Koko (Earth-One)



Real Name: Koko Nicknames: No known nicknames Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Occupation: Pet Legal Status: As an animal, Koko does not possess any legal status or civil rights. Identity: Public Marital Status: Single; Koko has no known mates. Group Affiliation: No known group affiliation Base of Operations: Brainiac's star ship.

Origin
Koko was a small, white alien monkey that lived aboard Brainiac's star ship. Brainiac kept Koko as a pet and frequently brought him along on many of his conquests. Koko provided an attentive ear when Brainiac felt the need to engage in long-winded soliloquies.

Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown (possibly Bryak) Known Relatives: No known relatives First Appearance: Action Comics #242 Final Appearance: Final appearance unknown

History
History of character unknown.

Characteristics
Height: Approximately 24” high Weight: Unknown Eyes: Black Fur: White Unusual Features: Koko possesses two antennae protruding from opposite sides of the top of his head. Whether this physical characteristic is common to Koko’s species or exclusive to Koko himself is unknown.

Powers
Known Powers: No known powers. Known Abilities: Although he is only an animal, Koko has demonstrated surprising feats of intelligence and can apparently understand everything that Brainiac says to him. Strength Level: Unknown; Koko’s strength level is likely equitable to that of a small Earth monkey.

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons.

Trivia

 * In the real world, Koko is the name of a famous gorilla known for her ability to communicate with her keepers through sign language. Koko served as the inspiration for the character of Amy from Michael Chricton's 1980 novel, Congo.


 * On the DVD documentary, An Evening With Kevin Smith, movie director Kevin Smith regales the audience with an anecdote concerning an early script draft of the 2006 motion picture, Superman Returns. Warner Brothers executive producer, Jon Peters, approached Smith with an offer to write the film's screenplay and the two collaborated on ideas during several interview sessions. In the original treatment, Brainiac was to play an important role in the Man of Steel's triumphant return to the big screen. According to Smith, Peters suggested that Brainiac should have a humorous, prankish pet monkey as a sidekick. Whether Peters was aware of the existence of Koko or not is unknown. These early drafts were ultimately rejected and are not included in the final shooting script. To the dismasy of many Koko fans, Brainiac's space monkey does not appear in Superman Returns.


 * Koko is also an uncomplimentary nickname that Brainiac 5 uses in reference to the young speedster, Impulse.


 * On the 1973 Hanna-Barbara animated series, the SuperFriends, the alien Wonder Twins known as Zan and Jayna owned a Xudorian space monkey named Gleek. Although Gleek has no connection to Koko, it could be argued that the Hanna-Barbara character may have been inspired by Brainiac's trusted pet.

Recommended Readings

 * Action Comics #242

Related Articles

 * Brainiac (Silver Age)
 * Brainiac 5
 * Legion of Super-Heroes
 * Superman