Angel and the Ape

From Hey Kids Comics

Angel and the Ape
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Angel and the Ape's first appearance in Showcase #77 (December 1968). Pencils by Bob Oksner, inks by Tex Blaisdell
Publication information
Publisher (vol. 1-2)
DC Comics
(vol. 3)
Vertigo Comics
Schedule Bi-monthly
Format (vol. 1)
Ongoing series
(vol. 2-3)
Limited series
Publication date (vol. 1)
November 1968-September 1969
(vol. 2)
March–June 1991
(vol. 3)
October 2001-January 2002
Number of issues (vol. 1): 7
(vol. 2-3): 4 each
Main character(s) Angel O'Day
Sam Simeon
Creative team
Writer(s) (vol. 1)
E. Nelson Bridwell
(vol. 2)
Phil Foglio
(vol. 3)
Howard Chaykin and David Tischman
Artist(s) (vol. 1)
Bob Oksner
(vol. 2)
Phil Foglio
(vol. 3)
Philip Bond
Inker(s) (vol. 1)
Wally Wood
Colorist(s) (vol. 2)
Tom Ziuko
Creator(s) E. Nelson Bridwell

Angel and the Ape was a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell published by DC Comics. The characters first appeared in 1968 in Showcase #77[1] then graduated to their own title, with art by comic artist Bob Oksner, most often inked by Wally Wood. The title lasted for seven issues, changing its name to Meet Angel for its final appearance.

Series overview[edit | edit source]

Angel O'Day is a Private investigator who manages the O'Day and Simeon Detective Agency with her partner, Sam Simeon. Sam differs from many stereotypical detectives; besides helping Angel, Sam is both a comic book artist and a talking Gorilla.[2] Sam's last name is obviously a play on the word "simian" ("of or pertaining to an ape or monkey").

Revivals[edit | edit source]

The series has been revived twice. The first was by Phil Foglio in the 1990s, where Angel and the Ape stuck true to its zany roots. In Phil Foglio's 1991 mini-series, Angel is revealed to be the half sister of Dumb Bunny, a member of the super-heroic group the Inferior Five, also created by Bridwell. Sam is changed, too; he is not only employed by "DZ Comics" as an artist, but is also the grandson of Gorilla Grodd, a nemesis of The Flash. As such, Sam has mental powers that he can use to make a limited number of people see him as a human being. However, a break in his concentration allows people to see him in his true form. This is in contrast to the original series, wherein people see Sam's true form but convinced themselves he is simply an unusually ape-like human male, since it is "impossible" for there to be such a thing as a talking gorilla.

In JLA: Another Nail, "Karl" and Lois went to see an Angel and the Ape film. Karl comment that the Ape "didn't look real", Lois told him it was CGI.

A second revival was made in early 2001 under DC's Vertigo imprint, with a vastly different take. The four issue limited series was written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman, with art by Philip Bond and covers by Arthur Adams.

The two appeared in a one-page story in DC Holiday Special 09, written and drawn by Andrew Pepoy.

In 2012, they appeared in a segment of the anthology title, Joe Kubert Presents.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

  1. Showcase #77 (September 1968): "Angel and the Ape"
  2. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #1 (November–December 1968)
  3. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #2 (January–February 1969)
  4. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #3 (March–April 1969)
  5. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #4 (May–June 1969)
  6. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #5 (July–August 1969)
  7. Angel and the Ape Vol. 1 #6 (September–October 1969)
  8. Meet Angel #7 (November–December 1969)
  9. Limited Collectors' Edition #C-34 (February–March 1975) (Christmas with the Super-Heroes)
  10. Showcase #100 (May 1978): "There Shall Come a Gathering"
  11. Crisis on Infinite Earths #11 (February 1986): "Aftershock" (Angel appears with Harvey Bullock and Jonni Thunder and Sam appears with Detective Chimp, but they do not appear together.)
  12. Swamp Thing Annual Vol. 2 #3 (1987): "Distant Cousins"
  13. Angel and the Ape Vol. 2 #1 (March 1991): "Shaking the Family Tree"
  14. Angel and the Ape Vol. 2 #2 (April 1991): "The Apes of Wrath"
  15. Angel and the Ape Vol. 2 #3 (May 1991): "Family Feud"
  16. Angel and the Ape Vol. 2 #4 (June 1991): "Monkey See - Monkey Doom"
  17. Guy Gardner: Warrior #29 (March 1995): "It's My Party And I'll Fight If I Want To"
  18. Martian Manhunter Annual #2 (1999): "Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Apes"
  19. Angel and the Ape Vol. 3 #1 (October 2001): "Model Behavior"
  20. Angel and the Ape Vol. 3 #2 (November 2001): "Death Becomes Her"
  21. Angel and the Ape Vol. 3 #3 (December 2001): "36DD For Death"
  22. Angel and the Ape Vol. 3 #4 (January 2002): "Deux Ex Machina"
  23. DC Holiday Special 2009 (February 2010): "Angel and The Ape"
  24. Joe Kubert Presents #1 (December 2012)
  25. Joe Kubert Presents #2 (January 2013)
  26. Joe Kubert Presents #3 (February 2013)
  27. Joe Kubert Presents #4 (March 2013)
  28. Joe Kubert Presents #5 (April 2013)
  29. Joe Kubert Presents #6 (May 2013)

They have also appeared in Infinite Crisis #5 (April 2006) in the gathering of heroes in the opening spread set in a church.

In other media[edit | edit source]

Angel and the Ape made an appearance in an issue of the comic book tie-in to Batman: The Brave and the Bold. They helped Batman to apprehend some criminals in the first portion on the comic.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1960s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. [E. Nelson Bridwell] and artist Bob Oksner injected pretty primitive humor into the classic 'beauty and the beast' concept when they opened the O'Day and Simeon Detective Agency for business. 
  2. ↑ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Angel and the Ape", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 15, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5 

External links[edit | edit source]

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