History MindScrew / Comicbooks

* ''Most'' of the stories Creator/GrantMorrison writes. Notable exceptions include his [[JusticeLeagueofAmerica JLA]] run, ''ComicBook/{{We3}}'', and ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', which are comparatively straightforward. For a perfect example of this trope however, see FinalCrisis. ''All'' of it.

* ''FinalCrisis Aftermath: Escape''. In which Tom "Nemesis" Tresser finds himself in a mysterious city, along with all DC's other "spy" characters, and apparently it's the future setting of ''OMAC'', complete with Lilas and GPA agents, or maybe it isn't, and characters die, but come back, and when ''he'' dies, the whole thing starts again. Appropriate, since the whole book is an homage to ThePrisoner.

* ''ComicBook/WontonSoup'' by James Stokoe is a space trucker cooking opera set in a universe that makes the ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' seem sensible and simple. It's impossible to list the craziness of the series in one sentence but as an example one time the two main characters get [[MushroomSamba high off the brains]] of one of the galaxy's oldest races, a failsafe program within the brain attempts to lead them to crystal forged from the hopes of a thousand alien geniuses. They simply have to say a safeword and the crystal will flush out the bad vibes, instead they stare at each other and then reach the same conclusion "Lets smoke it!" and somehow the comic goes even further into MindScrew territory.

* The recent Marvel Knights {{Deadpool}} mini series ''[[DeadpoolWadeWilsonsWar Wade Wilson's War]]'' pulls one. It really makes you think.

* ''WontonSoup'' by James Stokoe is a space trucker cooking opera set in a universe that makes the ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' seem sensible and simple. It's impossible to list the craziness of the series in one sentence but as an example one time the two main characters get [[MushroomSamba high off the brains]] of one of the galaxy's oldest races, a failsafe program within the brain attempts to lead them to crystal forged from the hopes of a thousand alien geniuses. They simply have to say a safeword and the crystal will flush out the bad vibes, instead they stare at each other and then reach the same conclusion "Lets smoke it!" and somehow the comic goes even further into MindScrew territory.

** TheInvisibles too, might as well be called MindScrew: The Series

** The ''X-Men'' storyline "Here Comes Tomorrow." Suddenly and without warning, the comic is catapulted into a hellish BadFuture AlternateUniverse full of old characters, new characters (most of whom have very little explanation as to who they are), and new characters related to old characters, plot points that you'd think would be very important being dropped almost offhandedly and then immediately forgotten about, bizarre lines of dialogue like "I drowned the last whale," and to top it all off, the final scene takes place in the DisneyAcidSequence of a dimension that is the Phoenix Force's realm. The writer? GrantMorrison, natch.

* ''Most'' of the stories Creator/GrantMorrison writes. Notable exceptions include his [[JusticeLeagueofAmerica JLA]] run, {{We3}}, and ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', which are comparatively straightforward. For a perfect example of this trope however, see FinalCrisis. ''All'' of it.

* The point in which ''TheMaxx'' jumps from trippy to actual MindScrew may vary from person to person. Some may say it's when the villain turns out to be a giant psychopathic self-help-fueled banana slug; other may say it's just right before the revelation of why Julie's Outback was created (that part with the Hooly); or maybe when [[spoiler:Sarah comes back from DisneyDeath as an Is]]...

* The point in which ''TheMaxx'' jumps from trippy to actual MindScrew may vary from person to person. Some may say it's when the villain turns out to be a giant psychopathic self-help fueled banana slug; other may say it's just right before the revelation of why Julie's Outback was created (that part with the Hooly); or maybe when [[spoiler:Sarah comes back from DisneyDeath as an Is]]...

** The recent Sisterhood of Evil Mutants arc in Uncanny X-Men; was it really Madelyne Pryor in charge of the Sisterhood? Was it her evil doppleganger from another universe? The Phoenix Force taking Maddie's form in order to screw with the X-Men, while plotting to once again steal Jean Grey's corpse in order to gain corporal form?
** [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] is the sole, possibly-patented inventor of the Laws Of Physics for Universe 616. [[note]] it involves a story where he and a noncorporeal being travel back in time to the Big Bang: the being creates the universe, while Reed invents physics, ''based on his own memories of physics''. From the very same 616 universe. Wow.[[/note]]

* ''WontonSoup'' by James Stokoe is a space trucker cooking opera set in a universe that makes the ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' seem sensible and simple. It's impossible to list the craziness of the series in one sentence but as an example one time the two main characters get [[MushroomSamba high off the brains]] of one of the galaxy's oldest races, a failsafe programn within the brain attempts to lead them to crystal forged from the hopes of a thousand alien geniuses. They simply have to say a safeword and the crystal will flush out the bad vibes, instead they stare at each other and then reach the same conclusion "Lets smoke it!" and somehow the comic goes even further into MindScrew territory.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}:

** That one gets [[MindScrewdriver cleared up]] later. [[{{YMMV}} Kind of]]. Basically, later on, you discover that Johnny is actually at the epicenter of the accumulation of human negative feeling, so much so that it fuels kind of magical happenings. Thus, the Doughboys can occasionally move around, Johnny can never get caught for his crimes and the other stuff that doesn't fully make sense is explained.

** That one gets, [[YMMV kind of]], [[MindScrewdriver cleared up]] later. Basically, later on, you discover that Johnny is actually at the epicenter of the accumulation of human negative feeling, so much so that it fuels kind of magical happenings. Thus, the Doughboys can occasionally move around, Johnny can never get caught for his crimes and the other stuff that doesn't fully make sense is explained.

*** KurtBusiek eventually cleared things up by [[CanonDiscontinuity making everybody involved a Space Phantom]] and the whole scheme a plot from Immortus (Kang's future self... [[TimeyWimeyBall maybe]]) to troll the Avengers into not leaving Earth for a while.

** TheKillingJoke managed to confuse everyone who read it, [[spoiler: ending with Batman and the Joker laughing over a joke. The third to last frame shows the characters' feet with the headlights of a police car between them, the second to last removes the characters' feet, and the last simply shows the wet ground they were standing on.]] Creator/AlanMoore has since admitted that he has several regrets writing this graphic novel, based in part on a rather misinformed understanding of the characters at the time.
** If you thought ''The Killing Joke'' was mind-screwy, then you're never going to make it out of ''[[GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman: R.I.P.]]'' with your sense of reason intact. Batman having a whole separate personality triggered by an arbitrary gibberish phrase that's a ShoutOut to a Silver age Batman comic ('Robin Dies At Dawn!'), SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker cutting his own tongue in half with a razor and having no lips and being almost unintelligible because of it, Dr. Hurt potentially being a demon or the devil (your interpretation WILL vary)... Yeah, ''Killing Joke'' is a cakewalk compared to that storyline. Then again, Grant Morrison wrote it, and while he ''is'' considered one of the better Batman authors, his work, as mentioned above, can be ''very'' mindscrewtastic.

** TheKillingJoke managed to confuse everyone who read it, [[spoiler: ending with Batman and the Joker laughing over a joke. The third to last frame shows the characters' feet with the headlights of a police car between them, the second to last removes the characters' feet, and the last simply shows the wet ground they were standing on.]] Creator/Creator/Creator/AlanMoore has since admitted that he has several regrets writing this graphic novel, based in part on a rather misinformed understanding of the characters at the time.

** TheKillingJoke managed to confuse everyone who read it, [[spoiler: ending with Batman and the Joker laughing over a joke. The third to last frame shows the characters' feet with the headlights of a police car between them, the second to last removes the characters' feet, and the last simply shows the wet ground they were standing on.]] AlanMoore has since admitted that he has several regrets writing this graphic novel, based in part on a rather misinformed understanding of the characters at the time.

* ''WontonSoup'' by James Stokoe is a space trucker cooking opera set in a universe that makes the Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy seem sensible and simple. It's impossible to list the craziness of the series in one sentence but as an example one time the two main characters get [[MushroomSamba high off the brains]] of one of the galaxy's oldest races, a failsafe programn within the brain attempts to lead them to crystal forged from the hopes of a thousand alien geniuses. They simply have to say a safeword and the crystal will flush out the bad vibes, instead they stare at each other and then reach the same conclusion "Lets smoke it!" and somehow the comic goes even further into MindScrew territory.

* ''DylanDog'' loves this trope, almost always combining with SurrealHorror and/or AllJustADream (and in a few cases, DreamWithinADream).

* ''Most'' of the stories Creator/GrantMorrison writes. Notable exceptions include his [[JusticeLeagueofAmerica JLA]] run, {{We3}}, and AllStarSuperman, which are comparatively straightforward. For a perfect example of this trope however, see FinalCrisis. ''All'' of it.

* Anything, ''anything'' Creator/GrantMorrison writes. Especially FinalCrisis.
** Except for ''AllStarSuperman,'' not counting the relatively well supported Wild Mass Guess that [[spoiler: Leo Quintum is Lex Luthor]], reformed by the events of the final issue who journeyed back in time to redeem himself by doing the good Superman challenged him to do; makes the book become very mindscrewy indeed, as does the not at all WMG plot point that [[spoiler: Superman created our universe]].
** TheInvisibles, on the other hand, might as well be called MindScrew: The Series

* {{Batman}}:

** The Crossing: Kang has been manipulating EVERYONE in the Avengers, from stealing Vision and Scarlet Witch's kids (and Quicksilver's daughter' Luna in the future) and brainwashing Iron Man and Hank Pym to use as sleeper agents, with Hank Pym going insane when he resisted Kang's brainwashing. And all of this being done in the name of destroying the "Celestial Messiah", who in the end turns out to be a monster that threatens to destroy all of time and space and not the bringer of peace as previously stated in the classic saga "The Celestial Madonna".

** Avengers Disassembled, made worse when you consider that fans of the Avengers (and several other writers at Marvel) reject outright Brian Michael Bendis and Tom Brevoort's attempt to WordOfGod explain away all plot holes and incoherent storyline reveals as "Wanda being crazy, hence it's not supposed to make sense".

* ''FinalCrisis Aftermath: Escape''. In which Tom "Nemesis" Tresser finds himself in a mysterious city, along with all DC's other "spy" characters, and apparently it's the future setting of ''OMAC'', complete with Lilas and GPA agents, or maybe it isn't, and characters die, but come back, and when ''he'' dies, the whole thing starts again.

* ''WontonSoup'' by James Stokoe is a space trucker cooking opera set in a universe that makes the TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy seem sensible and simple. It's impossible to list the craziness of the series in one sentence but as an example one time the two main characters get [[MushroomSamba high off the brains]] of one of the galaxy's oldest races, a failsafe programn within the brain attempts to lead them to crystal forged from the hopes of a thousand alien geniuses. They simply have to say a safeword and the crystal will flush out the bad vibes, instead they stare at each other and then reach the same conclusion "Lets smoke it!" and somehow the comic goes even further into MindScrew territory.

** Except for ''AllStarSuperman,'' not counting the relatively well supported Wild Mass Guess that [[spoiler: Leo Quintum is Lex Luthor]], reformed by the events of the final issue who journeyed back in time to redeem himself by doing the good Superman challenged him to do, makes the book become very mindscrewy indeed, as does the not at all WMG plot point that [[spoiler: Superman created our universe]].

** [[FantasticFour Reed Richards]] is the sole, possibly-patented inventor of the Laws Of Physics for Universe 616. [[note]] it involves a story where he and a noncorporeal being travel back in time to the Big Bang: the being creates the universe, while Reed invents physics, ''based on his own memories of physics''. From the very same 616 universe. Wow.[[/note]]