🎙 SHOW NOTES Chris and Steven swoop in to the Downside of Thanagar, a brutal dystopian scifi world, to squawk about Tim Truman’s bold and impassioned re-imagining of Hawkman's origin story in HAWKWORLD (DC Comics, 1989). Is this Katar Hol’s BATMAN: YEAR ONE? …Or his DARK KNIGHT RETURNS? …Or both? ⏱ TIMESTAMPS 00:36 - Introduction to HAWKWORLD 06:30 - The singular career of visionary artist/writer Tim Truman - SCOUT, GRIMJACK, WILDERNESS and, of course, HAWKWORLD 13:36 - The ahead-of-its-time themes of HAWKWORLD: imperialism, subjugation, and cultural appropriation 27:16 - The dirty, lived in, alien worlds of Tim Truman - touching on Joe Kubert and The Kubert School 36:46 - STIG’S INFERNO + KELVIN MACE by Ty Templeton and Klaus Schönefeld 39:35 - NIGHT FORCE by Gene Colan & Marv Wolfman 42:55 - “The haunted, super sad feeling” of HAWKWORLD 45:30 - Tim Truman on the genesis of HAWKWORLD 1:00:01 - Tim Truman’s unique artwork and speculation on his chief influences 1:10:42 - How the success of WATCHMEN, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, and MAUS encouraged ambitious big swings from comic book artists in the late ‘80s 1:11:33 - Katar Hol’s exile on the island and the unrelenting, unapologetic brutality of HAWKWORLD 1:15:20 - The prescient nature of certain science fiction stories (including MINORITY REPORT) 1:17:07 - Metaphorical commentary embedded within HAWKWORLD: the outsourcing of American labor and industry 1:32:24 - Katar Hol leaves behind the lies he has been taught about Thanagar’s history, confronting the horrific reality of the actual history 1:40:37 - Tom King; THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON, BATMAN 1:54:19 - COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! exists for this reason COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comic books (plus a few notable exceptions) in a weekly podcast format. Screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) & Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.
Such an awesome book. Picked this up off the rack when I was in high school. My first time coming across Tim Truman's work. Made me a lifelong fan of his. Keep up the great work guys!
It was an immediate favorite of mine. I can’t remember if I was aware of GrimJack or if this was my introduction to Truman as well, but it’s an awesome book, and he’s a special comics talent - Chris
Dudes this channel is amazing. Thank you for adding the visual side of the podcast. it makes a huge difference. I'm curious, as screenwriters, seeing the recent 'golden age of tv' with mad men, GoT, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and all the other great shows... Comics are so decompressed now and it drives me nuts. Such little value for money. I wondered what comics, older or newer, do you think match the depth of story telling without taking forever to tell the story? For me, nothing beats Frank Miller in that regard, Moore too but even just the first couple of pages of Batman Year one are a masterclass they're so dense. There's like 20 scenes per issue, a new scene every page and a half(ish) in Born Again or Year One. not like the four to five scenes per issue in most books it seems. Keep it up. Can't wait for more!
Thank you for listening! We did two episodes on Alien Legion (which we’re going to repost with visuals in the future!), but that series has the most story content of probably any mainstream comic book. There are Dark Horse omnibuses, if you’re interested. As I say in the episode, that series more than any other sharpened my writing style and ambitions. - Chris
Thank you so much for your kind words! Thrilled that you’re digging the show! And your question is a very thought provoking one - I could not agree with you more about decompression in modern comic book storytelling - in general, it drives me insane! I think the lack of value in modern comics (due to lack of story density) is frankly criminal. Plus, the wildly overpriced single issues and the scourge that is font lettering that has somehow become accepted as “the norm”… Oh, don’t get me started lol! But, on a positive note, I agree with you about Frank Miller back in the day - for me, BATMAN: YEAR ONE is one of the most perfect comics ever made, full stop. And Miller’s DAREDEVIL was extraordinary when it came to compressed, impactful storytelling. For my money, Alan Moore is the best ever at giving a reader transcendent, deeply felt, jam-packed stories that are at least as good (or better) than any award-winning TV series - my favorites in his ouevre are SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING, FROM HELL, V FOR VENDETTA, and THE BIRTH CAUL. When Moore is at his best, I believe there’s no one better. I also adore the mad genius of Baron and Rude’s NEXUS, as well as Grant Morrison’s THE INVISIBLES, although it oscillates between being hyper-compressed and somewhere inbetween - but I still love it for all its shambolic, sprawling messiness. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, and please do stay tuned - this topic of storytelling density in comics is one we’ll be returning to over and over again! - 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
🗯 COMICS TRIVIA (Hawkman flyby edition 🪶) ❓Which comic featured Hawkman’s very first* appearance? *Scroll down if you want a hint! (*HINT: It was not HAWKMAN #1. It’s a comic book published in January of 1940 and, at the time, he was called “The Hawkman”). …Got a guess?
I didn't know Hawk-Mans story was so deep. The intro has me thinking for the first time this is a must read comic books.... How is no one talking about this because the premise sounds like it would make for the most amazing long format movie (multiple sections of an hour or 2) and or high production t.v. show with a premise that could keep it interesting for many seasons... Or a series of movies concentrated on important events (centered around a major battle(s)) and the show would cover the story more broadly. A film following this version of of Hawk-Man, if done right, could be what it takes to make this character a mainstay, and I think it could, because as you introduced the premise I could see the show like it exists already... 4 ISSUES - I was thinking this was dozens of issues - it looks like an epic important and grand enough for a huge book!
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
Discovered pt 1 of this series in a dollar bin a couple years ago and fell in love with it. Great series and your coverage of it was very interesting and insightful! Many thanks and subbed.
Wow, what an amazing dollar bin find! I love when that happens. So glad you enjoyed the episode! Thanks for subscribing and leaving such a nice comment! - Steven
![ILLSLICK - THE KING'S LANDING [Freestyle]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/feIJJnNkTfk/mqdefault.jpg)
🎙 SHOW NOTES
Chris and Steven swoop in to the Downside of Thanagar, a brutal dystopian scifi world, to squawk about Tim Truman’s bold and impassioned re-imagining of Hawkman's origin story in HAWKWORLD (DC Comics, 1989). Is this Katar Hol’s BATMAN: YEAR ONE? …Or his DARK KNIGHT RETURNS? …Or both?
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
00:36 - Introduction to HAWKWORLD
06:30 - The singular career of visionary artist/writer Tim Truman - SCOUT, GRIMJACK, WILDERNESS and, of course, HAWKWORLD
13:36 - The ahead-of-its-time themes of HAWKWORLD: imperialism, subjugation, and cultural appropriation
27:16 - The dirty, lived in, alien worlds of Tim Truman - touching on Joe Kubert and The Kubert School
36:46 - STIG’S INFERNO + KELVIN MACE by Ty Templeton and Klaus Schönefeld
39:35 - NIGHT FORCE by Gene Colan & Marv Wolfman
42:55 - “The haunted, super sad feeling” of HAWKWORLD
45:30 - Tim Truman on the genesis of HAWKWORLD
1:00:01 - Tim Truman’s unique artwork and speculation on his chief influences
1:10:42 - How the success of WATCHMEN, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, and MAUS encouraged ambitious big swings from comic book artists in the late ‘80s
1:11:33 - Katar Hol’s exile on the island and the unrelenting, unapologetic brutality of HAWKWORLD
1:15:20 - The prescient nature of certain science fiction stories (including MINORITY REPORT)
1:17:07 - Metaphorical commentary embedded within HAWKWORLD: the outsourcing of American labor and industry
1:32:24 - Katar Hol leaves behind the lies he has been taught about Thanagar’s history, confronting the horrific reality of the actual history
1:40:37 - Tom King; THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON, BATMAN
1:54:19 - COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! exists for this reason
COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comic books (plus a few notable exceptions) in a weekly podcast format. Screenwriters Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) & Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.
Such an awesome book. Picked this up off the rack when I was in high school. My first time coming across Tim Truman's work. Made me a lifelong fan of his. Keep up the great work guys!
It was an immediate favorite of mine. I can’t remember if I was aware of GrimJack or if this was my introduction to Truman as well, but it’s an awesome book, and he’s a special comics talent - Chris
Dudes this channel is amazing. Thank you for adding the visual side of the podcast. it makes a huge difference. I'm curious, as screenwriters, seeing the recent 'golden age of tv' with mad men, GoT, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and all the other great shows... Comics are so decompressed now and it drives me nuts. Such little value for money. I wondered what comics, older or newer, do you think match the depth of story telling without taking forever to tell the story? For me, nothing beats Frank Miller in that regard, Moore too but even just the first couple of pages of Batman Year one are a masterclass they're so dense. There's like 20 scenes per issue, a new scene every page and a half(ish) in Born Again or Year One. not like the four to five scenes per issue in most books it seems. Keep it up. Can't wait for more!
Thank you for listening! We did two episodes on Alien Legion (which we’re going to repost with visuals in the future!), but that series has the most story content of probably any mainstream comic book. There are Dark Horse omnibuses, if you’re interested. As I say in the episode, that series more than any other sharpened my writing style and ambitions. - Chris
Thank you so much for your kind words! Thrilled that you’re digging the show!
And your question is a very thought provoking one - I could not agree with you more about decompression in modern comic book storytelling - in general, it drives me insane! I think the lack of value in modern comics (due to lack of story density) is frankly criminal.
Plus, the wildly overpriced single issues and the scourge that is font lettering that has somehow become accepted as “the norm”… Oh, don’t get me started lol!
But, on a positive note, I agree with you about Frank Miller back in the day - for me, BATMAN: YEAR ONE is one of the most perfect comics ever made, full stop.
And Miller’s DAREDEVIL was extraordinary when it came to compressed, impactful storytelling.
For my money, Alan Moore is the best ever at giving a reader transcendent, deeply felt, jam-packed stories that are at least as good (or better) than any award-winning TV series - my favorites in his ouevre are SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING, FROM HELL, V FOR VENDETTA, and THE BIRTH CAUL. When Moore is at his best, I believe there’s no one better.
I also adore the mad genius of Baron and Rude’s NEXUS, as well as Grant Morrison’s THE INVISIBLES, although it oscillates between being hyper-compressed and somewhere inbetween - but I still love it for all its shambolic, sprawling messiness.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, and please do stay tuned - this topic of storytelling density in comics is one we’ll be returning to over and over again!
- Steven
OMG this image! I’m gonna need some machine-gun cat merch. Also, you guys got the flavor. More of all this please. 🍽
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
🗯 COMICS TRIVIA
(Hawkman flyby edition 🪶)
❓Which comic featured Hawkman’s very first* appearance?
*Scroll down if you want a hint!
(*HINT: It was not HAWKMAN #1. It’s a comic book published in January of 1940 and, at the time, he was called “The Hawkman”). …Got a guess?
I didn't know Hawk-Mans story was so deep. The intro has me thinking for the first time this is a must read comic books.... How is no one talking about this because the premise sounds like it would make for the most amazing long format movie (multiple sections of an hour or 2) and or high production t.v. show with a premise that could keep it interesting for many seasons... Or a series of movies concentrated on important events (centered around a major battle(s)) and the show would cover the story more broadly. A film following this version of of Hawk-Man, if done right, could be what it takes to make this character a mainstay, and I think it could, because as you introduced the premise I could see the show like it exists already... 4 ISSUES - I was thinking this was dozens of issues - it looks like an epic important and grand enough for a huge book!
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
Discovered pt 1 of this series in a dollar bin a couple years ago and fell in love with it.
Great series and your coverage of it was very interesting and insightful! Many thanks and subbed.
Wow, what an amazing dollar bin find! I love when that happens. So glad you enjoyed the episode! Thanks for subscribing and leaving such a nice comment!
- Steven
First