It is a scientifically proven fact that when you put an animal in men’s tightie whitie underpants they immediately develop the ability to speak and think like humans. Some like Baxter the Monkey develop pretty normal personalities. But the underwear affects different species differently. Join Baxter in the lab while he tries to figure out who around him is a friend (spoiler alert, nobody), and who is a foe (take a wild guess).

Want to learn more about the history of UnderWars?

I had written two screenplays with my friend C.M. Brennan and another writer. As it became more apparent that we were going to fail to get the scripts in front of anyone, and that we did not have a few hundred thousand dollars sitting around to try to shoot it ourselves, I started to pivot to another form of writing.

Comics.

At the time, C.M. was painting a series he called Monkeys in Underwear. Here are a few I still have in my home.

There was something “outside of time” about the paintings to me. Like they were new, but only because someone forgot to invent them 50 years ago when they should have been invented. Looking at them at the time, was like listening to Amy Winehouse for the first time. Both were modern art that harkened back to a different era (wonderfully, I should be careful to add).

Selflessly (wink, wink); I even offered to help him turn those paintings into something more.

He agreed it would be fun to learn more about these monkeys. We discussed multiple things about it, and one night he called or texted me his idea.

The lead monkey, who he’d named Baxter, was the result of a failed Nazi experiment. After WW2, the Allied commanders had come across this monkey who could talk and had basic human psychology.

Oh, like Hellboy, I said.

No, not like Hellboy at all, he answered.

Um. That is the exact origin of Hellboy. Failed Nazi experiment. He ends up in the hands of American Government and goes on to fight monsters and do good.

Oh, He answered. Shit.

Anyway, we ended up figuring a Non-Hellboy origin for Baxter and worked together on the first chapter of Baxter’s adventure.

I personally think it’s hilarious, which is difficult to pull off in comics. The Tick did it. Bone was laugh out loud at points. I’m sure there are others…?