If you've watched the Flash TV show or you're just a fan of the comics, you may have seen a giant, telepathic gorilla villain named Grodd. And as cool as Grodd sounds on paper, he is anything but unique to DC Comics. The ape made his first appearance in The Flash #109 from the tail end of the 1950s, during a time when comic books, specifically DC comics, were in the middle of a weird trend that would regularly feature apes in their stories, especially ones with intelligent minds.
All your favorite heroes encountered gorillas on an abnormal basis. There was Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, as we mentioned, and Jimmy Olsen. Oh, poor, poor Jimmy Olsen. Not only did he switch bodies with an ape twice, but he also got married to one in one of my favorite comic book covers ever. It's, dare I say it, bananas. But, as you can imagine, the marriage was annulled. Believe it or not, the United States government doesn't exactly recognize marriage between bumbling photographers and apes. Not yet...
These animals have been written as mindless beasts, brilliant conquerors, scientific experiments, and even athletes. With DC Comics publishing endless gorilla stories primarily (primately?) in the 1950s and 60s, one has to wonder why. Why gorillas? Why this trend of simian stories? And what does it say about us? Watch the video or keep reading to find out!
We're gonna hold off on Gorilla Grodd for just a moment, as the comic book invasion of the apes has less to do with superheroes and more to do with the massively popular science fiction genre of comic stories during the 1950s. When movies would attempt to show audiences realistic space travel, comics followed right along. Artist Sheldon Moldoff explained in an interview with The Comics Journal that, at this point in the industry, war stories, westerns, and romance stories were all tired genres. What the audience responded to best were science fiction comics, so writers started experimenting to see what particular kinds of sci-fi stories sparked the most interest.
"It was a question of trying to find something that sold, and if one issue came out and it happened to sell, then immediately they would follow that type of story. [...] Now, I know Jack Schiff, when he was the editor of Batman, he followed sales very well. When he found that a gorilla on covers sold, then you could be damn sure that in an issue or two you're going to have another gorilla story."
So, what was the comic that started it all? Very likely, it was DC Comics' Strange Adventures #8 from 1951, with a cover image featuring a gorilla with the brain of a human. This story had surprisingly strong sales. The editor of DC Comics at the time was long-time science fiction fan Julius Schwartz who recalled that the team was asked by higher ups to try it again, one more gorilla story. As Schwartz explained,
"Finally all the editors wanted to use gorilla covers, and [DC executive Irwin Donenfeld] said no more than one a month."
And that's certainly the simplest answer to the question of why such gorillas. Comics featuring apes on the covers sold well. And when some story makes money, do it again. See if it still sells. If it does, keep writing the same stories until the industry is in ruins and we all die. Joe Simon, co creator of Captain America, once said,
"If it's a good idea and if it's funny or it's thrilling or whatever it is, it's okay to do it at least eight times."
I've recited these words countless times, which is perhaps a bit ironic. I wouldn't know. I've given up learning what irony is.
So, I guess that explains it, but it's not very satisfying. I mean, it doesn't answer the larger question of why these stories featuring monstrous gorillas were selling so well in the first place. Was it just a cultural thing? Were people super into apes? It's probably a safe bet to say writers, artists, and readers all likely grew up with movies like King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, and Tarzan, who also had a popular comic strip and radio series. But I bet we can dive a bit deeper.
I know it's difficult, but try to think of other antagonists that superheroes square off against outside of gorillas. Superheroes mostly fight super-powered villains. And back in the day, there was still an emphasis on generic thugs and giant monsters. In every case, the superhero, be it Wonder Woman, the Flash, the Fantastic Four, or anyone else, would confront evil not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others.
Batman wants to protect the citizens of Gotham. Superman wants to protect Metropolis or even the world. Nearly every Marvel hero wants to defend New York. It is the nature of superheroes to promote a selfless, pro-social mission. Superheroes, generally speaking, want to see society progress. When a powerful villain, alien invasion, or any other disaster threatens civilized human life, the spandex tights go on.
Superheroes represent human progress. The term "superhuman" literally invokes a message of being above the rest of humanity, having powers, abilities, or skills that set one apart beyond everyone else. Now, contrast that symbolism against apes, a representation of our ancient, more primitive ancestors. Unlike invading aliens or destructive monsters, apes are real creatures that we know for a fact exist, creatures who are so closely related to humans that looking at them is like looking into a fun house mirror of what we might have been. They seem both foreign and familiar.
In trying to account for the popularity of the Planet of the Apes films, anthropologist Agustín Fuentes explained,
"Our bodies and histories are so similar-- we share nearly all our genes. And as ex-apes ourselves, the apes of today fascinate us. We see in them so many of our own traits, but they also show us how we are different."
This is taken to its logical extreme in stories featuring brain swaps between man and ape. If you recall, it's what likely started this whole wave of simian stories back in Strange Adventures #8. When you look at a few of these covers, you can observe a pattern of both mental and physical imprisonment. It's never fun to swap bodies with a gorilla. Shackles and cages imply a superiority of humans over their simian cousins.
But that power dynamic can be swapped. These ape adventures often featured stories of gorillas that have brain power on par with or above the average human. Gorilla villains like Grodd or Ultra-Humanite would be creatures of extremes. Mental sophistication and physical ferociousness in a single package.
Often times, these brilliant apes were conquerors attempting and occasionally succeeding at turning the tables on humanity. Images would frequently feature humans as nothing more than entertainment or pets for their simian superiors, no doubt meant to represent a society ruled by our primal emotion instead of rational thought. You know, something that definitely doesn't hit too close to home or anything...
And as brilliant as they may be, it's easy to paint apes as a representation of our own primitive past. That's certainly what the comics did for the most part. They are the purest symbol of our aggressive, animalistic impulses. Perhaps when DC Comics printed mass stories featuring superheroes confronting antagonistic gorillas, they were actually telling stories of progress versus regress with ourselves as readers caught between representations of what we were and what we could be.
But what do you think? Why were apes and gorillas so popular in comics back in the day? Is it some kind of deep cultural meaning, or is it just because "gorilla" is fun to say? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!