In 1974, Marvel published Planet of the Apes #1, which both told and continued the movie’s story. But even though this was a black-and-white magazine rather than a color comic, and therefore not subject to the Comics Code, there’s something you didn’t get to see — naked butts.

George Tuska’s artwork for the film adaptation clearly showed the crew of the crashed spaceship nude, both when they were bathing in a lake, and when they were chasing the humans who’d stolen their clothes. But in panel after panel, someone (I’m guessing not George) added pants.

Whose idea was it to eliminate this far from explicit nudity? Doug Moench, who wrote this adaptation? Tony Isabella, editor of the title? Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas? Stan “The Man” Lee? Or perhaps someone at the movie studio who reviewed photocopies and insisted on a cover-up?

After finding the unretouched images among my late sister-in-law Ellen Vartanoff’s memorabilia, and sharing them on social media in December (which I’m finally getting around to sharing here to give some permanence to the matter), I heard from both Tony Isabella and Roy Thomas about this.

Here’s what Tony Isabella had to say over on Facebook —

I don’t think I would have asked for changes unless their naughty bits were showing. But I don’t remember. If it wasn’t me, it could have been the POTA people or Roy or Stan, though I don’t think Stan looked at all the comics and magazines we were producing. Another possibility is Sol Brodsky. Grey tones would have been added by any of a number of people who were hired to do just that on the magazines and on the British weeklies.

And here’s what Roy Thomas told me in an email —

It was most probably Stan who wanted the nudity covered up, but I’ve no real evidence to back that up … let alone any memories. It doesn’t sound like something I’d have done on my own.

So I suppose the mystery will remain forever unsolved …