Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 17, 2025 | 4 comments

SCOTT SHAW! SATURDAYS…

By SCOTT SHAW!

Irwin Donenfeld co-owned DC Comics from 1948 to 1967, was its editorial director from 1952 to 1957, and its executive vice president from 1958 to 1968. He had a lot of clout, including his perception that comics featuring a gorilla on the cover – regardless of the context or relevance — would increase sales for that title. Irwin insisted that at least one DC title per month had a gorilla on the cover. In late 1966/early 1967, Carmine Infantino – who was already known for his drawings of primates, particularly Gorilla Grodd — was tasked by Donenfeld with designing covers for the entire DC line.

Here are some of his most memorable anthropoid covers:

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We start with Grodd’s first cover appearance, which looks to me like a date gone wrong, with the gorilla king’s Taser going off. Grodd looks somewhat like a real gorilla.

The Flash #127 (March 1962.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Joe Giella.

Now Grodd looks like a comic book gorilla who’s in a promotional photo for his new dry-cleaner shop.

The Flash #172 (August 1967.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Murphy Anderson.

Of course, Carmine was well-known for his “New Look” for the Silver Age Batman of the 1960s. Working out by lifting a gorilla every day – bombs or no bombs – certainly kept him in great shape!

Detective Comics #339 (May 1965.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Joe Giella.

In an early appearance, Animal Man had to deal with a “Mad Gorilla Boss” that wasn’t named “Irwin Donenfeld.”

Strange Adventures #201  (June 1967.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by George Roussos.

Plas is getting lotsa exercise too, although this ape is only a lookalike Gorilla Grodd.

Plastic Man #7 (November-December 1967.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Mike Esposito.

But long before all of these gorillas, Mr. Infantino was exhibiting his simian skills with Detective Chimp, for whom he drew over 40 different stories!

“The Return of Detective Chimp!” from The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #6 (November-December 1952.) Art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Joe Giella.

However, if Donenfeld had told Carmine that comics featuring an elephant on the cover would increase in sales, things might have gone differently. Rather than visit NYC’s American Museum of Natural History to study elephants’ bodies, this looks like Carmine used a drawing of Disney’s Dumbo as his only pachyderm reference!

Detective Comics #333  (November 1964.) Cover art by Carmine Infantino, with inking by Joe Giella and Murphy Anderson.

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MORE

— ODDBALL COMICS: Perhaps the Oddest of Them All — HERBIE THE FAT FURY. Click here.

— ODDBALL COMICS: Marvel’s ROYAL ROY — As if Anyone Needed to Rip Off RICHIE RICH. Click here.

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For over half a century, SCOTT SHAW! has been a pro cartoonist/writer/designer of comic books, animation, advertising and toys. He is also a historian of all forms of cartooning. Scott has worked on many underground comix and mainstream comic books, including: Fear and Laughter (Kitchen Sink); Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie); Simpsons Comics (Bongo); Weird Tales of the Ramones (Rhino); and his co-creation with Roy Thomas, Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew! (DC).

Scott also worked on numerous animated cartoons, including producing/directing John Candy’s Camp Candy (NBC/DIC/Saban); Martin Short’s The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (NBC/Hanna-Barbera Productions); Garfield and Friends (CBS/Film Roman); and the Emmy-winning Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies (CBS/Marvel Productions), among many others. As senior art director for the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, Scott worked on dozens of commercials for Post Pebbles cereals with the Flintstones. He also designed a line of Hanna-Barbera action figures for McFarlane Toys.

Scott was one of the comics fans who organized the first San Diego Comic-Con, where he has become known for performing his hilarious Oddball Comics Live! slide shows.

Need funny cartoons for any and all media? Click here! Scott does commissions!