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 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

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