Tag Archives: Marvel Apes

This Week (Oct 8): Going Ape

This week, two Flash stories are reprinted in the DC Goes Ape collection.

DC Goes Ape

Written by Otto Binder, John Broome, Gardner Fox and others; Art by Carmine Infantino, Wayne Boring, George Papp, Ross Andru, C.C. Beck, Jim Starlin and others; Cover by Arthur Adams
You’ll go bananas for this new title collecting simian stories from Superboy #76, Superman #138, The Flash (vol.1) #127, Detective Comics #339 and 482, Hawkman #16, Wonder Woman #170, Strange Adventures #201, Shazam #9, Super Friends #30 and The Flash (vol.2) #151!

168pg. | Color | Softcover | $19.99 US

Notes: The two Flash stories are:

“Reign of the Super-Gorilla” (Flash v.1 #127, 1962), in which Gorilla Grodd imbues himself with “neo-magnetic radiation,” making everyone within a 100-mile radius think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Everyone but the Flash, that is. He easily takes over Gorilla City, then moves on to Central City…where the citizens decide to run him for state governor.

“Territorealis” (Flash v.2 #151, 1999), a flashback told at the beginning of the Dark Flash Saga. Kid Flash mistakes another intelligent Gorilla for Grodd himself, then has to help him return to Gorilla City in order to prevent an invasion. In a way, it serves as a prologue to the “JLApe” storyline that ran through that summer’s annuals.

DC has a long tradition of using intelligent apes as characters (Grodd, Monsieur Mallah, Detective Chimp, etc.), but I have to wonder whether the timing of this collection might be influenced by the Marvel Apes miniseries currently in stores.

Mike Wieringo Marvel Apes Variant Benefits the Hero Initiative

The Hero Initiative has released a variant edition of Marvel Apes #1, penciled by the late Mike Wieringo and inked by Karl Kesel.

Daregorilla, the Ape Without Fear, penciled before Mike's passing.

Daregorilla, the Ape Without Fear, penciled before Mike’s passing.

Marvel Apes writer and cover inker Karl Kesel said:

It was a blast working on Marvel Apes — one of the most far-out, fun assignments I’ve ever had! And inking Mike Wieringo’s “Daregorilla” variant cover only made it better. This drawing is one of the initial inspirations for the entire mini-series — chances are the comic would have never happened without it — so this cover brings everything full circle. And it’s only fitting that it helps The Hero Initiative, because Mike was a big believer in giving back to the comics community, and that’s exactly what The Hero Initiative is all about.

The book is limited to only 3000 copies worldwide and is available now at Atomic Comics. Retail price is $8, and the book will also be available at the Hero Initiative booth at the Baltimore Comic-Con (Sep. 27–28), Mid-Ohio Con (Oct. 4–5), Adventure Con (Oct. 25–26) and Wizard World Texas (Nov. 7–9).

The Hero Initiative is dedicated to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work.

(Adapted from the Hero Initiative’s press release.)

(Edit: Fixed the typo in the title. *sigh*)