Murderous Madman Merrily Massacres Merciless Monsters

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 STAMPS00:00 - CRYB! Intro Music0:28 - The unique history of Mr. Monster03:40 - Early days of Dark Horse Comics06:44 - Pop culture context of the time11:06 - The revival and revamping of Doc Stearn A.K.A. Mr. Monster00:46 - The history of MR. MONSTER18:38 - “The Mr. Monster Mantle” — the tradition of “legacy heroes” — Zorro, The Phantom... and Mr. Monster26:08 - 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. MONSTER49:28 - Questioning the logic of the evil monsters’ plan to take out Mr. Monster55:47- 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 comics57:50 - More early days of Dark Horse Comics: BORIS THE BEAR and WACKY SQUIRREL1:01:15 - GROO THE WANDERER, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, FISH POLICE, LONE WOLF & CUB, AKIRA1:06:05- 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 stories1:16:29 - “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 killer1:48:11 - 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 inking2:00:03 - Racial dynamics in MR. MONSTER and the differences between theDrop us a line! Support the show+ Check out our YouTube channel to get a look at some of the fantastic art featured in our episodes. Visit ComicsRotYourBrain.com to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon: ComicsRotYourBrain+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE©2024  Comics Rot Your Brain!#comicbooks #comics #graphicnovel