Comics Rot Your Brain!

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) & Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss favorite books, runs, and creators.

The Bronze Age is — for us — the greatest era in comics history. This time period was defined by a weird rift in the fabric of spacetime that allowed an industry in flux to reimagine what was possible. We all remember the eye-popping results: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, WATCHMEN, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, LOVE & ROCKETS, MAUS, etc.

…But what of the lesser-known gems of this era: THRILLER, GRIMJACK, NEXUS, CONCRETE, MR. MONSTER, SCOUT, STRAY TOASTERS, and so many others!? These comics and their creators blazed radical new trails that changed the course of comics forever but often are left out of today’s discourse.

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! exists to celebrate and reckon with the extraordinary legacy of 1980s American comics — all of it.

Join us!

Podcasting since 2023 • 41 episodes

Comics Rot Your Brain!

Latest Episodes

17-Year-Old Wunderkind Artist Gives Musty Superhero AWESOME New Costume!

April 13, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 6 • 2:02:33

STEPHEN R. BISSETTE Interview! Tyrant, Swamp Thing, Taboo, Kubert School, and More!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxONuw60a0sJXul6nw7-lmlyjgB-lkn5C&si=nqCc-4aNAl6ZsKidThe legendary Stephen R. Bissette joins Chris and Steven us for a CRYB! interview discussion spanning the breadth of his historic career as a wr...

April 09, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 5 • 2:50:11

This Artist Made The Most Shocking Marvel Comic Ever, Then Disappeared - UNTAMED (Epic Comics, 1993)

Join Steven as he goes on a ride-along with an odd couple of hyper-violent cops, braving the squalid urban underworld of the futuristic, philosophical crime story that is UNTAMED (Epic Comics, 1993) ; written and drawn by Neil Hansen, this comi...

February 16, 2026 • Season 3 • Episode 4 • 2:18:40

The X-Men Comic That Changed Everything: LifeDeath

Uncanny X-Men #186 — “LifeDeath” — remains one of the boldest creative swings in Marvel history. Instead of battles and villains, Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith deliver a quiet, emotionally devastating story about identity, trauma, and...

December 07, 2025 • Season 3 • Episode 3 • 1:05:16

You Will Believe A Man Can DIE… Again & Again

Chris and Steven journey to the surreal realm of the undead with the zombie-esque trapeze artist extraordinaire, DEADMAN (DC Comics, 1986), in this four issue mini-series written by Andrew Helfer and drawn by the incomparable Jóse Luis Garcia-L...

November 28, 2025 • Season 3 • Episode 2 • 1:50:51