Writer/Artist: Mike Allred, Laura Allred (colors)
Publisher: Image Comics
An overly talky issue of Madman features some really amazing artistic pastiches for fans of Mike Allred. The rest of comic book fandom can wait until next issue where it looks like something "real" may happen.
Still ensnared by Monstadt's mindtrap, Frank N. Stein meets up with his inspiration Mr. Excitement. Excitement takes Frank on a literal race against time that has both he and Frank morphing into some recognizable takes on classic cartoon and comic characters. Some of these visuals pay homage to diverse art legends ranging from Windsor McCay to Neal Addams. It's an artistic achievement, or multiple swipes depending how you look at it, but it would have been more impressive had it not been done before, and by mainstreamer DC no less during The Zero Hour. It's also I'm sorry to say monotonous and doesn't give Laura Allred much in to do in the way of the color department.
I have to admire Allred's chutzpah in thinking that he was capable of filling about twenty four pages of comic book with philosophically directed dialogue, but this stuff grates on the reader who has already deduced the conclusion twelve pages ago. It's actually sort of similar to what Buckaroo Banzai states in a far less pretentious not to mention economical manner:
"Just remember. Wherever you go, there you are."
The true identity of Mr. Excitement is actually the cleverest aspect of the story, but Allred gives the game away at about the halfway point in favor of filling the speech balloons with more navel-gazing gobbledygook. During this revelation he brings the supporting cast into the story, but here, he portrays Joe as almost callous. This is a sharp contrast from the illustration of Joe's heart-wrenching emotion on behalf of her fallen hero seen in last issue.
Hopefully, this will be the final issue of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, and Madman Atomic Comics will pop with the vigor it once had.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!