Welcome to Comic Book Legends Revealed! This is the seven hundred and sixty-ninth installment where we examine three comic book legends and determine whether they are true or false.
As usual, there will be three posts, one for each of the three legends.
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COMIC LEGEND:
Jim Starlin based Pip the Troll on Jack Kirby
STATUS:
True
Jim Starlin debuted the Warlock feature in Strange Tales #178. Starlin pitted Warlock against the Universal Church of Truth.
In #179, Warlock is captured and meets other prisoners of the Church, including a troll named Pip...
When Warlock escapes from the Church later in the issue, Pip comes with him...
They become regular traveling companions...
And it was Pip who actually brought Gamora into the mix, as Starlin very quickly established an excellent supporting cast for Warlock...
In any event, my pal, Zack Smith, interviewed Starlin about the early days of Warlock back in 2014 and Starlin revealed the interesting inspiration for the character...
Smith: And I’m guessing Pip the Troll was there to avoid that Silver Surfer thing where the angst-ridden monologues threatened to take over the book – Stan Lee always complained about that problem writing the character.
Starlin: Exactly, he was comic relief. Plus – he was Jack Kirby.
Smith: Okaaayyyyy…
Starlin: He was based on Jack Kirby – the cigar jutting out of his mouth, the little guy non-stop talking…he was my tribute to Jack.
And I don’t want to give anyone the idea Jack was anywhere near a degenerate as Pip became. (laughs) That aspect of the character kind of got out of control. He started out as my tribute to Jack Kirby, and then kind of took on a life of his own. Jack never lived a life nearly as debauched as Pip’s!
That's hilarious.
Here's a young Jack Kirby back in 1942, complete with cigar...
Very cool stuff. Thanks to Zack Smith and Jim Starlin for the information!
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Check out some entertainment legends from Legends Revealed:
1. Was OJ Simpson Originally Cast as the Terminator?
2. What is the Secret Origin of Lily Aldrin on How I Met Your Mother?
3. Did Back to the Future Always End With “To Be Continued…”?
4. Did Sir Thomas Malory Write Le Morte d’Arthur While in Prison?
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Check back later for part 2 of this installment's legends!
Feel free to send suggestions for future comic legends to me at either cronb01@aol.com or brianc@cbr.com