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Madman Comics
Madman Volume 3
Jam-packed with tasty Madman goodness, this third volume continues the series collecting the complete Madman library. Collects Madman Comics #12-20 and Madman King-Size Super Groovy Special.
264 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2008
39 people want to read
About the author
Mike Allred
720 books178 followersMichael 'Doc' Allred (Also Credited as M. Dalton Allred) grew up in the 60's and 70's and was surrounded with the best in pop culture and a steady diet of music, movies and comic books including the three B's: Beatles, Bond and Batman to the point of obsession.
So it should come as no surprise that he keeps a hand in film and music (He's the lead singer and guitarist for The Gear), but comic books have always been a seminal source of joy for Mike and that joy remains the main ingredient in most of his work.
Allred first tasted success in the comics field with his wildly popular MADMAN series, which is currently being developed for a live action film with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. His earlier work from GRAFIK MUZIK was turned into the cult hit movie G-Men from Hell directed by Christopher Coppola (featuring Robert Goulet as the Devil). Other work includes Red Rocket 7, his history of Rock and Roll told in the context of a sci-fi adventure storyl the Madman spin-off THE ATOMICS and his magnum opus, THE GOLDEN PLATES, where he's illustrating the entire Book of Mormon.
Mike counts the secret to his success to be his wife, and creative partner, Laura Allred, who is is considered to be one of the best colorists in the business.
So it should come as no surprise that he keeps a hand in film and music (He's the lead singer and guitarist for The Gear), but comic books have always been a seminal source of joy for Mike and that joy remains the main ingredient in most of his work.
Allred first tasted success in the comics field with his wildly popular MADMAN series, which is currently being developed for a live action film with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. His earlier work from GRAFIK MUZIK was turned into the cult hit movie G-Men from Hell directed by Christopher Coppola (featuring Robert Goulet as the Devil). Other work includes Red Rocket 7, his history of Rock and Roll told in the context of a sci-fi adventure storyl the Madman spin-off THE ATOMICS and his magnum opus, THE GOLDEN PLATES, where he's illustrating the entire Book of Mormon.
Mike counts the secret to his success to be his wife, and creative partner, Laura Allred, who is is considered to be one of the best colorists in the business.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 25, 2018
Madman Volume 3 collects Madman Comics #12-20 plus Madman King-Size Super Groovy Special.
In this volume, the saga of Doctor Boiffard's ever-expanding brain comes to a conclusion and Madman runs afoul of the G-Men From Hell and more giant robots and monsters than you can shake a stick at. He also finally learns his real name and gets further hints of his ultimate destiny.
While some storylines were wrapped up in this volume, countless seeds for future stories were planted. In the foreword, Allred said he altered his style to make a monthly book more doable but you can't really tell the difference at first glance. His art is as smooth and awesome as ever, a distillation of everything good about the comics of yesteryear with some modern updates.
The stories are all over the place and the supporting cast keeps expanding. Cheetahman is introduced and Mike Mattress and Dean Crept are revealed as the G-Men from Hell. The saga of Doctor Boiffard finally comes to a conclusion. Oh, and there are fishmen.
The zany adventures of Madman are some of the best comics out there. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Now I'll have to track down whatever volume comes next.
In this volume, the saga of Doctor Boiffard's ever-expanding brain comes to a conclusion and Madman runs afoul of the G-Men From Hell and more giant robots and monsters than you can shake a stick at. He also finally learns his real name and gets further hints of his ultimate destiny.
While some storylines were wrapped up in this volume, countless seeds for future stories were planted. In the foreword, Allred said he altered his style to make a monthly book more doable but you can't really tell the difference at first glance. His art is as smooth and awesome as ever, a distillation of everything good about the comics of yesteryear with some modern updates.
The stories are all over the place and the supporting cast keeps expanding. Cheetahman is introduced and Mike Mattress and Dean Crept are revealed as the G-Men from Hell. The saga of Doctor Boiffard finally comes to a conclusion. Oh, and there are fishmen.
The zany adventures of Madman are some of the best comics out there. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Now I'll have to track down whatever volume comes next.
February 15, 2021
What a trippy ride. It's hard for me to recommend such a tale of insanity and non-sequitur but if you are a person who likes insanity with heart then this is for you.
I don't know much about Mike Allred but judging from these stories he has a big heart and he does a lot of mind altering drugs. Because these tales could only be written by someone on a drug trip. Please don't read that as an insult but I don't think I have ever read a story that wandered around so much and changed direction and added characters and changed motivations and then had a fight scene and then everyone apologized and made up and then fought and then became best friends.
To describe the plot would be madness. I mean there is a story but "plot" ...nope.
So that sounds bad, right? But first you have Mike Allred's art - an artist which I adore and it is in all its glory here. A treat for the eyes and the fact it is in colour (unlike the first volume) makes it even more wondrous.
You also have the sweet, strange, character of Frank Einstein (Madman) and his true love Joe. And you have a lot of other oddball characters...a lot. And you have some stories of free-association that change directions on a whim. They are - at times - fun. Other times confusing (Allred forgets to remind us of people's names and since they sometimes change bodies that makes it impossible to follow who is who at times e.g. Buster Lloyd). And often sweet.
If all comics were like this I would give up comics. Mike really needed an editor or a writer to reign in his imagination and put his ideas into a coherent story, BUT (and this is a big but) I enjoyed this for what it was...A trippy adventure that makes no sense but is a hell of a ride :).
I don't know much about Mike Allred but judging from these stories he has a big heart and he does a lot of mind altering drugs. Because these tales could only be written by someone on a drug trip. Please don't read that as an insult but I don't think I have ever read a story that wandered around so much and changed direction and added characters and changed motivations and then had a fight scene and then everyone apologized and made up and then fought and then became best friends.
To describe the plot would be madness. I mean there is a story but "plot" ...nope.
So that sounds bad, right? But first you have Mike Allred's art - an artist which I adore and it is in all its glory here. A treat for the eyes and the fact it is in colour (unlike the first volume) makes it even more wondrous.
You also have the sweet, strange, character of Frank Einstein (Madman) and his true love Joe. And you have a lot of other oddball characters...a lot. And you have some stories of free-association that change directions on a whim. They are - at times - fun. Other times confusing (Allred forgets to remind us of people's names and since they sometimes change bodies that makes it impossible to follow who is who at times e.g. Buster Lloyd). And often sweet.
If all comics were like this I would give up comics. Mike really needed an editor or a writer to reign in his imagination and put his ideas into a coherent story, BUT (and this is a big but) I enjoyed this for what it was...A trippy adventure that makes no sense but is a hell of a ride :).
July 5, 2021
This volume was more focused, starting off with a multi-parter to wrap up the plot with one of Frank's surrogate father's. While some craziness ensues, in the end, it's about a dad telling his son to be his own man and make his own way. This seems to have been the central theme of the whole series. In addition, not letting your past dictate who you are was also a prevalent message.
Another multi-parter tells the back story of the G Men From Hell. Not as engaging but filled that background out nicely.
The volume also gives a summary of who Frank is for those who didn't know or came in late.
All in all, an incredibly unique and fun series. It continues in the Atomic Comics, which I'll get to eventually.
Another multi-parter tells the back story of the G Men From Hell. Not as engaging but filled that background out nicely.
The volume also gives a summary of who Frank is for those who didn't know or came in late.
All in all, an incredibly unique and fun series. It continues in the Atomic Comics, which I'll get to eventually.
May 28, 2017
The final volume of the first chapter of Michael Allred's kooky superhero saga. Madman is that kind of pure comic book craziness that I just love.
February 11, 2019
Beatnik mutants and philosophy. What else to say?
July 10, 2023
This series is becoming great.
August 25, 2013
A bit of a mixed bag. The book opens with one longer story, tying up threads from the Madman story before Allred took a break from the main series for a bunch of one-shots and mini-series teaming the character up with several other characters. These stories represent a major leap in Allred's art, and it's a perfect distillation of where his art was going.
After that first main story there's a fun one-shot with Santa and other oddities. More great, bold art.
Then there's the second long story, the G-Men from Hell, which barely features Madman but does feature some scratchy, rushed-looking art. This was when I gave up on the series in its initial run, but looking back and re-reading it I enjoyed it more than I did the first time around.
We end with a longish one-shot story that features yet a third art style and does nothing to add to the ongoing Madman story. It's fun, but forgettable.
After that first main story there's a fun one-shot with Santa and other oddities. More great, bold art.
Then there's the second long story, the G-Men from Hell, which barely features Madman but does feature some scratchy, rushed-looking art. This was when I gave up on the series in its initial run, but looking back and re-reading it I enjoyed it more than I did the first time around.
We end with a longish one-shot story that features yet a third art style and does nothing to add to the ongoing Madman story. It's fun, but forgettable.
September 25, 2013
Not as good as the earlier volumes because Allred is starting to tell a much more conventional story in a much more conventional way.
Still it's very, very good. His art style conveys a lot of emotion and action. The characters are all interesting and there's more than enough strange but internally coherent stuff . . . .
There's a quality that I am calling "auteurship" that I'm sure has a real name where it really seems like someone has a unique idea and they stick with it, creating a universe or world that is very internally consistent even if something is weird. There is a bit of this in the Art Out of Time collection, for instance.
This guy has it in all the stuff I've read by him.
Still it's very, very good. His art style conveys a lot of emotion and action. The characters are all interesting and there's more than enough strange but internally coherent stuff . . . .
There's a quality that I am calling "auteurship" that I'm sure has a real name where it really seems like someone has a unique idea and they stick with it, creating a universe or world that is very internally consistent even if something is weird. There is a bit of this in the Art Out of Time collection, for instance.
This guy has it in all the stuff I've read by him.
October 21, 2011
Another fantastic volume in Mike Allred's Madman. I love the way the more metaphysical issues get blended more cleanly with the ongoing story, while Frank's world gets fleshed out beyond Factor Max, his robots, and Tri-Eye. The G-Men From Hell and The Exit of Dr. Boiffard are two of my favorite Madman stories ever, so it helps that this volume has them both.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews