Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? – Last Looks: John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars w/ Ed Brubaker

Original Air Date: November 7, 2025
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Special Guest: Ed Brubaker (comic book writer; Criminal, Daredevil)

Overview

This episode features the “Last Looks” for John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, as Paul, June, and Jason field hilarious and insightful listener feedback, corrections, and alternate theories about the film. The highlight is a freewheeling, deep-dive interview with acclaimed comics writer Ed Brubaker. Together, the hosts and Brubaker dissect the enduring, inexplicable appeal of Ghosts of Mars, John Carpenter’s quirks, and the art of bad movies. They then shift to Brubaker’s creative process, specifically his acclaimed Criminal comic series, its upcoming Amazon adaptation, and the messy reality of television showrunning.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Listener Corrections & Omissions

[02:08–15:12]

• Breather Confusions: Listeners clarify that the “breathers” in Ghosts of Mars aren't the goggles but chest-mounted devices, correcting host confusion about Martian atmospheric tech.
  • “It maybe seems like it’s outputting enough oxygen in the general direction of their faces... I thought it was through their goggles too, like through their eyes.” – Paul ([05:49])
• Guns and Flashlights: Why, in so much future Mars tech, are flashlights still held separately from guns?
• Nature of the Ghosts: Debate over whether the Martian “ghosts” are actual spirits or an infectious organism (a la The Last of Us), and whether drugs as a cure make sense.
• Satanic Panic Take: “It’s a satanic panic movie. The moral is, if your kids listen to heavy metal, they will pierce their fingers, file their teeth and become cannibals.” – Mindy, caller ([09:44])
• Pam Grier’s Leather Gauchos: Listener Fuzzy laments the hosts missed “the fact that Pam Grier was wearing leather gauchos” and was disappointed nobody commented.
• Director’s Commentary Revelations: John Carpenter reportedly claimed on-set, “this is the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever made,” affecting cast morale ([11:54]).
• Big Daddy Mars Trading Card: Odd depths of movie lore surface with a trading card for the film’s villain listing his “hobbies: headhunting and body piercing” and “over 200 body piercings.”

Memorable Host Reactions:

• “When a trading card fills in that much backstory, you know you got some problems.” – Paul ([12:54])
• “Should they remake Ghosts of Mars? ...The original wasn’t sacred to anybody, so the remake won’t automatically be worse.” – Listener ([13:54])

2. Interview with Ed Brubaker

[19:27–73:07]

Ed Brubaker on Ghosts of Mars

• Defending the Movie:

  • “I believe [Ghosts of Mars] is one of the most fun, rewatchable John Carpenter movies from that era. I’d rank it 10 times better than his fucking Vampires movie.” – Ed Brubaker ([20:00])
  • He explains watching it in a homemade theater and appreciates its odd mix of violence, matriarchy, and B-movie weirdness.
  • “Ghosts of Mars… it’s so fucking weird. It’s almost like the ultimate John Carpenter movie.” ([20:43])

• Carpenter’s Style and Studio Pressure:

  • “He was trying to make a dumb B movie, but it was too smart to be as dumb.” – Paul ([21:55])
  • Brubaker and the hosts speculate about the studio’s influence and flaws in action editing, noting the film often montages or omits action scenes.
  • Rumor addressed: Ghosts of Mars was intended as “Escape from Mars” with connections to the Snake Plissken/Kurt Russell lineage.

• Casting and Characterization Issues:

  • “What the movie lacked … is everybody is dour and down. Nobody has that light touch ... I need someone who has a little bit of a light touch.” – June ([24:18])
  • Comparing Ice Cube to Kurt Russell: the cast lacks Russell’s swagger; everyone in the film is “too cool and too tough.”
  • Ed defends Ice Cube: “As a baldist ... Jason Statham is one of the only bald sex symbols that we get.” ([23:08])

John Carpenter and Hollywood Stories

• Chevy Chase Anecdotes:
  • Paul shares John Carpenter called Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah “the stuff of nightmares and impossible to direct ... Chase would often refuse to wear his special effects makeup and would remove it prematurely, ruining a day’s worth of filming.” ([29:15])
  • “Apparently, Beverly D’Angelo was married to Al Pacino forever, so Chevy Chase is probably not a big deal to deal with.” – Ed ([28:18])
  • Hilarious aside about Al Pacino spending 8–10 hours sitting in a car during a Beverly D’Angelo film shoot ([29:06]).

3. Ed Brubaker on Comics, TV, and the Art of Adaptation

Walking Through the Criminal Adaptation

[33:26–55:14]

• Becoming a Showrunner:

  • “I got to be the showrunner of one of my projects for Amazon, right?” – Paul
  • Ed explains the transition from comics to TV, collaborating with industry giant Shane Black on screenings and notes.
  • “Post is when you cook it ... are you a great chef? Do you have great chefs working for you?” – Shane Black’s advice to Ed on the creative process ([43:31])

• TV Authorship Realities:

  • “There are some episodes of Criminal that I rewrote every single word on, and there are some where I only rewrote like 80% ... so it was like, oh, this is just weird ... But then in Post, you end up doing so much changing and writing and rewriting and ADR.” – Ed ([39:50])
  • The group discusses how showrunner crediting works, the fuzziness of TV writing credit, and how it differs from comics authorship.
  • “The showrunner is really the voice of the show. In the end of the day ... [Criminal] feels more like me and my work than anything else that’s ever existed.” – Ed ([41:24])

• Production & Reshoots:

  • Ed and Paul recall high-stress, multi-set reshoot schedules, including coordinating actors and set logistics, and the wildest on-set experiences.
  • “Being a showrunner is a really, really fucking hard job ... but working with the actors and the crew and the directors ... I loved the production.” – Ed ([53:46])
  • “The show looks amazing and it’s big ... you see where the seams are ... This is a show that feels like a movie.” – Paul ([54:40])

On the Comics Process & Unique Brubaker Touches

[55:14–68:22]

• The Criminal Universe:

  • June and Paul geek out about Criminal’s sprawling 70-year timeline, shifting through generations and criminal dynasties.
  • “So much of it is fathers and sons, right?... mothers and daughters.” – June ([55:32])

• Friday and Reckless Series:

  • Brubaker’s other acclaimed work, Friday, is discussed (with warnings about giving it to 8-year-olds—monsters are intense!), and the pulpy, irresistible allure of the Reckless PI books.
  • “[Reckless is] a Vietnam vet who is down on his luck, owns a movie theater in LA ... all I want is to live inside of these stories.” – June ([60:56])

• Back Matter Essays and Comics Community:

  • June expresses love for the “back matter” film/music essays at the end of single issues, which serve as curated movie recommendations.
  • “That’s the thing I miss about the single issues ... the building of the community.” – Ed ([66:03])

• Creating Art Objects for Fans:

  • Brubaker describes special editions, games, and print-only releases created with top-tier collaborators to reward loyal comic shop customers.

Industry Reflections & Shane Black, Parker, and Adaptation

[68:22–72:48]

• Martini Editions and Darwin Cooke:
  • Ed reflects on his role in bringing Cooke’s Parker adaptations to larger formats after Cooke’s passing.
• Shane Black’s new Parker movie:
  • Ed and June dig into Mark Wahlberg’s take on Parker, contrasting it with what audiences wrongly expect.
  • “I told Shane ... this is one of the best portrayals of Parker since Lee Marvin, honestly.” – Ed ([70:54])
• Criticism Culture:
  • How film critics often misunderstand genre tropes or fail to recognize the creative labor that goes into TV shows.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Ghosts of Mars

• “It’s almost like the ultimate John Carpenter movie ... violence and the downfall of society, but also matriarchies and powerful women.” – Ed Brubaker ([20:43])
• “He was trying to make a dumb B movie but it was too smart to be as dumb.” – Paul ([21:55])
• “What the movie lacked ... is everybody is dour and down.” – June ([24:18])

On Adaptation & Hollywood

• “Post is when you cook it.” – Shane Black (via Ed) ([43:31])
• “The showrunner is really the voice of the show ... [Criminal] feels more like me ... than anything else that’s ever existed.” – Ed ([41:24])
• “...so much of it is fathers and sons, right? Both on the criminal side. Mothers and daughters.” – June ([55:32])

Interpersonal & Funny Asides

• “As a baldist, Jason Statham is one of the only bald sex symbols that we get. Like, even in pornography …” – Ed ([23:08])
• “Al [Pacino] just sat in a parked car for maybe eight, ten hours... I just love that he was there, didn’t come in, didn’t roll the window down, just sat in a parked car.” – Paul ([29:06])

Segment Timestamps

• Listener Corrections & Omissions: [02:08–15:12]
• Brubaker Interview – Ghosts of Mars & John Carpenter: [19:27–29:45]
• Brubaker on TV Adaptation, Hollywood Stories, & Authorship: [33:26–55:14]
• Comics Process, Special Editions, & Community: [55:14–68:22]
• Industry Reflection / Shane Black, Parker movie: [68:22–72:48]
• Next Week’s Film Announcement: [73:07–74:15]

Overall Tone & Takeaways

As ever, the How Did This Get Made? crew maintains a mix of irreverent, enthusiastic film-geek comedy and genuine industry analysis. Paul, June, and Jason balance snark and affection while Ed Brubaker brings both scholarly insight and self-aware humor—from profound thoughts on horror and pulp to cheerful uncle energy (“classic uncle shit”). The episode is loaded with deep-dive trivia, inside-Hollywood process talk, and obscure oddities about one of Carpenter’s oddest films. It’s a stellar blend of bad-movie celebration and comic book craft.

Next Episode Preview

• Next week's film: My Boyfriend’s Back (1993), a teen zombie rom-com. “Jason and June loved this movie. So are they right? Are they wrong?” ([73:07])
• Available on Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango, and library services Hoopla, Kanopy, Libby.

Recommended for listeners who love:

• Deep-cuts on cult sci-fi and horror
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