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!

Co-host

Steven Bagatourian

Since the age of seven, I’ve been unreasonably obsessed with comic books, especially the ‘80s output of DC and the indie boom of that day (Pacific, Eclipse, First, Comico, Vortex, etc).

Dropping out of school at 16 to pursue my dream of being a comics artist, somewhere along the way I fell into a dystopian parallel universe where I became a professional screenwriter instead. My credits include AMERICAN GUN (Forest Whitaker and Amanda Seyfried), nominated for Best Picture at the Independent Spirit Awards, and ALL EYEZ ON ME (the landmark biopic of Tupac Shakur).

Currently, I’m in development on one of my passion projects: a television show about the birth of the comic book industry, with Jenette Kahn — the legendary longtime Publisher of DC Comics — attached to produce.

Desert island ‘80s comic: Moore, Bissette, and Totleben’s majestic run on SWAMP THING

http://www.facebook.com/steven.bagatourian