Howard Chaykin's American Flagg issue number 1

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[@YaleStewartArt]

Man, I've only ever really seen Chaykin's modern work and have never been terribly impressed, but THIS? Holy cow, this is INCREDIBLE. I can totally understand why he's spoken of so highly now.

[@davechu5367]

His design sense is still there in his modern work, but some of the writing can be hit or miss. Some of it is just about paying the bills too. The traps of mainstream comics work--it pays the bills but you have to compromise to even get it out there.

[@russworks2882]

Chaykin calls out the Demolished Man, which has a pertinence beyond the futuristic themes. Bester had written comics for DC in the Golden Age (and Chaykin did adapt The Stars My Destination as well, so there's an extended media connection.) But Bester also was a rare SF author who experimented with typography in his text; in the Demolished Man, representing telepathy he creates structures out of type that seem to be heavily influenced by contemporary Beat poetry. By the time he gets to Golem 100 (as much a horror novel as science fiction) he's not only doing quirky experiments with typography, but also using integrated drawing to represent a violent mental shift in characters' consciousness. The politics and social commentary are often in Chaykin's realm. And doesn't a Jewish Lesbian named "Yenta Calienta" sound like a Chaykin character?

[@CartoonistKayfabe]

Thank you. That's a great bit of info regarding Bester's typographical experimentation. - Jim

[@jimdietz784]

One of the great titles of my personal early 80s Golden Age! So glad you guys spotlighted it. I'd love to see Puma Blues or Zot get a similar treatment.

[@robertjacques6812]

Chaykin is always ahead of the curve. Was lucky to meet him at Chicago con a few years back and got some pages and a quick sketch. Great stories!

[@DavesVids29]

I’ve always been tempted to try this series when I see them in bargain bins. Definitely trying it out next time I come across some. Great breakdown, guys. 👍

[@DavesVids29]

arcaneguyver same! All these years I’ve been passing by this greatness!

[@rybread7818]

At 26:08: Several Famous "quick-draw" gunslingers would holster their guns butt forward. It's called a "cavalry" draw and was initially used for those on horseback. The gun was considered a secondary weapon after your sword, and if the sword fell, this type of holstering allowed easier access. The gun, of course, later became the primary weapon, but people still used it because many times it was more comfortable to sit with the butt of the gun facing this way. It also allowed a potentially faster draw as you simply had to rotate your wrist to have the gun pointing toward the target as opposed to having to raise it all the way.

[@paulbenincasa5724]

This was so over my head when I was 12. I had the first issue and Chaykin's last issue 26. I grabbed so many of those Capital and Eagle issues when they came out. Badger Nexus and Whisper were my jam

[@REd-hg1ir]

I'm sure it's been mentioned but the Gretchen Holstrum is a wink and nod to the fantastic Ms. Aunt Peg Anderson!!

[@signtist2918]

Best episode ....ever, do judge dredd next

[@walterreeves3679]

I got Flagg when it first came out. Between this and V for Vendetta I was ruined for mainstream comics.

[@geoffyuendesign]

Chaykin is the master of drawing black lingerie!

[@ridiculus2064]

And the master of knowing when not to draw it!

[@mikejeter5162]

Grew up on this...had very early sexual energy sparked by some of these panels. Was 11 years old

[@antoniomcmahon3499]

When I watch episodes of The Boys today, I've always wished for an American Flagg series. As a teen this was truly beyond its time! The art, the stories, the dialect...maaan!

[@ladyrose7793]

About Howard Chaykin drawing of the men, someone said he draws them similar to him. The arched eyebrows that he had and drew them as the same.

[@primabrachii]

'What you can't fix, you feature' - wisdom of the week

[@hcanderson3787]

Thanks for a great video, guys! Chaykin's been my obsession since 1986.

[@cjansenATL]

You should ask people to like subscribe. I can't believe this didn't get a like, it deserved it. (Nevermind. I got to the end.) I met Chaykin just around the start of American Flagg at a Miami comicbook convention. He was cool and patient with me-I was a totally jacked up enthused teenager at that time. This stuff just blew my mind. The incorporation of type, the dystopian corporate hyper advertised future... Prescient and amazing. Brian Bollland is brilliant. Those ads did hook me. He was doing Camelot 3000 (DC) at that time. Best. //c

[@funnypicturescomics]

Hey Kayfabe! I really enjoy all of your artist interviews...BUT MAN!!!!....I loved this particular interview from beginning to end! Chaykin's the real deal. He's such a fascinating person....A wealth of comic book history. Thank you so much for this interview.

[@darrenwashington9842]

MAN. I WISH. THEY CAN BRING BACK THIS CHARACTER INTO THE COMIC BOOKS. AGAIN. IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT OWNS AMERICAN FLAGG. I HAVE BEEN WRITING TO DYNAMITE COMICS TO BRING BACK AMERICAN FLAGG. ALMOST TWO MONTHS AGO. THANKS, GUYS.

[@danebarrett237]

Bruzenak was as important to the success of this book as Chaykin was. Wouldn't have been the same with any other letterer.

[@richardhuppertz3487]

This showed up in my first year of college. Absolutely loved it.

[@Danny_Hynes]

Re: Ed's question about subliminal messaging: I think you'd enjoy the documentary "A Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis (2002). Pretty sure it's on youtube. It covers the birth of modern advertising and how it takes advantage of modern psychology. I'm not sure what the connection is to 80s culture and comic artists, but it's a great history of the idea of it...and it's long. Good inking fodder. And thanks for this one! Just grabbed 1-12 and a Alan Moore's run out of the dollar boxes at my local.

[@uranuslad9855]

Chaykin's punning throughout was also awesome. The PLexmall brothel was called "Love Canal", for example.

[@jonathansoko1085]

Not into this genre of funny book, but man theres somethin special about it.

[@JamesDAmadan]

Valentino was doing normalman at this time. It was a bit of a shock when he started doing straight serious superheroes for Marvel before helping found Image.

[@Untitled_Coffee_Art]

power shoulders, power boots (that's one hell of a heel)

[@Ayy_Minus]

Great stuff as always! Keep it coming!

[@_fig.8]

flagg is beyond prescient! the first year is cinematic. so good to listen in on a discussion of such a bold title

[@ianrice5650]

The helicopter lettering on first issue page 13 is amazing

[@paulsnyc]

Hey guys, Loved this series when it came out. Bought every issue I could get my hands on. Most of the time it was for his art and page layout, without reading, his art was always action to me. About the subliminal messaging, I remember something of that nature in movie houses during the 60s to late 70s during the movie to buy popcorn candy soda banned by 80s I believe ... Great Episode Great Channel

[@Freakaboogie]

Madame Gretchen Holstrom seems to be modeled on Juliet Anderson

[@johnbutler5650]

I bought the trade collection of these first issues collected in a “magazine “ sized GN. I was in high school and was perusing the offerings at the Butler’s Books at the mall ( in the “Big City “. I’m from a tiny little town ) while on a trip to a marching band competition ( was a SUPER geek in high school ). I still have it ( I think ) it is wrecked though! Totally read the shit out of that book! Great video!

[@andrewmoreton3472]

Worth noting that the sound fx on page 8 are a homage to Surfin' Bird by the Trashman - Papapapapa Ooooo Mow Mow

[@ridiculus2064]

Regarding the famous grid which is often mentioned when people talk about the most influential pages in the history of American comics, I think (and this is just my assumption) that Chaykin was inspired by the 'Silvermind' page from Simonson's Star Slammers. He used it in a different way and for a different purpose - the mini-panels on that Slammers page were designed to represent the same time frame, not a chronological sequence of events - but there is a conceptual and graphical similarity there. Chaykin and Simonson were studiomates at the time, and Star Slammers was published in early 1983, several months before American Flagg came out. I don't believe it was just a coincidence. By the way, your channel is GREAT!

[@Susie_Floozie]

I got to read AMERICAN FLAGG issue by issue as it came out, and it blew my shit away! The look of the art was unlike any comic I'd ever seen, and as a young comics letterer, I thought Ken Bruzenak's futuristic lettering styles were breathtaking. I especially dug Chaykin's cheeky insider bits...like the "local madam" was based on a real-life porn actress who went by "Aunt Peg."

[@muthamucka8119]

There ARE other people that bought this comic back in the day! I thought I was the only one..!

[@cookiemadison8529]

In the late 70s there was a book called Subliminal Seduction by a guy named Wilson Brian Key who was some kind of media studies expert. And although using subliminal messaging had been around for a while at that point (in the book he points out stuff that was happening in the 50s) the book was a really big mainstream success, that everybody was reading at the time---probably including Chaykin.

[@numberrunner3133]

This premise reminds me of Ales Kot & Tradd Moore's "The New World".

[@JamesDAmadan]

On the boots, they were meant to be next to glam fashion, not punk fashion. I may need to grab my copy of the first Flagg! arc to look closely at his fashion.

[@alfredeichholtz7456]

Just a quick Heritage auctions link to the first page of American Flagg #1, where you can see how the Bruzenak lettering looks now! comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/howard-chaykin-american-flagg-1-story-page-1-original-art-first-comics-1983-/a/7177-93471.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515#

[@reepacheirpfirewalker8629]

Do you guys remember a comic group created by the classic artists and writers around the time of Image taking a market from Marvel and DC, this other one was for the more aged kind of artists and such, they had Gil Kane and Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin had a comic called Hope and Glory. The hero from it was anything but a hero. And the whole comic industry was such an amazing comic but when I talk to others about it, they don't even understand what I'm talking about.

[@seanstewart302]

Are you thinking of Legend? It consisted of Byrne, Miller, Mignola, and Art Adams.