Angel and the Ape

Angel and the Ape
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
ScheduleBi-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
No. of issues(vol. 1): 7
(vol. 2–3): 4 each
Main character(s)Angel O'Day
Sam Simeon
Creative team
Created byE. Nelson Bridwell & Bob Oksner
Written by(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

Angel and the Ape is a humor comic book created by E. Nelson Bridwell & Bob Oksner 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, being renamed to Meet Angel for its final appearance.[2]

Series overview

Angel O'Day is a private investigator who manages the O'Day and Simeon Detective Agency with her partner Sam Simeon.[3] Sam differs from many stereotypical detectives; besides helping Angel, Sam is a comic book artist and a talking gorilla.[4] Sam's name is a pun on the word "simian" and the San Simeon estate of publisher William Randolph Hearst.[5] In the first few stories, Sam draws comics for self-obsessed editor Stan Bragg and his rival Morton Stoops.[6]

Revivals

The series has been revived twice. The first was by Phil Foglio in the 1990s. In Phil Foglio's 1991 miniseries, Angel is revealed to be the half-sister of Dumb Bunny, a member of the Inferior Five, also created by Bridwell. Sam is depicted as the grandson of Gorilla Grodd and possesses psychic abilities that he can use to disguise himself as a human.

A second miniseries was released in 2001 under the Vertigo Comics imprint. It was written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman, with art by Philip Bond and covers by Arthur Adams.

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

In The New 52 continuity reboot, Angel and Sam Simeon are human A.R.G.U.S. scientists, with the latter being transformed into a gorilla following an accident with gorilla DNA from Gorilla City.[7][8]

In other media

References

  1. ^ McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1960s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). 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. ^ Markstein, Don. "Angel and the Ape". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  4. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Angel and the Ape", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 15, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1
  5. ^ Amash, Jim (April 2007). "My Women Had Saturday Night Bodies And Sunday School Faces". Alter Ego #67. p. 21. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  7. ^ Forever Evil: A.R.G.U.S. #5. DC Comics.
  8. ^ Dial H for Hero #1. DC Comics.
  9. ^ "Angel O'Day Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 8, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  10. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved November 8, 2024.