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That’s a fascinating bit of Canadian comics history re: the original MM. I have to admit that my knowledge of the Canadian comics scene is fairly limited, especially going back to the ‘40s and ‘50s. But I did grow up being a huge fan of Chester Brown, Seth, and Ho Che Anderson, so I suppose I was aware of Canadian cartoonists to some extent. Thank you so much for listening and commenting! - Steven

So happy to be able to introduce you to the weird majesty of THRILLER! And that’s interesting re: the name of Furillo and HILL STREET BLUES. I’m sure you’re right since I know that show was such a big influence on so many people around that time, although I have yet to watch it myself. I will get around to it soon… but only after I finish re-watching my all-time favorite TV cop show, which is finally coming to streaming next month: HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. Andre Braugher fans unite - our time has come! Sorry, just had to get that in there. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! - Steven

Wow, that is a fascinating and eerie point. Damn! - Steven

Ooo! I’m very intrigued by this “The Octopus” story, do you recall the name of the documentary? - Chris

@@ComicsRotYourBrain yes, it’s a Netflix docuseries called American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders It’s pretty wild, man. I would even go as far as to say that’s it’s very charitable to both sides of the conversation around Conspiracy Theories and is headed by a photojournalist who spent a decade researching it to try and compile it all 👍🏽

@@yeez13 Thank you for the very intriguing-sounding recommendation… Will check it out! - Steven

Yeah, Von Eeden’s artwork on Batman Annual #8 - colored by Lynn Varley (!) - is breathtakingly good. So highly original. Truly jaw-dropping stuff. Hey, Comics Scene magazine! I remember that - the fancy, glossy paper comics mag pre-Wizard… with no price guide! And yes, Von Eeden did a smattering of work for Red Circle: Blue Ribbon Comics and The Fly (the run with Steranko doing the first few covers). That was a wild assortment of creators on that comic, as Steve Ditko of all people took over after a few issues. Spiders, flies… I guess it makes sense. Thanks for watching and commenting! - Steven

Wholeheartedly agree re: his layouts. - Chris

The Green Arrow mini-series is amazing. Stunning work! - Steven

We have an Alien Legion remaster video with page art coming soon! Whisper & Jon Sable are on our list. … Zot!?) Scott McCloud’s work is amazing. Hmmm Robotech, perhaps. More soon! - Chris

May I say, you have excellent taste in comics… Literally every book you mentioned is one that we’ve discussed featuring on the show! With any luck, we will get to them all. I adore Zot! Dynamo Joe is rad - Doug Rice killed the art and character designs on that book! ‘Mazing Man and Ambush Bug were early obsessions of mine as a kid. We have to cover Scout because we love Tim Truman around these parts. And Dalgoda is friggin’ dog astronauts in space from the publisher of Love & Rockets… Who could possibly not love that comic?! So many great ‘80s titles… We could do this show for the next 20 years and not run out! - Steven

@@ComicsRotYourBrain Thank you- and right back at ya! Refreshing to see thoughtful, online comic discussions that don’t revolve around Batman, Spider-Man or X-Men. I mean, does Absolute DC need anymore focus? Lol

Take a look at some of the panels and pages we discuss. Even if you don’t latch on to the story, so many of the visual designs and expressions are insane. He may not be in your pantheon of greats because he wasn’t on enough popular characters in the 80s and early 90s to develop that reputation and legacy. - Chris

1000% - without question- Trevor Von Eeden is one of the greatest comic book artists of all time. And my personal favorite. Plus, as we mention in the episode, he’s easily the most underrated artist of mainstream comics in the ‘80s. Like any artist, you have to look at his work in the context of the times. And compared to anyone else drawing a mainstream comic in 1983…Think about the boring-ass “house styles” of that time… TVE was light years ahead. Frank Miller thought so. So did David Mazzucchelli. So did Heidi McDonald. It’s not a crazy take to have. What’s crazy is how overlooked Von Eeden has been, given his world class body of work. Btw, I too managed a comic shop in the ‘90s - so we do at least have that in common! - Steven

Sweet! Much appreciated! Welcome aboard, and thanks for commenting. - Steven

Wowwwwww! That is amazing. What a phenomenal topic for a thesis - I would actually love to read it! Please let us know if it’s housed online on a personal website or anything. But regardless, you are definitely not alone… Von Eeden fans unite! Glad you found the channel, and thanks for the awesome comment. - Steven

@@ComicsRotYourBrain unfortunately not saved anywhere. But it was a "before it's time" thing. My points were that it failed for two main reasons: It was based not in Superhero continuity like Watchman or Dark Knight, but in pulp adventure stories that predated it - an updating of pulp mythology that readers were not familiar with at the time. And of course the art, especially the page layouts, which were so intricate and rhythmic it required more from readers, and I guess editors of the time. I got super nerdy with that shit. Example: the use of panel captions (which aren't even used anymore) with speech and thought balloons complimented and complicated the visuals in a then unheard of way. Look again and ask yourself whose voice are you reading? But you got sequences and images in those first eight issues, that are still stuck in my brain 40 years later. So, thanks for the stroll down memory lane dudes. I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembers "Only flesh wounds. Only out-patients. I won't kill a fly. So don't ask me!"

@@jeff-xm7fg Thank you for sharing those points from your thesis! It sounds like you made some fascinating, astute connections. In particular, that’s an excellent observation that readers of DC Comics at the time had virtually no grounding in pulp traditions so the idea of updating them - as THRILLER was doing - was indeed lost on most readers. And yes, Von Eeden’s art was clearly pushing things to the bleeding edge for a monthly mainstream comic in ‘83 and I’m sure many folks just weren’t yet ready to pick up what he was putting down. Hmmmm… Cool point re: the captions and thought balloons - I will look at ‘em again! And yeah, Salvo’s credo echoes in my ears, as well. Glad you enjoyed the show - thanks so much for the teriffic comments! - Steven

This is TOTALLY unexpected and a delight to read about! - Chris

Yeah, it’s an intriguing comparison that you make, because both Breyfogle and Mazzucchelli are on the record saying that Von Eeden was one of their influences. For me, personally, I do not find Mazzucchelli to be superior to Von Eeden. Both are masterful comic book artists - and although I adore Mazzuchelli’s work on YEAR ONE - I think it’s fair to say (and even Mazzucchelli himself said it, in the Amazing Heroes interview we referenced) that Von Eeden was/is vastly more innovative and took far more risks. For me, that goes a very long way. But I honestly don’t like the idea of picking favorites as I believe they’re both two of the greatest artists in the history of the medium (and Norm Breyfogle and Don Newton - along with Jim Aparo - are three of my all-time fave Batman artists, as well). So, yeah - there’s clearly a whole lot of love to go around for all kinds of ‘80s creators here at CRYB Central… and there will be more Von Eeden episodes coming soon, to further elucidate why I rate him so highly in my pantheon! Thanks so much for listening and commenting! - Steven

@@ComicsRotYourBrain *DON my bad.

@@ComicsRotYourBrain Favorites ranking is entirely subjective, not taking away any of the other guys shine, I prefer Mazzucchelli's grasp of form and creating shapes through confident line work paired with negative space over the more scratchy and rendered stuff, though I appreciate that style as well. IMHO the secret weapon for all the guys mentioned, AND early Frank Miller is Dick Giordano. Frank totally got better under him, and I will promise that any great artist that passed through DC while Giordano was active, their best stuff has his inks

@@HeyImRosko I totally respect your opinion regarding Dick Giordano as he’s absolutely one of the greatest inkers of all time, full stop. HOWEVER… I will respectfully disagree with your assessment of the work of Miller and Von Eeden in particular when they were inked by Giordano. In both cases, I think those gentlemen did a better job inking their own pencils. I prefer Miller inking himself in SIN CITY and elsewhere, and as we discuss at length in this episode, I actually think that Giordano’s inking waters down the quirky idiosyncrasies in Trevor’s work and - more critically - it removes a lot of the emotion from the linework. Of course, as you said, all of this stuff is subjective, but it’s fun to discuss! And we can definitely agree on the fact that Mazzucchelli is a master of form and shape… and he and Trevor are both some of the rare comic book artists that are actually brilliant at using negative space. Thanks for the great discussion! - Steven

More is on the way! Even some shorter takes! Stay tuned! And we appreciate you listening - Chris

Yes, haha, not every video will be four hours+ - we promise! - Steven

BLACK LIGHTNING

@@Connorgallus Ding-ding-ding! You are correct! Trevor Von Eeden did indeed co-create Black Lightning! Also, bonus trivia: Von Eeden also co-created Count Vertigo, who has one of the coolest costumes ever (look it up if you don’t believe me)! Thanks for playing CRYB! Trivia Smackdown! - Steven

@@Connorgallus Yeah,I forgot about that fact and good creation too.I LOVED that show !! LOL. Bought the entire seasons from amazon.

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment! This made my day. And it’s *exactly* the reason that we created this channel - to shine some light on the many extraordinary creators from ‘80s comics who deserve far more attention. Trevor Von Eeden is the perfect example of this. So glad to have introduced you to his amazing work! - Steven

Okay, okay… I will try again! - Steven

😂

Wow, that’s crazy that was Ho Che’s reaction - now we DEFINITELY have to cover that book on our show lol! I actually think the early period of his artwork is incredibly underrated as he was one hell of a visual stylist and did some truly fascinating work that just didn’t get enough attention. He also had a collection of short stories from Fantagraphics out around that time called YOUNG HOODS IN LOVE that I’m surprised no one ever talks about. I always really dug Ho Che’s art style, his voice, and his storytelling chops. I think his work deserves a lot more love… even from him, apparently! - Steven

He might not be proud because it didn’t explode his career but it had impact on those who read (and loved) it. - Chris

Chris and I were just talking about this yesterday! The answer is, “Yes,” we are going to be doing a deep dive into Keith Giffen’s controversial “FIVE YEARS LATER” reboot of the Legion. It will likely happen in the next few months. Stay tuned, and let us know what else you’d like to hear! - Steven

Strong possibility! Very strong possibility. - Chris

Yeah, Sienkiewicz was channeling some kinda divine inspiration here. Glad you enjoyed the episode - thanks for commenting! - Steven

Thank you! - Chris

Yeah, The New Frontier totally feels like the “spiritual sequel” to The Golden Age, if not the official one. Darwyn Cooke was so amazing. And I, too, love these nuanced, nostalgia-tinged looks at DC’s past. So glad you dug the episode… Thanks for commenting! - Steven

The Darwyn Cooke series? We’ve talked about. It might be in Season 2, maybe Season 3 - Chris

That sounds like a valid theory to me! I really love that this comic is multi-dimensional enough to encourage a variety of legit interpretations regarding certain moments. Thanks so much for commenting! - Steven

That’s an interesting take! I feel people forget about the first WTC bombing and the USS Cole attack.

Hey, thanks for commenting! Thrilled to know you’ve been digging the show and that it’s influenced your comic shopping habits. Stay tuned! We have some very cool episodes coming up. - Steven

Please tell us what you think of Alien Legion! We’re updating the video with comic art very soon too.

@YungAngelo69 Valid Theory! Yeah, that scene is so multi-layered I think it (purposefully) lends itself to multiple legit explanations. - Steven

Hopefully you can grab a copy on eBay. - Chris

I feel like it's a Mandela Effect,😅 I've been very involved( since age12?) in fandom and sales (worked for Diamond and owned 3 shops) NEVER heard of it

Thanks for the kind words! Yes, exactly… The invisibility of this book has been a crime against comics! - Steven

As we said, this book was suppressed! - Chris

Uh… I’m sure the Bush & Reagan admins had something to do with the scant knowledge of the book. - Chris

Thank you for the sub and the comment! - Steven

Haha, that’s hilarious 😂 Thanks for commenting! - Steven

I mean, that’s one way to read it! Maybe this was the inspiration for the video game 🤣 - Chris

@@ComicsRotYourBrain 😉

😊

The Eagle is WILD!

Search for “Freebird”

The WPA artists’ murals are amazing. That government program and the art that came from it is barely talked about today, which is a crime. Those Diego Rivera works are still mind blowing. I guess as an FDR program to help ease the unemployment from the Great Depression it’s not going to the necessary love and respect after the Red Scare and Reagan’s deriding of government as “being the problem” but the nation got a lot of beauty and great infrastructure. Glad you’re enjoying the show, we’ll take a look at REAL WORLD STORIES, but can’t promise when or if we’ll get to it. We’re neck deep in the season 2 selection of material. So stay tuned! - Chris.

Dazzler!

@@auradjinns Correctamundo! 😁You are the trivia winner for this round! 🎉 - Steven

Pretty sure it was GARGANTUAN FIGURES. Or was it MASSIVE DIGITS?

@@_Ag-LOL! 😂😂 - Steven

Thanks so much for the terrific comment! I couldn’t agree more! This exact story of HAWKWORLD would make an awesome basis for an epic TV or film adaptation. As you lay out, if done correctly, it could be the thing that levels up HAWKMAN to an A-lister. The story and this version of the character has so much depth to it… and it’s only THREE issues! Double-size, but still… Amazing stuff. - Steven

Thanks for the support! Much appreciated. -Steven

Wow, so you’re actually pro-Joseph McCarthy at this late date? Holy cow - what a hill to die on. But, unlike Joe McCarthy, we actually encourage freedom of speech and thought here at CRYB! I'll leave you with this: “Until this moment, Senator [McCarthy], I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness... You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” - Joseph Welch, attorney at the McCarthy-Army hearings, June 1954 Oh, and thanks for commenting! - Steven

Haha, thank you for the kind words! We’re quite fond of Mr. Machine Gun Cat (totally his name) at the start of our video, too! Sadly, I don’t think DC would approve of us making plushies out of him 😂 So glad you’re digging the show! - Steven

Yes, never too late to discover NEXUS! You won’t be sorry. As Harlan proclaimed: “It glows with originality.” He ain’t wrong! - Steven

I too didn’t read Nexus as a kid during its First Comics run, but discovered it at Dark Horse, which has some great omnibus editions.

Thank you for listening! EGYPT is one of my favorite early Vertigo comics. We’ll put it on the list! - Chris

I will happily review nothing but Peter Milligan comics on this show every week. :) - Steven

Awesome! So glad you were digging the episode! Please let us know what you think of the AZTEC ACE experience once you recover from the trip. :) - Steven

Yeah, I can totally understand why you’d say that. But then, do you feel the same way about other corporate characters that get rebooted by creators who are not the original creators? Personally, I think that it’s actually one of the cooler things about mainstream comics that we can see a different version of these characters from time to time and see them through new eyes - like Moore, Bissette, and Totelben’s SWAMP THING or Morrison and Truog’s ANIMAL MAN, both of which were radically different than the original conceptions of those characters. Obviously, some versions of the characters get rejected wholesale by readers and for good reason. But, I would argue that O’Neil and Cowan’s iteration of the character is - at this point -part of the DC canon for good reason, so it is indeed THE QUESTION… it’s just not Ditko’s QUESTION. Regardless, glad you agree that the book was really good and thank you for commenting! - Steven

Yup, CEREBUS is certainly the aardvark in the room when it comes to this particular conversation. However, I would not agree at all that CEREBUS maintained the consistent quality level of Baron & Rude’s NEXUS. Having said that, there is obviously a much larger and more troubling discussion that one could have regarding what happened to CEREBUS. - Steven