Beppo is a

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, primarily those featuring

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

Publication history

Created by

Otto Binder Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...

and

George Papp George Edward Papp (January 20, 1916 – August 8, 1989) was an American comics artist best known as one of the principal artists on the long-running Superboy feature for DC Comics. Papp also co-created the Green Arrow character with Mort Weising ...

, he first appeared in ''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

'' #76 (October 1959). He made sixteen appearances in ''Superman'' comics during the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an int ...

Fictional character biography

Despite his resemblance to an Earth monkey, due to

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

producing analogous species to fill similar ecological niches, Beppo is from the planet

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...

. He was originally one of

Jor-El Jor-El, originally known as Jor-L, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 with Superman. ...

's test animals. Luckily for him, Beppo decided to stow away aboard baby

Kal-El Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...

's rocket to Earth and was thus saved from its destruction. Upon landing, Beppo hopped out unseen and went off on his own for some months. Beppo lived in a jungle and handled himself quite well, since as a Kryptonian monkey he had the usual array of super-powers. One day Beppo, using his telescopic vision, spotted Kal-El, now a toddler living in

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

with the Kents. Beppo quickly flew to Smallville and, being a monkey, secretly caused all sorts of havoc. Ma and Pa Kent initially blamed baby Clark for Beppo's super-powered monkeyshines, but they soon discovered the truth. The Kents fretted that Clark's secret might be exposed by the super-antics of the Simian of Steel but, as it turned out, their worry was needless. It wasn't long before Beppo accidentally set off some 4th of July fireworks stored in the Kent garage. The explosions spooked Beppo, who took off into space. The panicked Beppo kept on going when he saw a passing comet, which he thought was more fireworks chasing him. When Beppo failed to return, the Kents presumed he'd gotten lost out there somewhere. Beppo's origin is related in "The Super-Monkey from Krypton!", the cover story in ''Superboy'' #76 (October 1959). At the end of the story, which is told in flashback by teenaged Clark, the reader is informed that Beppo made his way back to Earth before too long. Many years later, Beppo encountered

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

, who introduced him to

Krypto the Superdog ''Krypto the Superdog'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on Superman's canine companion Krypto, which premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 (exactly 50 years after his comic debut), an ...

and

Streaky the Supercat Streaky the Supercat is a fictional superhero cat that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #261 (February 1960) and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. He is Supergirl's pet cat who ...

. Beppo went on to join the

Legion of Super-Pets The Legion of Super-Pets is a fictional team of superhero pets in the DC Universe. The original membership included Krypto the Superdog, Streaky the Supercat, Beppo the Super-Monkey, and Comet the Super-Horse, with the shape-shifting alien Pro ...

. Beppo was

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

out of existence following the ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...

'' limited series. He was briefly returned to existence by the

Psycho-Pirate The Psycho-Pirate is the name of two supervillains appearin in American comic books published by DC Comics. Bob Frazer portrayed the character for his live action debut during The CW's 2018 Arrowverse crossover "Elseworlds (Arrowverse), Elseworld ...

during the 2005-06 storyline ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...

'', and then appeared in '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'' #5.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Beppo possessed the same powers and abilities as a Kryptonian adult, although his physical abilities were proportionate to his smaller size and species.

Other versions

* Beppo is one of the animals in Superman's artificial reality farm in '' Kingdom Come'' #1 (May 1996). * He also appears in the out-of-continuity '' Tiny Titans'', alongside Streaky the Super-Cat, as Supergirl's pet. * In the canon of ''

'', a Christopher James Beppo is a reporter investigating LuthorCorp.

In other media

* Beppo is referenced in the '' Superman: The Animated Series'' episode "Monkey Fun" as the name of

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

's childhood toy, a stuffed monkey that played "

Pop Goes the Weasel "Pop! Goes the Weasel" (Roud 5249) is a traditional English and American song, a country dance, nursery rhyme, and singing game that emerged in the mid-19th century. It is commonly used in Jack-in-the-box toys and for ice cream trucks. The song ...

". The toy was also the favorite of

Titano Titano the Super-Ape () is a supervillain who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a foe of Superman. The character is a small chimpanzee named Toto who was sent into space for test flight, until an exposure of ...

, a test chimp used by the space program. When Titano returns to Earth and grows to gargantuan proportions, he can only be calmed down by the sound of Beppo's song ("Pop Goes the Weasel"). * A Beppo toy appeared in the ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration ...

'' episode "Rats". * While Beppo does not appear, a Smallville Gazette editor named Chrissy Beppo appears on ''

Superman and Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. T ...

'' played by Sofia Hasmik.

References

External links

Supermanica: Beppo
{{Superman characters 1959 comics debuts Animal superheroes Characters created by Otto Binder Characters created by George Papp Comics about animals Comics about monkeys Comics characters introduced in 1959 DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics characters with superhuman senses DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics animals Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional characters with slowed ageing Fictional characters with X-ray vision Fictional characters with nuclear or radiation abilities Fictional characters with air or wind abilities Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional monkeys Kryptonians Superman characters Superboy Legion of Super-Pets