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MADMAN SUPER GROOVY KING-SIZE SPECIAL
Recommended (7/10)
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Oni Press/AAA Pop Productions
"Of Two Minds"
Writer/Artist: Mike Allred
Letters: Nate Peikos
Colors: Han Allred
"Speaking Frankly"
Writer/Artist: Daniel Krall
"At the Madness of Madman"
Writer/Artist: Nick Derington
Colors: Han Allred
"Untitled"
Writer/Artist: Steven Weissman
Price: $6.95 US |
I'm a latecomer to Madman, having heard of the book forever but only having picked up the trades with the recent Oni re-release of them. So I'm not up on the latest stories of Madman's past and present, and I think that unfamiliarity did result in my being a little distanced from this story, which is really aimed at fans who have been waiting forever for new Madman stories. However, while some of the references to Madman's now-revealed past took me off guard, the book is still fun, carrying with it the same hipster goofy vibe that I got from the first Madman stories, a blend of comics sensibilities from the EC, Silver Age and 80s black and white eras that is a mix of philosophy and slam-bang action. The backup tales, including a music-themed piece from Daniel Krall, a pop super-hero parody by Nick Derington or a strange intersection of indy favorites by Steven Weissman, are all very well done. If you're a Madman fan, this special will put you in heaven, but even if you're not, the gathering of indy talent here might be too good to pass up.
This seems odd to say, given that Madman is Allred's baby and the reason most people pick up the character is for his work, but I think my favorite work in this issue was that of Nick Derington. The art throughout is terrific, but Derington's style has a clean-line approach that reminds me of one of my current favorite artists, Cameron Stewart, and his story is populated with talking apes, Red Skull-esque serial villains, spy girls in black leather and beehive outfits and the other sorts of trappings that make for a fun story. The tale is actually pretty short, and more of a train-of-thought dream sequence style of storytelling, but the art is crisp and clean and Derington populates the work with stuff that's fun to watch him draw.
Of course, this is not to say that Allred's lead story is in any way lacking. I confess that some of the references to what had gone before left me scratching my head or not as happy that I learned of Madman's "true origin" by means of flashback instead of reading the story, but this story is also full of the sort of trippy weirdness that made the book a hit in the first place. Allred's artwork looks fantastic here, better even than the work I've been enjoying so much on X-Statix. The story, while fun, doesn't really go much of anywhere, it's basically a pastiche piece with all the elements fans have come to expect from Madman, but my suspicion is that it will provide a nice comfortable reminder for Madman readers of what they've been missing.
Daniel Krall's tale, meanwhile, is almost a side story, a peripheral tale of Madman and the Atomics. It's a story of teens going to a concert featuring the Atomics, wondering about a guest appearance by Madman and talking about who he really is. The story is light, but fun, and it has a sort of good-natured, leisurely pacing to it that I enjoyed, as well as Krall's unusual but compelling artwork. Steven Weissman winds the whole thing up with his equally distinctive (and yet different from all the other participants) style, a story of a hyperactive young boy and an older Madman that captures the imagination and energy of youth and the notion of keeping in touch with your younger, wilder side as you get older.
It seems only fair to mention that this review is based on black and white copies, so I don't know what the book will look like in color. However, given my previous experience with the color work of Han Allred, I'm pretty sure there's nothing to worry about. Talent seems to run in that family, and Han has studied with his mother, Laura, who is hands-down the best colorist for Mike Allred's stuff that I've seen. In fact, the work of Mike Allred and son along with hand-picked guest artists gives this whole thing the feel of a bunch of musicians getting together to jam on an old favorite in new ways.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
