Chris and Steven descend into the futuristic cesspool of gangsterism and “a little of the old ultraviolence” that is SKREEMER (DC Comics, 1989), a noir-styled postapocalyptic science fiction comic that makes A CLOCKWORK ORANGE look G-rated*. An explosive precursor to Vertigo Comics, this series was created by Peter Milligan, Brett Ewins, and Steve Dillion.

* Please Note: Our YT video imagery displays comparatively tame examples of SKREEMER art in order to respect YT guidelines concerning violence and graphic content.

COMICS ROT YOUR BRAIN! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (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

02:16 - A brief introduction to the world of SKREEMER — somewhere between James Joyce’s FINNEGAN’S WAKE and Stanley Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

12:08 - Celebrating the ahead of its time design of the logo and covers for SKREEMER. These are “pop comics.”

13:56 - An attempt to summarize the overarching narrative of SKREEMER

37:47 - Why you ought to buy the original floppies of SKREEMER (almost no ads!)

40:10 - The groundbreakingly transgressive nature of SKREEMER

40:42 - Dense, substantial storytelling in SKREEMER — a mark of the days before “decompressed stories”

53:47 - The poetry of Pete Milligan. Purple prose or evocative writing?

1:01:17 - Exploring the racial and sexual politics of SKREEMER

1:20:43 - The art of Brett Ewins and Steve Dillon on SKREEMER vs. Steve Dillon’s art on PREACHER; also, a discussion of Dillon’s early UK work for 2000 AD and DEADLINE magazine

1:22:44 - The extraordinary, nuanced, and sophisticated coloring choices of Tom Ziuko

1:40:19 - The modern day relevance of Vito’s evil masterplan

1:50:29 - Spoiler warning for Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s PLANETARY (skip ahead 30 seconds if you haven’t read it!)

1:52:37 - Further discussion of the depiction of women and people of color in SKREEMER

1:57:02 - EC Comics’ “Judgement Day!” by Ray Bradbury, Al Feldstein, and Joe Orlando

2:16:58 - Final thoughts on the wildly ambitious SKREEMER — its place in the ‘80s comics canon and why it matters

2:25:50 - Grant Morrison and his love for the writings of Pete Milligan, specifically Vertigo’s ENIGMA


+ Visit https://www.ComicsRotYourBrain.com to get a look at some of the fantastic art discussed in our episodes and to sign up for our newsletter, Letter Column. You can also find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts.

+ We appreciate your support of the show via Patreon:   / comicsrotyourbrain  

+ For even more cool shit, read Chris's Substack (cinema, comics, and culture) - THIN ICE: https://christopherderrick.substack.com/




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