More of the Marvel/Monkees Comics Connection! X-Men?! NOT BRAND ECHH!

I've already established the DC Comics connection to the madcap Monkees here, but didja know the maniacal mavens at Marvel Comics moved to the Monkees manic musical groove? True! Click below to see these late-60s examples of the Monkees being cited in such titles as uncanny X-MEN, and the nonsensical NOT BRAND ECHH!

Above: A look inside 1967's X-MEN #31 reveals the merry mutants enjoying some
downtime at a nearby club called "the Monkees Paw!" By Roy Thomas and Werner Roth!

From 1967's NOT BRAND ECHH #4, the X-Men get the parody treatment, all
while listening to THE MONKEES THEME, played on a convenient portable radio!
By Roy Thomas and Tom Sutton!

This 1967 issue of NOT BRAND ECHH #2 once again "apes" the MONKEES THEME,
to hilarious effect! By Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin!

BONUS! Click here to see another Monkees appearance in the pages of the nutty NOT BRAND ECHH! comical book!

The Return of TIRE MAN! Don Bigley! 1982 Albert Bigley Artwork!

Another published strip created by me in 1982 (age 17) for my Dad's then-business, BIGLEY TIRE! Re-imaginging my Dad as a stern superhero who helps truckers and farm-workers with tire troubles, "Tire Man" flies into comedic action, mostly inspired by my acquiring back issues of NOT BRAND ECHH! and other humor comics! Yes, this quickly-produced strip actually ran in the LAURINBURG EXCHANGE newspaper, horrifying hundreds of regular readers of that 3-times-a-week publication! Looking at this piece now, it's clear that my Dad (who passed away on August 2nd, 2012) was certainly full of support (and patience) when it came to my burgeoning art skills and interests. Thank, Dad! Click to enlarge!

Below: Actual early-80s BIGLEY TIRE newspaper ads!

Below: Don Bigley himself, circa 1986!

Here Comes--TIRE MAN?! 1982 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art!

Are you ready for this one? Here is a hand-drawn (no other kind, then) comic strip featuring my own father as--TIRE MAN! Drawn by me in 11th grade (1982) for a run in the local newspaper (THE LAURINBURG EXCHANGE), here is my tire-shop owner Dad in action! The "Tire-Man" character was something I dreamed up for "Bigley Tire" ads and such, and we even had a portrait (painted by me) of the superhero on the side of my father's tire shop! I was inspired by artist Marie Severin's late-60s work in Marvel's NOT BRAND ECHH spoof comic, which I was collecting then via access (hello, driver's license!) to comic shops and conventions at the time! My "Art 3" teacher, Mr. Glenn, even allowed this particular strip/ad to be part of my end-of-semester art project, and, to speed things up, inked my pencils (mostly during class) on this! Click to enlarge!

The Monkees! Drawn by--Jack Kirby?! True! Who Says a Comic Has to Be Good? Not BRAND ECHH!

What?! The same comic artist who breathed life into Captain America, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Thor, once drew the pop superstars, the Monkees? True! Dig this pandemonium-producing panel from Marvel's humor mag NOT BRAND ECHH # 3, from the swingin' summer of '67! Not only do the Monkees appear to be touring Thor's Asgardian home, but so do many other luminaries of the era! Bobby Kennedy! Muhammad Ali! Bob Dylan! How many more can YOU name, old timer? A rare glimpse at the "King's" humorous caricature abilities! Click each to enlarge, and remember: Irving Forbush lives!

1982 "Don Bigley Meets The Hulk" Comic Strip! Albert Bigley Art! Bill Bixby? Marvel Comics?

Not sure if this was part of a trio of hand-drawn comic-strip newspaper ads for my father's tire shop, but here is my (age 17) own illustrated tale of Dad Don Bigley meeting the Incredible Hulk! Silly and inspired by Marvel's satire book NOT BRAND ECHH, this is one odd little story, coming off like a demented 70s "Hostess Fruit Pie" comics ad! I thought it was funny to depict my father as constantly being draped in heavy shadow, as if he was a mysterious figure pulling stings from behind the scenes! Click to enlarge if ya really must!

Albert Bigley THOR Original Art? Shirley Bigley Scripts! Bill Bixby Gets Zapped!

This HAS to be the oddest piece of art from my own archives I've ever run. Inspired by NOT BRAND ECHH, Marvel Comic's parody and humor magazine, I drew this little beauty, but left the word balloons blank, handing over the Stan Lee-like scripting chores to my Mom, Shirley! She took the ball and ran with it, giving Stan Lee a run for his money! You now get a 1980 titanic tale featuring Lou Ferrigno, Bil Bixby (then the stars, of course, of the TV series INCREDIBLE HULK), Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Mighty Thor! Huh? Click to enlarge, if ya must!