Comic book superfan Seth Rogen explains why he's drawn to 'everything that is not Marvel and DC'

Actor, producer, and self-proclaimed "permanent teenager" Seth Rogen has helped bring numerous comic books to the big and small screens, including The Boys, Preacher, Invincible, and the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

But at a time when big-budget superhero stories are dominating Hollywood, Rogen is opening up about why he's specifically drawn to indie comics material — or "everything that is not Marvel and DC."

In a recent interview with Polygon, Rogen said he approaches making movies and TV like a kid in a comic book shop. "This idea of browsing and not having things fed to you — as I think people feel we are now when it comes to entertainment — but instead entering the fair market of entertainment and just wandering around and seeing what catches your eye," he said.

As for what's turned him off about the idea of working with juggernauts like Marvel and DC, he said, "Honestly, probably fear." He added that he and longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg "have a pretty specific way we work."

Noting that "There are a lot of Marvel things I love," Rogen expressed apprehension about how he and Goldberg would "plug into the system they have in place, which seems like a very good system, and a system that serves them very well. But is it a system that we would ultimately get really frustrated with?"

As producers on Mutant Mayhem, "We dictated the system and we dictated the process in a lot of ways," Rogen said. "And that's what's also appealing for us about The Boys and the other bigger franchise-y type things we've done, is that we are creating the infrastructure and process for them, not plugging into someone else's infrastructure and process. We're control freaks!"

Rogen has previously acknowledged that there's room for all kinds of comic book stories. Earlier this year he told Total Film, "truthfully, without Marvel, The Boys wouldn't exist or be interesting. I'm aware of that. I think if it was only Marvel, it would be bad. But I think it isn't — clearly."

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