Chris and Steven swoop in to the Downside of Thanagar 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?

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comic books (plus a few notable exceptions) in a weekly podcast format. Screenwriters Chris Derrick (STAR TREK: PICARD) & Steven Bagatourian (AMERICAN GUN) discuss their favorite books, runs, and creators from the Bronze Age.


SHOW NOTES:

00:36 - Introduction to HAWKWORLD

6:30 - 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 Schonefeld

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 SHERRIFF OF BABYLON, BATMAN

1:54:19 - COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! exists for this reason

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