What is DC Comics’ most BRUTAL GANGSTER noir dystopian scifi comic book of all time, you ask?

Comics Rot Your Brain!

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.
CRYB! is a deep dive into ‘80s comics (plus a few notable exceptions) in a weekly podcast format.
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
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1. What is DC Comics’ most BRUTAL GANGSTER noir dystopian scifi comic book of all time, you ask? (00:00:00)

2. Quick Recap of SKREEMER (00:01:47)

3. Set in a world like Robocop but pushed a little farther (00:01:57)

4. the world of SKREEMER — somewhere between James Joyce’s FINNEGAN’S WAKE and Stanley Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (00:02:16)

5. Aesthetics of Skreemer; James Joyce mashed up with a gangster story (00:03:41)

6. Summary of the miniseries (00:12:00)

7. Celebrating the ahead of its time design of the logo and covers for SKREEMER. These are “pop comics”. (00:12:08)

8. Production Design of the Book (00:12:27)

9. An attempt to summarize the overarching narrative of SKREEMER (00:13:56)

10. Discussing Issue One (00:15:00)

11. Pete Milligan's main concerns as a writer (00:28:00)

12. Why you ought to buy the original floppies of SKREEMER (almost no ads!) (00:37:47)

13. The groundbreakingly transgressive nature of SKREEMER (00:40:10)

14. Discussing Issue Two - Dense, substantial storytelling in SKREEMER — a mark of the days before “decompressed stories” (00:40:41)

15. The poetry of Pete Milligan. Purple prose or evocative writing? (00:53:47)

16. Exploring the racial and sexual politics of SKREEMER (01:01:17)

17. 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 (01:20:00)

18. The extraordinary, nuanced, and sophisticated coloring choices of Tom Ziuko (01:22:44)

19. Discussing Issue Three (01:30:53)

20. Discussing Issue Four (01:35:03)

21. The modern day relevance of Vito’s evil masterplan (01:40:19)

22. Discussing Issue Five (01:44:55)

23. Spoiler warning for Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s PLANETARY (Skip ahead 30 seconds if you haven’t read it!) (01:50:29)

24. Further discussion of the depiction of women and people of color in SKREEMER (01:52:37)

25. EC Comics’ “Judgement Day!” by Ray Bradbury, Al Feldstein, and Joe Orlando (01:57:02)

26. Discussing Issue Six (02:00:00)

27. Final Thoughts (02:07:00)

28. Final thoughts on the wildly ambitious  SKREEMER — its place in the ‘80s comics canon and why it matters (02:16:58)

29. Grant Morrison and his love for the writings of Pete Milligan, specifically Vertigo’s ENIGMA (02:25:50)