Murderous Madman Merrily Massacres Merciless Monsters

02/26/24 • 125 min

In this episode, Steven and Chris venture into the bizarre and harrowing — yet entirely compelling — world of Michael T. Gilbert's legendary monster hunter, MR. MONSTER (1988).
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.
⏱ TIME STAMPS
00:00 - CRYB! Intro Music
0:28 - The unique history of Mr. Monster
03:40 - Early days of Dark Horse Comics
06:44 - Pop culture context of the time
11:06 - The revival and revamping of Doc Stearn A.K.A. Mr. Monster
00:46 - The history of MR. MONSTER
18:38 - “The Mr. Monster Mantle” — the tradition of “legacy heroes” — Zorro, The Phantom... and Mr. Monster
26:08 - The uniquely charming, joyful art style of Michael T. Gilbert, full of raw gestural energy and dripping with love for this book (and this character)
35:56- The gorgeous hand lettering of the legendary Ken Bruzenak on MR. MONSTER
49:28 - Questioning the logic of the evil monsters’ plan to take out Mr. Monster
55:47- The extraordinary density of the compressed storytelling in MR. MONSTER, plus text pages and a letter column! 30+ minutes of entertainment per issue! How comparatively lacking modern comics are in regard to entertainment value & the immersive nature of older comics
57:50 - More early days of Dark Horse Comics: BORIS THE BEAR and WACKY SQUIRREL
1:01:15 - GROO THE WANDERER, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, FISH POLICE, LONE WOLF & CUB, AKIRA
1:06:05- Giving Michael T. Gilbert his due as a very compelling writer — especially considering the extreme switch-up on the tone of story he is telling here in MR. MONSTER: ORIGINS, as compared to his earlier MR. MONSTER stories
1:16:29 - “People like kids that do cool shit in movies.”

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Previous Episode

ALIEN LEGION (Epic Comics, 1984) Part Two

In this week's episode, Steven and Chris continue their wide-ranging discussion of Epic Comics' ALIEN LEGION series (Also check out Part One, which went live last week). Carl Potts, Alan Zelenetz, Frank Cirocco, Larry Stroman.
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
00:08 - Issue 6: “Operation Nerve Center!” - The character of alien soldier, Dirge, and his all-too-human battle with an addiction to a performance-enhancing drug
01:53 - The use of thought balloons as an essential window into the deepest vulnerabilities of our traumatized cosmic battalion. “Soldiers in this insane crucible of battle.”
08:01 - Impostor syndrome in ALIEN LEGION — the neurotic, inadequate, deeply insecure messes, who are our main players, along with the increasingly expansive cast of characters in this world
12:50 - Sarigar usually keeps a lid on his id, but sometimes a mofo’s gotta use his big-ass lizard/reptile tail to beat some ass
14:51 - Issue 7: Whilce Portacio (!) inked this issue of ALIEN LEGION
15:37 - Issues 8 - 11: The Chris Warner issues: rock-solid work in between the more idiosyncratic runs of Cirocco and Stroman
16:59 - The rise of the grimmest and grittiest of all legionnaires, Jugger Grimrod, in the era of Wolverine and the Punisher
24:08 - Issue 12: “Hollow Harvest!” The arrival of the great Larry Stroman brings a distinctly new visual flair to the book and some awesomely stylized hair!
48:25 - Issue 13: “Moonlilies for Cora Cora!” = FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON
56:31 - Issue 14: “Reprise!” - the devastating next chapter
1:20:53 - Issue 15: “The Official Death of Jugger Grimrod!” The title says it all.
1:35:42 - Issue 16: “Demons!” - Intro of Tamara, the first woman legionnaire
2:04:04 - Travis Charest & Larry Stroman both drawing DARKSTARS for DC! Discussion of Charest’s early work -- WILDCATS w/ Alan Moore and METABARONS
2:06:23 - You can tell every genre of story as a war story.
2:07:51 - ALIEN LEGION as the ultimate, hyper-compressed metaphor for life. “We’re all in the ALIEN LEGION.”
#alienlegion #thealienlegion #carlpotts #larrystroman #epiccomics

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Next Episode

NEXUS (Capital Comics, 1981 & First Comics, 1983)

Steven and Chris tackle the mind-bending "superhero" space opera, NEXUS (1981, 1983), created by Mike Baron and Steve "The Dude" Rude.
COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions) in a weekly podcast. Screenwriters Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) & Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.
SHOW NOTES

00:30 - Steven & Chris intro NEXUS
05:25 - How we first encountered NEXUS
15:41 - A detailed overview of the absurdly engaging high-wire act that forms the crux of NEXUS
27:40 - “If you’re writing fiction, you need to read NEXUS.” The series’ place in the American comics canon
28:39 - “...NEXUS feels like my platonic ideal of pure comics. Something that you can scarcely imagine existing in another medium without being dramatically changed or bastardized in order to dumb it down for some so-called 'mass audience'...”
36:04 - “...Neither fish nor fowl...” The elusive nature of NEXUS
48:39 - THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco; THE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov; IF ON A WINTER’S NIGHT A TRAVELER by Italo Calvino
1:00:30 - NEXUS’s stylish synthesis of Alex Toth, SPACE GHOST, and Jack Kirby. “...Mashing up elements that are clearly the individual passions of Baron & Rude... a crackling, kinetic mix.” In the words of Harlan Ellison: “It glows with originality.”
1:02:51 - The crossover with Mike Baron’s other First Comics title, THE BADGER
1:06:27 - The once-in-a-lifetime radiance of Steve Rude. “There’s nothing he can’t draw... That’s what’s f'd up.”
01:11:04 - “...These are alien landscapes, alien ships, alien clothing... Steve Rude... has lived in these worlds... a master class in comic book art
1:12:14 - The subtlety, grace, and beauty of Rude’s art -- a barrier-to-entry for some?
01:20:55 - The unbelievable alien physics of Steve Rude’s intergalactic architecture
01:29:55 - NEXUS as the apex of ongoing creator-owned comics
01:33:11 - Why you need to read NEXUS in the original floppy single issues: a rollicking letter column, “WHAT IT IS!” + Harlan Ellison’s hilarious exchange w/ Mike Baron
01:43:00 - The act of genius-level wholesale invention that is NEXUS, as opposed to WATCHMEN and SANDMAN
01:45:53 - A last fraught exchange, NEXUS letter column
01:49:46 - “...One of the greatest ongoing comics of all time -- and it isn’t even close.”