Madman and the Atomics

Madman Atomic Comics

by Mike Allred

From pop art wizard Mike Allred comes straight-up superhero good times! The Atomics are a group of fun-lovin' hipster heroes trying to make a difference. They fight crime, befriend monster aliens and find love in Snap City! Spun off from the pages of Madman, Frank "Madman" Einstein also appears alongside the Mutant Street Beatniks turned Super-Heroes.

Contains: The Atomics #1-15

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2007

About the author

Michael '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.

Reviews

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ripercorrendo la serie dedicata agli Atomics fino a quel n° 15 che fu l'ultimo, balza all'occhio il lavoro di world building di Allred, ma anche la quasi assenza di persone comuni sugli sfondi. Abbiamo città che paiono città dei fumetti, e tropi classici della golden age del fumetto.
Non che ciò sia male, o sbagliato, ma in fondo non è ciò che cercavo e pensavo di trovare.
Comunque 3 stelle nel complesso.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here, the filler overwhelms the content. This book is literally about 50% filler (sketches, alternate covers).

This content in this book is more "fun" than a lot of other Madman comics, but it feels more shallow. There's no overarching plot and there's not any of the mystery and grandeur of the previous books.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you loved X-Static and iZombie, this is pretty amazing as well. I can't believe how amazing of an artist him and his wife are- and what fun these books are. Bringing up topical issues and humor as well as legit interstellar drama, this really takes advantage of the comic book form much like Watchman did.

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liderado - o más bien apadrinado - por el inefable Madman, el supergrupo juvenil The Atomics protagoniza una serie cuyo enfoque fresco, directo y dinámico que recuerda los dibujos animados sabatinos en su mejor versión. Un deleite de lectura.

[Augustus Jasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Postmodern superhero fun. Would love to see a movie baser on these characters:

[Doyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

90s Dark Horse-era Madman was my favorite title at that time. This just doesn't have the same feel.

[Shaun Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just an enjoyable ride straight through. A bit more haphazard fun, a bit less melodrama. I missed Joe, though. I hope she will be more involved in the atomics/madman graphic novels to come.

[John Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm cheating a little, because this isn't the edition I have... but the Atomics are my favorite series from Mike Allred. The pacing from chapter to chapter is magnificent, and the characters are colorful, fun and substantial. There's plenty of Madman... The artwork is pristine. When I read this in a single (more-or-less) sitting, I thought that this is what Mike Allred was meant to do, comic-wise. His work since has its merit, but this will be tough to top, as a singular work.

[Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot more fun that I remembered. Of course, I'm down every time Mike Allred puts anything out, but this is a really fun adventure series that has Madman taking more of side role than the primary role the character played in the other Madman books. This probably isn't where I'd recommend starting if you're new to Madman, but it's a good, fun read nonetheless.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my madman mania, my honey encouraged me to read the Atomics. I loved it. Mike Allred is a wonderful writer and illustrator and the characters are well-rounded. A fun and groovy adventure...for real, you need to read comics.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite Madman comic. I love the interplay between the various characters, the way Frank doesn't quite get along with the rest of the group, the way they all take all the wackiness that happens to them not just in stride, but good-naturedly, as well. Excellent stuff.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ginchy.

Episodic and non-novel-like, but ginchy.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, naive and fun.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wasn't into it at first, but somewhere around a third of the way through, i started really enjoying it a lot more as the story pieced together and became more accessible.