Comics Rot Your Brain!

In this solo episode, Steven takes a wild trip into the breathtaking visual world of legendary and visionary Filipino artist, Alex Niño, as seen in the unfortunately named graphic novel, SPACE CLUSTERS (DC Comics, 1986).

Comics Rot Your Brain! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few noteworthy exceptions). Screenwriters Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) and Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

Moebius, Druillet, & ALEX NIÑO - This Visionary Genius Is One of the Greatest Comics Artists Ever!

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• The Blerd It Out show on Alex Niño mentioned in this episode from Adrian Johnson @ Inazuma Studios:
  
  

   • Blerd It Out! - Episode 4: Alex Nino  

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+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

Chris discusses Howard Chaykin's MONARK STARSTALKER single-issue scifi story from the ultra-cool try-out book, Marvel Premiere.

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this weekly podcast, screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) and Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

Support Our Patreon -   / comicsrotyourbrain 

Fantagraphics is finally collecting Chaykin's early Marvel Comics work - https://a.co/d/dkKaCM3

Chaykin's STARS, MY DESTINATION adaptation - https://a.co/d/07teTGn

Chaykin's AMERICAN FLAGG! - https://a.co/d/dayB529

0:00 Music & Intro
0:59 Plug for Marvel’s upcoming collection of early Howard Chaykin work
1:13 What is Marvel Premiere?
2:41 Who is Howard Chaykin?
3:42 Diving into Monark Starstalker
4:57 Recapping the 17-page story!
7:37 Chaykin’s adaptation of Stars, My Destination
8:11 Monark’s mission is stated
8:43 Praising Chaykin’s page layouts
8:57 Alex Toth influence
9:55 The reputation of this work by Chaykin

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+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

In the final episode of Season One, Steven and Chris reveal their own secret origins on how and why they came to discover the world of comics in their youth... way back in the '80s!

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+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

Chris and Steven put on their jet-packs and blast into issues one thru 10 of the wondrous sci-fi idea-bomb that is Scott McCloud’s ZOT! (Eclipse Comics, 1984), a slam-bang collision between the widescreen imaginations of Osamu Tezuka and Jack Kirby. Prepare yourself for iconic heroes and villains, heady philosophy, and rich humanism… Much like ZOT! itself, this episode’s got it all and it ought to, folks — it’s almost six freakin’ hours!

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this weekly YouTube show, screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) and Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

Support Our Patreon - www.patreon.com/comicsrotyourbrain 

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Support the show

+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

In this episode, Chris -- in his first one-shot solo episode -- discusses the fan favorite scifi adventure comic ATARI FORCE (1984), written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. A special projects DC Comics' series took inspiration for the legendary Atari 2600 video game console.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comicsrotyourbrain  

Comics Rot Your Brain! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few noteworthy exceptions). Screenwriters Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) and Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

⏱ SHOW NOTES

00:00 Theme song
01:10 The origins of the Atari Force comic.
01:45 What does ATARI Force stand for?
02:23 Who were the original members?
02:59 The 80s SciFi staple - Mankind has crippled Earth
3:30 Pop Culture Minute of the Time
06:15 The main characters of ATARI Force
06:37 Discussing Issue One
13:09 Introducing the Nameless Villain
16:24 Kidnapping Bade harkens back to TransAtlantic Slave Trade
18:21 Praising Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's Art
29:16 Discussing Issue Two
34:!5 Poignant Moment for Tempest
36:09 Introducing Martin Champion from the original team
39:46 Ciritique of First Mate on Slave Ship
44:10 Dart's background and how is shapes her internal conflict
49:00 The First Fact File
50:53 Gerry Conway explains how he got involved with Atari Force
53:16 Discussing Issue Three
1:01:10 Lamenting No TPB for Atari Force
1:03:14 Pining Over Lost Art of Thought Balloons
1:13:30 Andy Helfer's Confesson
1:18:14 Wrap Up Discussion


©2024 Comics Rot Your Brain!

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+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

In this “one-shot” episode, Steven offers a solo examination of Trevor Von Eeden's mind-expanding artwork from issues 305 & 307 of DC’s long-running Superman and Batman team-up series, WORLD'S FINEST COMICS.

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+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

In this episode, Steve and Chris discuss the serialized story, GENERATION ZERO, from Marvel Comics' defunct Epic Comics flagship book, Epic Illustrated. A sci-fi story written by long-time comic industry luminary Archie Goodwin with painted art by the famed Spanish cartoonist, Pepe Moreno.

Check out more of Pepe Moreno's art at https://pepemorenostudio.com/

Support Our Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/ComicsRotYourBrain

Check out our website, www.comicsrotyourbrain.com

0:00:00 - Music & Intro
0:02:55 - Primer on Generation Zero
0:07:26 - Contextualizing Contemporary Pop Culture
0:17:35 - Moreno on his love of America
0:20:46 - Praise of Archie Goodwin as Editor and Writer
0:24:09 - Discussing Chapter One (Epic Illustrated 17)
0:47:38 - The issues of Epic Illustrated that contain Generation Zero
0:48:10 - Irony of the collected version by DC Comics 
0:50:00 - Obscure nature of Generation Zero
0:52:08 - Discussing Chapter Two (Epic Illustrated 18)
1:05:18 - Discussing Chapter Three, "Desert Hunt" (Epic Illustrated 19)
1:17:21 - Moreno's penchant of Suspect Page Design Readability
1:24:40 - Discussion Chapter Four, "The Rat's Nest" (Epic Illustrated 20)
1:27:00 - The Lived-In Detail to Moreno's Incredible Casablanca
1:30:00 - Inexplicable Cybernetic Arm Non-continuity
1:50:18 - Discussing Chapter Five, "Jungle Trail" (Epic Illustrated 21)
1:55:48 - Yonomani Tribe makes an appearance?
2:12:16 - Discussing Chapter Six, "Terror In Paradise" (Epic Illustrated 22)
2:25:50 - Shock at the giant story reveal!
2:26:55 - Discussing Chapter Seven, "The Last Battle" (Epic Illustrated 23)
2:29:22 - Odd letdown of exposing the lingering mystery of Juan's father
2:54:47 - Discussing Chapter Eight, "Face To Face" (Epic Illustrated 24)
2:55:00 - The inappropriate nature of the cover art
3:19:00 - Steve's Theory that there were supposed to a follow-up series
3:27:00 - Talk about what made Epic Comics line so special

Copyright © 2024 Comics Rot Your Brain

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+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

Chris and Steven dive into the first five issues of BLUE DEVIL (DC Comics, 1984), a comic book scientifically proven to be the most outrageously fun title of the 1980s; the madcap insanity of it all was written by Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn, penciled by Paris Cullins, and inked by Pablo Marcos and Gary Martin. Join us, flashback party people… Circuits and Sorcery await you!

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this weekly podcast, screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) and Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS 

00:00 - Intro + Theme Song

00:47 - So who is this Blue Devil guy, anyway?

03:47 - Pop Culture of the day in 1984

05:52 - Dick Giordano’s admirably bold thoughts on DC Comics’ mission in 1984

12:07 - What is the actual story for BLUE DEVIL?

18:49 - “Fun” comics vs. “artsy-schmartsy” comics

30:16 - The fascinating original “pitch document” for BLUE DEVIL

36:41 - Paris Cullins’ extraordinary creature design skills, epitomized by the unique look of the insectoid demon, Nebeiros

47:35 - Chris blows Steven’s mind by revealing that this one thing that comic artists do, y'know, that thing... Well, it has a name... Behold! "The De Luca Effect!"  

01:05:06 - That good ol’ green metalhead, Metallo: B+ Superman villain or total clownshow?

01:10:42 - Holy Circuits & Sorcery, Batman! What happens when technology collides with ancient occult practices?!

01:21:05 - Blue Devil challenges Superman to a little arm wrestling match!

01:22:37 - Sparks fly! Instant romantic chemistry between Blue Devil and Zatanna

01:49:07 - The historically whimsical nature of most DC Comics as opposed to Marvel’s (mostly) scary “realism”

02:05:48 - THAT MOMENT where Zatanna grabs both of Blue Devil’s horns and kisses him on the mouth (no, really)

02:07:45 - So... How exactly is BLUE DEVIL remembered today?

02:13:16 - Alan Moore’s WATCHMEN and Frank Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS -- how they brought about the “grim ‘n gritty” era of comics, ending the times represented by BLUE DEVIL

02:15:02 - The highwire tightrope act for writers of being simultaneously light AND heavy, detouring into critiques of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, plus Quentin Tarantino’s entire oeuvre

02:23:18 - What modern comic books actually feel like BLUE DEVIL? Let us know! 


🎯 https://www.patreon.com/ComicsRotYourBrain

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Support the show

+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

Chris and Steven explore the first few issues of Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy's groundbreaking series, SABRE — a surreal, post-apocalyptic spectacle.

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this weekly podcast, screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) and Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.


SHOW NOTES:

00:52 - Some background info on the storyline for SABRE — the first “graphic album” for the direct market — a sci-fi story set in the “distant future of 2,018” LOL

4:40 - Don McGregor’s delightfully ornery introductory essay to the Image reprint of SABRE.

14:55 - The “throw you in the deep end”-style storytelling of SABRE — in media res, wildly expository and dense dialogue, the art of melodrama — all of it in service of casting a rather immersive spell. 

18:33 - Soliloquies in Shakespeare and SABRE — “thought balloons” spoken aloud, and the eternal battle to believe in a smart audience that wants to be challenged. 

23:14 -  “Pure comics!” A post-apocalyptic ghost of an amusement park and the bizarre evildoer known as Grouse — a rapscallion refugee from an animated film/Nazi cat-rat… The high weirdness of stories built specifically for comics.

25:34 - The gloriously purple prose of Don McGregor and how Paul Gulacy’s stunning artwork is at risk of being drowned under a roaring river of words.

41:35 - Paul Gulacy in 1978 was merely 25 years old, and yet creating impressively lovely, Steranko-influenced art with a bizarre plasticine rigidity all its own.

43:14 - Paul Gulacy never read “How To Draw Comics the Marvel Way” …and that’s absolutely not a problem!

47:13 - Don McGregor making life Hell for Paul Gulacy — “Draw me a giant train crash and a massive gun battle with dozens of characters... on horseback!”

57:56 - Lord help us, we attempt to describe the psychedelic visual world of SABRE and its wild cast of characters.

1:06:14 - The inconcievable notion of releasing a comic book as narratively dense as SABRE in the ADD world of today.

1:12:53 - SABRE: THE EARLY FUTURE YEARS - a SABRE relaunch from Don McGregor …and Trevor Von Eeden?!! The Kickstarter that almost was.…

01:19:26 - SABRE is a story about battling conformity and this also appeared to be one of Don McGregor’s chief battles in life.

1:23:52 - The British Invasion in comics — and their florid, evocative prose stylings — owe a debt to Don McGregor’s poetic voice in his vast ouevre (BLACK PANTHER, KILLRAVEN, NATHANIEL DUSK, DETECTIVES INC, and, of course, SABRE), with a detour into how impossible it was to ink the amazing Gene Colan.

1:26:45 - McGregor’s impassioned, provocative text piece in SABRE #2, pushing back on the regressive culture of the comics world, “...a medium that would rather have writers work as whores or mechanics.” What do ya really think, Don?!

1:36:25 - The atypical tenderness of the love story in SABRE.

1:42:37 - Wrapping up the discussion, recommending that everyone out there go read SABRE immediately… just be sure to snag the original issues so you can check out the letter columns! 

“SABRE has a ton of heart and love and madness contained in its pages... two creators who were trying to push the medium of comics forward …and succeeded.”

#sabre #scifi #indiecomics #blackpanther #killraven #80s

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+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel

Steven and Chris embark on the paradigm-shattering psychedelic trip that is the first seven issues of THRILLER — published by DC Comics in 1983 — and find themselves awestruck in its wake. One thing is certain: Trevor Von Eeden is a goddamn genius.

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this weekly podcast, screenwriters Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) and Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.

SHOW NOTES  ++ See our YouTube vid for art! ++ https://youtu.be/V8VR90DYhIk

00:00 - Intro music

00:30 - Steven explains why this episode might be his FAVORITE EPISODE EVER of CRYB!

2:06 - Chris recounts what else was happening in pop culture in America in 1983 -- at the time THRILLER came into being.

03:21 - The “connection” between MJ’s THRILLER and RLF & TVE’s THRILLER

04:37 - The perils of being “too ahead of your time” as an artist

06:05 - The shockingly unprofessional and hostile conduct of THRILLER’s editor that helped to seal the comic’s fate

18:02- Discussing our first exposure to this unsung “shock-your-brain" idea bomb of a comic

27:13 - An attempt to summarize this unwieldy pulp beast of a story, with an assist from Robert Loren Fleming, as well as discursive detours into THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE, and the great Richard Pryor

37:14 - Unconventional pacing in THRILLER and the powerful "delayed cumulative impact" of its story rhythms

41:10 - Novel panel compositions ("an obscene amount of panels!"), storytelling innovations, and the downright psychedelic properties of THRILLER. “…an incredible sense of discovery... Trevor Von Eeden (TVE) is literally inventing new storytelling mechanics on every page." "It's impossible for us to convey verbally how inventive this guy was.”

55:50 - The rare artistic vision of Trevor Von Eeden -- 

1:01:23 - TVE’s atypical, kinetic, emotionally resonant approach to inking. "...no one was finishing their work with this roughness and gestural vitality... Von Eeden is all about the emotion..." With detours into the styles of Alex Toth, Neal Adams, and David Mazzucchelli

1:06:24 - Drawing characters "acting" without masks in non-superhero comics

01:21:08 - How David Mazzucchelli’s relatively small body of work that casts a huge shadow

1:29:11 - Why Von Eeden passed on BATMAN: YEAR ONE

1:52:14 - Dick Giordano’s inking of TVE, plus TVE being uniquely unrecognized for an artist of his caliber

02:05:18 - Celebrating the vibrant and unique voice of Robert Loren Fleming  — way ahead of his time in his decompressed approach to comic book storytelling, as well as the bold originality of his ideas

02:00:29 - Reading from Heidi MacDonald’s amazingly astute, contemporaneous review of THRILLER from THE COMICS JOURNAL #93

02:38:34 - Discussing the outrageous letter column (mis)behavior of THRILLER's so-called editor, Alan Gold

02:11:36 - Back to Heidi MacDonald's absurdly prescient review, praising the overarching ambition, skill, and style of TVE

2:30:24 - Dick Giordano, TVE, and polished inks vs. holding onto the "magic" of original pencils

02:33:33 - The transcendent, beautifully progressive coloring of THRILLER; take a bow, Tom Ziuko!

02:38:13 - Discovering — in real time — how TVE’s brilliantly composed page layouts and panel compositions *really* reward repeat study! 🤯

02:40:12 - "The Chair Incident" - In conversation with Michel Fiffe, TVE recounts the depressingly racist bullshit that contributed to his departure from mainstream comics

02:48:09 - The ultimate fates of mavericks in the popular arts: TVE, Alan Moore, Spike Lee, Barry Jenkins, and Orson Welles
 
03:14:48 - We return for an EPILOGUE add-on, examini

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Support the show

+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE




©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!







#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel