What do you think?
Rate this book
Madman Comics
Madman Adventures Collection
Allred, Mike
110 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
3 people are currently reading
60 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 22, 2018
It’s difficult to wrap one’s head around Mike Allred’s superhero comic, Madman. Is it surreal? Is it meant to be taken tongue in cheek? Is it a parody?
It really doesn’t matter, because it’s good.
This isn’t a ground zero issue for Madman, Mike Allred’s offbeat superhero, so no origin story here.
What I learned about the character:
He’s the result of some sort of experiment by a couple of wacky scientists. His aka, given to him by one of the scientists, is Frank Einstein. “Frank” as in Sinatra. “Einstein” as in the Theory of Relativity dude.
He has a few heroic powers, but nothing that stands out – Agility, empathetic abilities…
He’s got a girlfriend named Joe.
He’s got a lot of heart, and even though Allred gives the comic a skewered treatment, you care about what happens, because Madman wants to do the right thing.
As goofy as this volume can be, the storyline is comprehensible, follows a straight line and doesn’t leave the reader with a case of the comic book vapors.
Unless you’re some sort of godless commie philistine you’ll be able to appreciate the Allred’s pop art style – his wife, Laura, does the vibrant color work.
Dinosaurs = Time travel, but not a soul-sucking time travel story that’ll leave you with inexplicable deep set feelings of rage.
Allred doses the book with meta-humor (A Brady Bunch joke! Woo Hoo!) and keeps the action moving.
Bottom Line: This was one of those weird bargain bin finds that I picked up because it was cheap and I’m relatively poor. If you like super heroes and want something a little different, give Madman a go.
January 7, 2024
Mike Allred is, without a doubt, one of my favorite artists and writers in comics. His wife Laura's coloring is top-notch as well, which is why I like this, the second volume in the Madman chronicles, slightly more than The Oddity Odyssey, as that one didn't contain Laura's vibrant, absolutely gorgeous colors. And this is where Mike's pop art style truly comes into its own.
Also, this is where Frank Einstein and co. get into some truly bizarre adventures, meeting all kinds of memorable characters -- super-secret agents, an inter-dimensional alien, robots, a mad scientist whose massive brain (and head) is expanding at a rapid rate, etc. -- and traveling through time and parallel realities. Before these issues, Madman was more of a weird, disturbing horror story, but here Allred goes for a slightly more traditional superhero arc (though Frank is mostly just a regular guy with great reflexes and a costume, mostly), but takes it to a whole other, ridiculously over-the-top level. Frank Einstein is a truly great character, and I really sympathized with his journey to find himself and his place in the world when I was a teen in the 90s, and I still do. His naivety, as well as his charmingly innocent relationship with his new girlfriend Joe, is pretty much adorable
I haven't kept up with comics and graphic novels quite as much in recent years, but nothing could beat Madman for me in the 90s (although Sandman came close). And I enjoyed it just as much this time around. It's just-plain-fun, as is the series in general, and I highly recommend it for fans of off-beat comics, and for those into superhero comics who are looking for something a little different. You may want to start with The Oddity Odyssey first, but it isn't necessary, and this is a more accurate representation of the series overall.
5 Stars
Also, this is where Frank Einstein and co. get into some truly bizarre adventures, meeting all kinds of memorable characters -- super-secret agents, an inter-dimensional alien, robots, a mad scientist whose massive brain (and head) is expanding at a rapid rate, etc. -- and traveling through time and parallel realities. Before these issues, Madman was more of a weird, disturbing horror story, but here Allred goes for a slightly more traditional superhero arc (though Frank is mostly just a regular guy with great reflexes and a costume, mostly), but takes it to a whole other, ridiculously over-the-top level. Frank Einstein is a truly great character, and I really sympathized with his journey to find himself and his place in the world when I was a teen in the 90s, and I still do. His naivety, as well as his charmingly innocent relationship with his new girlfriend Joe, is pretty much adorable
I haven't kept up with comics and graphic novels quite as much in recent years, but nothing could beat Madman for me in the 90s (although Sandman came close). And I enjoyed it just as much this time around. It's just-plain-fun, as is the series in general, and I highly recommend it for fans of off-beat comics, and for those into superhero comics who are looking for something a little different. You may want to start with The Oddity Odyssey first, but it isn't necessary, and this is a more accurate representation of the series overall.
5 Stars
March 25, 2022
4.5/10
To all talented young comics artist out there: find a writer.
To all talented young comics artist out there: find a writer.
January 16, 2022
A spasso nel tempo e incontri con gli alieni, nella seconda miniserie dedicata al personaggio. Qui effettivamente si capisce che, a suo modo, Allred sta ponendo le basi per qualcosa. Il colore lo aiuta anche.
3 stelle.
3 stelle.
July 29, 2016
Another delightful chapter in Mike Allred's Madman series, now with colors by Laura Allred that make Mike's already vibrant art pop even more.
Much of what I wrote about the three earlier volumes remains true: Madman (Frank Einstein, and I can't believe how long it took me to get that pun) remains an utterly charming protagonist. Allred has toned down on his random acts of psychotic violence (here he takes it out on a robot rather than a henchman), but there's still something off about the guy. He's closer to Bugs Bunny, but he's still not 100% ready for Saturday morning.
Mike Allred's effortlessly breathtaking action sequences are present in full effect, as Frank jumps and fights with astonishing vigor to get back to his home, his girl, and perhaps most poignantly, his TV.
Much of what I wrote about the three earlier volumes remains true: Madman (Frank Einstein, and I can't believe how long it took me to get that pun) remains an utterly charming protagonist. Allred has toned down on his random acts of psychotic violence (here he takes it out on a robot rather than a henchman), but there's still something off about the guy. He's closer to Bugs Bunny, but he's still not 100% ready for Saturday morning.
Mike Allred's effortlessly breathtaking action sequences are present in full effect, as Frank jumps and fights with astonishing vigor to get back to his home, his girl, and perhaps most poignantly, his TV.
October 31, 2010
The book & character really kicked into gear with the addition of colour. Somehow, this coincided wonderfully with the final pinning down of Madman in his more fluid, keen-neato persona rather than his former eyeball-eating mysterio style. This mini also opens up the sort of stories that became the Madman mainstays: spacemen, time-travel, secret agents, brain expansion and the occasional allusion to Frank's mysterious past. For a firmer grasp of who the character really is, this is the better starting point than the beginning.
July 16, 2013
Allred interiors: just breathtaking, every page. Frank's apparent guileless charm is so endearing, and all the supporting characters are crisp and evocative, even within a single issue!
August 14, 2022
One of those books you re-read every so often. Probably 3 or 5 times for me now.
July 3, 2025
Great evolution from the first book to this, loving where this is going! elbicnivi!
January 1, 2013
Madman Volume 1: The Oddity Odyssey felt like Allred was just having a good time writing kooky stuff, but this is the collection where he starts to figure out what he wants to do with the character. It still lacks the structure that comes later in Madman Comics Yearbook '95 AKA Crash Course for the Ravers, but the look the book and the way the characters get fleshed out here really establishes what makes the work as special as it is.
August 22, 2013
The second chapter in the Madman series gets both odder -- embracing weirdness full-tilt -- and more introspective -- showing depth the first book lacked. The darkness present in the first book is mostly gone, replaced by a more soulful tone and questions of identity and our place in the universe. Oh, and their are dinosaurs, robots, giant brains and aliens. Somber yet joyful weirdness. It's a winning combination.
August 19, 2009
my honey introduced me to madman. we actually just met the author and his wife at a recent comic con....they were super nice and like baked goods.
this is a fun, intelligent, quirky read and a great into to graphic novels!
this is a fun, intelligent, quirky read and a great into to graphic novels!
July 18, 2009
The fact that he can make faces with and blow bubbles and eat through his mask started to really bother me.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews