🎙 SHOW NOTES 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). ⏱ 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 ent. 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.” Alex Derrick’s theory on the types of children that audiences enjoy seeing in stories 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 then and now 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.
@byronschexnayder875
3 күн бұрын
YAAASSSS 💙CRYB💥 RULES💥 THANK YOU CHRIS AND STEVEN FOR CONTINUING THIS AMAZING CHANNEL 💯🤩😎🤪
@ComicsRotYourBrain
3 күн бұрын
Our pleasure! Thank YOU so much for watching and commenting - we appreciate the support very much! - Steven
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
You are very welcome! Thank you for tuning in!! - Chris
@Ubernerd3000
3 күн бұрын
MR MONSTER is the implacable foe of Monsters; he’s like a curse; he’s the monster, the other monsters are afraid of; like Death, in the Final Destination movies; once he’s on something’s trail, he will kill it; with that in mind, I felt that there wasn’t anybody on The Monster’s side who was willing to go first, and back even a wounded Mr Monster into a corner, to finally finish him off; they were that afraid of him; which turns out to be right…because they couldn’t stop a new Mr Monster from being born…
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
“He’s the monster the other monsters are afraid of.” I like that!! Thanks for commenting! - Steven
@Dellaluna13
2 күн бұрын
Huge fan of this series! Fond memories of buying these from a local comic shop, and reading them before school each day.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
Күн бұрын
Yeah, it brings back similar memories for me - it’s funny which comics really lodge into our memory banks. MR. MONSTER is one of the biggies for me! - Steven
@karlosn5579
Күн бұрын
These long form videos are excellent and really help spotlight some lesser known titles that should be better known. KZitem needs more channels like this! Keep up the great work, guys!
@ComicsRotYourBrain
Күн бұрын
We love what we do - shedding light on the books that fans read and loved but don’t get the spotlight like Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns or X-men. - Chris
@ComicsRotYourBrain
14 сағат бұрын
Thanks! So glad you appreciate the long form aspect of our content. And we agree that there ought to be more channels on KZitem offering in-depth comic book discussions like this! Appreciate your thoughts! - Steven
@mrflynn-v2x
2 күн бұрын
I have a Micheal T Gilbert 1/1 comic book sketch cover, incorporating Mr. Monster, Wonder Woman, Red Skull, bondage, headlights, meat cleaver, and syringe, with Stearn busting through a large window, slinging a heavy chain towards the Skull. Sounds crazy, now that i've written it out.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
Damn, that really does sound crazy! Thanks for watching and commenting! - Steven
@noneofyourbusiness4616
2 күн бұрын
Michael T. Gilbert also did some good work on adaptations of Michael Moorcock's "Elric" novels.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
Yes, absolutely! That was a beautiful run of art on those ELRIC titles by Gilbert in collaboration with the amazing P. Craig Russell - they made a terrific team! Thanks for reminding me! - Steven
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
That P. Craig Russell run was dope. I feel like we might do the Ring of the Nibelung as an episode; one of our post 80s notable exceptions! - Chris
@wtfrocks8663
2 күн бұрын
Mr. Monster #2 is one of my prized possessions.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
From the Dark Horse series or the Eclipse one? Both are excellent answers! :) - Steven
@wtfrocks8663
2 күн бұрын
@@ComicsRotYourBrain Rlipse. Dave Stevens cover chef's kiss
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
@@wtfrocks8663 Ah, the Eclipse run, very cool. Yeah, that Dave Stevens cover is phenomenal. - Steven
@resistancepublishing
2 күн бұрын
Never picked this book up but I knew about it. Read a lot about it but could never find it. Now is a good time to scour the internet for back issues
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
100%! You won’t be disappointed - this comic is one of a kind. Such a cool character. Thanks for commenting! - Steven
@resistancepublishing
2 күн бұрын
@@ComicsRotYourBrain I’ve always love the artwork for Mr. Monster. It looks great for an independent book. No problem. Love the weekly discussions about books that I never got a chance to pick up as a kid because they were too hard to find.
@davefletch3063
2 күн бұрын
My fav comic
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
You have fantastic taste! It’s totally one of my favorites, too. Thanks for watching and commenting! - Steven
@buyita24slash7
Күн бұрын
Love the content you guys been putting out, have you thought about a video covering your favorite single issues from the 80s? (We all know the BWS ones!) I feel like stuff like that doesn't get covered as much as big runs.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
Күн бұрын
Yes! We have a list of one-offs that we want to cover. There’s at least three “umbrella” topics that we’ve discussed that will deliver exactly what you’re asking for, with a unifying theme. - Chris
@ComicsRotYourBrain
14 сағат бұрын
I love this notion so much. And yes, as Chris said, we will definitely be doing some episodes in this vein. Great idea!! - Steven
@lesweizman388
2 күн бұрын
one of my favorite comics always hoped that someone would adapt it in cartoon form and the book started with pacific comics...not dark horse
@ComicsRotYourBrain
2 күн бұрын
Oh, I think Steve mentioned it was at Pacific, then Eclipse, and finally Dark Horse where it had its fabled run. But, yes, it’s an amazing book that needs more praise. In the wake of Hellboy, an adaptation might not be in the cards. - Chris
@stevenbagatourian488
2 күн бұрын
Yeah, I did mention just a minute and a half into the episode that the character debuted in Pacific Comics’ Vanguard Illustrated… However, he did not get his own title until Eclipse Comics published the very first Mr. Monster series, which then led to the Dark Horse run and on and on… Thanks for listening and commenting! - Steven
@mrflynn-v2x
2 күн бұрын
❤👍
@lesweizman388
Күн бұрын
@@stevenbagatourian488 sorry...missed the mention. it just bothers me that there are really good books/stories that no one cares to adapt because they are all stuck on dc and mcu....mr monster, concrete, a distant soil, strangers in paradise.....stray bullets would be perfect for an amazon or hbo series.....instead, they will keep putting out the entire bat rogues gallery ....its so boring
@ComicsRotYourBrain
7 сағат бұрын
@@lesweizman388 I completely agree with you! STRAY BULLETS would make an amazing HBO show. And CONCRETE is also a terrific candidate for adaptation. Yeah, I really do wish that more of these amazing indie comics were getting classy adaptations (hopefully, we’ll see more and more of that as the superhero well runs dry in Hollywood). - Steven
@cliffwoodbury5319
Күн бұрын
WILL THIS CHANNEL EVER COVER FRANK L. PACKARD! - GREY SEAL/THE HAWK/THE ADVENTURER
@ComicsRotYourBrain
Күн бұрын
Wow! Deep cuts! We’ll put it on the list. I’m not sure if we have those issues in our mass collections. But we’re open to expanding the coverage. - Chris
@cliffwoodbury5319
Күн бұрын
@@ComicsRotYourBrain Everyone says Phantom is the first hero who wore a mask but Frank L. Packard had heroes that were masked up 25 years before.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
Күн бұрын
@@cliffwoodbury5319 That all sounds really fascinating! Thank you for the suggestions. We will definitely definitely investigate! - Steven
@theafronaut4131
13 сағат бұрын
This series was an unexpected turn from the earlier stories, it was a ride! Denny O'Neil did something not as extreme with a limited 4 issue series about Doc Savage. It came out in 1987 with art by Adam and Andy Kubert; the brought the character to modern times through legacy, check it out.
@ComicsRotYourBrain
7 сағат бұрын
@@theafronaut4131 Yes, you’re so right - this “Origins” run of MR. MONSTER from Dark Horse was such an extreme departure from the more light-spirited monster adventures in the Eclipse run. I thought it was quite impressive that Gilbert pulled it off and I’ve heard that he considers it his favorite-ever MR. MONSTER story. I gotta revisit that DOC SAVAGE mini-series revamp you mentioned. I think I read it back in the day but don’t remember much. Super early work from the Kubert Brothers! - Steven
@ComicsRotYourBrain
3 күн бұрын
🗯 COMICS TRIVIA* MR. MONSTER has been published by a long list of quality indie publishers.❓Q: Which of the following indie publishers has never published MR. MONSTER? a) Eclipse b) Dark Horse c) Tundra d) BOOM! e) Image * Our trivia winner wins zilch besides words of congrats and very minor bragging rights here in our tiny corner of the internet
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