Відео

Sadly, I think there’s a lot of truth to that. But thank God for comics! - Steven

@@rammisalami Totally agree!! Thank you for the awesome comment. Nino really is the MOST underrated; I truly cannot think of anyone else this phenomenal who people talk about so little. - Steven

@ no, thank you for sharing the greatness!!!

Haha- we’re talking about it now! Decades later! I’m thrilled to hear such an obscure comic made it to a library in Brazil! It is a strange story one that deserves more recognition - Chris

@@Jp3402 This comment totally made my day. Thank you. Life is amazing. - Steven

I mean… we MIGHT be breaking into your spot and flipping through your comics! LOL - I liked the Caliber stories too! - Chris

@@RarebitFiends Haha, thank you kindly for the hilarious compliment, Rarebit! We do appreciate how you also have such exquisite taste in eccentric comic book gems. And that’s why we all find ourselves gathered here in Ye Olde CRYB Tavern… where only the weirdest and greatest of ‘80s comics are served cold! - Steven

@@AlexDerrick_DP That’s what we’re here for, haha - to make sure that everyone remembers the greatest and weirdest ‘80s comics! 😊 - Steven

There was an interesting revival/fascination with German Expressionism in early 80s. I feel it had to do with Giorgio Moroder re-scoring Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with electronic music and re-releasing the film and associated aesthetic to the then-modern audience. Tim Burton capitalized on this resurgence, owing his whole aesthetic to Cabinet of Caligari and its peers. - Chris

@@rgb Ooh, that’s super interesting regarding the character in CALIGARI being a possible inspiration for Mister X. I did not know that, but from what you describe, it sounds very likely! - Steven

Awesome! So happy to hear that you ordered the book. You won’t be disappointed! And yeah, Nino really is a living legend… One of the greats! - Steven

Ummm… Thank you for commenting! - Steven

Good Yancy Street reference - Chris

Ohhhhhh! That was a “Clobberin’ Time” reference?! Lol, thank you for translating, Chris! - Steven

Thank you so much! Appreciate the kind words. And yeah, this book was so under the radar, it’s insane… especially when you see how amazing it looks! - Steven

There’s always eBay or a con - Chris

I know, right?! I just can’t believe that Nino hasn’t gotten more love over the years - glad you’re digging his stuff! - Steven

There’s definitely a Frazetta Fire & Ice vibe to this art. - Chris

Awesome news - I cannot wait to see it! Ablaze is a terrific publisher, too! - Steven

Wait, what ?!? - Chris

Holy shit i thought Alex was dead!

@ He’s very much alive! 84 years young! - Steven

@@SuperSonicBaroque Given how jaw droppingly accomplished Nino’s work is, it’s clear that racism absolutely figures in to why we haven’t seen more of his work break through into the mainstream. - Steven

@@kylecarter1599 Yeah, I spoke in great detail about the influx of Filipino artists into the U.S. market in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if you listen to the video; you’re missing the point about how racism would affect the visibility of Nino’s work and the types of jobs available to him, not whether he was working at all. - Steven

There was a big push during this time for foreign artists at that time. Filipinos being one source, and Britain being another

Being an artist of color limits the opportunities one is afforded in major commercial operations, especially in the 70s and 80s, but also the last 30 years. Comics isn’t known for being inclusive, none of the commercial forms of entertainment are/have been. - Chris

I get using short cuts for commercial work, yet his work pre-American Flagg has some different aesthetics. Hopefully, we'll get to American Flagg and can dive deep into it! -- Chris

We appreciate you (and every listener) for finding the joy in our comics revisits. Zot! Is a fantastic work that deserves more attention, especially today - Chris

@@byronschexnayder875 Thank you so much, Byron! It makes me beyond happy to know this episode was appealing to you, even though you were not already a ZOT! fan. That’s our mission - spreading the gospel of ‘80s comics to all! And don’t worry, we have a LOT more ‘80s gems we’ll be waxing rhapsodic about in 2025! - Steven

Haha, you’re a simple guy with simply excellent taste! - Steven

I feel you! It’s too infectious - Chris

Absolutely - great examples! The very best filmmakers (and storytellers in general) recognize how critical their teams are. - Steven

Carpenter is a great example! - Chris

That is a phenomenal project to take on! I adore ASTRO CITY. Busiek really is one of the best American comic book writers ever, and somehow, he still feels seriously underrated to me! - Steven

I’ve wanted to do that for a while now. Especially since those HCs came out recently. - Chris

Haha, thank you! There’s never enough ZOT! content. - Steven

2600 had so many dope games!!! - Chris

@@byronschexnayder875 Donkey Kong was far too difficult for me as a kid, but I still loved it lol! - Steven

Agreed! Truman’s whole ouevre REALLY ought to be talked about way more. A true American original - one of our greatest comic book artists! - Steven

The dollar bins are incredible resources for the unsung works - Chris

Hey, so glad that we were able to keep you company on that long drive, and I’m super gratified that you enjoyed hearing such an in-depth discussion of ZOT! This is actually part of our mission with CRYB! …to have these types of lengthy, freewheeling discussions about comics that were once so beloved and are just not discussed much in modern times; we believe so many of these ‘80s comics are terrific, serious-minded works that deserve to be reckoned with and remembered… in detail! Thank you for sharing that bit of inside info regarding the 4th wall-breaking moment with the the door at the edge of the universe - that’s fascinating! Good to know we were picking up on something that actually was going on there, and thank God that Kurt Busiek won that argument behind the scenes! I completely agree with him that it would’ve been a grievous error, storytelling-wise, to have Zot break the 4th wall at that moment. All of that points to the critical influence of having Busiek on board as a story consultant, which makes me even happier that we made such a big deal out of that in the episode, haha. But again, good on McCloud for having the wisdom to seek (and accept) that kind of creative counsel. I wish more brilliant storytellers could integrate that level of humility into their process. Awesome catch on what the “PR person” said being a call-back to the very first page of the series! Haha, so Zot is kinda calling McCloud his “publicist” which I suppose is also a bit 4th wall breaky, but clearly not in so distracting of a way… Man, layers upon layers contained within ZOT! And yes, we will definitely follow up with an episode (or two) on the B & W run - I’m eager to read it again and discuss it all with Chris. Thanks so much for your awesome comment! Hope you stick around and enjoy some of our other episodes… We have quite the back catalogue and it’s growing on a regular basis! - Steven

Hey - thanks for listening. There’s been some requests for the B&W issues so we’ll have to get to them. But not over 3 different recording sessions like this one! - Chris

I think Chaykin did Monark before Star Wars came out (1976 as opposed to 1977), long before Dreadstar, too, and he created Dominic Fortune (around the same time, maybe a year later), so more like a lot of creators were inspired by this (himself included)! 😂 Almost every commercial scifi borrows from Trek and the Time Lord (although, I don’t know what the Dr Who US penetration rate was pre-1976). Scifi mishmash is why we love it! Star Wars is Hidden Fortress mixed with a Jodorowsky comic (Meta Barons?)🤯😂 Thanks for listening - Chris

…And speaking of DREADSTAR… …For those of you who love Jim Starlin’s hooded, bearded, mystical sword-wielding badass… …Stay tuned to CRYB! in 2025! - Steven

We did do Atari Force ua-cam.com/video/8VisWqXepsc/v-deo.html - Chris

ATARI FORCE forever!!! - Steven

@@ComicsRotYourBrain Perhaps Baron and Rude's Nexus!

@@keomgranger695 Already did that, too! Our most popular video: ua-cam.com/video/ejUesSVn5Og/v-deo.htmlsi=pJ4fCqVm5gmLsu7m

It’s SUPER efficient! Thanks for listening - Chris

Agreed! The clarity and design choices of Chaykin’s storytelling here are phenomenal. - Steven

It’s possible that Scott undervalued Zot! because he created it so young and it was his first published work. Agree with you 💯 re: his skill at injecting freshness into tropes. Ive yet to read the final 6 or 7 so I’m curious to see the context of the line from Issue 33. Thanks for listening and your comments - Chris

@@bluedotdinosaur Yes, I also agree - very well said! I think it’s criminal and crazy how little ZOT! is talked about. It’s an extraordinarily accomplished comic book that works on so many levels, as we gushed over in the episode. I think that McCloud’s later work on UNDERSTANDING COMICS had such a massive impact that it overshadowed what would have otherwise (justifiably) been his signature piece (ZOT!). It was ahead of its time in so many ways. - Steven

Oh yeah!! I had completely forgotten about that! I need to check out that run. - Steven

I’ll need to read that run, but I’d like to see him do more original work. He seems like he’d be too hemmed in by the chains of an icon character. - Chris

I need to read The Sculptor, it sounds fascinating - Chris

That’s really interesting and yeah, it totally makes sense. Having a hyper-formalist approach like that is super impressive for the end-user but I imagine it must have been exhausting and so time intensive for McCloud. - Steven

It sure is!

We couldn’t believe it was over 5 hours! But it is what it is! Well definitely revisit Zot! in 2025. I was sad when we got to the end of the first story arc. - Chris

Haha, doing almost six hours was definitely not the plan! And yeah, I agree, I really want to look at the black & white issues again now, too. Stay tuned! - Steven

I might have a sketch by him in an old SDCC sketchbook. - Chris

@@fad23 Sadly, I have never met Scott McCloud. - Steven

​@ComicsRotYourBrain Sadly my two books of autographs/sketches from that period have been lost

😪☹️

Awesome, thanks! Yeah, it is an AMAZING comic. - Steven

I’m thrilled it’s your favorite comic, and I hope you enjoy the discussion - Chris

@@fad23 Thank you, yeah, we did learn that. JOHNNY NEMO was such a cool looking character! Probably my favorite art from Ewins. - Steven

@@fad23 Yes, the Eagle Awards were a British comic award, but sadly, they are no longer active. - Steven

@@fad23 Oh, that’s good to know, thank you! And you’re very lucky to have found a copy of the collection. Yeah, I assume it must be long out of print... which is a crime! - Steven

@@fad23 STRANGE DAYS was a glorious comic. I adore Brendan McCarthy’s art from that era. PARADAX! and FREAKWAVE are both truly visually staggering. Amazing work. - Steven

@@fad23 Yes, ENIGMA is definitely on our list. Stay tuned… We will get to it in 2025! - Steven

We had NO IDEA how good we had it until we look back … and damn near cry - Chris

Agreeeeeeeeed! 😫 - Steven

@@MichaelDaFonte Thank you so much for the kind words - very happy to hear all of it! And we love doing the show, so more to come! - Steven

Hey @michaelDaFonte thank you for being you! And thank you for listening, more episodes are on their way - Chris

💯 with Atari Force there wasn’t any kind of source material (like GI Joe or Star Wars or Transformers); it was whole cloth from Gerry Conway’s imagination. I can’t recall if Mirconauts was a toy line before comic. - Chris

@ Micronauts was a Japanese toy imported to America. For whatever reason Japanese toys of that era had little to no back story and the American sellers felt the need to create backstory.

Thanks for tuning in! I know that Ghost Rider cover, from the early 90s when Marvel & DC had those marketing gimmick covers. - Chris

@@Jeffrey_zeta Thanks for the fast subscription and for the kind words about our channel’s name - we dig it, too! :) - Steven

@@ComicsRotYourBrain I think the biggest fail was post the death of Superman with all those “collectors covers” they swore were an investment XD

@@Jeffrey_zeta Yeah, for sure, those covers were pretty terrible. - Steven

Thank you for the kind words, Rarebit! Yeah, Chris and I are both juggling multiple deadlines in our working lives so it can be challenging to find the time to record together on some weeks. We figured rather than skipping a week or two, it would be better to knock out these solo episodes from time to time. Glad you enjoyed it! And yeah, our unreasonable passion for comics is the reason CRYB! exists. :) Thanks for the great comment, as always! - Steven

Yes, rest in peace, for sure. A phenomenal artist. I found his work to be frequently beautiful and iconic. Luminous, even (which is fitting with the name “Lightle”). It’s puzzling to me that he doesn’t get more love. - Steven