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 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.

Series overview

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 a comic book artist and a talking gorilla. Sam's name is a pun on the word "simian" and the San Simeon estate of publisher William Randolph Hearst. In the first few stories, Sam draws comics for self-obsessed editor Stan Bragg and his rival Morton Stoops.

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.

In other media