EVERYTHING'S COMING UP MADMAN: TALKING TO MIKE ALLRED

[MattBrady]

Yesterday, we brought you word that Mike Allred would be taking his creator-owned Madman to Image beginning in February with the 852 page collection, Madman Gargantua. A new series, Madman Atomic Comics is slated for April as well, and we spoke with Allred about the rebirth and renewal of his creation.

Newsarama: First off, and from the earlier information, this is a full, wholesale move of Madman to Image. What was behind the decision to do that?

Mike Allred: Mostly, I wanted to be able to turn some of the publishing responsibilities over to somebody else, but without sacrificing any of our creative freedoms, which we’d come to enjoy through self-publishing with AAA Pop. Also, I really wanted to be able to concentrate on the work, and not so much the business side of things – that would be the only negative that I would say I discovered from self-publishing…

NRAMA: It’s a full second job on top of all the creative duties…

MA: Right – that’s what got to me – how much time was taken by handling the business side of things. Laura handled the great majority of those responsibilities, but it still slowed us down, and was preventing us from being as productive and prolific as we wanted to be.

I’d been planning on relaunching a regular Madman series for quite a long time now, and wanted to start overlapping it as far back as when we did The Atomics, but then, of course, I took a huge detour with X-Force and X-Statix and other things, and things on the movie front have always popped up to be welcome distractions.

So really, that all added up and put me at a point where I was looking to just worry about the comics and not have to worry about all the other stuff. I really like and respect Erik Larsen – I had great experiences with him over ten years ago at Image, and have always kept an eye on what they were doing. Erik and I did the Atomics/Savage Dragon crossover, and when I started thinking about taking Madman to another publisher, Image just seemed to be the obvious choice as far as filling in all the blanks.

NRAMA: Such as?

MA: I wanted as much market recognition as possible, I wanted fairness in publishing, and I wanted creative freedom. Image offered all of that. So it really just started with a phone call to Erik Larsen to just pick his brain and see if they would even be interested in welcoming Madman to the family. He was excited about it, and hooked me up with his right hand man, Eric Stephenson, who was excited about it too – in fact – Eric was an original member of the Atomics fan club – the AAA Pop Society. He was a card-holding member, so I knew I had allies.

From there, we immediately started brainstorming. Once the door was open, it’s been no holds barred.

NRAMA: Speaking of no holds barred – that obviously describes the first project coming out. Whose idea was Gargantua?

MA: Actually, it was Erik Larsen’s idea originally – out of the blue, he asked me if I’d seen the Omnibus books that Marvel had been doing, and I had and was a huge fan of the format. I mean, it was a dream to get the Fantastic Four Omnibus with so much material oversized and in one book. When he said that they were toying with that format…of course I wanted to do it. From there, the word “Gargantua” just popped into my head.

NRAMA: It certainly fits.

MA: Yeah [laughs]. It’s ideal. It’s going to be nice to have this beautiful, top quality, one-stop format for every Madman series prior to this one.

And then, the first issue of Madman Atomic Comics, in case somebody doesn’t want to go for the Gargantua, or has never picked up Madman at all, I tailored the first story arc in Madman Atomic Comics to be completely welcoming for anybody that’s never been exposed to Madman at all. In a very unique way, it sums up everything anybody would ever need to know about the Madman universe and the various relationships between the characters and the overall tone of what FRrank Einstein is all about, and it all fits really nicely into the plot.

So – with Gargantua and the start of this new series, it’s just the perfect way to start fresh.

NRAMA: Obviously, there’s a push to move as many copies of Gargantua out the door, but down the line, will there be smaller collections of Madman, say, those that don’t require a spotter?

MA: Oh yeah – I’m sure there will be. We’re talking about getting a trade paperback collection of the entire Atomics series as well. That’s a no-brainer, to make sure we keep everything available in collections as we go.

For me, it’s always been about accessibility. I’ve never been one to push collectibles, or to try and make something scarce for the sake of marketability. I want access. I want to my work ot be as timeless as possible. You can’t do that if you make it scarce, so I want to keep the access up with consistent collections that stay in print as we progress forward.

NRAMA: Given that Madman, at this point, has basically been a career-spanning project, has your approach to it or your view of the characters changed as you’ve gotten older, or is Frank the same voice for you that he was when you began?

MA: He’s definitely the same in that he’s closer to me than any other character I’ve ever written. I’ve put more of myself in him, so there’s that consistency, but at the same time, events and experiences will change and alter and move me as a human being. Those same things have happened for Frank Einstein, so he’s definitely, consistently the same person, but the first and second issue of Madman Atomic Comics will show that he’s reached a deeper plane of how he figures things out. He’s always been kind of child like, and I’ve always preferred to look at things in a pure and nonjudgmental, and hopefully innocent, way, but not in a naïve way where I can be taken advantage of. I always look for the best in people, and the opportunities that are open in my life, so there’s always that…hopeful child like quality that will be consistent with Frank Einstein, but at the same time, there are things that are forced upon him which kind of push him out of his cocoon. Because of that, he evolved.

I’m very excited about this evolution that will take place for him. I’ve always tried to keep an existential, thought-provoking dimension with the Madman comics, but first and foremost, I want them to be fun and electric. That’s still my first goal.

NRAMA: And with Madman Atomic Comics announced as a monthly…you’re pretty much a monthly workhorse, and meeting that deadline won’t be a problem…right?

MA: Well, what I learned a long time ago was to be open for the unexpected. I probably would’ve been very happy just to do Atomics and Madman comics for the rest of my career, but then when Axel Alonso approached me with the opportunity to create new mutants for Marvel…you just never know what opportunities are going ot open up for you.

So yes – my goal is to make Madman monthly, the question mark is: for how long, and what projects will again send me on a detour? Right now, for instance, I had hoped to have more issues of Madman Atomic Comics done, but I was approached to do a two issues fill-in on Fables for Vertigo.

NRAMA: Right – your back-up story just showed up…

MA: Yeah – that was a little warm-up. I’d already been set to do the two issue story, and Shelly Bond, who was actually the first editor I’d ever had in my career back when she worked for Comico, asked if I could do a little early. Again, doing Fables was one of these things where maybe I should pass, but at the same time, working with Bill Willingham…it’s just a brilliant story that he’s writing, and I’d be kicking myself if I passed on it. So there’s a two issue bump right off the bat. I have a nice head start on Madman Atomic Comics, and the Fables work will only eat up a little of it, but I couldn’t pass it up.

Oh, and Axel and Pete Milligan are talking about another X-Statix miniseries, and I’ve been talking to Bob Schreck about working with Paul Chadwick on a Superman/Batman miniseries…these kind of things pop up and they’re awfully hard to say no to.

So – my career has always been about just how much I love making comic books, and if there’s something available to keep the fun going, that’s exactly what it’s all about for me. So, I’m trying to divide my time between being pure as a creator and doing as much as I can with my own work, but also to collaborate, which is where I always take my biggest leaps in growth. And it’s always fun to share, too.

NRAMA: Speaking of these other projects – there’s also an undeniable aspect to the branching out – after all, when you started on X-Force, there were questions about who this “new guy” was. Do you feel that this time with Madman, you’re going to be bringing over some new eyes?

MA: That’s something that continues to surprise me. The industry is so small, but it is also very compartmentalized. There are some people who will only read a Marvel comic book. There are some people who will only read a DC comic book. There are some very loyal Image fans, Dark Horse fans. So, you never know how you’re going ot be introducing yourself to new readers, and it seems that with every single project I’ve ever done, I’ve found new readers – people who might find something unique or interesting in my work, and then go digging for the old stuff. In doing that, hopefully, they’ll have a similar experience to what I had when I fell head over heels in love with comic books as an adult, where once creator will take you off in one direction, which will introduce you to another creator or another title, and it’s all a chain form there.

Hopefully, there will be less compartmentalization, and people more interested in seeing an overview of the entire industry, and looking for good work wherever they can find it.

[Ironhorse]

Well, I've never read Madman, but I know Allred work for a while, so I'll give it a chance. Peace.

[samnoir]

It's great to see Allred's return to Frank Einstein!

Very much looking forward to this new series.
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[Bevbos]

Yeah, Madmen is always one of those things I've wanted to get into, since I'm a raving stark mad X-Statix fan. Looked the Allred "Solo" too. Maybe I'll ask for this for Christmas or my birthday...

Incidentally, news on yet another X-Statix mini:

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[SaturnKnight]

This is automatically going my pull list. I love Allred's art.

Between this and the relaunch of Nexus, I am thrilled to see more indie books with significant buzz hitting the racks. No reason that Marvel and DC should get all the hype.

Thanks to Mr. Allred for setting up the first issue to be totally accessible to new readers. That's much appreciated.

[DiManna1]

What happened with The Golden Plates project? Three issues and a Hardcover collection was all I ever saw released. Wasn't it supposed to be 12 issues? Any info would be welcome.

[ShinAkuma666]

Oh, and Axel and Pete Milligan are talking about another X-Statix miniseries

Oh yeah ! Please Please Please, I got all the X-Statix and X-Force comics you guys did, and I love them so much, that creative team is awesome ! Really hoping for another dose of X-Statix comics.

I just wish Marvel would colect them in a nice Hardcover like they did with the X-Force ones.

Never read Madman, but looking to get a copy of that huge Gargantua collection, its not available yet at Amazon.ca and theres no copy available at Amazon.com either.

Will have to wait, but its on my list

[Anubis82169]

I'm a die-hard Madman fan & cannot wait to own Gargantua! But knowing that once again I will have a new Madman adventure to read each month has got me itching for the new series!

[Shoeface]

Never read any Madman before, but Mike Allred's art is amazing so I'll be picking up the new series for sure.

[DocBrass]

WHOO HOOO!
I can't wait. I've been a fan and reader of Madman since Mike started the series.

Good Luck Mike with the future endeavors of everybody's favorit-ist superhero.

[The 'Nam]

More X-statix!

All I got to say.

[LIEFELDISGOD]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Well, I've never read Madman, but I know Allred work for a while, so I'll give it a chance. Peace.

You'd be doing yourself a great disservice if you don't. This is one of the best and most important comic series EVER!

[Future Boy]

OH MAN I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

I really can't wait. I love Mike Allred's art, his writing is awesome too! I just got finished with the King Size one shot he did for Oni, which I just got. I have a fairly sizeable Madman collection (I'll be finished soon, a couple more trades and one-shots left to collect) and I have all the X-force/X-statix/Deadgirl comics. Madman is one of my favorites, for sure. I don't think I can wait till April. AAHH!

[ponyboy81]

That Madman/Savage Dragon crossover was awesome ...I've missed my Atomics fix ever since...I will be certainly adding this new series to my sub box !

[Ehf Bombs]

blowin' dudes!

[bishop-m]

First the Gargantua, now word of a monthly....

Wahoo!

I'm in for both!

[BillReed]

Never read Madman before, but, like, Allred is awesome, so... yeah. I'm there, man.

[amlah6]

I'm stoked that Mike is finally getting back to Madman. Hopefully I can find a way to budget for Gargantua even though I already have most of what's included.

[AbacusComics]

That's good news for Image! Congrats!

[npitarra]

Mike Allred is the best artist/writer combination in the business...maybe only mike mignola rivals him.....i just love his stuff....i absolutely love laura's colors as well. For those of you who haven't picked up madman....your in for a real treat.....i hope this extra push in the comic market gets the madman movie talk going again. Goodluck to the allred's....i can't wait to pick this up. And man....as soon as i get all the trades and giant size issues...you Image guys got to go and collect them all in a giant format...there goes a large chunk of my x-mas money.

~nick

[Ravengregory]

pretty ____ing awesome

[Mr. B]

Uh, Madman rocks.

That is all.

[Hawkangel]

Originally Posted by DiManna1

What happened with The Golden Plates project? Three issues and a Hardcover collection was all I ever saw released. Wasn't it supposed to be 12 issues? Any info would be welcome.

I would like to know what happened to Golden Plates as well. I'm not LDS, but I was enjoying the 'story' while it was still going. I understand that Mike comes back to it every so often, but with a monthly Madman in the works, Golden Plates might be tough to complete.
I was unaware that AAA Pop released a hardcover.

[crunch-o-matic]

but without sacrificing any of our creative freedoms

Oh, please.

As if you didn't have that at Dark Horse. The media rights deals must have changed at either Image or DH.

I think Mike's creative freedom is both his biggest strength and his biggest liability. Some of his best work is produced under editors...when left to his own devices the quality of the out-put isn't quite there.

[Beango]

working with Paul Chadwick on a Superman/Batman miniseries

That sounds like an amazing project!! Two of my favorite creators!