Comic books haven't been kids stuff for decades, but in the early 1980s the rise of the direct market model of comics distribution combined with social turmoil to inspire creators to explore darker, more relevant themes on the comic page. One prominent work from the early Modern Age of Comics is Howard Chaykin's American Flagg!, a scattershot futuristic satire where forcibly retired porn actor Reuben Flagg is drafted into the Plexus Rangers, a corporate police force that protects the residential megamalls of a blasted America from the vicious GoGangs that cycle through the detritus of civilization. When Flagg is shown that the Plex may not be the benevolent dictatorship it advertises itself as, he'll have to choose between defending the status quo and fighting to reinitiate the experiment that was the American Dream.
In this episode, we discuss Chaykin's oeuvre and his self-assured visual style, the enduring influence of the pulps on cyberpunk, the mature appeal of the indie comics market, making excuses for your utopia, reframing the political chaos of the '80s in fiction, the misinterpretation of satirical characters by audiences, wallowing in cultural acceleration, the drawbacks to political syncretism, satirizing political heterodoxy, and the limits of the effectiveness of ridiculousness. We also talk about baby edgelords, "Kal saying, 'I didn't like this'", too much Frank Miller talk, loving zip-a-tone, the sesame chicken of social commentary, cat thumbs, sexual copaganda, 3-minute gigolo, being haunted by Harlan Ellison, Nazi Democrats, spaghetti on every wall, "theme cop", relying on white men for representation, and TWO Birth of a Nation references?!
Because of continued success, we've failed!
8-Bit "Fortunate Son" composed by MartinGuinz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=zVOu7am2_qo
The new edition of Lyda's book, Ressurection Code, is out now!
https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-lyda-morehouse/resurrection-code/
Join Kaliban on Twitch weekdays at 12pm for the Cyber Lunch Hour!
http://twitch.tv/justenoughtrope
Put Just Enough Trope merch on your body!
http://justenoughtrope.threadless.com
MLOP is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord!
http://www.twitter.com/monalisaoverpod
http://www.justenoughtrope.com
http://www.instagram.com/monalisaoverpod
https://discord.gg/7E6wUayq
Buy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!
https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com