Jack Kirby. Steve Ditko. Stan Lee. Kyle Baker. Now there’s a line-up of creators you’re probably not going to see together again. More than 15 years ago, Marvel’s Madcap Mort Todd had the enviable task of putting together a 4-issue mini-series called Monster Menace, reprinting some classic Marvel/Atlas stories by Lee, Kirby and Ditko. This was back in comics’ Steroid Age where the idea was to put out as many comics as possible to claim rack superiority and marketshare dominance. Whatever. The first issue is dated December 1993. The wild and wonderful Kyle Baker did the tribute cover featuring fan favorite Fin Fang Foom.

Classics inside include: “I Spent Midnight With the Monster On Bald Mountain” by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; “What Lurks On Channel X?” by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers; “The Terror of Tim Boo Ba” by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; and “I Fought The Molten Man-Thing!” by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. There’s even some sort of recent (at the time) goofy 1-page “We’re #1” pin-up by Ditko that feels out of place, but sure is fun to look at.

All in all, a great example of the classic Twilight Zone-ish monster stories that Lee, Ditko, Kirby and the rest of the Marvel/Atlas bullpen used to produce by the dozens back in the company’s pre-Spider-Man era. Overstreet lists the 4-issue series at $5.00 a copy in mint condition, but I’ll bet if you look hard enough, you can grab ‘em cheaper.

If you want to read some great Kirby monster stories while searching out your own copy of MM, check out Monster Blog. They have a lot of great Kirby stories you can read for free.