American Flagg! : Designing Nihilism

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

I spoke with Chaykin about the appearance of his male protagonists on Facebook recently; I joked that they seem to be a self-portrait. He denied that he is that good looking and said that the way he looks at it is that this is his lead actor. He didn't use this example, but it's like Kyle McLachlan serving as the lead in Dune, Blue Velvet, and Twin Peaks.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Cool beans! I never thought of it in that manner. That's a very interesting perspective I must admit. Thanks for passing that along.

[@NelsonStJames]

After Chaykin did, The Shadow, I realized that Chaykin does indeed have a character that he used the same way that an actor will take on a role. It's actually pretty cool.

[@jackanaples]

Spot on. The “Chaykin Hero” is modeled after a combination of three actors: Henry Fonda, William Holden, and James Garner. What’s interesting is that even though the “actor” looks much the same from book to book, his body language and behavior mark him as a different character.

[@johndurhsm111]

Talk about being able to predict the future. The only question is will it take ten years to reach this level.

[@badfinger524]

After reading American Flagg, it was difficult for me to go back to conventional comics. I loved that book. It was the epitome of what comics could be. I remember reading Nexus, the Warrior comic that had all those early Alan Moore stories, Dreadstar, lots of great stuff around that time. Thanks for the video.

[@WarholSuperstar]

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the effort that you put into your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much! And thanks for watching. I will continue to do my best.

[@KonSimpl72]

When compared to most other 'reviewers' out there in youtube wasteland, you are Comics Journal-level. Keep up the brilliant work.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Those are some kind words. Thank you. I'm not sure I meet the standard set by the Comics Journal, but I do try to bring something worthwhile to the discussion. Or, at the very least, honour the material being discussed by being reasonably accurate with facts and such.

[@JoshuaOfGrandRapids]

Just completed my American Flagg collection

[@unrulysimian3897]

Joshua of Grand Rapids - me too!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

It's like I knew and made this just for you.

[@jamesalexhowlett]

I feel like American Flagg could do well as a show on something like amazon prime.

[@philip2010]

I think American Flagg is pretty awesome it's actually very imaginative and quite complicated you really have to concentrate when your reading it I like futuristic or post apocalyptic stories I'm a big fan of total recall and blade runner and other stories that are simular if someone really wanted American Flagg could be reserected?

[@CaseyLau]

that shot of FLAGG! in between Watchmen and TDKR is where it should be whenever one of the others is mentioned. Another great video. I would love to see your eye on Nexus, Mage and Dreadstar next.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you! I did do a quick review/mention of Nexus in the video about the history of First Comics. There is also a video about Mage (Discovered and Defined) that is available. A script for a video that includes the entire trilogy is being polished off and will likely get done soonish. I did have a Dreadstar video up at one point. It covered it's early days from Metamorphosis Odyssey through Dreadstar but, again, I took it down to do a better job of it. So, most of your request was either done or is currently available!

[@CaseyLau]

Strange Brain Parts oh I must have missed them then - great that I can watch them now.

[@chuckgibson3973]

11:27 I was told that all of these characters were idealized versions of Chaykin himself. I understand he used to even attend conventions and signings dressed in outfits that had been featured on Ruben Flagg in the comic itself.

[@kali3665]

I remember reading somewhere that Howard Chaykin never really wrote for heroes. His characters intentionally never came across as heroic, even if the supporting figures within the series saw the character that way. American Flagg! was just so odd because of this. I'm not sure I ever really got into the character, but it was always entertaining. And the same went for his 3-part Twilight series for DC where he took most of DC's space characters like Tommy Tomorrow and the Star Rovers and turned them into utter shyts. The most honorable and respectable character in the series is a robot who comes to a very bad end. Interesting reading, but odd for someone not used to his style. Definitely not for younger readers.

[@ctbinary42]

I became a fan of Chaykin during his run on the Shadow. I never went back to read his earlier work but I'm going to search this out now. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You always cover the forgotten and ignored corners of the comic book industry where my favorites reside

[@grahamcarpenter5135]

Maybe all of Chaykin's male protagonists look/act the same because it's the same guy and he is reanimated in a new universe every time he dies. Reuben Flagg and Cody Starbuck are just two versions of the same guy being reincarnated a countless number of times.

[@dashfatbastard]

American Flagg! was the book that finally and for all blasted my mind free from my bicameral view of the comic industry.

[@jakepalermo9181]

I did stuff on First Comics (gutternaut.net/2018/11/oldies-but-goodies-first-comics-legacy/) before it became a comic news site; it's hard to believe where the creators and series ended up. This series ended up in Dynamite while only one of the original series (Badger) is in First Comics' owner Devil's Due.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

This would make a great tv show! 🐯🐯🐯🐯

[@blaisebienvenue5117]

I love this comic, and have since # 6 was published. I've found it not only holds up, but gets better with age. Great analysis. Clearly, a lot of work went into this video.

[@wouldyoukindly4978]

Thanks for this! AF was one of the first comics I ever bought...about 35 years ago at the local comic book shop.

[@michaelhunt1053]

Very enjoyable and informative. Would love to see you take on Cerebus, Alec, Starstruck, Puma Blues, Strangehaven, Strangers In Paradise, and Groo The Wanderer.

[@zainmudassir2964]

United States of Dystopia is Chaykin's most nihilistic work. Seeing him arguing with his detractors over politics in the newsletter section is kind of hilarious

[@johnquattrociocchi2639]

I recently found a stash of these comics in the discount bin at my local comic shop. I’ve heard of the series, but never read it. After seeing this video I’m eager to read the stories.

[@unrulysimian3897]

Thank you. Flagg was as important to me as any comic of the decade. It was pretty much unlike anything I’d read up to that point. Another excellent overview.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you, sir. Unfortunately it's a series/topic that's highly unrepresented on these here KZbins and it's long past time I finally did something specifically focused on it.

[@sirrom5155]

this video complements the quality of the work it critiques.

[@jiivannelson4774]

I love that you did this. Please keep it up with the independent stuff from the 80,s I can't get enough. Also some ideas I'd like to shoot your way, the weird world of TMNT inspired comics ? The world's of Matt Howarth ? Doc Stearn Mr Monster ? Ill shut up now,keep up the great work.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Those are all great suggestions. It's been a while since I've read Those Annoying Post Bros, so that's something I should dig up and see what can be seen. Otherwise, yeah...independent comics from the 80's is a pretty rich field.

[@SeriousRereader]

These reviews are always the highest quality.

[@murtazabasrawi4532]

When I first sterted watching your videos, I hated the sound in the intro. It almost gave me headaches. But now, I love it. Because when I hear it, I know that I'm about to watch some good content!

[@ucmooreart]

just picked it up the collection to learn from it's compositional choices. Thanks for the breakdown.

[@gvanbooven]

Great recap. I loved reading this series in one gulp in the late 80s. Thanks for revisiting it.

[@moeezS]

This sounds amazing, I have got to get it. Your comic reviews are simply the best, I love all the political, subtextual, and metatextual commentary! Thank you

[@StrangeBrainParts]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching. :)

[@lillycrecelius985]

Well thought out video, you have way too much time on your hands. Great job, look forward to more!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you! And your observation is 102% accurate. :)

[@griffinwetzel3059]

i just wanna say that you make best comic book content on youtube by far & i’m so grateful for this channel as someone getting into comics

[@baskogitlog7276]

thanks for this. you earned a new subscriber

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thanks! Welcome aboard. I hope you find future video equally interesting.

[@edward2962]

Awesome vid! Yeah, for some reason American Flagg often gets overlooked in discussions about groundbreaking comics of the 80's. But it definitely influenced other creators of that era.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

They should make a movie and or shows of this

[@NelsonStJames]

There is a way to insert ideology/politics into art that does not come across as didactic. American Flagg was a very good example of this. Also props to making a reference to Ender's Game without feeling the need to mention anything insignificant to the conversation about the author.

[@alexiuspereira8672]

Thank you for this visual essay.

[@Filmation77]

Amerikan Flagg was so ahead of it's time, especially in the mid 1980s I could see Jon Hamm being Ruben Flagg

[@adinocc2042]

Excellent! Thank you!!

[@Skipntosh]

Another incredible video. I need to get back to reading American Flagg.

[@Someguywithalotoftism]

So this story is basically just... Now

[@AdahnFlorence]

Man I finished American Flagg! Way back when and very recently read his Challenger's of the unknown mini-series and I think I'm at a point where I can safely say I might dislike Howard Chaykin's work. He has a knack for setting up visually striking page and panel layouts and I'll just say I do straight up just like his art, but as far as stories go I feel like there's nothing in these that quite appeals to me. They can feel borderline headache inducing and difficult to follow which also has the consequence of making it hard to get invested in the plot, but even there I feel like there's not much for me to care about. Of course it's also possible for me to chock up a number of these problems to my personal intelligence and ability to follow what I'm reading.

[@AdahnFlorence]

Very, very important question. I was initially saving up money to try picking up a relatively cheap Miracleman Omnibus, but discovered a place that's selling a cheaper copy of both volume 1 and 2 of American Flagg's Omnibus. In your opinion, if you had the money to get one and would hypothetical have to wait a period of weeks to afford to get the other, which would you choose?

[@StrangeBrainParts]

In my opinion, Miracleman is going to be easy to find at just about any future date. The same can't be said about American Flagg! So, I would go with Flagg knowing that Miracleman will be just as inexpensive and easy to find at a later time.

[@AdahnFlorence]

@@StrangeBrainParts good point!

[@Kuikkamies]

Ender's game wasn't a criticism of video games teaching children to war. The novel version is a repurposed to function as a prequel to the Speaker for the Dead. It's main motifs are relationships between people, especially between adults and children. This is shown in how compassion and ruthlessness both are exploited by the staff of Battle School, as well as how Ender himself has to take his leader role at a very young age. Ender and Peter are the two opposites in this, juxtaposing their ends and actions through their true nature. It would be overstatement and a gross oversimplification to say Card criticised games over utilising them as a tool to explore Ender and other themes. Despite the games function as a way to separate Ender from every other being, even the Buggers, through the book, in the end it is also these same games that bring Ender together with the people he cares for the most. Especially with the Buggers, which managed to create a link to Ender as he was playing the virtual reality game. As much as the Battle School is using different kind of games, both digital and real, to train their students, it is also used as the tool to bridge gaps between people and even species. This, however, is more an extension of all kind of games, not just modern electronic video and computer games.

[@jacob_ian_decoursey_the_author]

Damn. I need to pick this up!

[@ShinoSarna]

Great video.

[@hcanderson3787]

Excellent work. Thank you.

[@dfcsons]

I'm not a fan of Chaykin but I am of every new Strange Brain Parts video.

[@jaredgarcia8638]

To me his main character looks like Bruce Campbell

[@juggaloclownpreacher]

Hey man do you know where I can find martial law comics because being an a veteran of the military forces after being Hoodwinked into fighting a war for no reason I feel that that Comics speaks to me and my disillusionment with my government.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Marshal Law can probably be found on eBay. I do believe it's digitally available, too. There are recent collections that reprint the series. So, your LCS might have a few TPB's hanging around that collect the series.

[@juggaloclownpreacher]

@@StrangeBrainParts thanks man.

[@SchizoMelody]

Finally taking my suggestion from 2 years ago lol

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

Creation is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. Suggesting names is the easy part.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Well, I'm meticulous. Heh.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Pooptube un-subbed me from your outstanding channel again. Of course re-subbed. Love hearing about speaking about Howard C..Been listening to a three hour interview with him on Cartoonist Kayfabe. Another Pooptube channel. Great.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Yup, @CartoonistKayfabe are pretty great. I listened to that video on the weekend just before I finished editing this one.

[@lakshaykochhar6799]

Not gonna lie, I agree with views, he presented in this video.

[@rodchanas461]

Interestingly several of the female characters are clearly based on ‘70’s and ‘80’s porn stars.

[@komickid833]

Is it wrong that I miss the thanks for watching Until next time

[@Bunbunfunfun]

Oool

[@ericw8478]

Since it takes place in 2020 you should do a feature about Don McGregor & Paul Gulacy's Sabre graphic novel.