It's coming. I had something, and then they announced the upcoming documentary. I had no idea about these episodes, and I'm trying to track down plenty of info about them since they apparently play so prominently into his writing, but particularly the existentialism and schizophrenic shifts in the books tone, direction, writing and even the characters he would use. (Not trying to be cryptic btw - check out this trailer for reference on the "episodes" I'm referring to - ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html ) But have no fear, I'll be putting an episode together as soon as I can get enough information to update the stuff I have with pertinent details concerning the character and how it relates to Allred's personal life as soon as possible! Thanks so much for checking out the video, hope you enjoyed - and especially thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Really helps out the channel!
In a nutshell, it was captivating, but sparse, but then after tracking down the loose bits and finally reading them in order, I discovered there’d be a more mainstream Dark Horse run, a full series to boot, and so it was, I had a reliable friend for a few years, until Mr. Allred got busy with other things and my friend stopped dropping by so often and then, randomly, he just disappeared.
@@robertrada4783 There's apparently a reason for this, and not Allred getting busy. It's a weird one and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it and as per how it relates to Madman, hopefully will come up with something longtime readers like yourself will enjoy!
@@JerkComic Intriguing. I haven’t really followed up on comics since the millennium and I just learned that Madman came back for an Image run. I may have to track those issues down. :)
It’s so funny too because it became a real polarizing thing. You loved it or you hated it. So happy he’s gotten so much love for that run years later. Weird how it seems like it takes serious time for Allred to really sink in and resonate with people
@@strawhataddison people said the same thing of Toth. The fact you can't move a single line in an Allred piece is proof of his skill enough for me. Not a bit of wasted effort.
I will be! I am trying to find some info on a medical condition that Allred suffers from that he claims explains much of the existentialism and seemingly out of nowhere story and art differences. When I get some good info and can stitch Frank Einstein’s history - you all will be the first to know, but ready assured I’m digging.
Thanks for the sub and so happy you enjoyed! I need to get on more Allred content really. I a waiting on this doc to come out to cover Madman as I think it's gong to unveil a big part of the mystery behind the character, but I really want to do a Deep Dive on Dead Air and I just found out they are releasing THEY! his first ever comic that never got released I mentioned in here as part of the new Madman library HC so gonna scrounge up change and see if I can score that as well.
@@arindam_sen Facade would have been freakin' magical. However, seeing as I absolutely love Madman I'm glad things played out like they did, haha! That is 3 for 3 on the Rolling Stone ad so look forward to a video on that once I can just a little more citation on it hopefully. Should be a fun one. And yes, Allred has faced a lot of hardships in his career, very interesting to learn about just why he seems so existential and strange. I'll be talking more about him in an upcoming episode of Off The Beaten Rack hitting on the fact he's at least partially Mormon, as well as his psychedelic otherworldly out of body experiences he describes as "attacks". Dude is freakin' tortured. Really looking forward to the upcoming Space Face documentary by his son Han Allred focusing on these attacks and their impact on his life and career. Thanks so much as always for checking out the video - now back to scripting the Bernard Krigstein episode I've started 5 times so far... gonna get this one right, haha. ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html (trailer in case you're curious as to what I'm referring to btw)
@@JerkComic Is there a particular edition or volume, easily available, that you recommend for starting Madman (for someone who's read very little, basically the Solo story and maybe a backup or similar?)
@@ftloc All of the Madman stuff is a mess. You can get decently priced collections of random stuff chosen by Allred all thrown together - highly discourage this, it's just confusing. The Gargantua HC from several years back is the best I know of for dollar vs content collection. It's like 900 pages starts at the beginning and will get you up to the Image stuff - none of which is collected here. The newer 25 anniversary slipcase HC collects a lot of this stuff but also adds needless random issues as well imo - the Graffitti Press HC collects the Tundra Madman mini Madman Comics and the first several issues of Adventures... all of these collections are freakin' limited to signed and numbered editions apart from Gargantua which is available in non-signed edition that's still numbered, argh! There is this collection, which is cheap but starts with Madman and doesn't have any of the pertinent Frank Einstein backstory/appearances from Grafik Muzik or Creatures of the Id www.amazon.com/Madman-Vol-1-Mike-Allred-ebook/dp/B015XAZ51U/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=madman&qid=1590044673&s=books&sr=1-3 If you're looking for a place to start and you enjoy what you read you can go from there and seek out reprints of the older stuff or even one the expensive tomes listed above if you so desire. The Tundra stuff can read as a bit existentially obtuse and just weird, but honestly it really tightens down with the move to Dark Horse but getting a feel for that character is kinda essential moving from The Spook into Madman, at least imo. Hope that was more help than confusing, haha!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to leave a comment - really helps out the channel and I'm elated that you're enjoying the channel! So happy other people enjoy my insane random shouting at the camera about stuff that I enjoy haha!
I have been trying to find a few more pieces about this... proving difficult. Sent out some e-mails to people who were editors and working on the series at the time though, hopefully I hear back from a few people to get some hard details and concrete facts to share!
That's definitely one take away. My big take away was how something like this can have completely unforeseen results. In this case it turned Allred into the artist he is today, in the case of her repeated what I can only describe what appears to be bullying of Sam Kieth on the original Sandman series however seems to have had the exact opposite effect and retarded his artistic growth by years. Then again, reading this back - that kinda falls under the "Berger makes mistakes" banner doesn't it? Guess you nailed it there actually, haha! Thanks for checking this out, hope you enjoyed and I seriously appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Helps out the channel a ton and means a lot to know people are actually watching and enjoying these videos... or at least HOPEFULLY enjoying them, haha!
@@JerkComic I watch a lot of youtube videos on comics, and sometimes I forget there's someone behind the channel until they reply back to a comment. I just commented what I thought at the moment and even forgot to subscribe (which I just did). Thanks for the insightful reply! I'll watch your video on Sam Kieth. Keep up the great work, your videos are truly great!
Thanks so much for the kind words and checking stuff out - really appreciate it and you taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel!
No worries, glad you enjoyed! I really want to either do an interview with Allred or get details about these attacks as supposedly they're the big reason his stuff changes so drastically so often. The doc is still a while off so hopefully I get through to someone in Allred's camp - dying to do a Madman episode with all the renewed interest in the character this past few months.
@@JerkComic an interview would be amazing. I did see on his Insta that they're doing a rerelease of the whole 1st run with the first few issues being colored now. But anyways, this vid was awesome and I'm always glad to see a artist get their roses from who/ wherever I find it.👏🏽
@@whonuimarshall the really cool thing is that they are printing Them in that HC. That was his first ever work and never got published. I am a big fan of Dead Air and it sucks I don't have a hundred bucks for the HC. I'll keep an eye out and hopefully pick it up eventually as I REALLY want to read that. I'm a black and white freak so color is meh to me, cool, but not a big sell. THAT story though, makes this a must have. Always wondered what had happened to it after I talked about it in this video. Really need to get off my duff and do an Off The Beaten Rack episode about Dead Air come to think of it...
This is a great story, because I know Karen Berger is responsible for ripping the hearts out & crushing the dreams of many an artist. Seeing that Allred used it as his reasoning to keep pushing his work until he finally got to a point where Berger was coming looking for him instead of the other way around is quite the comeback story.
Yeah she almost broke Sam Keith out of the gate. What other artists do you know of that she had a clash with? I love Berger's work, and I think she either got a really bad rep or is just a terrible communicator as she does really seem to respect a lot of the people she runs through the ringer and I've never been able to figure out why she did it like she did.
Thanks! I've been working on a full length multi-part doc for a few years and was really excited to get to fly and out and meet him this past year. We're setting up an interview for sometime soon and that should give me the last bit of info I need to wrap up the bigger piece. Still really like this piece though, and apparently so did his son Han because it's why he hit me up about being in the Space Face doc haha. Thanks so much for checking this out and I seriously appreciate you leaving a comment, means a lot to know people are actually watching these videos and helps out the channel a ton!
@@JerkComic that's so awesome, I'll definitely be checking that out whenever it's finished! I watched this particular video to prep for my interview with him, which is being recorded today!✌🏼
Thanks so much for checking out the channel, glad you enjoyed the videos. I am working on The Maxx part 2 now. My camera decided to crap out on my this week and then my teleprompter followed shortly. I've got the script done, just waiting on a new camera/seeing if I can come up with a replacement until I get the new one. Sorry it's taking so long but I refuse to half-butt that video, it needs to be at least as well thought out and planned as part 1, will be a few weeks - but if you enjoyed the first episode, should be worth the wait hopefully. Thanks again for checking out the channel, really appreciate it - and can't thank you enough for taking the time to leave a comment, helps out the channel immensely!
(Oh·Të·hM) coming ASAP I swear! Filming one thing I was able to rescue and finish and then part 2 is coming. I have the sources back for most of what I need just gotta get the script hammered back into place as I didn’t manage to recover much of it at all unfortunately. I wanna finish it sooo bad and it just felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong on that second part haha.
The Rolling Stones ad would make for a good vid, and I am interested about hearing the history of Madman - it wasn't a character I ever really could get into, I read one of the early trades, and it was OK, but it was mainly the art that interested me, but Allred in general is a fascinating fellow. I heard once that he even had an arranged marriage - don't know if that's true, comicbook shops are full of people passing around BS rumours, naturally, especially before the internet.
Thanks so much for checking out the video, hope you enjoyed it! I'll add the Rolling Stone article to the list and start working on Madman... it's gonna be a thing. He evolved from such a bizarre and constantly changing place that it's going to be a fun one to work on, haha. There's some strong arcs (when they made him move to minis which were self contained arcs rather than an ongoing at DH he seemed to work best) the art was the reason to read Allred's stuff from the beginning. He would often hook me with these wonderful existential questions, like in Dead Air, and then drop this mess of confusing pseudo religious insanity all over you like a bucket of blood at the prom. As per the arranged marriage, I'm going to call BS on that one with zero research. Allred did come from a Mormon family on his mother's side but went with his father when he was 5 who was a scientist and didn't really follow the Mormon faith - so that seems really unlikely to me. Laura and Mike met and got together when they were teenagers as well so that leaves an inordinately small amount of time in which that could have even been proposed to have occurred. I almost got into the whole Mormon religion aspect but I decided against muddying the waters here and am instead working on an Off The Beaten Rack episode for Dead Air which I think more appropriately opens the door to discuss his religious beliefs and there place in his comics. I recently found out the reason that his comics travel through such bizarre mindscapes and existentialist neurosis - apparently he has these bizarre and incredibly intense out of body experiences that border on otherworldly. Mike's son Hans is working on a documentary, likely finishing it as I'm an idiot and was unaware of it and missed the Kickstarter - which is due out in 2021. Space Face will try to get to the core of these experiences while providing "an entertaining b-story" that will be mostly ignored about his general career. ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html I'm veeeery interested to see this film and have high hopes it will help explain some of the idiosyncracies of Allred's work which become more evident the longer you follow him. These "events" occur about every 5 years, which is about as long as anything he's done has lasted or managed to stay coherent. Hoping this movie dispels some of the weird stuff I hear about Allred along with it's main mission of exploring these psychedelic out of body experiences.
Thanks so much - so happy you're enjoying the content, and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment, helps out the channel immensely!
Great content! I remember reading that issue as a kid and it stood out for me as I was reading Sandman trades from my library. Big allred fan from madman and x-statix. Also finished red rocket 7 this summer during Quarantine and it was dope!
Thanks so much! Grew up obsessed with Madman and I just keep getting more and more into Allred the older I get. Haven't checked out Rocket yet though really need to get around to that!
Kelly Jones was one of my favorites to work on the series... I liked his unique exaggerations. I really love Allred as well.. in all his ventures. Has Paul Pope ever done any work on the title? I'd love to see his versions...
As far as I know Pope's only ever done covers for like 2 or 3 issues and I think they might have even been variants at that. His comic work is sparse but it is a real shame he never did a story as I think you're right, he would have been inordinately interesting to see
@@JerkComic I Loooooove THB! I still have an ashcan of that around somewhere I think. If it was done right, it could be a brilliant TV series or film franchise. Fourteen year old female protagonist on mars, with this weird blobby technology and hindi-martian ethno fusion thing going on in the background... I think it's a winner and right now would be a good time as far public interest goes. I'll have to search your video catalog to see what you may have said about Pope. I worked in a comic book shop in the SF east bay from 1989 at the age of 14 all the way up to 21 in 1996. It was a golden age for comics in many ways. At it's peak, our town had 6 shops... and when I left, we were the last one standing. I started out with the standard super hero fare.. but I was always a weird intellectual kid so that quickly gave way to alternative press and independent offerings. I'm afraid I've lost track of most of whatever is being put out now, but my memories of that era are still pretty vivid. Everyone has their favorites but I have a very specific and singular admiration of Jim Woodring amongst the luminaries that produce unfathomably deep and nuanced work. If you haven't covered him yet, he is well worth exploring. I don't know that his work strikes people as deeply as it does I... but there is this mysterious something that I *recognize* in his work.. which is a very tantalizing and peculiar feeling to invoke in a person. Simultaneously alien and familiar.
There's a CRAZY Sandman story in the front section of How The Maxx Broke Sam Kieth if you've not heard it - don't want to spoil. There's a few other things I'm looking into but if I come up with another good Sandman topic I'll make sure to do it - figured a lot more people would be interested in Sandman stuff but Allred is a really polarizing artist and has a niche fan base of which I am one. Glad you enjoyed and hopefully you find some other stuff you enjoy as well while you wait on new Sandman content!
It's coming. I have a ton of other stuff working and I need one missing piece to make this video. When I get it, so will... no. That sounds horrible. I'll make a video when I get it 🤣
What a coincidence - we just finished looking at the Dolls House! I'm not familiar with too much by Mike Alleged outside of his contributions to The Sandman and anthology series. I'm only part way through this episode, but just wanted to check - Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones actually finish out the Doll's House following Zulli on the standalone Men of Good Fortune (13), so Collectors (14) Into the Night (15) and Lost Hearts (16) feature their art as well. I know you say they quit after 11 so just wanted to check on that? By the way, I had no idea about the Rolling Stone ad so on with the video for more illumination! 😁
Dringenberg had decided to leave with issue 11 as full time artist, he stayed on with Jones until replacements could be found for a few issues. Kieth quit on issue 3 although his art can be seen until issue 5 - I realized this talking about the periods when things happen behind the scenes and the resulting time gap it takes for them to actually occur in indicia and print was kind of confusing, but it was the best way to illustrate the constantly changing roster of talents. Kieth made it 3 issues before asking for a replacement as full time artist, Dringenberg roughly double that - and Jones folded before he ever finished an issue, no one wanted Sandman on their plate full time despite it's popularity. As you say, Zulli came and went - then Dringenberg came back for a bit with Jones, then departed again. It was a revolving door by the time that they offered it up to Allred by 1990 already and I wanted to really highlight this, sorry if it was confusingly worded! That's two votes for the Rolling Stone article - I'll definitely be doing a video on this one! Thanks as always for checking out the video, really appreciate it
@@JerkComic Got it! I feel like I just read comics like watching movies, then your channel is like the documentary on the making of and the cultural-context essays in the library. 😁
@@ftloc "Without an audience, there can be no art". But yeah, I'm the socially maladjusted guy obsessed with picking art apart rather than being able to stand back from the canvas and properly enjoy it, haha. So jealous of people who don't have to "know how things work". Ruined a lot of great stuff by learning too much about it, though I suppose I've also exposed myself to some pretty amazing stuff I never would have otherwise come across at this point as well... take the good with the crazy I guess lmao
@@JerkComic Nothing is born of a vacuum, and I'd say you also won't allow yourself to be hoodwinked into thinking something just happened, there's always a why and wherefore to it. I love taking things apart as well, but perhaps only focused on the craft behind the story itself? Im glad to have scholars such as yourself do the hard work for me re history and context and I'll happily be spoonfed the distillation! 😁
@@ftloc I do find myself searching for that penultimate origin point of things. There were things that eluded me for the better part of my life pre-the internet. Now however, I can simply spend my nights endlessly reading about anything my little heart desires... and I'm drunk on that power, haha. Glad someone enjoys listening to me, because before this my wife wanted to murder me before I could yell at the camera for an hour about random stuff I wanted to share with the rest of the world, hehe
Thanks so much! It's crazy because Mike's son Hans checked this out and said he actually learned a few things. It's kind of old and I'm super happy with the fact you spend the majority of this one starring at my ugly mug rather than Mike's work but I'm really happy people seem to still be enjoying this so long after its' release. Can't thank you enough for checking it out and especially taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot to know people are actually watching these pieces that take me so long and it helps out the channel a ton as well!
Another enjoyable vid. Make the Rolling Stone ad. Make the Madman timeline. I'll watch both. You keep hitting topics I've got a lot of love for. I'd love to see some vids on the comics that never happened. As a huge fan of Warren Ellis' comics, there was a ton of stuff spoken about and even solicited that never made it to light. A lot of this was retooled into later greats but I'd love to know what brought production to a halt in the first place. Buying comics in Australia was always at least double the US price, so could never pick up The Journal when there was just so many good comics to buy
Ellis is a hard guy to pin down. He plays stuff really close to the chest sometimes and I've had a hard time piecing together big chunks of what is happening or happened with him. I'll do a little digging and see what else I can come up with. And I'll definitely be doing a Madman piece. I'm trying to get some info about the mental condition that Allred suffers from as highlighted in the upcoming documentary. Apparently these episodes of psychedelic existentialist dread are some of the major factors behind Madman. Unfortunately Allred hasn't discussed this in interviews much. Trying to find some press about the film or some of the interviews so I can get at that info as I think that's a HUGE part of the weird shifts that took place with Madman. Apparently these mental episodes occur about every 4 to 5 years. If you read Madman you know it would go 4 or 5 years and then just completely change with very little warning. Seems this was not a conscious decision for Allred but rather more likely a direct response to this medical condition. Not that I've been looking into it or anything haha
I wish I could dig up more about it. It was super important and I've heard and read a lot of discussion about the book but this ad was a weird changing moment for comics - no one had ever seen a full page comic ad in a magazine like that I don't think.
Great comment - seriously appreciate the kind words, the sub and especially you taking time to leave a comment and interact with the channel really helps me out and I can't thank you enough, cheers!
No I've been trying to get details on these weird mental and physical episodes that he has which apparently play a big part of Madman but the doc isn't out yet and I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone from the Allred camp for an interview... yet. This is definitely going to happen, just want to have the full picture when I put it out!
A lot of Sandman wasn't about Morpheus. In many issues he barely plays a part, with the main focus on being character work on people/creatures introduced for the story.
So if I've never picked up a Sandman issue, but always wanted to, where do I start? What's the most telling of all the books? Or is that a silly question? I was always aware of the title, artists and writers involved but just never grabbed an issue since I've never read the first/early stories. Once again, great vid. Love this channel ✌🇨🇦
First off thank you so much for the kind words. Second, not a silly question. In answer to that question though, issue 1. Yes you can technically pick and choose a bit but with Sandman I not only don’t recommend that but it really is a great series you shouldn’t short yourself on. Start with a trade or two from the beginning and see what you think. I recommend the first two as the first one is set up and the second shows more of what the rest of the series will be like totally. Never too late to get in on Sandman - if you do check it out pop back in and let me know what you think. Thanks again for the kind words, checking out the video and especially for taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel!
I definitely will! I’m trying to get some info about a health condition that Allred’s son claims is the reason Madman is so strange and existential. Incredibly interesting character that always gets short shrift imo. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel and so happy you enjoyed the video!
High praise sir - can't thank you enough for not only checking this out but subbing and sharing the channel. Means a lot to know I did Mike a little justice!
In my opinion Sandman was the most ambitious comic book of all time in terms of themes, scope, and it's various contributors. Hopefully if that Sandman TV series ever gets made, it will reach the level of mainstream acclaim that Watchmen or V for Vendetta received after their adaptations.
The Sandman series WILL get made. Unfortunately. It has no business being adapted. There's no doing justice to something like the introduction of Death, or those insane hellscapes by Kieth. I guess hopefully it gets new people to read comics, but Sandman is one of the few comics that non-comic readers will read and pick up already... time and effort could be spent elsewhere much better imo.
I used to have all of RR 7, been YEARS though. I'm hoping it didn't end up like my Maximortal stuff and up and disappeared. I'll do some digging, super underrated series for sure - don't know how much coverage there is out there either... now I'm curious!
This was a great video. I'd heard about this even back in the 90s, but never in this much detail. Allred's art was pretty rough in the early days and I don't disagree with Berger's assessment at all, especially if this is what it took for him to become the talent he became. There's stuff he puts out to this day that every once in a while looks kind of janky.
Thanks man - that's what Mike's son Han said when he got a hold of me to tell this story for the Mike Allred Space Face documentary he's working on. Was a really incredible experience getting to go and meet Mike and Laura and talk to them about their career and stuff including this bit. It was weird sitting in the same chair Neil Gaiman had sat in a few days earlier telling the same story.... not sure I'll ever quite get over that one, haha! I think Berger might have been a little harsh, I've seen the sample work and think he would have been fine to handle an issue honestly. I don't think his stuff looks janky, just old fashioned and retro and that can make it slightly stiff or awkward to some people - I think this is a lot of what Berger feared he wouldn't be able to subvert for the issue. Even Mike told me he was happy this happened because it really kicked him into high gear though, so no complaints on this end, haha! Thanks so much for the kind words and taking time to check this out btw - means a lot and helps out the channel a ton
Yo man I love your vids! I'm doing a Kickstarter comic campaign in one week, I would love for you to review it- I could send a pdf if you're interested?
@@JerkComic the campaign will be released in a week, the comic is called BOUND. Artwork is a bit different, storyline focusses on 'unlikely saviours'. Where should I send the pdf? Loving your content- I found you a couple days ago and watched 4 vids, very well done and interesting.
Same here! I would have loved to see his take on Sandman at that point. And kudos for knowing what Citizen Nocturne is, great series that no one talks about there days! I just picked up Dead Air not long ago and it made me wish this had happened even more.
As soon as I can get the skinny on Mike Allred's psychedelic mental condition this video is a go. I found out recently that there's a bizarre reason Madman is so existential and undergoes these weird tonal and artistic shifts and even shift in the cast. Still trying to track down a few more interviews but I'm hoping I can hear back from Allred himself about it - very, very curious about it myself and how it plays into all the stuff I've found out about this bizarre character. And I do not just mean Madman haha
TJ Maher yes and if you watch the trailer you will know precisely what I’m talking about. In the trailer alone his son drops the bomb that he had psychedelic out of body experiences where he’s like paralyzed and experiencing the worst sort of existential dread and horror unfurl before his eyes. This is where the tone and psychosis of Madman are apparently culled from. I’m trying to find some details to see how they relate to the creation and continued evolution of Madman - hoping Allred or someone from his camp will get back to me and answer a few questions as it really opens the door for understanding the character in a completely new light.
Karen berger is legendary but has an antiquated idea of a modern sense of art...thats why people like Shelly are so popular, it's like the next generation being there to keep Karen's ear on the current (at least then) generations taste
If it weren't for Shelly Bond lord knows where Berger or Vertigo would have ended up that's for sure. I think that antiquated is putting it lightly, but I also think she had something of a reasoning and idea behind it. Whenever Vertigo got all crazy with the story OR the art it was okay - both? Fans raised hell. I think she was trying to hedge bets, and admittedly by his own words - he didn't think he was ready, but while Allred might not have been up to task I don't think the same can be said for someone like Kieth who I feel like Berger relentlessly bullied and took advantage of. Still wanna ask her about that whole thing. I mean, that just seemed mean. This? This seemed kind of petty but not all out asshle mean... At least some good came of it! Was funny getting to talk with Mike about this in person as well haha!
i'm actually glad he didn't get that gig for "Facade" it needed more of a gothic horror style that Kelley Jones provided in spades, Allred's style didn't suit the script
I, and Neil Gaiman agree! If you read the full interview with Gaiman he points out Allred was simply trying out with the script for Facade, he'd already given the script to Doran who he'd met sitting in the office. He wandered over and checked out a few drawings on her desk and was like, gimme the digits! It's unknown what issue Allred would have seen actually published, but the sample work he would have provided was most likely for the Facade story. In all likely hood given that Gaiman wrote scripts either for, or chose artists specifically for certain scripts, we would have seen a different story or issue that Gaiman would have written specifically for Allred as opposed to him working on an issue that came out in our reality where Allred was turned down from Sandman... man I gotta let that stupid joke go. Kelly Jones did Calliope and Dream of A Thousand Cats, but Colleen Doran did Facade along with inks from Malcolm Jones and colors from The Maxx magician Steve Oliff himself if I'm not mistaken? Pretty sure, because they were broken up by the Midsummer's Nights Dream issue by Charles fuggin' Vess who I think probably is the only other dude that would have popped into my mind when I was trying to find a regular artist when Sandman first popped off besides P Crag Russell. Thanks so much for checking these out, hope you're enjoying.
just a heads up, like you I initially thought it was pronounced "guy-man" but actually it's "gay-man". ua-cam.com/video/SlJljIjDkeI/v-deo.html and like him there was a few times i thought you were saying Neil Diamond LOL. Great vid, and looking through your channel i've queued up a bunch to watch next. Awesome topics for a 90s-onward comic nerd like me. Subbed.
Yeah I actually heard him say his name for the first time just after this had only read it - managed to say it right like 90% of the time in the Maxx episode haha. Thanks so much for checking out the channel and stoked you enjoyed the episode. Working on a Madman piece for my next Allred video. Make sure to let me know if there's ever anything you want to see an episode about in the future and thanks again fod taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel
I'd love to see a retrospect on Madman if you promise me you'll do me one favor and pronounce Neil's last name correctly from now on. It's pronounced Gayman, not Guyman. By the way, I'm just busting your chops. It's nothing personal. I mispronounce names on occasion too.
If you notice in the Sam Kieth video I pronounced it right - I had literally never heard him say it before, only read it, haha. I mispronounce a lot of names, poor David Michelinie, I have to remind myself every freakin' time... And I will definitely be doing a Madman piece. The only thing is I need some more information on Allred's "episodes". I won't be waiting for the upcoming doc or anything, but apparently they played a large part in the creation and evolution of the existentialism of Madman and the radical changes in stories, tone and even characters. I promise, I do my best to try and research how to say names after this and the Venom video with Michelinie, I wince every time I hear myself say it if it makes you feel any better, lmao
Oh and if you don't know about the "episodes" check this trailer out for the upcoming documentary by his son I am infinitely excited about! ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html
@@JerkComic I could be wrong, but I think I heard you mispronounce it a couple of times. It's all good though. I was just ribbing you. But seriously, do a review of Madman. It was a pretty good series from what I remember.
@@ThDirtyCurfDrummer He's great sometimes... other times, well confusing. Apparently there's a reason for that though, and once I get all the details I need on that I can really get a good retrospective together for him because I love Madman
Believe it or not, I'd only read his name not heard it until after I did this video. Hard to break a 30 year habit, but I did manage to pronounce it right most of the time in the next video where I mentioned him, haha. And that's awesome - I'd heard both over the years but never actually talked to an employee to correct me. I'll make sure to pronounce it correctly from now on. What did you work on while you were at Comico? I've seen your name a few places, did you do some horror work for Dark Horse years back? Thanks for checking out the video and hope my mispronunciation didn't irk you too badly. Appreciate the correction and I promise I'll say Comeeko next time ;)
JerkComic at least you’ve got a good sense of humor man. Complete honesty though I dig your content because you get a lot deeper into the indie realm and talk about a lot of hidden treasures outside of the mainstream Marvel/DC universes. I think you fill a very unique niche other comic youtubers aren’t digging into as much as they should. Keep it up man.
FIRST Of all, the Comico GUMBY books were gold. Secondly: There's something about Allred's work that hits me weird. He's incredibly talented and it's utterly pleasant to look at but...and this sounds weird...I don't always like it. I'm not sure why.
Because he's weird and so is his art. I like that but sometimes I see a piece and I'm just like woof that's unpleasant to look at. Which is bizarro considering how pleasant his art is in general. I'm a HUGE fan of his era just before this all went down when he still looked a lot like Howard Chaykin and stuff on Dead Air especoally. And also he suffers from this bizarre mental condition where he has these terrible psychedelic out of body existential trips and his art gets disturbing in difficult to detect ways for periods of times following these episodes
@@JerkComic Comico put out two Gumby issues: The Gumby Summer Fun Special ('87) and The Gumby Winter Fun Special ('88) and they're TOTALLY worth it if only for the Arthur Adams art. They're little adventure comics moreso than comedy. You should check out the cover for the Winter Fun Special. It's pretty fantastic. I have a ton of Comico books. Their ROBOTECH books were a must-have when I was a kid (I'm 47...I hate saying that). Your videos are great, by the way. I've binged.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I would love to hear as much as possible about Madman, please.
It's coming. I had something, and then they announced the upcoming documentary. I had no idea about these episodes, and I'm trying to track down plenty of info about them since they apparently play so prominently into his writing, but particularly the existentialism and schizophrenic shifts in the books tone, direction, writing and even the characters he would use. (Not trying to be cryptic btw - check out this trailer for reference on the "episodes" I'm referring to - ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html ) But have no fear, I'll be putting an episode together as soon as I can get enough information to update the stuff I have with pertinent details concerning the character and how it relates to Allred's personal life as soon as possible! Thanks so much for checking out the video, hope you enjoyed - and especially thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Really helps out the channel!
In a nutshell, it was captivating, but sparse, but then after tracking down the loose bits and finally reading them in order, I discovered there’d be a more mainstream Dark Horse run, a full series to boot, and so it was, I had a reliable friend for a few years, until Mr. Allred got busy with other things and my friend stopped dropping by so often and then, randomly, he just disappeared.
@@robertrada4783 There's apparently a reason for this, and not Allred getting busy. It's a weird one and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it and as per how it relates to Madman, hopefully will come up with something longtime readers like yourself will enjoy!
@@JerkComic Intriguing. I haven’t really followed up on comics since the millennium and I just learned that Madman came back for an Image run. I may have to track those issues down. :)
@@robertrada4783 oh yeah definitely some cool stuff. He's got a new series out x-ray robot I think, not Madman but very cool imo
I love reading the letters section of X-Force and X-Statix where the readers complain about Mike’s art.
It’s so funny too because it became a real polarizing thing. You loved it or you hated it. So happy he’s gotten so much love for that run years later. Weird how it seems like it takes serious time for Allred to really sink in and resonate with people
My old comic shop owner would goof on me whenever i would buy and Allred book. He said he thought they looked like they were drawn by a little kid!
@@strawhataddison people said the same thing of Toth. The fact you can't move a single line in an Allred piece is proof of his skill enough for me. Not a bit of wasted effort.
@@JerkComic Oh for sure. I love all his stuff. Instantly recognizable.
@@strawhataddison so underrated imo
Definitely do an episode on Madman’s history, please!
I will be! I am trying to find some info on a medical condition that Allred suffers from that he claims explains much of the existentialism and seemingly out of nowhere story and art differences. When I get some good info and can stitch Frank Einstein’s history - you all will be the first to know, but ready assured I’m digging.
Just found your channel and subscribed. Love Allred's artwork. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the sub and so happy you enjoyed! I need to get on more Allred content really. I a waiting on this doc to come out to cover Madman as I think it's gong to unveil a big part of the mystery behind the character, but I really want to do a Deep Dive on Dead Air and I just found out they are releasing THEY! his first ever comic that never got released I mentioned in here as part of the new Madman library HC so gonna scrounge up change and see if I can score that as well.
Wow Allred faced a lot of hardship while starting his career. Again had no idea about it. Would love to see a deep dive on the Rolling Stone ad.
Oh and Allred on Facade would be just perfect.
@@arindam_sen Facade would have been freakin' magical. However, seeing as I absolutely love Madman I'm glad things played out like they did, haha!
That is 3 for 3 on the Rolling Stone ad so look forward to a video on that once I can just a little more citation on it hopefully. Should be a fun one. And yes, Allred has faced a lot of hardships in his career, very interesting to learn about just why he seems so existential and strange. I'll be talking more about him in an upcoming episode of Off The Beaten Rack hitting on the fact he's at least partially Mormon, as well as his psychedelic otherworldly out of body experiences he describes as "attacks". Dude is freakin' tortured. Really looking forward to the upcoming Space Face documentary by his son Han Allred focusing on these attacks and their impact on his life and career. Thanks so much as always for checking out the video - now back to scripting the Bernard Krigstein episode I've started 5 times so far... gonna get this one right, haha.
ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html (trailer in case you're curious as to what I'm referring to btw)
@@JerkComic Is there a particular edition or volume, easily available, that you recommend for starting Madman (for someone who's read very little, basically the Solo story and maybe a backup or similar?)
@@ftloc All of the Madman stuff is a mess. You can get decently priced collections of random stuff chosen by Allred all thrown together - highly discourage this, it's just confusing. The Gargantua HC from several years back is the best I know of for dollar vs content collection. It's like 900 pages starts at the beginning and will get you up to the Image stuff - none of which is collected here. The newer 25 anniversary slipcase HC collects a lot of this stuff but also adds needless random issues as well imo - the Graffitti Press HC collects the Tundra Madman mini Madman Comics and the first several issues of Adventures... all of these collections are freakin' limited to signed and numbered editions apart from Gargantua which is available in non-signed edition that's still numbered, argh!
There is this collection, which is cheap but starts with Madman and doesn't have any of the pertinent Frank Einstein backstory/appearances from Grafik Muzik or Creatures of the Id www.amazon.com/Madman-Vol-1-Mike-Allred-ebook/dp/B015XAZ51U/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=madman&qid=1590044673&s=books&sr=1-3
If you're looking for a place to start and you enjoy what you read you can go from there and seek out reprints of the older stuff or even one the expensive tomes listed above if you so desire. The Tundra stuff can read as a bit existentially obtuse and just weird, but honestly it really tightens down with the move to Dark Horse but getting a feel for that character is kinda essential moving from The Spook into Madman, at least imo. Hope that was more help than confusing, haha!
Favorite youtuber I've found lately. Killin it bro
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to leave a comment - really helps out the channel and I'm elated that you're enjoying the channel! So happy other people enjoy my insane random shouting at the camera about stuff that I enjoy haha!
Would love to learn more about the Sandman Rolling Stone advertisement.
I have been trying to find a few more pieces about this... proving difficult. Sent out some e-mails to people who were editors and working on the series at the time though, hopefully I hear back from a few people to get some hard details and concrete facts to share!
The take away for me is that even visionaries like Karen Berger sometimes make mistakes. Allred's determination is inspiring.
That's definitely one take away. My big take away was how something like this can have completely unforeseen results. In this case it turned Allred into the artist he is today, in the case of her repeated what I can only describe what appears to be bullying of Sam Kieth on the original Sandman series however seems to have had the exact opposite effect and retarded his artistic growth by years. Then again, reading this back - that kinda falls under the "Berger makes mistakes" banner doesn't it? Guess you nailed it there actually, haha! Thanks for checking this out, hope you enjoyed and I seriously appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Helps out the channel a ton and means a lot to know people are actually watching and enjoying these videos... or at least HOPEFULLY enjoying them, haha!
@@JerkComic I watch a lot of youtube videos on comics, and sometimes I forget there's someone behind the channel until they reply back to a comment. I just commented what I thought at the moment and even forgot to subscribe (which I just did). Thanks for the insightful reply! I'll watch your video on Sam Kieth. Keep up the great work, your videos are truly great!
awesome channel cant stop watching!!!
Thanks so much for the kind words and checking stuff out - really appreciate it and you taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel!
Yup go on and throw out that Madman vid for the people. But also big up for putting me on that upcoming doc
No worries, glad you enjoyed! I really want to either do an interview with Allred or get details about these attacks as supposedly they're the big reason his stuff changes so drastically so often. The doc is still a while off so hopefully I get through to someone in Allred's camp - dying to do a Madman episode with all the renewed interest in the character this past few months.
@@JerkComic an interview would be amazing. I did see on his Insta that they're doing a rerelease of the whole 1st run with the first few issues being colored now. But anyways, this vid was awesome and I'm always glad to see a artist get their roses from who/ wherever I find it.👏🏽
@@whonuimarshall the really cool thing is that they are printing Them in that HC. That was his first ever work and never got published. I am a big fan of Dead Air and it sucks I don't have a hundred bucks for the HC. I'll keep an eye out and hopefully pick it up eventually as I REALLY want to read that. I'm a black and white freak so color is meh to me, cool, but not a big sell. THAT story though, makes this a must have. Always wondered what had happened to it after I talked about it in this video. Really need to get off my duff and do an Off The Beaten Rack episode about Dead Air come to think of it...
This is a great story, because I know Karen Berger is responsible for ripping the hearts out & crushing the dreams of many an artist. Seeing that Allred used it as his reasoning to keep pushing his work until he finally got to a point where Berger was coming looking for him instead of the other way around is quite the comeback story.
Yeah she almost broke Sam Keith out of the gate. What other artists do you know of that she had a clash with? I love Berger's work, and I think she either got a really bad rep or is just a terrible communicator as she does really seem to respect a lot of the people she runs through the ringer and I've never been able to figure out why she did it like she did.
Great breakdown on this part of Mike's career!
Thanks! I've been working on a full length multi-part doc for a few years and was really excited to get to fly and out and meet him this past year. We're setting up an interview for sometime soon and that should give me the last bit of info I need to wrap up the bigger piece. Still really like this piece though, and apparently so did his son Han because it's why he hit me up about being in the Space Face doc haha. Thanks so much for checking this out and I seriously appreciate you leaving a comment, means a lot to know people are actually watching these videos and helps out the channel a ton!
@@JerkComic that's so awesome, I'll definitely be checking that out whenever it's finished! I watched this particular video to prep for my interview with him, which is being recorded today!✌🏼
@@WestCoastDAVEngers Haha, that's awesome man! Hope it helped and the interview went well, I'll have to keep an eye out for it when you drop it.
Great info as always great job..
Thanks so much! Really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel
Subbed. Watched a few of these. Do part two of Maxx, damnit
Thanks so much for checking out the channel, glad you enjoyed the videos. I am working on The Maxx part 2 now. My camera decided to crap out on my this week and then my teleprompter followed shortly. I've got the script done, just waiting on a new camera/seeing if I can come up with a replacement until I get the new one. Sorry it's taking so long but I refuse to half-butt that video, it needs to be at least as well thought out and planned as part 1, will be a few weeks - but if you enjoyed the first episode, should be worth the wait hopefully. Thanks again for checking out the channel, really appreciate it - and can't thank you enough for taking the time to leave a comment, helps out the channel immensely!
JerkComic WE NEED PART 2 ‼️‼️😂😭😂😭 (but it’s cool take ur time brother)
(Oh·Të·hM) coming ASAP I swear! Filming one thing I was able to rescue and finish and then part 2 is coming. I have the sources back for most of what I need just gotta get the script hammered back into place as I didn’t manage to recover much of it at all unfortunately. I wanna finish it sooo bad and it just felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong on that second part haha.
The Rolling Stones ad would make for a good vid, and I am interested about hearing the history of Madman - it wasn't a character I ever really could get into, I read one of the early trades, and it was OK, but it was mainly the art that interested me, but Allred in general is a fascinating fellow. I heard once that he even had an arranged marriage - don't know if that's true, comicbook shops are full of people passing around BS rumours, naturally, especially before the internet.
Thanks so much for checking out the video, hope you enjoyed it! I'll add the Rolling Stone article to the list and start working on Madman... it's gonna be a thing. He evolved from such a bizarre and constantly changing place that it's going to be a fun one to work on, haha. There's some strong arcs (when they made him move to minis which were self contained arcs rather than an ongoing at DH he seemed to work best) the art was the reason to read Allred's stuff from the beginning. He would often hook me with these wonderful existential questions, like in Dead Air, and then drop this mess of confusing pseudo religious insanity all over you like a bucket of blood at the prom. As per the arranged marriage, I'm going to call BS on that one with zero research. Allred did come from a Mormon family on his mother's side but went with his father when he was 5 who was a scientist and didn't really follow the Mormon faith - so that seems really unlikely to me. Laura and Mike met and got together when they were teenagers as well so that leaves an inordinately small amount of time in which that could have even been proposed to have occurred. I almost got into the whole Mormon religion aspect but I decided against muddying the waters here and am instead working on an Off The Beaten Rack episode for Dead Air which I think more appropriately opens the door to discuss his religious beliefs and there place in his comics. I recently found out the reason that his comics travel through such bizarre mindscapes and existentialist neurosis - apparently he has these bizarre and incredibly intense out of body experiences that border on otherworldly. Mike's son Hans is working on a documentary, likely finishing it as I'm an idiot and was unaware of it and missed the Kickstarter - which is due out in 2021. Space Face will try to get to the core of these experiences while providing "an entertaining b-story" that will be mostly ignored about his general career. ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html
I'm veeeery interested to see this film and have high hopes it will help explain some of the idiosyncracies of Allred's work which become more evident the longer you follow him. These "events" occur about every 5 years, which is about as long as anything he's done has lasted or managed to stay coherent. Hoping this movie dispels some of the weird stuff I hear about Allred along with it's main mission of exploring these psychedelic out of body experiences.
Really been enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much - so happy you're enjoying the content, and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment, helps out the channel immensely!
Great content! I remember reading that issue as a kid and it stood out for me as I was reading Sandman trades from my library. Big allred fan from madman and x-statix. Also finished red rocket 7 this summer during Quarantine and it was dope!
Thanks so much! Grew up obsessed with Madman and I just keep getting more and more into Allred the older I get. Haven't checked out Rocket yet though really need to get around to that!
Kelly Jones was one of my favorites to work on the series... I liked his unique exaggerations. I really love Allred as well.. in all his ventures. Has Paul Pope ever done any work on the title? I'd love to see his versions...
As far as I know Pope's only ever done covers for like 2 or 3 issues and I think they might have even been variants at that. His comic work is sparse but it is a real shame he never did a story as I think you're right, he would have been inordinately interesting to see
@@JerkComic I Loooooove THB! I still have an ashcan of that around somewhere I think. If it was done right, it could be a brilliant TV series or film franchise. Fourteen year old female protagonist on mars, with this weird blobby technology and hindi-martian ethno fusion thing going on in the background... I think it's a winner and right now would be a good time as far public interest goes. I'll have to search your video catalog to see what you may have said about Pope.
I worked in a comic book shop in the SF east bay from 1989 at the age of 14 all the way up to 21 in 1996. It was a golden age for comics in many ways. At it's peak, our town had 6 shops... and when I left, we were the last one standing.
I started out with the standard super hero fare.. but I was always a weird intellectual kid so that quickly gave way to alternative press and independent offerings. I'm afraid I've lost track of most of whatever is being put out now, but my memories of that era are still pretty vivid.
Everyone has their favorites but I have a very specific and singular admiration of Jim Woodring amongst the luminaries that produce unfathomably deep and nuanced work. If you haven't covered him yet, he is well worth exploring. I don't know that his work strikes people as deeply as it does I... but there is this mysterious something that I *recognize* in his work.. which is a very tantalizing and peculiar feeling to invoke in a person. Simultaneously alien and familiar.
Really interesting. Love Sandman, but never knew this. Love to hear more Sandman stories.
There's a CRAZY Sandman story in the front section of How The Maxx Broke Sam Kieth if you've not heard it - don't want to spoil. There's a few other things I'm looking into but if I come up with another good Sandman topic I'll make sure to do it - figured a lot more people would be interested in Sandman stuff but Allred is a really polarizing artist and has a niche fan base of which I am one. Glad you enjoyed and hopefully you find some other stuff you enjoy as well while you wait on new Sandman content!
I would love a video on Madman! He's one of my favorite characters.
It's coming. I have a ton of other stuff working and I need one missing piece to make this video. When I get it, so will... no. That sounds horrible. I'll make a video when I get it 🤣
What a coincidence - we just finished looking at the Dolls House! I'm not familiar with too much by Mike Alleged outside of his contributions to The Sandman and anthology series. I'm only part way through this episode, but just wanted to check - Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones actually finish out the Doll's House following Zulli on the standalone Men of Good Fortune (13), so Collectors (14) Into the Night (15) and Lost Hearts (16) feature their art as well. I know you say they quit after 11 so just wanted to check on that?
By the way, I had no idea about the Rolling Stone ad so on with the video for more illumination! 😁
Dringenberg had decided to leave with issue 11 as full time artist, he stayed on with Jones until replacements could be found for a few issues. Kieth quit on issue 3 although his art can be seen until issue 5 - I realized this talking about the periods when things happen behind the scenes and the resulting time gap it takes for them to actually occur in indicia and print was kind of confusing, but it was the best way to illustrate the constantly changing roster of talents. Kieth made it 3 issues before asking for a replacement as full time artist, Dringenberg roughly double that - and Jones folded before he ever finished an issue, no one wanted Sandman on their plate full time despite it's popularity. As you say, Zulli came and went - then Dringenberg came back for a bit with Jones, then departed again. It was a revolving door by the time that they offered it up to Allred by 1990 already and I wanted to really highlight this, sorry if it was confusingly worded!
That's two votes for the Rolling Stone article - I'll definitely be doing a video on this one! Thanks as always for checking out the video, really appreciate it
@@JerkComic Got it! I feel like I just read comics like watching movies, then your channel is like the documentary on the making of and the cultural-context essays in the library. 😁
@@ftloc "Without an audience, there can be no art". But yeah, I'm the socially maladjusted guy obsessed with picking art apart rather than being able to stand back from the canvas and properly enjoy it, haha. So jealous of people who don't have to "know how things work". Ruined a lot of great stuff by learning too much about it, though I suppose I've also exposed myself to some pretty amazing stuff I never would have otherwise come across at this point as well... take the good with the crazy I guess lmao
@@JerkComic Nothing is born of a vacuum, and I'd say you also won't allow yourself to be hoodwinked into thinking something just happened, there's always a why and wherefore to it.
I love taking things apart as well, but perhaps only focused on the craft behind the story itself? Im glad to have scholars such as yourself do the hard work for me re history and context and I'll happily be spoonfed the distillation! 😁
@@ftloc I do find myself searching for that penultimate origin point of things. There were things that eluded me for the better part of my life pre-the internet. Now however, I can simply spend my nights endlessly reading about anything my little heart desires... and I'm drunk on that power, haha. Glad someone enjoys listening to me, because before this my wife wanted to murder me before I could yell at the camera for an hour about random stuff I wanted to share with the rest of the world, hehe
exellent. very professional work, Jerk.
Thanks! Really hope you enjoyed and super appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
Great video!!!
Thanks so much! It's crazy because Mike's son Hans checked this out and said he actually learned a few things. It's kind of old and I'm super happy with the fact you spend the majority of this one starring at my ugly mug rather than Mike's work but I'm really happy people seem to still be enjoying this so long after its' release. Can't thank you enough for checking it out and especially taking the time to leave a comment. Means a lot to know people are actually watching these pieces that take me so long and it helps out the channel a ton as well!
Another enjoyable vid. Make the Rolling Stone ad. Make the Madman timeline. I'll watch both. You keep hitting topics I've got a lot of love for.
I'd love to see some vids on the comics that never happened. As a huge fan of Warren Ellis' comics, there was a ton of stuff spoken about and even solicited that never made it to light. A lot of this was retooled into later greats but I'd love to know what brought production to a halt in the first place.
Buying comics in Australia was always at least double the US price, so could never pick up The Journal when there was just so many good comics to buy
Ellis is a hard guy to pin down. He plays stuff really close to the chest sometimes and I've had a hard time piecing together big chunks of what is happening or happened with him. I'll do a little digging and see what else I can come up with. And I'll definitely be doing a Madman piece. I'm trying to get some info about the mental condition that Allred suffers from as highlighted in the upcoming documentary. Apparently these episodes of psychedelic existentialist dread are some of the major factors behind Madman. Unfortunately Allred hasn't discussed this in interviews much. Trying to find some press about the film or some of the interviews so I can get at that info as I think that's a HUGE part of the weird shifts that took place with Madman. Apparently these mental episodes occur about every 4 to 5 years. If you read Madman you know it would go 4 or 5 years and then just completely change with very little warning. Seems this was not a conscious decision for Allred but rather more likely a direct response to this medical condition. Not that I've been looking into it or anything haha
First time i have heard of the rolling stone ad. i love this channel
I wish I could dig up more about it. It was super important and I've heard and read a lot of discussion about the book but this ad was a weird changing moment for comics - no one had ever seen a full page comic ad in a magazine like that I don't think.
Ps glad you're digging the channel! Really appreciate you checking out the videos and taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel
Gyeman and Berjer are almost singlehandedly responsible for Vertigo's early '90s greatness.
Berger probably more so than Gaiman in those early days but without Sandman Vertigo would have withered and died most definitely.
Great content mate... subscribed and loving it! 👍🏻
Great comment - seriously appreciate the kind words, the sub and especially you taking time to leave a comment and interact with the channel really helps me out and I can't thank you enough, cheers!
Am I tripping or did we get the Madman video yet?
No I've been trying to get details on these weird mental and physical episodes that he has which apparently play a big part of Madman but the doc isn't out yet and I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone from the Allred camp for an interview... yet. This is definitely going to happen, just want to have the full picture when I put it out!
@@JerkComic Take your time Captain! 👌🏾
A lot of Sandman wasn't about Morpheus. In many issues he barely plays a part, with the main focus on being character work on people/creatures introduced for the story.
Oh yeah that was one of the geniuses of that series. I just wanted to see Allred go crazy on some Morpheus is all
So if I've never picked up a Sandman issue, but always wanted to, where do I start? What's the most telling of all the books? Or is that a silly question? I was always aware of the title, artists and writers involved but just never grabbed an issue since I've never read the first/early stories. Once again, great vid. Love this channel ✌🇨🇦
First off thank you so much for the kind words. Second, not a silly question. In answer to that question though, issue 1. Yes you can technically pick and choose a bit but with Sandman I not only don’t recommend that but it really is a great series you shouldn’t short yourself on. Start with a trade or two from the beginning and see what you think. I recommend the first two as the first one is set up and the second shows more of what the rest of the series will be like totally. Never too late to get in on Sandman - if you do check it out pop back in and let me know what you think. Thanks again for the kind words, checking out the video and especially for taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel!
@@JerkComic I will totally read and report. Thanx for the info. Cheers
@@mikedolan6176 Any time - hope you have a killer day and enjoy Sandman!
Great video!, please do a video about the creation of Madman.
I definitely will! I’m trying to get some info about a health condition that Allred’s son claims is the reason Madman is so strange and existential. Incredibly interesting character that always gets short shrift imo. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel and so happy you enjoyed the video!
Wow! This is great!!
High praise sir - can't thank you enough for not only checking this out but subbing and sharing the channel. Means a lot to know I did Mike a little justice!
In my opinion Sandman was the most ambitious comic book of all time in terms of themes, scope, and it's various contributors. Hopefully if that Sandman TV series ever gets made, it will reach the level of mainstream acclaim that Watchmen or V for Vendetta received after their adaptations.
The Sandman series WILL get made. Unfortunately. It has no business being adapted. There's no doing justice to something like the introduction of Death, or those insane hellscapes by Kieth. I guess hopefully it gets new people to read comics, but Sandman is one of the few comics that non-comic readers will read and pick up already... time and effort could be spent elsewhere much better imo.
You wanna fuck with some Red Rocket 7.. I was a big follower of that & I never hear anyone bring it up.
I used to have all of RR 7, been YEARS though. I'm hoping it didn't end up like my Maximortal stuff and up and disappeared. I'll do some digging, super underrated series for sure - don't know how much coverage there is out there either... now I'm curious!
This was a great video. I'd heard about this even back in the 90s, but never in this much detail. Allred's art was pretty rough in the early days and I don't disagree with Berger's assessment at all, especially if this is what it took for him to become the talent he became. There's stuff he puts out to this day that every once in a while looks kind of janky.
Thanks man - that's what Mike's son Han said when he got a hold of me to tell this story for the Mike Allred Space Face documentary he's working on. Was a really incredible experience getting to go and meet Mike and Laura and talk to them about their career and stuff including this bit. It was weird sitting in the same chair Neil Gaiman had sat in a few days earlier telling the same story.... not sure I'll ever quite get over that one, haha! I think Berger might have been a little harsh, I've seen the sample work and think he would have been fine to handle an issue honestly. I don't think his stuff looks janky, just old fashioned and retro and that can make it slightly stiff or awkward to some people - I think this is a lot of what Berger feared he wouldn't be able to subvert for the issue. Even Mike told me he was happy this happened because it really kicked him into high gear though, so no complaints on this end, haha! Thanks so much for the kind words and taking time to check this out btw - means a lot and helps out the channel a ton
Yo man I love your vids! I'm doing a Kickstarter comic campaign in one week, I would love for you to review it- I could send a pdf if you're interested?
Always happy to check out new stuff though I obviously can’t promise anything. What’s the name of your book/campaign?
@@JerkComic the campaign will be released in a week, the comic is called BOUND. Artwork is a bit different, storyline focusses on 'unlikely saviours'. Where should I send the pdf? Loving your content- I found you a couple days ago and watched 4 vids, very well done and interesting.
@@JerkComic if you go to www.samwellerillustrations.com and drop an email address in the contact section I'll mail you a copy of the comic. :)
Not a dissimilar style to Citizen Nocturne- wish we had gotten it.
Same here! I would have loved to see his take on Sandman at that point. And kudos for knowing what Citizen Nocturne is, great series that no one talks about there days! I just picked up Dead Air not long ago and it made me wish this had happened even more.
do a madman video
As soon as I can get the skinny on Mike Allred's psychedelic mental condition this video is a go. I found out recently that there's a bizarre reason Madman is so existential and undergoes these weird tonal and artistic shifts and even shift in the cast. Still trying to track down a few more interviews but I'm hoping I can hear back from Allred himself about it - very, very curious about it myself and how it plays into all the stuff I've found out about this bizarre character. And I do not just mean Madman haha
@@JerkComic I just saw something I think related to that, have you spotted that documentary they makin called Space Face I think about Allred?
TJ Maher yes and if you watch the trailer you will know precisely what I’m talking about. In the trailer alone his son drops the bomb that he had psychedelic out of body experiences where he’s like paralyzed and experiencing the worst sort of existential dread and horror unfurl before his eyes. This is where the tone and psychosis of Madman are apparently culled from. I’m trying to find some details to see how they relate to the creation and continued evolution of Madman - hoping Allred or someone from his camp will get back to me and answer a few questions as it really opens the door for understanding the character in a completely new light.
Lets see what this bout
This was a fun one, could have really changed the course of his career and Sandman for that matter imho
Karen berger is legendary but has an antiquated idea of a modern sense of art...thats why people like Shelly are so popular, it's like the next generation being there to keep Karen's ear on the current (at least then) generations taste
If it weren't for Shelly Bond lord knows where Berger or Vertigo would have ended up that's for sure. I think that antiquated is putting it lightly, but I also think she had something of a reasoning and idea behind it. Whenever Vertigo got all crazy with the story OR the art it was okay - both? Fans raised hell. I think she was trying to hedge bets, and admittedly by his own words - he didn't think he was ready, but while Allred might not have been up to task I don't think the same can be said for someone like Kieth who I feel like Berger relentlessly bullied and took advantage of. Still wanna ask her about that whole thing. I mean, that just seemed mean. This? This seemed kind of petty but not all out asshle mean... At least some good came of it! Was funny getting to talk with Mike about this in person as well haha!
i'm actually glad he didn't get that gig for "Facade" it needed more of a gothic horror style that Kelley Jones provided in spades, Allred's style didn't suit the script
I, and Neil Gaiman agree! If you read the full interview with Gaiman he points out Allred was simply trying out with the script for Facade, he'd already given the script to Doran who he'd met sitting in the office. He wandered over and checked out a few drawings on her desk and was like, gimme the digits! It's unknown what issue Allred would have seen actually published, but the sample work he would have provided was most likely for the Facade story. In all likely hood given that Gaiman wrote scripts either for, or chose artists specifically for certain scripts, we would have seen a different story or issue that Gaiman would have written specifically for Allred as opposed to him working on an issue that came out in our reality where Allred was turned down from Sandman... man I gotta let that stupid joke go. Kelly Jones did Calliope and Dream of A Thousand Cats, but Colleen Doran did Facade along with inks from Malcolm Jones and colors from The Maxx magician Steve Oliff himself if I'm not mistaken? Pretty sure, because they were broken up by the Midsummer's Nights Dream issue by Charles fuggin' Vess who I think probably is the only other dude that would have popped into my mind when I was trying to find a regular artist when Sandman first popped off besides P Crag Russell. Thanks so much for checking these out, hope you're enjoying.
@@JerkComic ah i was thinking of Calliope.
just a heads up, like you I initially thought it was pronounced "guy-man" but actually it's "gay-man". ua-cam.com/video/SlJljIjDkeI/v-deo.html and like him there was a few times i thought you were saying Neil Diamond LOL. Great vid, and looking through your channel i've queued up a bunch to watch next. Awesome topics for a 90s-onward comic nerd like me. Subbed.
Yeah I actually heard him say his name for the first time just after this had only read it - managed to say it right like 90% of the time in the Maxx episode haha. Thanks so much for checking out the channel and stoked you enjoyed the episode. Working on a Madman piece for my next Allred video. Make sure to let me know if there's ever anything you want to see an episode about in the future and thanks again fod taking the time to leave a comment really helps out the channel
I'd love to see a retrospect on Madman if you promise me you'll do me one favor and pronounce Neil's last name correctly from now on. It's pronounced Gayman, not Guyman. By the way, I'm just busting your chops. It's nothing personal. I mispronounce names on occasion too.
If you notice in the Sam Kieth video I pronounced it right - I had literally never heard him say it before, only read it, haha. I mispronounce a lot of names, poor David Michelinie, I have to remind myself every freakin' time... And I will definitely be doing a Madman piece. The only thing is I need some more information on Allred's "episodes". I won't be waiting for the upcoming doc or anything, but apparently they played a large part in the creation and evolution of the existentialism of Madman and the radical changes in stories, tone and even characters. I promise, I do my best to try and research how to say names after this and the Venom video with Michelinie, I wince every time I hear myself say it if it makes you feel any better, lmao
Oh and if you don't know about the "episodes" check this trailer out for the upcoming documentary by his son I am infinitely excited about! ua-cam.com/video/Tjb-qs8CSIM/v-deo.html
@@JerkComic I could be wrong, but I think I heard you mispronounce it a couple of times. It's all good though. I was just ribbing you. But seriously, do a review of Madman. It was a pretty good series from what I remember.
@@ThDirtyCurfDrummer He's great sometimes... other times, well confusing. Apparently there's a reason for that though, and once I get all the details I need on that I can really get a good retrospective together for him because I love Madman
@@ThDirtyCurfDrummer and dang it - I tried so hard! I guess 30 years of saying it wrong is a hard habit to break, hahaha
Comico is pronounced Comeeko (I know because I worked there), and Gaiman is pronounced Gaymun.
Believe it or not, I'd only read his name not heard it until after I did this video. Hard to break a 30 year habit, but I did manage to pronounce it right most of the time in the next video where I mentioned him, haha.
And that's awesome - I'd heard both over the years but never actually talked to an employee to correct me. I'll make sure to pronounce it correctly from now on. What did you work on while you were at Comico? I've seen your name a few places, did you do some horror work for Dark Horse years back? Thanks for checking out the video and hope my mispronunciation didn't irk you too badly. Appreciate the correction and I promise I'll say Comeeko next time ;)
"Guyman?" 🤔
Forgive me I grew up pre-internet and never heard it pronounced correctly until after this. I try and pronounce it correctly now haha
It’s a good thing you found comics otherwise it’d be a straight shot to meth, domestic abuse, and incest...
J/k I like your content man...
Well obviously someone doesn't know what I get up to on the weekend... I have a life outside of comics ya know! J/K, I don't have a life at all, haha
JerkComic at least you’ve got a good sense of humor man. Complete honesty though I dig your content because you get a lot deeper into the indie realm and talk about a lot of hidden treasures outside of the mainstream Marvel/DC universes. I think you fill a very unique niche other comic youtubers aren’t digging into as much as they should. Keep it up man.
FIRST Of all, the Comico GUMBY books were gold.
Secondly: There's something about Allred's work that hits me weird. He's incredibly talented and it's utterly pleasant to look at but...and this sounds weird...I don't always like it. I'm not sure why.
Because he's weird and so is his art. I like that but sometimes I see a piece and I'm just like woof that's unpleasant to look at. Which is bizarro considering how pleasant his art is in general. I'm a HUGE fan of his era just before this all went down when he still looked a lot like Howard Chaykin and stuff on Dead Air especoally. And also he suffers from this bizarre mental condition where he has these terrible psychedelic out of body existential trips and his art gets disturbing in difficult to detect ways for periods of times following these episodes
Ps is that Gumby actually worth reading? Never gave it a shake as I'm not huge on comedy stuff really
@@JerkComic Comico put out two Gumby issues: The Gumby Summer Fun Special ('87) and The Gumby Winter Fun Special ('88) and they're TOTALLY worth it if only for the Arthur Adams art. They're little adventure comics moreso than comedy. You should check out the cover for the Winter Fun Special. It's pretty fantastic. I have a ton of Comico books. Their ROBOTECH books were a must-have when I was a kid (I'm 47...I hate saying that).
Your videos are great, by the way. I've binged.