Monkey Business - Part 1

The Great Apes, Monkeys, and Gorillas of DC Comics!

Starting in 1951 with Strange Adventures #8, the editors of DC Comics began noticing that comics with gorillas on the cover seemed to sell better than others. In fact, editors began doing so many gorilla covers that their boss Irwin Donenfeld allegedly stepped in and declared that only one gorilla cover per month could appear in their line of comics. However, even with Donenfeld’s limitations, gorillas and other primates continued popping up in DC Comics throughout the 1950’s and 60’s...so find yourself a grooming partner, peel yourself a banana, and let’s get to our first Monkey Business profile, shall we?

The Bat-Ape!

Name: Mogo, a.k.a. “The Bat-Ape”

First Appearance: Batman #114 (1958)

Powers and Abilities: Super intelligent trained circus ape.

History: When a circus box office is robbed, an ape trainer named Arthur Harris is mistakenly arrested for the crime.

As a skeptical Batman investigates the robbery, Harris’s super-intelligent ape named Mogo befriends him and follows him back to the Batcave.

Discovering and donning a spare cowl, Mojo tags along with Batman and Robin as Bat-Ape and helps capture the real thieves!

Freed from police custody, Harris decides to return the favor by bringing Mogo back to his African homeland and setting the heroic ape free!

Stay tuned for future installments of Monkey Business!