The Year of the Dragon

Nick Mullen brings his signature deadpan irony to the stage, tackling the internet’s most obsessive subcultures without the usual self-righteous panic. The hour is strongest when he leans into highly detailed, absurd hypotheticals. His routine about conspiracy theorists believing the masterminds behind September 11th were required to leave clues like Batman villains highlights his talent for exposing the sheer silliness of online obsession. Another standout sequence features an autistic antebellum plantation owner who treats slavery like organizing a collection of Funko Pops or Pokémon.\n\nFilmed at Comedy Works Downtown in Denver, Colorado, the special represents a major milestone for Mullen, who spent years building a cult following as the primary force behind the podcast Cum Town. His transition to a traditional stand-up hour was highly anticipated by a fanbase accustomed to his unscripted, chaotic audio riffs. Directed by Alexander Huggins and introduced by Mullen’s co-host Adam Friedland, the hour was released on YouTube in December 2023. While some fans missed the unpolished chaos of his podcasting, the special was widely praised for showing he could translate his quick-witted cynicism into a structured stand-up set. The special has since accumulated over four million views on YouTube.