365 Reasons to Love Comics #94

CBR Live! Archive

by Bill Reed
in 365 Reasons to Love Comics

It's Ape-ril here on the old column, and that means primatepalooza for the rest of the month. Now, I've got a pretty big list of ape-related characters already, but I will gladly take your suggestions for your favorite comics ape or monkey. It may reveal things I've missed. Bring 'em on!

Today: The most popular comics ape of them all.

4/4/07

94. Gorilla Grodd

Grodd 1.jpg

I know you all hate puns as much as the next man, but I have to say it: don't monkey with Grodd.

As far as gorillas-in-comics go, Grodd is probably at the top of the heap. He's a big evil ape with psychic powers, and hails from the greatest fictional locale in existence-- Gorilla City, the hidden African land of intelligent talking gorillas. (On a side note, I would love to write some kind of Gorilla City mini-series. "Big Numbers" with apes. It'd sell a billion, I'm sure.)

Grodd's no slouch. He's battled the entire Justice League, joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains... heck, he's been in every comic and cartoon version of the Legion of Doom, from Superfriends to JLU and back.

As civilized as Grodd is (what he really needs is a smoking jacket), he can also go into crazy-savage-ape mode and start King Konging all over the place, as seen in Geoff Johns' run on Flash. If he's ticked, he will try to eat you. I mean, he tried to eat Batman. That takes some major ape testes. Ape testes of steel. (Of course, Batman then punched Grodd in those ape testes, so...)

I thought I'd have more to say about Grodd, but I guess not (they can't all be giant columns). And I don't want to waste my supply of monkey jokes, because I'm going to need them for the whole month.

In summation: Grodd's one of Flash's-- hell, the DC Universe's-- greatest villains, and he's a big damn ape. Who can talk. And has psychic powers. How can you not love that concept? Grodd is the very epitome of Silver Age brilliance. Doing research on today's column, I'm surprised Grodd hasn't had far more appearances in comics than he does. Are writers intimidated by giant apes? I wonder...

For more on Grodd, check out his profiles at Hyperborea or Wikipedia.

And have one last, great image:

So what are your feelings on Gorilla Grodd, dear readers? Is he, or is he not, your favorite simian overlord? Be careful with your response. He may eat you, or fry your brain, or something.

Posted on April 4, 2007 @ 04:06 PM

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20 Comments

Bret

April 4, 2007 at 4:27 pm

No, Detective Chimp.
He wears a nice deerstalker.
Which makes him awesome.

DCD

April 4, 2007 at 5:12 pm

Gorilla Grodd = yes

Flush it all away

April 4, 2007 at 5:40 pm

All's I'm sayin' is that if Red Ghost and his Super Apes aren't featured soon, I will be plenty disappointed.

And you do NOT want to disappoint me. Because...well, because I'd sad.

Dan K

April 4, 2007 at 6:06 pm

Recomendations hmm... I've already mentioned the House of Kong from Nikolai Dante. Moonboy would be cool and it would be nice if Stupendo the Simian Supreme got a shout out (Alan Moore's greatest ape creation after the Weeping Gorrila and King Solomon).

stephen cade

April 4, 2007 at 6:24 pm

Hmm, I was never into any comic apes and monkeys that much, so how about Dr Forklift?

I have enjoyed some Gorilla Grodd stories, but a lot were not my cup of tea.

As far as apes/monkeys go I'd list the Ape stage of the Ultra Humanite as my favorite.

Mr.Chris

April 4, 2007 at 6:49 pm

Grodd rocks, but Monsieur Mallah is my villainous ape of choice.

Ira Henkin

April 4, 2007 at 7:44 pm

I guess it really is hard out there for a chimp

Zach Adams

April 4, 2007 at 8:29 pm

I remember having an argument with an old roommate over whether Grodd or Captain Cold was Flash's archenemy. I really like Captain Cold, but c'mon. "Bank robber with gadgets" vs. "MAN-EATING PSYCHIC GORILLA WHO WANTS TO RULE OR DESTROY HUMANITY." No contest--the gorilla wins by first round knockout.

Apodaca

April 5, 2007 at 12:13 am

Alright, Grodd's cool.

The Rear

April 5, 2007 at 1:19 am

Gorilla Grodd is by far my favorite super-simian. He's gotten some awesome other-media exposure lately too. He was one of the best villains in the Justice League Heroes video game along with the inhabitants of Gorilla City.

Nice Detective Chimp haiku at the beginning by the way there Bret.

J To The AAP

April 5, 2007 at 5:11 am

I feel a bit as though I'm pointing out the obvious with all the Morrison love on CBSBG but don't forget The Filth's Dmitri 9!

Rob Schamberger

April 5, 2007 at 5:19 am

Weeping Gorilla!

Greg Hatcher

April 5, 2007 at 7:12 am

Grodd IS pretty cool. The story I enjoyed the most with him, though, wasn't a Flash entry; it was a Superman story by Elliott Maggin and Curt Swan where Grodd was... um... well, he was doing SOMETHING bad at the U.N. But what made it cool was a bit with Lois and Clark where she thought Clark was dead and she realized how much she really did love the big stupid nerd. Then, at the story's end, Clark tentatively tried to follow up and Lois brushed him off... and when she was out of earshot Clark just cracks up laughing. It was one of my personal Five Greatest Clark Kent Moments Ever in comics.

But the Grodd stuff was cool too.

Anthony Strand

April 5, 2007 at 7:18 am

I don't know if I could choose just one evil super-powered gorilla (it's like choosing between your children, you know?) but Grodd's as good a place as any to start.

You know what was a good Grodd story (Good Grodd!)? The Messner-Loebs Flash where Rex the Wonder Dog ends up having to save the day.

Chuck T.

April 5, 2007 at 7:28 am

Back in the seventies, the origin of Grodd and Gorilla City was retconned so they weren't mutated gorillas, they were aliens. I think that one fell by the wayside, since I don't like it as much. I like to think of them as 'homegrown.'

Anyway, I just blogged about it, and you can see Grodd sucker punch Hal Jordan here.

Also, I'm looking forward to that monkey with a gun from Hellboy.