Two years of doing video essays under the Chaos Ensues banner. Doing these video essays gave me back my love of comics. In this video, I’m taking a look back at the very first comics video essay I released.
I haven’t watched this video since I uploaded it five years ago. Kind of forgot it even existed.I’ve talked about Golden Age Wonder Woman comics on here but I’ve enjoyed the Silver Age era of The Flash as well.
The process: I went through the video, reworded it but kept it mostly similar, gave it a facelift. People will get to see the final product.
Thanks for jumping on the Chaos Ensues spaceship these past two years, folks! Up next…intergalactic domination…
TIME CODES: -0:00–5 Years Later -0:30—I’m a reaction channel now -2:46—The remake -5:03–2 Years of Chaos
#dccomics
Transcript and stuff:
The Justice League cartoon was my first introduction to The Flash, whose mantle was worn by Wally West. Wally has gone through a lot of changes since his first appearance in Flash #110 from 1959. So in that issue, Wally West shows up in a backup story where he visits his Aunt Iris and finds out that his hero The Flash is Iris’s boyfriend, Barry Allen. Barry being the upstanding guy he is, gives Wally a tour of his lab.
A lightning bolt strikes through a window, hits a wall of chemicals and Wally gets doused. Instead of taking this poor kid to the hospital, The Flash gives him a costume and turns him into a sidekick. Responsible.Kid Flash’s first costume isn't the yellow one that you remember. For about 25 or so issues, Wally West ran around in that red costume.
So where did that iconic yellow costume come from? The first appearance of the new costume was in The Flash #135 from March 1963. The issue is written by John Broome, drawn by Carmine Infantino. Issue #135 or “Secret of the Three Super Weapons” starts off with Kid Flash running around. He gets a warning that his planet is the target of an extraterrestrial war. He bumps into this girl who appears out of nowhere and tells him, “Hey, this species called, like, the Makryds or something is showing up and they're going to destroy Earth. You need to stop it”.
So Kid Flash goes around, he looks for Barry. When he runs into this science facility, The Flash is inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons that just showed up out of nowhere. As Kid Flash is running towards him, a lightning bolt zaps through Flash and hits Wally. Suddenly he goes from that red Flash imitation costume to that yellow and red costume we know.
The logic for this that while Barry was inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons, he was also thinking of a redesign of the Flash’s costume. So that lightning bolt that came out of his chest was kind of like a manifestation of what was going on in his head.
There are some details they add to it. Since Wally's a redhead and that was really distinctive, the way he would disguise himself in future issues is by, like spray painting his hair brown. Clearly they did not think that was worth keeping around. So that's it. Thought this would be a fun comic to talk about. Thanks for watching. Chaos ensues.
Two years of doing video essays under the Chaos Ensues banner. Doing these video essays gave me back my love of comics. In this video, I’m taking a look back at the very first comics video essay I released.
I haven’t watched this video since I uploaded it five years ago. Kind of forgot it even existed.I’ve talked about Golden Age Wonder Woman comics on here but I’ve enjoyed the Silver Age era of The Flash as well.
The process: I went through the video, reworded it but kept it mostly similar, gave it a facelift. People will get to see the final product.
Thanks for jumping on the Chaos Ensues spaceship these past two years, folks! Up next…intergalactic domination…
TIME CODES: -0:00–5 Years Later -0:30—I’m a reaction channel now -2:46—The remake -5:03–2 Years of Chaos
#dccomics
Transcript and stuff:
The Justice League cartoon was my first introduction to The Flash, whose mantle was worn by Wally West. Wally has gone through a lot of changes since his first appearance in Flash #110 from 1959. So in that issue, Wally West shows up in a backup story where he visits his Aunt Iris and finds out that his hero The Flash is Iris’s boyfriend, Barry Allen. Barry being the upstanding guy he is, gives Wally a tour of his lab.
A lightning bolt strikes through a window, hits a wall of chemicals and Wally gets doused. Instead of taking this poor kid to the hospital, The Flash gives him a costume and turns him into a sidekick. Responsible.Kid Flash’s first costume isn't the yellow one that you remember. For about 25 or so issues, Wally West ran around in that red costume.
So where did that iconic yellow costume come from? The first appearance of the new costume was in The Flash #135 from March 1963. The issue is written by John Broome, drawn by Carmine Infantino. Issue #135 or “Secret of the Three Super Weapons” starts off with Kid Flash running around. He gets a warning that his planet is the target of an extraterrestrial war. He bumps into this girl who appears out of nowhere and tells him, “Hey, this species called, like, the Makryds or something is showing up and they're going to destroy Earth. You need to stop it”.
So Kid Flash goes around, he looks for Barry. When he runs into this science facility, The Flash is inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons that just showed up out of nowhere. As Kid Flash is running towards him, a lightning bolt zaps through Flash and hits Wally. Suddenly he goes from that red Flash imitation costume to that yellow and red costume we know.
The logic for this that while Barry was inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons, he was also thinking of a redesign of the Flash’s costume. So that lightning bolt that came out of his chest was kind of like a manifestation of what was going on in his head.
There are some details they add to it. Since Wally's a redhead and that was really distinctive, the way he would disguise himself in future issues is by, like spray painting his hair brown. Clearly they did not think that was worth keeping around. So that's it. Thought this would be a fun comic to talk about. Thanks for watching. Chaos ensues.Spider-Mans Secret Origin #spiderman #history #marvelcomicsChaos Ensues2026-08-04 | The Amazing Spider-Man’s secret origin. How an alternative comic artist played a role in the webhead’s creation. (From my Eric Stanton video. Available on my channel.)jabroni #persian #ironsheik #wrestlingChaos Ensues2026-08-03 | Iron Sheik the legend 💚🤍❤️. He'll put you in the Camel Clutch. I have a playlist of Persian related videos on my channel.Toni Morrison Wisdom #historyChaos Ensues2026-07-31 | Writer Toni Morrison vs. ignorant interviewer. This clip was used in my Black Panther video essay.Iron Man’s Most Powerful Weapon #ironmanChaos Ensues2026-07-30 | Transistors. More Iron Man comics videos on my channel.Remembering Cartoonist Marjane Satrapi #persian #marjanesatrapi #blackandwhitecomicsChaos Ensues2026-07-30 | Remembering cartoonist Marjane Satrapi 💚🤍❤️Marvel’s Most Self-Sacrificing Hero: I Am Iron Man (feat. Murewa Ayodele & Dotun Akande)Chaos Ensues2026-07-29 | Tony Stark, Marvel’s Most Self-Sacrificing Hero: Talking about the 5-issue Marvel Comics I Am Iron Man miniseries from 2023 by creative duo Murewa Ayodele & Dotun Akande.
Doing this series of Iron Man video essays, I ran into this mini-series. It's a modern character study of the Armored Avenger thru five eras of his life: The future. The Archie Goodwin Silver Age era. The 90s with War Machine and Sean Chen's Iron Man armor. The Civil War era. Ending with the modern era.
-Dotun and Murewa: https://linktr.ee/collectiblecomicsng
TIME CODES: -0:00—Welcome to Chaos Ensues -1:01—Murewa speaks -4:30—Dotun speaks & art process -7:06—Big Fred -8:06—Health problems -11:00—The Cast -11:42—Civil War, Tin Man, Dr. Spooky -12:44—Tony’s character -17:20—Iron Man fans -19:25—Finishing Thoughts (also short attention span version) -19:55—Remembering Marjane Satrapi
Impact Prelude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Malcolm X Wisdom #historyChaos Ensues2026-06-19 | A clip used in my 1970s Iron Man Comics History video essay. Malcolm X's words still apply today.Civil Rights Leader Russell Meeks on White “Allies”Chaos Ensues2026-06-17 | From a 1968 live debate. Full clip is in my 1970s Iron Man Comics History video.The dark side of the mainstream comics industry (Ivan Velez Jr.) #dccomicsChaos Ensues2026-06-15 | Short clip from my Dwayne McDuffie/Milestone Comics video essay: youtube.com/watch?v=42MHKzU23eM
Blood Syndicate was the best Milestone book.this is the best part #manga #vagabondChaos Ensues2026-06-01 | Mangaka and Vagabond creator Takehiko Inoue talks about his storytelling process.
-My website: witsendpod.com -Support the channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQHistory of the Chaotic 90s Mortal Kombat Comics from MalibuChaos Ensues2026-05-27 | The world and lore of Mortal Kombat were created by artist John Tobias with the games programmed by co-creator Ed Boon.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Blood and Thunder has an issue 0 but that collects stuff that was printed elsewhere. Also be sure to turn off "Stable Volume" in the video settings because it makes the audio sound funky.
#mortalkombatguy gardner vs a busChaos Ensues2026-05-06 | guy gardner vs a bus: who wins? (From Green Lantern 87 featuring the first appearance of John Stewart)
#greenlanternWhen Green Lantern and Green Arrow Comics Covered RacismChaos Ensues2026-05-05 | Covering the Hard Traveling Heroes stories from DC Comics (Green Lantern issue #76 and #86 by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams from the early 1970s). Featuring the first appearance of John Stewart. Comics have always been poh-lit-icuhl. Does this one hit the mark or miss by a long shot?
One random internet person’s opinion. Except for the parts where it’s not. Thanks for watching and welcome to anyone new to my channel. Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—GREEN! -0:10—Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams -2:32—Green Lantern 76 -5:42—Muhammad Ali, MLK, Malcolm X -9:02—Fannie Lou Hamer speaks -9:32—Green Lantern 87 (John Stewart debut) -14:46—On Color -18:22—Important info
Just a quick fun issue for this video. Covering Saga of the Swamp Thing #28 aka “The Burial” from DC comics by writer Alan Moore and fill-in artist Shawn McManus. This story is a palate cleanser for “The Anatomy Lesson” and Etrigan the Demon arcs and sets up the rest of this crazy run.
Note on the postscript: No hate at all towards the religion itself. However, religion and government do not mix. This regime has caused so much destruction to the people. However, human beings do not deserve to be discriminated against for the culture or religious beliefs.
SOURCES: -Moore, Wein, Karen Berger videos: youtube.com/watch?v=FJlZUpgXQJI -Wrightson footage (Masters of Comic Art): youtube.com/watch?v=_kkzrs1HUskT’Challa Fights the Klan: The Very Political 1970s Black Panther ComicsChaos Ensues2026-04-03 | Covering Jungle Action issues 19-21 from 1976 by writer Don McGregor and artist Billy Graham. Featuring the time Black Panther went to Georgia to fight the Klan. Comics are political and always have been.
(Made a mistake at 7:32: Cops already showed up before the old woman attacked T’Challa)
This run is one of my favorite superhero comics.
After his fight with Erik Killmonger in Wakanda, Black Panther and Monica Lynne went to Georgia and took on the Klan. The Jungle Action run actually broke some new ground for Marvel Comics. Unfortunately, after the Georgia arc, the book's sales dropped. Eventually, it was canceled. Panther did end up getting his own title by his co-creator, Jack Kirby.
This video is protected under Fair Use and is intended for entertainment and review purposes.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Toni Morrison speaks (Intro) -0:29—Wakanda origins -1:01—Panther’s Rage and Don McGregor -3:31—Panther vs. The Klan arc -8:38—Artist Billy Graham -9:21—Klan arc cont. -13:17—Jungle Action canceled -14:02—Jack Kirby Black Panther -14:58—Sarcasm warning because comics have always been political -15:22–Packin’ up -15:33—Hormozgan Province
#blackpanther2001: This Jack Kirby Comic is More Important Than You RememberChaos Ensues2026-03-18 | Just a guy named Norton in 2040s New York hanging out in Comicsville. Also there’s a Monolith.
Covering 2001: A Space Odyssey #5 from Marvel Comics. Jack Kirby went fully into Stanley Kubrick mode and then some.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Welcome to New York 2040 AD -1:44—2001 A Space Odyssey -4:41—Ad break -4:47—Norton and Comicsville -7:54—Life changing stuff -8:06—Free Iran
#jackkirby #2001aspaceodyssey47 Years Too Late: 2026 Iran Protests and Performative Western Leftist ActivismChaos Ensues2026-03-10 | This video is dedicated to Iranians fighting for their basic human rights. Video transcript: witsendpod.com/podcast-episodes/chaos-ensues-47-years-later
This video is not made with the intention of finding “allies” or placating an audience. It is to amplify Iranian voices and reveal uncomfortable truths.
Standing with the people of Iran fighting for their freedom, not politicians and governments. Supporting the actual people of Iran is better than supporting tyrants and politicians. People matter, not people in positions of power. The people are the heart.
Note: No hate at all towards the religion itself. However, religion and government do not mix. This regime has caused so much destruction to the people. However, human beings do not deserve to be discriminated against for the culture or religious beliefs.
(The prologue was not in my original version. A bit of a rant. I’m adding this because of the updates in Iran in late February and early March 2026. I get into more context in the main video.The original video was made during Black History Month. So it covers history that is specific to the US)
Covering the 1979 Iran Revolution, colonization, the Mahsa Amini and 2026 protests, reactions to outside involvement, the demise of Moosh Ali, demise, and western performative activism and hypocrisy.
Some lives impacted by the Regime: Ali Heydari, Shervin Bagherian, Negin Ghadimi, Taha Hoshyar, Sahar Fallah, Roham Barjesteh, Ziba Dastjerdi, Reza Azimzadeh, Erfan Amiri, Iran's National Women's Football Team
A short list: 1) Iranians WANT the Regime GONE (no more authoritarian theocracy) 2) Amplify Iranian voices (non-Iranian takes not needed) 3) Let Iranians deal with this how they will (we are not a monolith) 4) 47 years into this is TOO LATE to care (bandwagoning “allyship” (tourism) is pointless)
TIME CODES: -0:00—The Shah -0:44—March 2026 Update (Prologue) -5:41—The Video (Free Iran) -17:06—Other Iranians Speak
(Regarding the content of the prologue: Yes, I am posting this with knowledge that the topics being discussed will be publicly available.)
#iran #persian #freeiran #iranprotests
I do not own the footage in this video. It falls under Fair Use for review purposes.
CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.01970s Iron Man Comics Were Always PoliticalChaos Ensues2026-03-02 | Back with another Armored Anatomy lesson. NOTE: This video was supposed to come out during Black History Month but I’m uploading it now. Will fix the audio in the next one.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Intro -0:14—Welcome to the 70s -4:02—Firebrand Controversial Villain -9:27—Thanos -11:30—Break time -11:46—Nose, nitpicks, Mantlo -14:30—Dream team -16:54—For new readers -20:47—Is Stark a hero? (Short version) I didn’t watch it all -21:29—Free Iran -33:26—Important message
70s Iron Man comics started getting really political. We get a lot of different writers, artists and editors. It’s kind of a mess. But there are some rays of sun in there. We get Tony Stark confronting his past as an industrialist and part of Vietnam.
While there are a lot of random villains in the 70s, one stands out: Firebrand (also called the most “Controversial Villain in Comics”). He has a cool suit at least.
Artist George Tuska leaves the title and Keith Pollard takes over. Pretty cool whenever Pollard does a book I’m covering. Later on in the decade, we get the dream team that elevated Tony’s character: Layton, Michelinie & Layton. This decade also has the “Demon in a Bottle” story but…I covered that in the 80s one instead.
As someone who is part of the Iranian diaspora, I’m going to continue talking about the situation going on in Iran. It’s not a grey issue. Iranians want to overthrow the Regime. There’s so much silence on Iran outside the country. Here’s the choice: people are either for or against dictators.
Note on the postscript: No hate at all towards the religion itself. However, religion and government do not mix. This regime has caused so much destruction to the people. However, human beings do not deserve to be discriminated against for the culture or religious beliefs.
Thank you for taking the time to watch my videos. It doesn’t go unappreciated. Welcome to new viewers.
Remember their names: Ali Heydari, Shervin Bagherian, Negin Ghadimi, Taha Hoshyar, Sahar Fallah, Roham Barjesteh, Ziba Dastjerdi, Reza Azimzadeh, Erfan Amiri
(This video is protected under Fair Use and only for entertainment or review purposes. I do not own the footage used in the video.)
CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Down with The Regime: Why are people protesting in Iran? #freeiran #iranprotestsChaos Ensues2026-01-26 | Around 30,000 protestors have lost their lives to the regime in 2 days in early January 2026. That number is still going up. The people of Iran are fighting for their basic human rights. Thanks for watching. Please share however you deem appropriate. Civil comments only.
Standing with the people of Iran fighting for their freedom, not politicians and governments. Supporting the actual people of Iran is better than supporting tyrants and politicians. People matter, not people in positions of power. The people are the heart.
Note: No hate at all towards the religion itself. However, religion and government do not mix. This regime has caused so much destruction to the people. However, human beings do not deserve to be discriminated against for the culture or religious beliefs.
This was posted at the end of my recent Doctor Doom video but I’m sharing it by itself here. FREE IRAN.
Chaos Ensues media: -Website: witsendpod.com -Subscribe: youtube.com/@thechaosensuesDoctor Doom Origins: The Problem With Erasing His Romani HeritageChaos Ensues2026-01-23 | VIEWER'S DISCRETION ADVISED for this one. This video is mostly about the Marvel Comics graphic novel, Dr. Doom and Dr. Strange: Triumph and Torment by Roger Stern, Mike Mignola & Mark Badger.
NOTE that some of this video was recorded months ago. There are parts where I don’t roll the r in “Romani”. This was supposed to be a shorter video and was supposed to come out in October 2025 but it kept getting longer. Mostly posting a video in response to the revolution in Iran right now. Please share however you deem fit.
Thanks for watching. Welcome to new people who just found my channel. Have people have a good start to their 2026. Take care, stay safe. Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Intro -0:27—Dr. Doom in the 60s -4:12—Triumph and Torment -6:14—Romani History -9:37—The War -12:40—Modern Romani -14:11—Cynthia and Werner -17:08—Mike Mignola -20:14—Too Long Not Watching Version -20:38—Welcome to 2026 -21:03—Free Iran 2026
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (with inker Joe Sinnott) created the illest villain in issue 5 of Fantastic Four from 1961. In 1964, Doom’s parents put out Fantastic Four Annual #2, which establishes Victor von Doom’s Romani origins.
Later stories explore this more, along with his quest to save his mother.
This graphic novel depicts Victor in a way we don’t often get to see. Diving more into his Romani heritage and the persecution his people faced. Showing why Doom is the way he is. Stern said this book was supposed to be a Strange comic but Doom took over the plot. Very Doom thing to do.
We get to see them team up to save Doom’s mother Cynthia from Mephisto himself. Must read Doom story.
I also dive into Romani history, dating back to the middle ages up till the modern day. They are a group that has been persecuted nonstop, especially in Europe. This was my favorite part of the video and adds context to why Doom is the way he is.
Note on the postscript: No hate at all towards the religion itself. However, religion and government do not mix. This regime has caused so much destruction to the people. However, human beings do not deserve to be discriminated against for the culture or religious beliefs.
The writing, narration and editing is my own. I do not own the images and footage used in this video. EVERYTHING FALLS UNDER FAIR USE AND IS INTENDED FOR REVIEW AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES.
Can’t wait for ANOTHER one of my videos to be plagiarized by that fanboy creepy dude with the weird hairline, p*do stache and high pitched voice who copies everything I do and sucks up to bigger channels to get ahead. Mediocrity and theft is in its lineage. These types can copy but that's all they'll ever be and they can't outrun that.
Special thanks to Bob Layton for being a part of this video essay.
This is an important decade for Iron Man comics. The period where Tony Stark gets some serious character development. His creative team during this time consisted of writer David Michelinie, penciler John Romita Jr. and writer/artist, Bob Layton.
Under their direction, Tony Stark became a layered character driven by guilt and a desire to make the future happen sooner. He was constantly battling people and organizations who wanted to steal his Lucky Charms (I mean, his technology). This run presented the iconic “Demon in a Bottle” story, which saw Tony battling with his alcohol addiction. It also features the debut of Justin Hammer, Stark Hater and smoking jacket connoisseur. There were a lot of letters about this story in future Iron Man issues. Such a hard hitting story.
Tony has his team-up with Victor von Doom, time traveling back to Camelot, in the “Doomquest” story.
Marvel put out its first massive crossover in 1984 with Secret Wars. Written by Jim Shooter (RIP) with art by Layton and Mike Zeck. James Rhodes dons the Iron Man mantle for this huge crossover, which is cool.
When Layton and Michelinie (yes, it's “liney”. don't break your spiney falling on your heinie) return to the book, the story speeds into “Armor Wars”. Showing Tony fighting to make sure his technology can’t hurt others. The decade wraps up with more Dr. Doom and Iron Man action.
Do people even read descriptions? (Why?) Did anyone actually win a 10-speed racer back in the day? Anyway, welcome to the scholars reading this.
Some general complaints and comments that weren’t in the final video: Not a fan of how Cly’s role was wrapped up. Not a complaint about this run but Marcy changed into a completely different character in the 90s. She started off as someone who was driven but the 90s run brought her straight into supervillain territory. Also, yes, Nick Fury doesn’t get mentioned in this video even though he wanted to buy some Stark stonks. There are some deleted scenes that I might upload to Patreon at some point.
Denny O’Neil is getting his own video. “Next time, baby”
This video covers Iron Man 116-154, Secret Wars (1984), Iron Man 215-250. Thanks for watching!
-David Michelinie Quotes: Iron Man Masterworks Vol. 13
TIMECODES: -0:00—Dud to stud -0:20—Bob Layton Interview (Origins) -6:24—Demon in a Bottle -11:40—Normal people -12:43—Dr. Doom vs. Iron Man (Doomquest) -14:47—Secret Wars 1984 (and Rhodey) -23:31—Armor Wars -24:55—Letterer Janice Chiang (aka The GOAT) -26:58—2 Doom 2 Furious -28:52—For New Readers -32:55—Thanks Bob Layton -33:17—You forgot Denny O’Neil!!! -33:36—More videos
In the 70s, Marvel had Japanese manga creators tell their own versions of stories with their well-known characters. One of those manga was HARUKU: MONSUTAA KOMIKU, which was written by Lone Wolf and Cub scribe Kazuo Koike with art by Yoshihiro Morifuji. It had a short run between 1970-1971 in the pages of the equally short lived WEEKLY BOKURA MAGAZINE—a spin off of WEEKLY SHONEN MAGAZINE, which began in 1959. WEEKLY SHONEN MAGAZINE was a top ranking anthology until WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP knocked it off its pedestal. SHONEN JUMP doesn’t need any introduction, though.
Another instance of Marvel MANGAFICATION during this time is Spider-Man published by Kodansha between 1970-1971 which was written by KOSEI ONO and KAZUMASA HIRAI with art by RYOICHI IKEGAMI. Ikegami’s Spider-Man learns to deal with his powers after accidentally killing someone with them. Like with Haruku, the Spider-Man manga is darker than the original version and covers more mature themes. Koike’s take on the jade giant fits in with his usual melodramatic storytelling.MOVE Philadelphia: The Real Event That Inspired Milestone ComicsChaos Ensues2025-09-15 | CHAOS ENSUES MEDIA: -Website: witsendpod.com -YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQ -Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/thechaosensues
Diving into the world of Milestone Media, founded by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle.
According to Denys Cowan, the stories of the Dakotaverse were initially inspired by the MOVE Philadelphia conflicts with police. The real world events were mixed with comic book superheroes to create titles like Hardware, Icon, Blood Syndicate and Static.
Milestone put out so many important stories that pushed superhero comics forward while maintaining complete control over the rights of their creations. These comics really are an important Milestone that covered underrepresented groups and social issues.
Also briefly covering the Static Shock cartoon that became connected with the DCAU and Young Justice, which featured Milestone characters like Rocket, Icon and Virgil Hawkins.
This clip features Michael Davis, co-creator of Virgil Hawkins and co-founder of Milestone.
Milestone Media launched in 1993 and was founded by writer Dwayne McDuffie, artist Denys Cowan, reporter and editor Derek T. Dingle and writer/artist/teacher Michael Davis. The company made strides in telling superhero stories about marginalized groups and underrepresented social issues/themes.
Their four initial comic titles included Hardware, Blood Syndicate, Icon and Static.
While Milestone’s initial run ended in 1997, it’s had reunions, revivals and animated adaptions like the Static Shock cartoon series and Young Justice. Virgil Ovid Hawkins aka Static is probably Milestone’s most iconic (sorry, Icon) and recognizable character.
That cartoon (starring actor Phil LaMarr) introduced an entire generation to Milestone (whether they knew it or not) and Virgil’s adventures as an up-and-coming superhero.
The thing about Static is that a lot of his life is based on one of Milestone’s founders, Michael Davis. Chaos ensues in this essay covering the history Davis’s role in creating the character.
Diving back into BPRD by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis. With colors by Dave Stewart and lettering by Clem Robins.
Kate Corrigan gets an arc to herself in “The Universal Machine”. She goes to France to look for a book that can help revive Roger the Homunculus. Meanwhile, the main four (Liz Sherman, Ben Daimio, Abe Sapien and Johann Kraus) talk about their experiences with the afterlife.
Hellboy meets a Wendigo named Daryl in Canada.
In “Garden of Souls”, Abe Sapien finally confronts his past and finds out who Langdon Everett Caul really is. This arc introduces a new character named Panya.
Ben DAIMIO gets an arc all to himself, diving into his past, with a monstrous reveal.
The material covered in this video is collected in B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3 from Dark Horse Comics: “The Universal Machine”, “Garden of Souls”, “Killing Ground”
I have no idea why the original version was deleted, either.
The comics origins of Black Panther, the King of Wakanda. From a longer video essay.
Covering the artist, actor, writer, stuntman, Billy Graham. The extremely versatile Irreverent Billy Graham who was the first Black artist at Marvel Comics. Before Marvel, he worked with James Warren as an artist and art director for horror titles like Vampirella.
Graham was part of the original team that created Luke Cage, the first African American superhero to get his own title. In the pages of Jungle Action, Graham collaborated with writer Don McGregor, becoming the first black artist to draw the King of Wakanda.
McGregor and Graham later worked together on the creator owned swashbuckling series Sabre at Eclipse comics. Chaos ensues.
The Justice League cartoon was my first introduction to The Flash, whose mantle was worn by Wally West. Wally has gone through a lot of changes since his first appearance in Flash #110 from 1959. So in that issue, Wally West shows up in a backup story where he visits his Aunt Iris and finds out that his hero The Flash is Iris’s boyfriend, Barry Allen. Barry being the upstanding guy he is, gives Wally a tour of his lab.
A lightning bolt strikes through a window, hits a wall of chemicals and Wally gets doused. Instead of taking this poor kid to the hospital, The Flash gives him a costume and turns him into a sidekick. Responsible.Kid Flash’s first costume isn't the yellow one that you remember. For about 25 or so issues, Wally West ran around in that red costume.
So where did that iconic yellow costume come from? The first appearance of the new costume was in The Flash #135 from March 1963. The issue is written by John Broome, drawn by Carmine Infantino. Issue #135 or “Secret of the Three Super Weapons” starts off with Kid Flash running around. He gets a warning that his planet is the target of an extraterrestrial war. He bumps into this girl who appears out of nowhere and tells him, “Hey, this species called, like, the Makryds or something is showing up and they're going to destroy Earth. You need to stop it”.
So Kid Flash goes around, he looks for Barry. When he runs into this science facility, The Flash is inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons that just showed up out of nowhere. As Kid Flash is running towards him, a lightning bolt zaps through Flash and hits Wally. Suddenly he goes from that red Flash imitation costume to that yellow and red costume we know.
The logic for this that while Barry was inspecting these extraterrestrial weapons, he was also thinking of a redesign of the Flash’s costume. So that lightning bolt that came out of his chest was kind of like a manifestation of what was going on in his head.
There are some details they add to it. Since Wally's a redhead and that was really distinctive, the way he would disguise himself in future issues is by, like spray painting his hair brown. Clearly they did not think that was worth keeping around. So that's it. Thought this would be a fun comic to talk about. Thanks for watching. Chaos ensues.
One of the lesser known parts of The Amazing Spider-Man's comic origins and history is how artist Eric Stanton had a role.
Stanton's son even mentioned how Peter Parker is a mix between his father and Steve Ditko.Ditko, Bettie Page and Stanton would regularly work on similar projects while dealing with censorship, court subcommittees and the stigma that came from working in their fields.
While Ditko went on to work in superhero comics, he and Stanton continued to collaborate and share a studio.With all of Stanton and Page's struggles, they would become pioneers in their fields.
This decade features some introspective storytelling for old Shellhead. John Romita Jr returns to one of his earlier Marvel jobs and teams up with John Byrne for Armor Wars 2. A story about Tony fighting for his autonomy against a mysterious enemy named DeWitt. Who is out of his wits.
After Romita leaves, Paul Ryan joins as penciler. This era features the Dragon Seed Saga, fleshing out the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom. Rhodey takes over the suit while Tony battles health problems.
The run by writer Len Kaminski and penciler Kevin Hopgood (with Tom Morgan) is the software update Iron Man needed. This team casually introduces new concepts like the Iron Legion, the Hulkbuster, War Machine and an AI butler for Tony. Rhodey really gets to come into his own during this era.
The Crossing is infamously one of the...uh...worst Iron Man stories. Tony becomes a servant of Kang and is replaced by his younger self. Heroes Reborn kicks off in 1996 with Image co founders Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio doing a new take on Shellhead.
Iron Man lives again when writer Kurt Busiek and artist Sean Chen team up to modernize the Armored Avenger. This run is short but has a back to basics approach and focuses on the core group from the 60s--Tony, Happy, Pepper--while updating the villains. Carol Danvers gets a lot of coverage in this run.
Overall, it's a pretty strong decade for Tony Stark. Chaos ensues.
Also, talking about the Tom Cruise and Timothy Dalton Tony Stark castings.
Anyone who read this far, write "foil fiend" in the comments.
TIME CODES: -0:00--The 90s -0:52--Armor Wars II -7:14--Dragon Seed Saga -10:00--Len Kaminski run starts -11:20--War Machine -13:10--Howard Stark -17:55--Iron Legion -21:16--The Crossing -23:46--Heroes Reborn -26:05--Busiek and Chen -31:22--For New Readers -37:21--Kaminski and Outro Info
There's a 50/50 chance this salacious joint will be taken down by the Powers That Be. This is the abridged censored for YouTube version but viewer's discretion advised anyway. (Update: The video was taken down for a few days but it’s back now.)
Covering Eric Stanton, the pioneer of pin-up art. Before he became the pin-up pioneer, he was just Ernest Stanzoni Jr. Born in Brooklyn in 1926, he had a father who worked constantly and a mother who wasn’t home often. So his Aunt May looked after him while he looked after his sister, Eleanor.
(Going to highlight the Stanton book by Richard Perez Seves because it was a foundation in making this essay. Check out my sources below.)
As an adult, he enlisted in the Navy during the Second World War. He went on to work with a guy named Boody Rogers (no, that's not his real name) and got some experience in the comic book field. When he went to the School of Visual Arts in the early 50s, he met one of the most important collaborators in his life. The artist Steve Ditko.
This essay also goes into Stanton's collaborations with pin-up publisher, Irving Klaw (and his sister Paula) from Movie Star News. As the Klaw siblings were Stanton's gateway into the world of pin-ups. During his Klaw collaborations, Stanton crossed paths with his muse, the artist, model and Queen of Pin-Up herself, Bettie Page.
One of the lesser known parts of The Amazing Spider-Man's comic origins and history is how Stanton had a role. Stanton's son even mentioned how Peter Parker is a mix between his father and Steve Ditko.
Ditko, Page and Stanton would regularly work on similar projects while dealing with censorship, court subcommittees and the stigma that came from working in their fields. While Ditko went on to work in superhero comics, he and Stanton continued to collaborate and share a studio.
With all of Stanton and Page's struggles, they would become pioneers in their fields.
Be sure to check out other comic documentaries on my channel. Thanks for watching.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Disclaimer -0:31—Eric Stanton History -3:46—School of Visual Arts and Steve Ditko -5:13—Ten I See (Bettie Page History) -8:51—Other themes -10:51—Steve Ditko studio -12:54 Spider-Man Comics Origin History -16:08—Later Career (Stantoons) -17:38—Legacy -19:05—Life Changing Information
-Eric Stanton Spider-Man Interview (Greg Theakston’s Steve Ditko Reader Vol. 1 from 2002)Who was the first woman to draw Wonder Woman for DC Comics?Chaos Ensues2025-06-20 | Cartoonist, archivist, historian and pioneer Trina Robbins was part of a lot of progression in her life. She also designed the character Vampirella. In 1986, after its Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC Comics planned to revamp its characters for a new generation of readers.
Robbins, born in New York in 1938 was a fan of comics characters like Mary Marvel, Sheena and of course, Wonder Woman, He wanted to do a Wonder Woman series for DC. So in between Crisis and the George Perez run, she did a series that looked back on the Golden Age stories of William Marston, HG Peter and Joye Hummel.
The four issue Legend of Wonder Woman series by Robbins and co-writer Kurt Busiek debuted in 1986 before the George Perez takeover of the character’s stories.
Also covering Trina’s upbringing in New York, her role in the underground comix movement, It Ain’t Me Babe Comix (the first all women’s comics anthology) and Wimmen’s Comix and her battles with censorship with Miller v. California (1973). Chaos Ensues.
Cartoonist, archivist, historian and pioneer Trina Robbins was part of a lot of progression in her life. She also designed the character Vampirella. In 1986, after its Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC Comics planned to revamp its characters for a new generation of readers.
Robbins, born in New York in 1938 was a fan of comics characters like Mary Marvel, Sheena and of course, Wonder Woman, He wanted to do a Wonder Woman series for DC. So in between Crisis and the George Perez run, she did a series that looked back on the Golden Age stories of William Marston, HG Peter and Joye Hummel.
The four issue Legend of Wonder Woman series by Robbins and co-writer Kurt Busiek debuted in 1986 before the George Perez takeover of the character’s stories. With this series, Robbins became the first woman to draw Wonder Woman for DC Comics.
Also covering Trina’s upbringing in New York, her role in the underground comix movement, It Ain’t Me Babe Comix (the first all women’s comics anthology) and Wimmen’s Comix and her battles with censorship with Miller v. California (1973). Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Trina Robbins Background -0:30—Trina Speaks -1:22—It Ain’t Me Babe Comix, Wimmen’s Comix, Underground Comix -3:59—Trina at DC Comics -5:14—Kurt Busiek -5:47—The Legend of Wonder Woman Story -8:30—More Trina Robbins Wonder Woman -9:09—Important Information
Any possibly copyrighted material is protected under fair use. This content was created for commentary, entertainment or educational purposes.
-The Complete Wimmen’s ComixThe Complete Fantastic Four Comics HistoryChaos Ensues2025-05-19 | DISCLAIMER: These videos were all previously released separately. This is a mashup of those essays with some extra material. No transcript for this one.
TIME CODES: -0:00—The 1960s by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee -21:41—The 1970s -30:58–1978 Silver Surfer Graphic Novel -41:48—The 1980s by John Byrne -1:04:43—The 1990s by Walt Simonson, Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan -1:25:45–1994 Roger Corman Fantastic Four Movie -1:32:04—The 2000s by Carlos Pacheco, Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo -1:46:48—Ultimate Fantastic Four & The Maker Origin -1:55:34—The 2010s by Jonathan Hickman (Secret Wars 2015) -2:15:13—More from Chaos Ensues
This Chaos Ensues video essay series covers the complete history of the mainline Fantastic Four comics. A video essay omnibus.
In 1961, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created a new era of Silver Age superhero stories with the first issue of Fantastic Four, kicking off the Marvel Age of Comics. Featuring the first appearances of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, with the Mole Man.
During their over 100 issue run, Kirby and Lee created characters and ideas that would be the foundation of modern superhero comics and pop culture. Like Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, the Microverse, Galactus and Silver Surfer (in the Galactus Trilogy), the Kree, Inhumans, Black Panther and more. Taking from the Atlas era monster comics and adding a relatable element to the stories in a way that superhero comics hadn't done before. Like with The Thing and Alicia Masters and all of the other cosmic themes.
Kirby became frustrated and left Marvel for DC in 1970. In the 70s, artists John Romita and John Buscema took over FF's art after Kirby. Then a new generation of writers and artists took over the First Family's adventures. Like Roy Thomas, George Perez, Keith Pollard and John Byrne.
The 80s saw John Byrne reinvent FF as writer-artist. Bringing on She Hulk after Secret Wars and humanizing Galactus.
In the 90s, FF had a strong short run by writer artist Walter Simonson, where he created the TVA, showing how the FF faced off against a rogue Celestial, Galactus and saved the future. While the Tom DeFalco and Paul Ryan run was hectic, it had some fun moments like bringing Ant-Man onto the team and introducing Human Torch's Skrull wife Lyja.
That decade, Image Founders Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld spearheaded Heroes Reborn, which re-established the FF for a newer audience.
Also covering the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie. This chapter was originally deleted from the original 90s essay because of copyright issues. I'm adding it here so it's at least available.
The 2000s was a strong decade for FF, seeing writer artist Carlos Pacheco resuscitate the series with a back to basics approach. Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel took over with their heavy hitting run, showing why the FF are important. During their run, Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier establish Mr. Fantastic's plan to "Solve Everything", which Jonathan Hickman would use in his stories. Along with ideas created in the run by Bryan Hitch and Mark Millar.
Covering Ultimate Fantastic Four, as it's a long origin for The Maker.
Hickman's run balances cosmic story and family elements, expanding the size of the main cast with the Future Foundation. This run has some of the most iconic Dr. Doom stories and pulls from every decade of the Fantastic Four but modernizing the characters for a new audience.
Hickman's massive run was followed by Matt Fraction, Mark Bagley and Mike Allred, who focus on the family elements of the FF and Future Foundation. Secret Wars 2015 sees the epic finale of Hickman's time with FF. God Emperor Doom takes over Battleworld to prevent the end of every universe. A burger is involved.
While FF didn't have a book for a while, writers Chip Zdarsky, Dan Slott and Ryan North brought the FF in the current era of comics.
(The North run isn't being covered extensively because it's the current one out right now. Just go read it.)
Any possibly copyrighted material is protected under fair use. This content was created for commentary, entertainment or educational purposes.
Writer Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News) got his first mainstream comics writing gig in 2009, working on Secret Warriors with Brian Michael Bendis.
That same year, Marvel let Hickman write Marvel’s First Family. This run sees Reed Richards meeting the Council of Reeds, Sue Storm taking over as the ruler of Atlantis, Ben Grimm being able to turn normal again and reunite with Alicia Masters with Johnny Storm taking over the Negative Zone after defeating Annihilus.
Mr. Fantastic kicks off the Future Foundation to teach the next generation of great minds to help the world in his quest to Solve Everything.Hickman’s run is full of massive cosmic concepts and expands the cast while focusing on the family dynamics.
Pulling from each decade but renewing the characters for a new generation. Dr. Doom gets a lot of coverage in this run and helps to fight the Mad Celestials.
After Hickman, writer Matt Fraction takes over the FF with two titles. The main one with artist Mark Bagley and funky Future Foundation centric one with artist Mike Allred.
During the run with James Robinson, Leonard Kirk and Karl Kesel, Marvel ended the FF’s title due to the FOX FF movie rights.
Hickman’s Secret Wars in 2015 with artist Esad Ribic sees God Emperor Doom ruling over Battleworld to save the universes from incursions.
Chaos ensues as characters like Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Black Panther and Thanos try to stop Doom, who stole the powers of Molecule Man.
Quickly diving into the modern runs by Chip Zdarsky, Dan Slott and Ryan North.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Jonathan Hickman -2:12—Characters -5:35—Johnny -6:58—Future Foundation -9:46—Solve Everything -10:50—Matt-tastic Four -14:14—The End? (Robinson) -15:25—Secret Wars 2015 -18:03—Modern Era -20:09—Important Information
Talking about the graphic novel Silver Surfer (The Ultimate Cosmic Experience) from 1978.
The Silver Surfer is a character created by writer-artist Jack Kirby and scripted by writer-editor Stan Lee in the pages of Fantastic Four #48 (during the “Galactus Trilogy”) from December 1965 (cover dated March 1966).Kirby’s original version of the Surfer was a being of energy formed by the planet eater Galactus.
He was supposed to learn how to be human and protect humanity after meeting the blind sculptress Alicia Masters. Lee became enamored with the character and changed the origin in 1968 when he started a new Silver Surfer series with artist John Buscema.
By that time, Kirby was frustrated and wanted more control and credit for his stories. The Lee and Buscema run introduced Zenn-La, Shalla-Bal and the Surfer’s alter ego, Norrin Radd. Radd sacrificed himself to Galactus so the planet eater would spare his planet.
Kirby went to DC in 1970 to do his Fourth World books. He returned to Marvel in 1975 to do crazy concepts with Captain America, Black Panther, The Eternals, Machine Man, Devil Dinosaur, 2001 and a Silver Surfer project. He reunited with his Fantastic Four collaborators Lee and Joe Sinnott with letterer John Costanza and colorist Glynis Wein for a graphic novel in 1978. His longest work so far.
The book has the Surfer’s first introduction with Earth as he tries to get Galactus to spare the planet. This book also introduces a new character named Ardina. Featuring a cover painted by Earl Norem.
While this book reunited Kirby and Lee, it also broke their partnership for the last time. Kirby left comics for animation. However, there were plans for a Silver Surfer movie planned for 1980 by producer Lee Kramer (starring bodybuilder Frank Zane and Olivia Newton John).
Also, what do Paul McCartney and Jack Kirby have in common?
TIME CODES: -0:00—Jack Kirby and Stan Lee -1:15—Title card -1:20—Silver Surfer Comic History and Origin -2:51—Silver Surfer 1968 with John Buscema -4:08—The Ultimate Cosmic Experience Story -5:55—Story themes and creative team -8:09—Behind the scenes publication history -10:45—Silver Screen -12:04—Disclaimer -12:24—Important information
All of my sources are listed in the video, description or at the bottom of the transcript on my website. Any copyrighted material should fall under fair use for entertainment, educational or commentary.BPRD by Mike Mignola: The Tragedy of Daryl the WendigoChaos Ensues2025-04-09 | CHAOS ENSUES MEDIA: -Website: witsendpod.com -YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQ -Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/thechaosensues
Diving back into BPRD by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis. With colors by Dave Stewart and lettering by Clem Robins.
Kate Corrigan gets an arc to herself in “The Universal Machine”. She goes to France to look for a book that can help revive Roger the Homunculus. Meanwhile, the main four (Liz Sherman, Ben Daimio, Abe Sapien and Johann Kraus) talk about their experiences with the afterlife.
Hellboy meets a Wendigo named Daryl in Canada.
In “Garden of Souls”, Abe Sapien finally confronts his past and finds out who Langdon Everett Caul really is. This arc introduces a new character named Panya.
Ben DAIMIO gets an arc all to himself, diving into his past, with a monstrous reveal.
The material covered in this video is collected in B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3 from Dark Horse Comics: “The Universal Machine”, “Garden of Souls”, “Killing Ground”
TIME CODES: -0:00—Where is Hellboy? -0:10—The Universal Machine -2:47—Daryl the Wendigo -4:39—Back to Kate Corrigan -5:17—Roger -5:43—Garden of Souls (Abe origin) -7:39—Panya -8:58—Werejaguar arc -12:45—Important information
Groo the Wanderer by cartoonist Sergio Aragonés (aka “The World’s Fastest Cartoonist”) was born out of a desire for creators’ rights—in an industry where companies and publishers would completely own the work produced by writers and artists.
The cheese dip eating Wanderer debuted in Steve Gerber and Jack Kirby’s Destroyer Duck #1 in 1982 from Eclipse Comics. This comic was produced to help Gerber in his legal battle against Marvel for the rights of his character, Howard the Duck. The comic itself is a stepping stone towards creators being able to own the rights for their stories and character.
Aragonés was able to maintain ownership of the character and Groo has been published at Eclipse, Pacific Comics, the Marvel imprint Epic Comics, Image Comics and finally, Dark Horse—where Groo and his team reside today.
Groo has mostly had the same creative team consisting of Aragonés, scripter Mark Evanier, letterer (and creator of Usagi Yojimbo) Stan Sakai and colorist Tom Luth. Recently Carrie Strachan has joined the crew as Groo’s colorist. Groo is one of the longest running creator owned comics.
The book is smart, funny, filled with commentary and is a monumental success in the battle for creator ownership. Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Intro (Enter the Fray) -0:26—Sergio Aragones History -1:55—Going Mad (Magazine) (and early work) -3:39—Origin of GROO -4:47—Destroyer Duck by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee -6:41—Origin of Pacific Comics (Bill and Steve SCHANES) -9:35—GROO Publication History -10:58—Creative Team and Story themes -14:59—Important Information
Any possibly copyrighted material is protected under fair use. This content was created for commentary, entertainment or educational purposes.Making the Maker: About the Ultimate Fantastic Four Comics (2025)Chaos Ensues2025-03-21 | CHAOS ENSUES MEDIA: -Website: witsendpod.com -YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCwvSur7b4J_U3gMIA44OGWQ -Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/thechaosensues
NOTE: This video is about the original Ultimate Fantastic Four run from the early 2000s.
A comic line that started as a way to bring in new readers without the decades of continuity.
Launched in 2004, Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 by Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis and Adam Kubert reinvented Marvel’s First Family for a new generation. The book wasn’t rooted in the 60s Space Race, so the team gets their powers from a Negative Zone test gone wrong.
This run is heavily focused on Reed Richards and explores Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm coming together as inexperienced superheroes. Featuring remixed versions of Doctor Doom, Mad Thinker, Annihilus, Red Ghost, Silver Surfer and a bunch of other FF heels. No Galactus in this series, unfortunately.
The early parts of this run features colors by Dave Stewart. Artists throughout this run include Adam Kubert, Stuart Immonen, Greg Land, Pasqual Ferry and Mark Brooks.
Diving into the origins of The Maker, who Jonathan Hickman adopted as his own character.
This video is a 2025 companion for my 2000s FF video I put out. Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Intro -0:18—Ultimate Universe Origins -0:54—Reed’s Story (New Generation) -2:47—Ultimate Doctor Doom -4:12—Greg Land (Tracing) -4:57—Creative Teams -7:45—Ultimatum, Requiem, Ending -8:20—The Maker Origin -9:18—Important Information
Chaos ensues with a new decade of Fantastic Four comics that make the series accessible for new readers.
Writer-artist Carlos Pacheco returns to the series for the first time since the 90s. He’s channeling classic 60s FF by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby with some 1980s John Byrne energy but going in his own direction with it. In this run, the FF go back to basics and face off against Diablo the Alchemist, the Gideon Trust, Paste Pot Pete (Trapster) and later, Galactus. This run features a diabolical issue where Johnny Storm recruits Dr. Doom to help Sue with Valeria.
Karl Kesel always has thoughtful Fantastic Four stories, including an issue that dives into Ben Grimm’s Yancy Street upbringing and Jewish heritage.
The following run by Mark Waid, Mike WIERINGO and Karl Kesel is absolutely required reading for FF fans new and old. It shows why the FF are as important as the are, includes on of the most devious Doctor Doom stories where Reed needs to use magic. Also, the Human Torch becomes a herald of Galactus.
J. Michael Straczynski and Mikę McKone follow up with a Reed Richards focused run that brings a new twist to the cosmic rays origin story, putting Mr. Fantastic at the center of the Big Bang. Marvel’s Civil War event breaks up this run, though.
Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier do some cleanup from Civil War and present a cosmic FF run with Black Panther and Storm replacing Reed and Sue. Michael Turner did covers for this run. Introducing Reed’s 101st and his goal to “Solve Everything”.
The last run of the decade has Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch doing a summer blockbuster version of FF that develops Valeria’s character a little bit.
TIME CODES: -0:00—The New Decade -0:19—Carlos Pacheco run -3:54—Imaginauts (Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo Karl Kesel) -7:45—Reed run (Straczynski & McKone) -10:02—Marvel Civil War -11:14— McDuffie & Pelletier run -13:22—Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch run -14:58—Jonathan Hickman Fantastic Four run -15:12—FF Comics For New Readers (2000s edition) -19:55—Viewer Question -20:07—Happy Ending (Important Information)
Chaos ensues as this video goes back to the age of vikings and Norse myths. Briefly covering the different interpretations of Thor, Odin and Loki as presented in comics and the Prose and Poetic Edda.
Marvel’s Thor made his debut in Journey into Mystery #83 from 1962. This version was co-created by Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber and Stan Lee with inks by Joe Sinnott.
The Marvel comics take from the Prose and Elder Edda, however, they mix in some science fiction elements. All of the elements are there: the nine realms, Asgard, Mjolnir, Jormungandr the World Serpent, Helheim, Surtur, Ragnarok. Some of the myths are…crazier than others. These myths have been passed down for at least a thousand years and are still imprinted onto people’s collective memory.
This video looks at where these myths and comics differ and match up. (No Throg or Beta Ray Bill in the mythology, sadly.)
Heavily referencing the Thor comics of Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Walter Simonson.
TIME CODES: -0:00—The Mighty Thor -0:15—Journey into Mystery 83 (first appearance) -0:29—Atlas Monster Comics -1:19—The Other Thor Comics (Before Marvel with Joe Simon) -2:37—The Norse Myths -4:21—THRYM (Thor wedding) -4:59—Comics vs. Myths -5:39—Thor by Walt Simonson -8:13—After Ragnarok -8:29—Important Information
Chaos Ensues with this exploration of the most hectic decade of Fantastic Four comics so far: the 90s. Filled to the brim with foil covers, crazy outfits, big weapons and crossovers galore.
The start of the 90s hits readers with one of the most powerful FF runs so far by writer-artist, Walter Simonson. Despite the short run, Simonson has the FF journey 30 years into the future on their Time Sled to take on the Council of KANGS, a rogue Celestial and Galactus himself. This is the run that created the New Fantastic Four (with Art Adams) and the Time Variance Authority and Mr. Mobius.
After Simonson, writer/editor Tom DeFalco, artist Paul Ryan and inker Dan Bulanadi create a roller coaster of a run that lasts for most of the 90s. Reed Richards and Doctor Doom vanish, Sue Storm leads the team, Franklin Richards plays a major role. The first volume of FF ends with issue 416 to be replaced by…
HEROES REBORN by Jim Lee, Brandon Choi and Scott Williams. Two of the Image Comics founders return to the House of Ideas to boost Marvel’s low sales. After a year, Heroes Return sees Chris Claremont and Salvador Larocca take the FF to the end of the 90s.
Covering writer-artist Mike Mignola's new short story collection, Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown from Dark Horse Comics (2025).
Mignola has mentioned how this isn't a Hellboy sequel. It's him telling stories about folklore from all over the world. He's joined by regular collaborators, colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Clem Robins.
After the awkward growing stage of the 1970s (after Stan Lee and Jack Kirby left), the 80s was a turning point for Fantastic Four comics.
Early on, writer Doug Moench and artist Bill Sienkiewicz have a run that focuses on the internal dynamics of the team. Sienkiewicz starts developing the style he would use for New Mutants, Elektra, Stray Toasters.
John Byrne takes over with Fantastic Four 232 and tells the story of the First Family for half a decade. Byrne humanizes many of the characters.
Giving Reed Richards an origin, making Sue Storm the most powerful member of the team and focusing on Johnny and Ben.
Doctor Doom becomes more regal and menacing while Galactus is humanized in a way that wasn’t seen since Thor 169 by Jack Kirby. One of the best parts of this decade is She Hulk taking over from The Thing after Secret Wars. (Also how does Shulkie’s creation relate to movies and TV?)
After Byrne departs for DC Comics, writer Steve Englehart, artist Keith Pollard and inker Joe Sinnott (with artist Rich Buckler) take over for the rest of the decade. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman leave to raise their son Franklin, so The Thing takes over as the FF’s new leader. Chaos ensues.
TIME CODES: -0:00—The New Decade (Intro) -0:30— Doug MOENCH & Bill Sienkiewicz Era -2:27— Mini Bill Sienkiewicz Video Essay -3:21—John Byrne Era -5:05—Nova, Galactus, Trial of Reed Richards -7:36—Viewer Question 1 -7:46—Doctor Doom -9:41—She Hulk -11:24—Secret Wars Comic History -13:58—Viewer Question 2 -14:07—Reed and Sue -17:20—Thingmania -19:36—Post Byrne Era -23:06—For New Readers -29:27—Best 80s FF Comics? (Question 3) -29:37—What Next? -30:21—Important Info
Fantastic Four cartoon clip: World's Greatest Heroes
Certain interview clips: 2007 Fantastic Four documentary MUSIC ATTRIBUTION: Atlantis by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Where is Hellboy? I want my money back…Chaos ensues with the continuation of the Mike Mignola Hellboy spin-off, BPRD.
Featuring more kinetic work by artist Guy Davis and colorist Dave Stewart. Also the introduction of John Arcudi as co-writer on the series. Abe Sapien learns more about his past as Langdon Everett Caul. The War on Frogs ramps up with Captain Ben Daimio joining the team. Liz Sherman learns more about her powers and Roger the Homunculus confronts his humanity in the fight against the Black Flame and Katha-Hem.
Some of these stories also feature art by comics veterans Herb Trimpe and John Severin.This is a very Roger the Homunculus heavy episode.
The material covered in this video is collected in B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 2 from Dark Horse Comics: “The Dead”, “War on Frogs”, “The Black Flame”
TIME CODES: -0:00—Where is Hellboy? (Intro) -0:15—Quick recap -0:29—“The Dead” arc starts -0:34—John Arcudi joins -1:11—Guy Davis art process -2:46—Ben Daimio introduction -4:46—“War on Frogs” arc starts -7:15—“The Black Flame” arc starts -8:15—Roger the Homunculus -9:25—Katha Hem arrives (Lovecraft tree trunk with legs) -9:38—Liz Sherman powers -10:23—Johann Kraus and Roger -10:51—Wrap up (important info) -11:16—Up next (thanks for watching)
First Chaos Ensues video essay of 2025! Putting the Silver Age and supernatural comics aside for now to cover some black and white comics gems. Anyone can pick these up and they don’t require knowledge of decades of continuity to read.
Featuring a variety of genres and comics by creators like Dylan Williams, Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman), Freddy Carrasco, Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim) and Navied Mahdavian (The New Yorker). There are a lot of good under appreciated black and white comics. Looking at those and returning to some comfort food comics down the line. New reader friendly.
TIME CODES: -0:00—Intro -0:23—Reporter by Dylan Williams -1:52—Viewer Question -2:04—Wimmen’s Comix anthology -3:30—GLEEM by Freddy Carrasco -5:23—Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez -7:23—This Country by Navied Mahdavian -9:12—Wrap up
Milestone Media launched in 1993 and was founded by writer Dwayne McDuffie, artist Denys Cowan, reporter and editor Derek T. Dingle and writer/artist/teacher Michael Davis. The company made strides in telling superhero stories about marginalized groups and underrepresented social issues/themes.
Their four initial comic titles included Hardware, Blood Syndicate, Icon and Static.
While Milestone’s initial run ended in 1997, it’s had reunions, revivals and animated adaptions like the Static Shock cartoon series and Young Justice. Virgil Ovid Hawkins aka Static is probably Milestone’s most iconic (sorry, Icon) and recognizable character.
That cartoon (starring actor Phil LaMarr) introduced an entire generation to Milestone (whether they knew it or not) and Virgil’s adventures as an up-and-coming superhero.
The thing about Static is that a lot of his life is based on one of Milestone’s founders, Michael Davis. Chaos ensues in this essay covering the history Davis’s role in creating the character.
(The last Chaos Ensues video essay of 2024.)
TIME CODES: -0:00—They’re here to see us -0:07—Static Shock cartoon -0:33—History of Milestone Media & comics -1:14—Michael Davis speaks (Milestone & DC Comics deal) -1:57—Michael Davis history, Bad Boy Studios, mentoring -3:19—Static origins & Michael Davis family -4:42—Artist John Paul Leon -6:17—Davis leaves Milestone for Motown Records -6:50—Milestone Returns -7:07—Credit to creators -7:34—Further viewing