Twin brothers Braden and Blair Brown are San Francisco performance artists whose stage work at the Geary Theater consists of monologs incorporated into live sex acts. They appear infrequently primarily as minor supporting characters in the inner circle of shock jock radio personality Anton Marx. As such, they try to goad Marx into letting them promote their show on his broadcast, make a pass at Marx who declines, or to be the occasional barb of Marx’s acidic comments, of which he spares no one.
They’re thrilled when reviewer Tamka Rabowitz (a probable reference to Tama Janowitz) says their performance is: “The nexus of theater, theology and morality, The Brothers Brown question all that is sacred about family and self.” In issue #14, we get a small look at one of their pieces when Marx, Venus (who loves Marx and dissatisfied with being a friend with benefits), and Venus’ elderly mother attend one their performances. Venus is intrigued, Marx finds it unenjoyable and inoffensive, and the mother is totally outraged. After the show, one of the brothers teases a trio drag queens. They’re attacked and beaten (though possibly killed as it’s unclear) by a masked vigilante while taking a short cut home.
The brothers are later attacked, because “You’re queers. God hates queers. I know ’cause I’m just like you. God doesn’t like me either.” Braden suffers worse in the attack which is ended quickly when the mysterious protagonist dressed as a medieval knight (a central character and theme of the series which I’ll forego trying to summarize) steps in to save them. Presumably the two attacks are perpetrated by the same person. (Issue #17) They’re last seen in the following issue in a scene in Braden’s hospital room as they talk to a police detective. The series ended with issue #20.
In their initial appearance the brothers are referred to as “The Brothers Brock” in The Crusades: Urban Decree special that begins the series. Thereafter, Seagle calls them The Brothers Brown.
Created by Steven T. Seagle and Kelley Jones. Art by Jones, Jason Moore, and Daniel Vozzo from The Crusades #1.
All rights reserved Steven T. Seagle and Kelley Jones. All rights reserved. Originally published by Vertigo. Now being collected in two volumes by Image.
