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!
Episodes
37 episodes
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:05:16
Before The Terminator came Marvel's KILLER CYBORB | Captain America - The Deathlok Saga
See how this run reframes Cap’s identity through the lens of a cyborg from the future.The Deathlok Saga | CAPTAIN AMERICA #286 – 288 (DeMatteis & Zeck). In this first episode of CRYB...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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1:03:17
The Most Influential Superhero You've Never Heard Of | Milligan & McCarthy's PARADAX!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxONuw60a0sJXul6nw7-lmlyjgB-lkn5C&si=KOQWYJLqYpDi04O2In this solo episode, Steven excavates the tomb of the ‘80s most obscure proto-influencer/superhero, the weirdo wonder himself, that achingly ir...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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1:32:06
ALIEN LEGION (Epic Comics, 1984) Footsloggers, Soldiers Of Fortune, Priests, Poets, Killers And Cads
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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4:03:11
LOST FORGOTTEN What’s The Deal With Frank Miller’s First Solo ELEKTRA Story
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxONuw60a0sJXul6nw7-lmlyjgB-lkn5C&si=KOQWYJLqYpDi04O2In a solo episode, Chris looks at Frank Miller's first published Elektra solo adventure, working for an on-the-run Nazi, in a story called "Cobr...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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46:34
REJECTED By The Comics Code! Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neil’s Infamous GREEN LANTERN
In a solo episode, Steven descends into a “corpse world” in the furthest reaches of the galaxy to examine the infamous GREEN LANTERN CORP story, “Tygers” (GREEN LANTERN CORP Annual #2, DC Comics, 1986), otherwise known as “The Last Temptation o...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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40:41
Aliens Transplant MAN’S BRAIN Into MONSTER'S BODY!
Steven & Chris explore the rocky emotional terrain winding through the first four issues of Paul Chadwick’s imposingly granite-bodied softie, the brooding giant who is CONCRETE (Dark Horse Comics, 1987).COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a d...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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4:10:11
CRYB! Interview: LADRÖNN (Final Incal, Sons of El Topo, Metal Hurlant, Cable, The Inhumans)
Steven and Chris sit down with legendary Mexican comic book artist, Jose Ladrönn, for a lively discussion about his influences, his work with Alejandro Jodorosky on the FINAL INCAL and SONS OF EL TOPO, plus a whole host of indispensable advice....
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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2:18:04
The Greatest Comic of the 00s? - Lewis and Leon's Masterpiece
Steven and Chris vividly discuss John-Paul Leon and Brett Lewis' post-Cold War crime magnum opus, THE WINTER MEN (Image Comics, 2005). COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions). In this ...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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1:46:58
Cloak and Dagger Marvel Comics' Most Underrated Art Team of the 1980s - Rick Leonardi & Terry Austin
Steven and Chris discuss Marvel's brooding teen superheroes — CLOAK AND DAGGER — from the 1985 on-going series; they go over the first four issues written by Bill Mantlo with art by the wildy incredible and overllooked but influential art team ...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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3:20:29
When The Wind Blows
Chris and Steven discuss Raymond Briggs's nuclear war nightmare WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, published by Penguin Books in 1982.
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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1:17:53
A Poetic Exploration of Fate, Power, and Cycles of Violence
n this CRYB! SPOTLIGHT, Chris and Steven discuss DC Comics' batshit-crazy SKREEMER (1988). This proto-Vertigo classic blends noir, cyberpunk, and family tragedy in a retro gangster apocalyptic fable created by Peter Milligan, Brett Ewins, and S...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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26:39
The Ultimate SciFi War Story/Space Opera - "Humanity" Explored in Thought Balloons
This week is a CRYB Spotlight episode on Marvel/Epic Comics' ALIEN LEGION, published in 1984, created by Carl Potts, Alan Zelenetz, and Frank Cirocco. This clip is taken from our epic (so to speak) deep dive into ALIEN LEGION (see earlier episo...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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12:03
Art Deco Retro-Futurism SciFi Mystery Noir and Flying Cars... Welcome to the World of Mister X
Steven and Chris discuss acclaimed graphic designer Dean Motter's science fiction opus, MISTER X (Vortex Comics, 1984); the first four issues were written & drawn by Los Bros Hernandez (Mario, Gilbert, and Jamie) of LOVE & ROCKETS fame ...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:43:01
Moebius, Druillet, and... Alex Nino - this Visionary Filipino Genius Is One of the Greatest Comic Book Artist of All Time!
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 ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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1:24:55
Marvel Comics' Lost Space Bounty Hunter by Howard Chaykin
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 podca...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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45:01
Our Secret Origins
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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Season 1
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Episode 16
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2:24:22
Jack Kirby + Osamu Tezuka = Scott McCloud's Insanely Fun SciFi Comics Book Classic
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 K...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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5:42:34
The O.G. Video Game system Births a Classic Interstellar SciFi Adventure Comic
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 inspirat...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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1:23:29
DC Comics’ Absolutely Psychedelic SUPERMAN & BATMAN As Drawn By TREVOR VON EEDEN Will Blow Your Mind
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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Season 2
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Episode 4
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53:02
We Have Met The Enemy... And He Is Us! Archie Goodwin & Pepe Moreno's Lost Sci-Fi Classic
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 wi...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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3:31:45
Before DARK KNIGHT and WATCHMEN, DC Comics Published the Most Devilishly FUN Character of the 1980s!
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, p...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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2:29:49
After Writing BLACK PANTHER, This MARVELous Scribe Co-Created the FIRST AMERICAN GRAPHIC NOVEL!
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 nota...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:55:52
Frank Miller's 1st Choice to Draw BATMAN: YEAR ONE? Meet This Unsung GENIUS ARTIST of '80s Comics!
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 godd...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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4:06:56
The MOST DANGEROUS Comic Book Ever Published
In this episode, Chris and Steven confront highly disturbing revelations about the CIA and American global politics, courtesy of the explosive whistleblower comic, BROUGHT TO LIGHT (Eclipse Comics, 1988), written by Alan Moore and drawn by Bill...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:30:32
