Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew
Encyclopedia
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! is a DC Comics
comic book
about a team of funny animal
superhero
es called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a special insert
in The New Teen Titans #16 (February 1982), followed by a series published from 1982 to 1983. The Zoo Crew characters were created by Roy Thomas
and Scott Shaw
. Although the series, which was the last original funny animal property created by DC Comics, proved short-lived, it is still fondly remembered by many comic fans of its generation, and the characters appear occasionally in cameos in the mainstream DC Universe
(this is made possible due to the existence of a "multiverse" in the DCU, which allows the Zoo Crew characters to exist on a parallel Earth).
The series was introduced in a 16-page insert in The New Teen Titans #16. The series was cancelled after twenty issues, with six issues still in preparation. These six issues were eventually published in three double-sized issues as Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew in the Oz-Wonderland War Trilogy, with the indicia
title Oz-Wonderland Wars (plural). The series did not, in fact, depict a conflict between the Land of Oz
and Wonderland
, which plotter E. Nelson Bridwell
considered antithetical to Ozite politics, but rather depicted the Nome King
retrieving the magic belt and using his powers against both Oz and Wonderland, with the Zoo Crew coming in as reinforcements against him. The series was praised for its artwork, by Carol Lay
, for its close emulation of the work of John R. Neill
and John Tenniel
, but the story, scripted by Joey Cavalieri
was seen by many to be too close to the plot of Ozma of Oz
to reach its full potential. The series featured cameos from Hoppy the Marvel Bunny
and The Inferior Five.
A Showcase Presents
reprinting of the entire series was slated for September 2007, but has been postponed along with several other Showcase editions due to royalty issues in DC's contracts of the 1980s.
After years of absence, the Zoo Crew was reintroduced in Teen Titans in 2005. In October 2007 a three-issue series called "Captain Carrot and the Final Ark" featured the Zoo Crew picking up from the Teen Titans storyline.
that, during DC's pre-Crisis
multiverse
system, was named "Earth-C." Earth-C consisted of a world where various anthropomorphized talking animals existed; the series featured a lot of pun
names for real-world aspects. For instance, the Zoo Crew operated out of "Follywood, Califurnia," a parody of Hollywood, California; similar puns included places with names such as "Gnu York" (New York City
), "Tallahatchee" (Tallahassee, Florida
), "Cornada" (Canada
), and the "United Species of America" (United States of America).
The president of Earth-C's version of the United States was "Mallard Fillmore" (a reference to the 13th president of the U.S., Millard Fillmore
). Other famous figures of Earth-C included "Liz Whaler" (Elizabeth Taylor
), "Marlin Brando" (Marlon Brando
), and "Byrd Rentals" (Burt Reynolds
)---the last of whom became a member of the Zoo Crew.
Historical figures and events on Earth-C included the "Second Weird War" (World War II
; Earth-C's version featured the U.S. and the Allies fighting the "Ratzis" (Nazis)) and President "Abraham Linkidd" (a goat
, Earth-C's version of Abraham Lincoln
), who was immortalized in the nation's capital "Waspington, D.C." (Washington, D.C.
) at the "Linkidd Memorial."
Earth-C's population also consisted of the various "funny animal" characters that appeared in DC Comics over the years, particularly those in such Golden Age and Silver Age DC titles as Funny Stuff, The Dodo and the Frog, Real Screen Comics, and so forth. Indeed, several characters from these series made cameos during the run of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew.
Eventually, readers (and the Zoo Crew) were introduced to the parallel Earth of "Earth-C-Minus," which turned out to be the home of "Just'a Lotta Animals
" (a parody of the Justice League of America
) and whose world was an all-animal reflection of the mainstream DC Universe
.
After the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths
, it was stated that Earth-C and Earth-C-Minus were actually "alternate dimensions" rather than parallel Earths, and thus were spared from the effects of Crisis. More recently, the miniseries The Kingdom presented Earth-C as a Hypertime
reality. In the series, Countdown
, the Monitors
include one who has a neck and head that appears to resemble a giraffe
's. There is an equivalent of Earth-C in the newly reestablished DC Multiverse, designated "Earth 26", with a history and population similar to that of the Pre-Crisis Earth-C.
was investigating a strange phenomenon causing the citizens of Metropolis
to begin acting like their primate
ancestors. He soon found a ray streaking at him from a strange barrier surrounding the Earth, which prompted him to use a meteorite as protection. When the ray struck the meteorite, Superman and the meteor's fragments were sent from Superman's native dimension into Earth-C. There, Superman met several of the world's residents, who had gained superpowers when they were struck by the various meteor fragments.
The animals and Superman soon teamed up to stop the source of the ray (which was also causing the denizens of Earth-C to behave like their non-anthropomorphic animal ancestors), which turned out to be the old Justice League
villain Starro
, a sentient starfish, who was launching his de-evolution assault from the Earth-C universe's Pluto
. After defeating the villain, the animals decided to stick together and form the Zoo Crew, and Superman returned home.
Unlike many superhero teams, the Crew initially had considerable difficulty fighting as a unit. For instance, they would often take on a foe in pairs, and find themselves interfering with each other and put out of action as a result. However, as the series progresses, the Crew persevered to develop on their tactics to become a coherent fighting force.
reads in #30. In these excerpts, the Zoo Crew is shown to have mostly disbanded and now lives in a "darker" world than in their prior adventures. Little Cheese is dead. Yankee Poodle has lost her secret identity and is a fugitive from the law, accused of trying to assassinate President Mallard Fillmore. Fastback has disappeared, Pig-Iron and Rubberduck operate as underground superheroes against the current anti-superhero law and Captain Carrot is in self-imposed retirement after the death of his partner, Carrie Carrot, at the hands (or paws) of Armordillo and Frogzilla. He has not left his apartment in years, and drinks heavily out of guilt over Carrie's death. The only Zoo Crew member prospering is Alley-Kat Abra, who has revealed her identity publicly and become a world famous magician. The story is a parody of the grim and gritty trend most often identified with late 1980s to early 1990s superhero comics, and it includes references to several of DC's own series (such as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, including the cover of the Captain Carrot comic, which bears a resemblance to the cover of Watchmen #1).
A new hero, The American Eagle, overhears Pig-Iron, Rubberduck and Yankee Poodle at the scene of Little Cheese's murder when they decide to regroup in order to avenge him. Acting independently of them, he confronts Rodney Rabbit and bullies him into becoming Captain Carrot again. The others are disappointed when Abra refuses to rejoin the team, but rejoice when American Eagle brings Captain Carrot back to them. Their investigation reveals that the crimes against their members are connected. The president bribed Alley-Kat Abra to reveal all of the Zoo Crew's secrets to the government; she took the money and made herself rich and famous. She banished Fastback into the future, killed Little Cheese and framed Yankee Poodle when she got too close to finding out what happened to Fastback. When Alley-Kat-Abra is arrested for murdering Little Cheese, she tells them she did it simply because she is a cat and cats hate mice. The Zoo Crew inducts American Eagle as their newest member and heads into the future to retrieve Fastback.
The Zoo Crew members restored both their civilian and their super hero identities. Rodney Rabbit regained his status as a comic book artist/writer, but he had to stop writing Just'A Lotta Animals. Their attorney presented him with a cease and desist order, and he complied. Fastback started The World's Fastest Delivery Service. Rubberduck's acting career as Byrd Rentals was all but over, but he did get a reality TV show featuring him and other washed up actors. American Eagle continued his radio career as Johnny Jingo, the radio talk show host with two right wings. Pig Iron got a job working on an oil derrick, and Yankee Poodle became the highest rated talk show host in the business after she was exonerated of all charges.
The Zoo Crew operated briefly in defiance of the new law in battle with the Salamandroid (at a comic book convention where Rodney Rabbit was on a writers panel) and again when they learn of a threat to destroy Gnu York's greatest landmarks. Frogzilla reappears in a dumbed-down state (reminiscent of the Hulk smash! version of the Hulk) and battles the Crew. During the fight, he swallows Pig-Iron. He is manipulated into vomiting Pig-Iron into a particular building which houses a dimensional warp. The crash frees Alley-Kat Abra from a nether world. After defeating Frogzilla, Abra tells her former teammates that she was imprisoned there by Dark Alley, an evil counterpart created by Just'A Lotta Animals foe Feline Faust. Dark Alley was the one who killed Little Cheese and framed Yankee Poodle. Pig-Iron vouches for her and tells them she contacted him telepathically from the nether world while he was in Frogzilla's belly and told her her escape plan. The team accepts her back as a probationary member and they promptly go to search for the Salamandroid's base under the ocean. Starro the Conqueror surprises them and uses his starfish duplicates to make them forget how to use their powers. Only Pig-Iron escaped- he could not go underwater for fear of rusting.
Starro is working with Rash Al Paca to flood Earth-26 so he can rule it. When President Arnold reveals that the ID collars have eliminated the powers of every superhero on Earth-26, they summon the Just'A Lotta Animals for help. Green Lambkin leads a JLA team (including Hawkmoose, Elon-gator, The Crash, Batmouse and Zap-panda) to help, and they and the Zoo Crew fight in vain to prevent the flood. They manage to evacuate a number of Gnu Yorkers using a huge ocean liner. As Pig-Iron stays behind battling Starro hoof to tentacle, Green Lambkin, Zap-Panda and The Crash combine their powers to transport the ship full of refugees to Earth-C Minus. En route, the JLA encounters Muttron, Lightstray and Orihound of the New Dogs; while the two groups face off, the ship is accidentally sucked into the New Dogs' Kaboom Tube and sent to New Earth. Hawkgirl, Zatanna and Red Arrow encounter the ship and land it safely, but all of the passengers, including the Zoo Crew, are transformed into non-anthropomorphic animals. Zatanna takes Rodney Rabbit to participate in her stage show as the other transformed Zoo Crew members look on helplessly.
#7, Monitor Nix Uotan restores the Zoo Crew to their anthropomorphic forms and powers. He also brings Pig-Iron to join them for the fight.
In the story in Teen Titans vol.3, #30-31, deceased Earth-C meta-animals named (other than Little Cheese) include Carrie Carrot, Giant Giraffe, Marvel Bunny Jr., Ballistic Baboon, Amazing Ant, and Power Panda. These may or may not have been former Zoo Crew teammates.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
about a team of funny animal
Funny animal
Funny animal is a cartooning term for the genre of comics and animated cartoons in which the main characters are humanoid or talking animals, with anthropomorphic personality traits. The characters themselves may also be called funny animals...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a special insert
DC Comics insert previews
DC Comics insert previews were 16-page comic book stories inserted into issues of existing DC Comics series to promote new series usually debuting the next month. Running from 1980 to 1985, they consisted of a front cover, 14 pages of story, and a back cover that depicted the cover of the actual...
in The New Teen Titans #16 (February 1982), followed by a series published from 1982 to 1983. The Zoo Crew characters were created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Scott Shaw
Scott Shaw (artist)
Scott Shaw is a United States cartoonist and animator, and is also an esteemed conductor of the concert band at Mary Institute and Country Day School...
. Although the series, which was the last original funny animal property created by DC Comics, proved short-lived, it is still fondly remembered by many comic fans of its generation, and the characters appear occasionally in cameos in the mainstream DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
(this is made possible due to the existence of a "multiverse" in the DCU, which allows the Zoo Crew characters to exist on a parallel Earth).
The series was introduced in a 16-page insert in The New Teen Titans #16. The series was cancelled after twenty issues, with six issues still in preparation. These six issues were eventually published in three double-sized issues as Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew in the Oz-Wonderland War Trilogy, with the indicia
Indicia
In philately, indicia are markings on a mail piece showing that postage has been prepaid by the sender. Indicia is the plural of the latin word indicium, meaning distinguishing marks, signs or identifying marks...
title Oz-Wonderland Wars (plural). The series did not, in fact, depict a conflict between the Land of Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
and Wonderland
Wonderland
-Literature:*Wonderland , the setting of Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*Wonderland , a 1971 novel by Joyce Carol Oates...
, which plotter E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
considered antithetical to Ozite politics, but rather depicted the Nome King
Nome King
The Nome King is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains , the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a main antagonist.-In the novels:The character called the Nome King is originally named Roquat the Red...
retrieving the magic belt and using his powers against both Oz and Wonderland, with the Zoo Crew coming in as reinforcements against him. The series was praised for its artwork, by Carol Lay
Carol Lay
Carol Lay is the author of a weekly comic strip, Way Lay, which first appeared in 1992 and which runs in the LA Weekly and Salon. It is also printed in daily and weekly newspapers as far afield as Hong Kong and Norway. Lay has been drawing professionally for over 25 years.-Biography:Lay was born...
, for its close emulation of the work of John R. Neill
John R. Neill
John Rea Neill was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three of his own. His pen-and-ink drawings have become identified almost exclusively with the Oz series...
and John Tenniel
John Tenniel
Sir John Tenniel was a British illustrator, graphic humorist and political cartoonist whose work was prominent during the second half of England’s 19th century. Tenniel is considered important to the study of that period’s social, literary, and art histories...
, but the story, scripted by Joey Cavalieri
Joey Cavalieri
Joey Cavalieri is a writer who has also served as an editor in the comic book field.His writing credits for DC Comics include the Green Arrow back-up feature in Detective Comics; both the pre-Crisis version of the Huntress in a back-up feature in Wonder Woman and the post-Crisis version of the...
was seen by many to be too close to the plot of Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein published on July 30, 1907, was the third book of L....
to reach its full potential. The series featured cameos from Hoppy the Marvel Bunny
Hoppy the Marvel Bunny
Hoppy the Marvel Bunny is a fictional comic book superhero and funny animal originally published by Fawcett Comics as a spin-off of Captain Marvel. He was created by Chad Grothkopf , and debuted in Fawcett's Funny Animals #1...
and The Inferior Five.
A Showcase Presents
Showcase presents
Showcase Presents is a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics at an average rate of two per month. Created to effectively be DC's version of Marvel Comics' Essential Marvel volumes, each book includes over 500 pages of reprints, primarily from the Silver Age...
reprinting of the entire series was slated for September 2007, but has been postponed along with several other Showcase editions due to royalty issues in DC's contracts of the 1980s.
After years of absence, the Zoo Crew was reintroduced in Teen Titans in 2005. In October 2007 a three-issue series called "Captain Carrot and the Final Ark" featured the Zoo Crew picking up from the Teen Titans storyline.
Location
The various members of the Zoo Crew lived on a parallel EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
that, during DC's pre-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
multiverse
Multiverse (DC Comics)
The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct that exists in stories published by comic book company DC Comics. The DC Multiverse consists of numerous worlds, most of them outside DC's main continuity, allowing writers the creative freedom to explore alternative versions of characters and...
system, was named "Earth-C." Earth-C consisted of a world where various anthropomorphized talking animals existed; the series featured a lot of pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
names for real-world aspects. For instance, the Zoo Crew operated out of "Follywood, Califurnia," a parody of Hollywood, California; similar puns included places with names such as "Gnu York" (New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), "Tallahatchee" (Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
), "Cornada" (Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), and the "United Species of America" (United States of America).
The president of Earth-C's version of the United States was "Mallard Fillmore" (a reference to the 13th president of the U.S., Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
). Other famous figures of Earth-C included "Liz Whaler" (Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
), "Marlin Brando" (Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
), and "Byrd Rentals" (Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
)---the last of whom became a member of the Zoo Crew.
Historical figures and events on Earth-C included the "Second Weird War" (World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; Earth-C's version featured the U.S. and the Allies fighting the "Ratzis" (Nazis)) and President "Abraham Linkidd" (a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, Earth-C's version of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
), who was immortalized in the nation's capital "Waspington, D.C." (Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) at the "Linkidd Memorial."
Earth-C's population also consisted of the various "funny animal" characters that appeared in DC Comics over the years, particularly those in such Golden Age and Silver Age DC titles as Funny Stuff, The Dodo and the Frog, Real Screen Comics, and so forth. Indeed, several characters from these series made cameos during the run of Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew.
Eventually, readers (and the Zoo Crew) were introduced to the parallel Earth of "Earth-C-Minus," which turned out to be the home of "Just'a Lotta Animals
Just'a Lotta Animals
Just'a Lotta Animals is a fictional superhero team that appeared in stories published by DC Comics. The team was an anthropomorphic funny animal parody of the Justice League of America....
" (a parody of the Justice League of America
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
) and whose world was an all-animal reflection of the mainstream DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
.
After the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, it was stated that Earth-C and Earth-C-Minus were actually "alternate dimensions" rather than parallel Earths, and thus were spared from the effects of Crisis. More recently, the miniseries The Kingdom presented Earth-C as a Hypertime
Hypertime
Hypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
reality. In the series, Countdown
Countdown (comics)
Countdown, in comics, may refer to:* Countdown , a British boys comic of the early 1970s* Countdown to Final Crisis, a DC comics series* DC Countdown, the name originally listed for Countdown to Infinite Crisis...
, the Monitors
Monitors (comics)
The Monitors are a group of fictional comic book characters, who appear in books published by DC Comics.They are based on The Monitor, a character created by comic book writer Marv Wolfman and comic artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited...
include one who has a neck and head that appears to resemble a giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
's. There is an equivalent of Earth-C in the newly reestablished DC Multiverse, designated "Earth 26", with a history and population similar to that of the Pre-Crisis Earth-C.
Origin
The origin of the team came about when SupermanSuperman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
was investigating a strange phenomenon causing the citizens of Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
to begin acting like their primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
ancestors. He soon found a ray streaking at him from a strange barrier surrounding the Earth, which prompted him to use a meteorite as protection. When the ray struck the meteorite, Superman and the meteor's fragments were sent from Superman's native dimension into Earth-C. There, Superman met several of the world's residents, who had gained superpowers when they were struck by the various meteor fragments.
The animals and Superman soon teamed up to stop the source of the ray (which was also causing the denizens of Earth-C to behave like their non-anthropomorphic animal ancestors), which turned out to be the old Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
villain Starro
Starro
Starro is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
, a sentient starfish, who was launching his de-evolution assault from the Earth-C universe's Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
. After defeating the villain, the animals decided to stick together and form the Zoo Crew, and Superman returned home.
Unlike many superhero teams, the Crew initially had considerable difficulty fighting as a unit. For instance, they would often take on a foe in pairs, and find themselves interfering with each other and put out of action as a result. However, as the series progresses, the Crew persevered to develop on their tactics to become a coherent fighting force.
Zoo Crew reunited
In Teen Titans vol.3, #30-31 (December 2005-January 2006), the Zoo Crew made their first return appearance in some time, in stories presented as excerpts from a comic book story "Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot?" that Kid DevilKid Devil
Red Devil , formerly known as Kid Devil, was a superhero in the DC Comics universe. Created by Alan Kupperberg, Dan Mishkin, and Gary Cohn, he first appeared in Blue Devil #14.-Origin and early heroics:...
reads in #30. In these excerpts, the Zoo Crew is shown to have mostly disbanded and now lives in a "darker" world than in their prior adventures. Little Cheese is dead. Yankee Poodle has lost her secret identity and is a fugitive from the law, accused of trying to assassinate President Mallard Fillmore. Fastback has disappeared, Pig-Iron and Rubberduck operate as underground superheroes against the current anti-superhero law and Captain Carrot is in self-imposed retirement after the death of his partner, Carrie Carrot, at the hands (or paws) of Armordillo and Frogzilla. He has not left his apartment in years, and drinks heavily out of guilt over Carrie's death. The only Zoo Crew member prospering is Alley-Kat Abra, who has revealed her identity publicly and become a world famous magician. The story is a parody of the grim and gritty trend most often identified with late 1980s to early 1990s superhero comics, and it includes references to several of DC's own series (such as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, including the cover of the Captain Carrot comic, which bears a resemblance to the cover of Watchmen #1).
A new hero, The American Eagle, overhears Pig-Iron, Rubberduck and Yankee Poodle at the scene of Little Cheese's murder when they decide to regroup in order to avenge him. Acting independently of them, he confronts Rodney Rabbit and bullies him into becoming Captain Carrot again. The others are disappointed when Abra refuses to rejoin the team, but rejoice when American Eagle brings Captain Carrot back to them. Their investigation reveals that the crimes against their members are connected. The president bribed Alley-Kat Abra to reveal all of the Zoo Crew's secrets to the government; she took the money and made herself rich and famous. She banished Fastback into the future, killed Little Cheese and framed Yankee Poodle when she got too close to finding out what happened to Fastback. When Alley-Kat-Abra is arrested for murdering Little Cheese, she tells them she did it simply because she is a cat and cats hate mice. The Zoo Crew inducts American Eagle as their newest member and heads into the future to retrieve Fastback.
Countdown
The Zoo Crew returned in a Countdown to Final Crisis tie-in entitled Captain Carrot and the Final Ark (October–December 2007). In the new DC Multiverse, the Zoo Crew now resides on Earth-26. It is revealed that they enlisted the aid of Chip Hunter, Time Master in a successful rescue of Fastback from the future. They returned to their own time to find major changes. President Mallard Fillmore's bribing of Alley-Kat Abra was revealed and he resigned in shame. Vice President Beneduck Arnold took over and promptly created the Collar I.D. Initiative, (a parody of the superhuman registration storyline of Marvel Comics' Civil War event), which requires superheroes to reveal their secret identities to the government and to wear identity collars. The government immediately stopped funding the Zoo Crew, and they were forced to leave their headquarters and all the equipment that came with it. The Crew officially resisted the Collar ID initiative and refused to sign up, but fought crime on the sly.The Zoo Crew members restored both their civilian and their super hero identities. Rodney Rabbit regained his status as a comic book artist/writer, but he had to stop writing Just'A Lotta Animals. Their attorney presented him with a cease and desist order, and he complied. Fastback started The World's Fastest Delivery Service. Rubberduck's acting career as Byrd Rentals was all but over, but he did get a reality TV show featuring him and other washed up actors. American Eagle continued his radio career as Johnny Jingo, the radio talk show host with two right wings. Pig Iron got a job working on an oil derrick, and Yankee Poodle became the highest rated talk show host in the business after she was exonerated of all charges.
The Zoo Crew operated briefly in defiance of the new law in battle with the Salamandroid (at a comic book convention where Rodney Rabbit was on a writers panel) and again when they learn of a threat to destroy Gnu York's greatest landmarks. Frogzilla reappears in a dumbed-down state (reminiscent of the Hulk smash! version of the Hulk) and battles the Crew. During the fight, he swallows Pig-Iron. He is manipulated into vomiting Pig-Iron into a particular building which houses a dimensional warp. The crash frees Alley-Kat Abra from a nether world. After defeating Frogzilla, Abra tells her former teammates that she was imprisoned there by Dark Alley, an evil counterpart created by Just'A Lotta Animals foe Feline Faust. Dark Alley was the one who killed Little Cheese and framed Yankee Poodle. Pig-Iron vouches for her and tells them she contacted him telepathically from the nether world while he was in Frogzilla's belly and told her her escape plan. The team accepts her back as a probationary member and they promptly go to search for the Salamandroid's base under the ocean. Starro the Conqueror surprises them and uses his starfish duplicates to make them forget how to use their powers. Only Pig-Iron escaped- he could not go underwater for fear of rusting.
Starro is working with Rash Al Paca to flood Earth-26 so he can rule it. When President Arnold reveals that the ID collars have eliminated the powers of every superhero on Earth-26, they summon the Just'A Lotta Animals for help. Green Lambkin leads a JLA team (including Hawkmoose, Elon-gator, The Crash, Batmouse and Zap-panda) to help, and they and the Zoo Crew fight in vain to prevent the flood. They manage to evacuate a number of Gnu Yorkers using a huge ocean liner. As Pig-Iron stays behind battling Starro hoof to tentacle, Green Lambkin, Zap-Panda and The Crash combine their powers to transport the ship full of refugees to Earth-C Minus. En route, the JLA encounters Muttron, Lightstray and Orihound of the New Dogs; while the two groups face off, the ship is accidentally sucked into the New Dogs' Kaboom Tube and sent to New Earth. Hawkgirl, Zatanna and Red Arrow encounter the ship and land it safely, but all of the passengers, including the Zoo Crew, are transformed into non-anthropomorphic animals. Zatanna takes Rodney Rabbit to participate in her stage show as the other transformed Zoo Crew members look on helplessly.
Final Crisis
In the climatic battle in Final CrisisFinal Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
#7, Monitor Nix Uotan restores the Zoo Crew to their anthropomorphic forms and powers. He also brings Pig-Iron to join them for the fight.
Team members
The members of the Zoo Crew include:- Captain CarrotCaptain CarrotCaptain Carrot is a fictional anthropomorphic superhero published by DC Comics. His first appearance was in a special insert in The New Teen Titans #16...
: Roger Rodney Rabbit of "Gnu York"; a rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
. The leader of the team, whose real name is Roger Rabbit (or Rodney, as the latter comics named him to avoid confusion with the film Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
). After consuming one of his "cosmic carrots" (as Rodney called them), Rodney gains superpowers for roughly 24 hours, although major exertion could exhaust the powers sooner. His powers include super-strength, endurance, heightened hearing and vision senses and a super-powerful leap. As such, he is the only member who has to constantly replenish his powers and keeps a pair of carrots holstered on his person for such a need in emergencies. The source of these carrots was initially a windowboxWindowboxA flower box is a planter box that is usually placed outdoors and used for displaying live plants and flowers, but it may also be used for growing herbs or other edible plants.It is usually placed or affixed to an accessible location so the resident of a home may easily work with the plants in the...
in which he grew carrots, which one of the meteor fragments had struck. Later he arranged a grow-op at the team headquarters to ensure an adequate continuous supply. In his alter egoAlter egoAn alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, Rodney was the writer and artist of the comic book Just'a Lotta Animals, until its members sued for copyrightCopyrightCopyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
violation and prevented any further reproduction of their adventures. - Alley-Kat-AbraAlley-Kat-AbraAlley-Kat-Abra is a fictional anthropomorphic cat in the DC Comics universe. Alley-Kat-Abra is a superheroine who lived on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C , an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
: Felina Furr of "Mew Orleans" (a parody of New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
); a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
. A martial artsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
instructor and student of the mystical arts, Felina uses her "Magic Wanda" (a magic wand) to cast various types of spells. She has a crush on Rodney/Captain Carrot, and was relieved to see Wonder Wabbit (of Earth C-Minus) return to her own world due to her attraction to him. She was imprisoned by Feline Faust, unknown to her teammates, during which time an evil counterpart, "Dark Alley," impersonated her and murdered Little Cheese. - Pig-IronPeter PorkchopsPeter Porkchops is a fictional funny animal pig who appeared in stories published by DC Comics. Peter was created by Otto Feuer, and first appeared in Leading Comics #23 .-Golden and Silver Ages:...
: Peter Porkchops of "Piggsburgh" (a parody of Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
); a pigPigA pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
. Struck by a meteor fragment, the diminutive Peter fell (along with the meteorite) into a vat of molten metal in the steel millSteel millA steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
where he worked. The consequent chemical reaction transformed his now-enormous body into living steelSteelSteel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, with strength and invulnerability to match. Peter was originally a character from an earlier series of DC "funny animal" comics. Pig-Iron is also nicknamed the "Swine of Steel" and "Porcine Powerhouse". - RubberduckRubberduckRubberduck is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic duck. Rubberduck is a superhero who lived on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C , an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
: Byrd Rentals of "Follywood, Califurnia" (a parody of Hollywood, California); a duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
. Byrd, a movieFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
star, was given the power to stretch his body into any shape and length when a meteor fragment struck his hot tub. Byrd Rentals' name is a parody of actor Burt ReynoldsBurt ReynoldsBurton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
. Rubberduck is also nicknamed the "Malleable MallardMallardThe Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
." - Yankee PoodleYankee PoodleYankee Poodle is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic poodle. Yankee Poodle is a superhero who lived on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C , an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
: Rova Barkitt, also of "Follywood"; a poodlePoodleThe Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
. Rova, who worked as a gossip columnist, was interviewing Byrd when they were both struck by meteor fragments. Rova gained the ability to project a repelling force (in the form of blue stars) with one hand and an attraction force (in the form of red-and-white stripes) with the other. Rova Barkitt's name is a parody of gossip columnist Rona BarrettRona BarrettRona Barrett is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She currently runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens in need.-Career and personal life:As a teenager, Barrett overcame a degenerative...
. *A DC Comics character introduced in the 1990s, StargirlStargirlCourtney Whitmore is a superheroine known as Stargirl in the DC Comics Universe. Originally known as the second Star-Spangled Kid, she began using the name "Stargirl" after she was presented with the Cosmic Staff by Jack Knight...
, wears a costume that resembles Yankee Poodle's; Stargirl's creator, Geoff JohnsGeoff JohnsGeoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, is said to be an avid fan of the Zoo Crew. In JSA #81, a younger Courtney is seen watching a Zoo Crew cartoon, lending credence to the theory, and later in Teen Titans vol.3, #30-31 (also written by Johns), Zoo Crew comics are also referenced. - FastbackFastback (comics)Fastback is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic turtle. Fastback is a superhero who lived on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C , an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
: Timmy Joe Terrapin of the fictional "Okey-Dokey" (a parody of the OkefenokeeOkefenokee SwampThe Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000 acre , peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border in the United States. A majority of the swamp is in Georgia and protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The Okefenokee Swamp is considered to be...
) swampSwampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
in the American south; a turtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
. While trying to catch a busBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
to "Kornsas City" (Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
), Timmy was struck by a meteor fragment and gained the ability to move at superchelonianSuperhumanSuperhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
speed. Fastback is also nicknamed the "Reptilian Rocket." Timmy Joe is not the first superspeedster in his family. His uncle Merton McSnurtle was secretly The Terrific Whatzit, a crime fighter during the Second Weird War. One issue mentions McSnutle's participation in "Operation Overlard" (Battle of NormandyOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
). - Little CheeseLittle CheeseLittle Cheese is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic mouse. Chester Cheese is a superhero who lives on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C, an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
: Chester Cheese, a student at Follywood High School; a mouseMouseA mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
. Chester had the ability to shrink from the comparable size of his teammates to a size of only a few centimeters, and was the only team member not to gain his powers from a meteor fragment (rather, he gained them from eating a piece of experimental cheese brought back from Earth-C's moonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
), as well as the first non-founding member. He soon revealed his secret identity to the public and left the Crew to become a lawyer. "Dark Alley", an evil counterpart of Alley-Kat-Abra, later killed him. - American Eagle: Replaced Little Cheese on the reconstituted Zoo Crew after the latter's death. In his civilian life, the Eagle is Johnny Jingo, "the talk radio host with two right wings." He is the only member who does not have powers, though he does use gadgets similar to those used by BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
.
In the story in Teen Titans vol.3, #30-31, deceased Earth-C meta-animals named (other than Little Cheese) include Carrie Carrot, Giant Giraffe, Marvel Bunny Jr., Ballistic Baboon, Amazing Ant, and Power Panda. These may or may not have been former Zoo Crew teammates.
Villains
Enemies of the Zoo Crew included:- Dr. Hoot: an owlOwlOwls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
who uses various scientific gadgets to commit crimes. - A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C.: A Cabal Recently Organized Solely To Instigate Crimes (and other variants designed to fit that particular acrosticAcrosticAn acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
), a secretive organization that plots to overthrow the American government. - Brother Hood: A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C.'s shadowy leader, named for his black hood. He turns out to be "Feathers" Fillmore, Mallard Fillmore's criminally adept brother.
- Cold Turkey: A turkey with weather control and "cold ray" devices; he calls his hoodlums "Snowbirds."
- Jailhouse Roc: a giant flying vultureVultureVulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
who had been in jail since the late 1950s until released to work for A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C. - Digger O'Doom: a moleMole (animal)Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
who gains tremendous strength after eating one of Rodney's carrots. - Frogzilla: formerly Fennimore Frog, who is turned into a giant frogFrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
by A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C. as a means of seeking revenge against his old foe, Dunbar DodoDodoThe dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
. Both Fennimore and Dunbar originally appeared in DC's "funny animal" title The Dodo and the Frog and Fennimore also made a very brief cameo in Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
where he was specifically spotted hopping uptop the stair entrance to Maroon Cartoons. - Feline Faust: a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
sorcerer from Earth-C-Minus, and a counterpart of DC Comics villain Felix FaustFelix FaustFelix Faust is a fictional character and supervillain who appears in stories published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in 1962 as an adversary of the Justice League of America...
. His servitor, "Dark Alley", later killed Little CheeseLittle CheeseLittle Cheese is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe, an anthropomorphic mouse. Chester Cheese is a superhero who lives on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C, an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
and framed Alley-Kat-AbraAlley-Kat-AbraAlley-Kat-Abra is a fictional anthropomorphic cat in the DC Comics universe. Alley-Kat-Abra is a superheroine who lived on the otherdimensional world of Earth-C , an alternate Earth populated by sentient animals...
for the crime. - Gorilla GroddGorilla GroddGorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
: The brilliant, mind-controlling gorilla once transported himself to Earth-C, only to be defeated by the Zoo Crew. - Armordillo: A villain from the Lone Stork State of Taxes with "nine-banded armor" and razor-sharp claws.
- Kongaroo: A massive kangarooKangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
from AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who is transformed into a giant by A.C.R.O.S.T.I.C. - King Kone: Garrison Gorilla, a disgruntled ex-employee apeApeApes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
of the Basset & Robins ice cream company who wears a refrigerated suit (à la Mr. FreezeMr. FreezeMr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....
), equipped with a gun that projected destructive blasts of ice cream. - The Time-Keeper: A rotund bear who collects great moments from history, disrupting the normal flow of time on Earth-C. His time-control powers are considerable; he proves capable of aging or infantizing others at will, and transporting others through space and time. He attempts to pursue Alley-Kat Abra romantically.
- Salamandroid: A heat-based villain and creation of Dr. Hoot; a member of the anti-mammal movement.
- Rash Al Paca: An Earth-26 analogue of Ra's al GhulRa's al GhulRa's al Ghul is a DC Comics supervillain and is one of Batman's greatest enemies. His name in Arabic has been translated in the comics as "The Demon's Head" and references the name of the star Algol. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's...
, he is working with the anti-mammal movement to flood the world. - StarroStarroStarro is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
: A piece of the DCU's Starfish conqueror regenerates to full-strength on the Zoo Crew's world, though his tactics are somewhat different. He was the Zoo Crew's first opponent, and most recently appeared in Captain Carrot and the Final Ark. - Wuz-Wolf: A version of a werewolf, formerly Peter Porkchops' (Pig-Iron's) neighbor. In this case, a wolf who turned into a monstrous super-strong human.