Murderous Madman Merrily Massacres Merciless Monsters Artwork

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.

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Comics Rot Your Brain!

Murderous Madman Merrily Massacres Merciless Monsters

February 26, 2024 • Season 1 • Episode 7

0:00 | 2:05:40

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.”

1:28:19 - “Mr. Monster... is about love.”

1:36:30 - More on the idea of legacy heroes, plus the impact that personal relationships have on the lives of the average international monster killer

1:48:11 - The idiosyncratic vision of MR. MONSTER, created in the glorious medium of comic books where, unlike Hollywood, no one will insist that you make your story more grounded. “In Hollywood, it’s very rare that the quirk survives.”

1:58:15 - Meeting Michael T. Gilbert at Comic Con and the artist’s pen he used for inking

2:00:03 - Racial dynamics in MR. MONSTER and the differences between the

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