POSTOBERFEST CONTINUES - Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and My Favourite UNDERWEAR MONSTER Story
"Longbox Playhouse Proudly Presents"Dept.:
After Jack Kirby moved out to Sherman Oaks California in the early 1970's he had quite a following in the local comic book club (largely spearheaded by Mark Evanier - a writer and cartoon producer and executive who would become Boswell to Kirby's Johnson) and the kids would come over and check out what Jack had going on at the studio. Ever the incredibly solicitous hosts, Jack's wife Roz would make sandwiches for the kids and invite them to use their pool while Jack finished off whatever he was working on in his studio. Afterwards the kids would come in and Jack and Roz would talk comics with them.
Well, one of these times, one of the kids saw a framed photostat of the original art for this sucker:
Jack started talking about how he and Stan Lee were doing giant monster comics just before Godzilla had opened in North America and the thought process behind them when one of the guys said "Hey Jack - where does a 30 foot tall monster get his orange Haines underwear?" Jack took a second look at the image and collapsed in laughter. When he stopped he was wiping his eyes when he said "..they forced us to be a lot more modest back then..."
This is why I call these kinds of beasties UNDERWEAR MONSTERS. Yes, I've heard the Fred Schneider song.
Coming Tomorrow: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! The Return of an Old Favourite
