I’ll be honest. I’m really glad this book is actually good because even if it was a pile of horse crap, after seeing that sketch of the Slug punching a character from the Marvelous Competition, I think I’d be inclined to give this book a good review nonetheless.

Of recently, there’s a lot of books that seem to come with the qualifier of “fun.”  Sometimes, I’ve found, that tends to means “The story is a bit underwhelming but there’s a lot of punching and flashy things so just go with it.”  However, sometimes, that seems to be code for a kind of retro tale that doesn’t take itself entirely seriously, but has a lot of charm and wit to it.  All-Star Superman was a lot like this.  So is Darwyn Cooke’s Spirit and Joe Casey’s Enter the Mandarin. Godland and Fear Agent follow suit. Madman Atomic Comics seems to be another in that list.  This series (and this issue) is weird and ridiculous on a level that Grant Morrison would ask “Wait, you gonna what now?”  Madman is like a book written by a writer from the Hanna-Barbera action cartoons of the 60’s while on acid but it works.  There’s brain transfers and osmosis machines and by the end there’s a giant humanoid slug frolicking in a meadow, but it’s done with such self-awareness and honest love of the old-school pulp sci-fi stuff it’s clearly born from that it’s just a satisfying experience.

It’d be a shame to not mention the art, which is by Mike Allred, which means it’s awesome.  I love the designs in this book and how this book is composed.  The scenes are composed beautifully and, as always, the colors and inks pop.  The book is the kind of retro sci-fi pulp blended with postmodern existentialism Mike Allred is known for.  I’d suggest to anyone to at least take a look at this book.  Plus, Darwyn Cooke’s doing some stuff in the next issue, so you’re gotta pick that up, right?