quote:
Supposedly posted by Chewy Walrus:
See, I've not read any Tom Strong, though if Moore's writing it, there has to be something to it, eh? Besides, wasn't Grodd the original? Wouldn't that make Solomon a substitute for Grodd?
Nah. I'm sure Grodd wasn't the very first talking ape in pop culture (though I could be wrong -- anyone know if there were any talking gorillas before Grodd?). As a villain he's one of DC's biggest (for some strange reason), but the absurdness of his very being is something that has rarely been explored. His appearances have been rather hit-and-miss as far as quality goes, IMO.

Solomon is written in a specifically absurd way as "unintentional" comic relief. It's his stereotypical "Englishness" of his speech and demeanour that makes him a refreshingly original take on the old "talking gorilla" gag which had been done to death ever since Planet of the Apes.