History
When first introduced, the Detective Chimp was a simple, although intelligent, trained chimpanzee, who acted as a "helping mascot" for the local sheriff, after helping him to solve the murder of his chimpanzee trainer, Fred Thorpe. He could not speak, but being very intelligent he could understand humans, and make himself understood. He appeared briefly with Sam Simeon in Gorilla City during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
This origin was elaborated on and slightly modified in Day of Vengeance. There it was shown how he was captured in Equatorial Africa in 1953 by Fred Thorpe, who sought to train him for his carnival act: "Bobo the Detective Chimp". For the act, the Detective Chimp was trained to answer some detective-related questions using a combination of signals and rewards, giving the illusion that he could "discover the deepest secrets of the public". Bobo formed a strong bond with Thorpe, because he took care of him, and gave him a simpler life than in the jungle. The success of the act lasted until, during a trip in Florida, Rex, the Wonder Dog took him to the Fountain of Youth, where he gained the ability to speak to all living creatures, even humans, in their own language along with eternal youth. This fountain would later be boiled away by the Spectre.
At some point after this, Bobo was employed by the Bureau of Amplified Animals. It is not known how he left, or if the Bureau still exists.
After the death of Fred Thorpe, he began to work by himself. Initially he did quite well, as a chimp detective was seen as a novelty. During this successful period he was visited by another detective, John Jones (actually the Martian Manhunter, during the JLApe crisis), who thought Bobo's agency seemed to be doing better than his own.
But being an ape, without civil rights and being unable to stand as a juridical person, he couldn't enforce unpaid bills. When the public began to forget him, he became an alcoholic. He also has a smoking habit. It has been revealed that Detective Chimp is a member of Mensa, which entails that his Intelligence Quotient has been estimated to be higher than 98 percent of the adult (human) population.
It was recently revealed that he had a long-standing partnership with four other detectives, among them Ralph Dibny, as the Croatoan Society.
Shadowpact
When the Spectre tried to destroy all magic and began killing wizards, Detective Chimp, while still mostly drunk, coerces a group of mystical characters, gathered from the other-dimensional Oblivion Bar, into battling the Spectre. This would be the beginning of the group Shadowpact.
Although lacking superhuman powers, Detective Chimp exhibits not only fine detective skills but also the genius of a true tactician. Benefiting from the counsel of the Phantom Stranger (newly turned into a mouse), he devised a plan to use the powers of Black Alice and Nightshade to confront the combined menace of Eclipso and the Spectre.
Since this first adventure, he has remained with the team. He personally stuck around the Oblivion Bar, a magical hangout for mystical types of all sorts. There asked by the Phantom Stranger to travel through a mystical shield surrounding the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. There they confronted the murderous villains known as the Pentacle. Detective Chimp was captured separately by his Pentacle 'counterpart' Karnevil, but manages to escape and free the team. During the resulting magical battles, Detective Chimp (and everyone else in town) sacrificed one full year of their life inside of one moment in order to bring down the barrier. Later, he discovers he was part of a Shadowpact statue that others had erected in Metropolis in order to honor the seemingly-dead team.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Eternal Youth
Abilities
Brilliant Human Level Intelligence
Multitude of Languages: He is capable of conversing with all animals, regardless of origin, in their own language, including all spoken and written human languages.
Master Detective: He is also one of the most highly skilled investigators in the world, with detective skills rivaling those of Batman and Ralph Dibny.
Related
- 112 Appearances of Bobo T. Chimpanzee (New Earth)
- 27 Images featuring Bobo T. Chimpanzee (New Earth)
- 10 Quotations by or about Bobo T. Chimpanzee (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Bobo T. Chimpanzee (New Earth)
External Links
- Detective Chimp at Wikipedia
Footnotes