first Gorilla … Grodd. I am also lucky to own this issue of Strange Adventures and 95 percent of the Captain Comets.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dan HagenDecember 6, 2023 at 11:42 AM

    Andrew Oshtur:
    To Battle the man ape ! Only Pure Silver Age Goodness and SCIENCE! Could prevail against the nefarious schemes of this chortling simian fiend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dan HagenDecember 7, 2023 at 3:56 AM

    Joseph Lenius:
    Kid me never knew the predecessor to Grodd.

    ReplyDelete

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