Michael Allred's issue of SOLO

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It's like one big joycore manifesto! You've all seriously got to read this. The "Teen Titans Vs. Doom Patrol" story is totally thrill-powered, and "Batman-A-Go-Go" is easily one of the top five Batman comics ever produced.

Some small samples of its glory:

http://homepage.mac.com/mperpetua/.Public/sunshine.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/mperpetua/.Public/wondergirl.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/mperpetua/.Public/bobbysherman.jpg

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 27 October 2005 16:45 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, Batman A-Go-Go definitely warrants some discussion (or maybe it just seems like it was inspired by ILC discussions!). As far as metacomics go, it's kind of the flipside of Millar's Wanted (i.e. also looking at the different stages of superhero morality and aesthetics, except this is good).

So does a different artist/writer do Solo every month? That might explain why I haven't heard any buzz until now.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 October 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

what is solo?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 27 October 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

It's a (bimonthly?) DC book where a different artist every issue gets to strut their stuff for approx. 64 pages. The writers can differ, tho - the Tim Sale issue featured short stories penned by various writers, while I think the Darwyn Cooke issue featured shorts w/ DC writing AND illustrating.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

ooh, how was that?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 27 October 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

very good!

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:00 (twenty years ago)

The DC issue is fantastic! Definitely the best (aka my fave) of the series to date.

So far, Solo has featured:

Tim Sale
Richard Corben
Howard Chaykin
Paul Pope
Darwyn Cooke
Jordi Bernet
Mike Allred (duh)

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:01 (twenty years ago)

I really need to get the Darwyn Cooke and Paul Pope issues. I have the Chaykin issue, which is just alright but really nice to look at.

Allred co-wrote most of the material in the issue with his brother Lee. Laura Allred's colors are at a new plateau of greatness in this thing, too.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

Allred is a mormon!!

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, that's right. But it doesn't seem to creep into the rest of his work and make it unreadable, amazing!

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

Jordan, you need to sign up for Ian J's Hey, Orson's Ultimate Iron Man Min Is Pretty Good! seminar.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

Well, I think a lot of the optimism and cheer in Allred's work has something to do with his Mormonism. But you know, all of the Mormons I've ever known have been extremely kind, lovely, wholesome people.

Fun fact learned in the bio of Allred from this issue: He named his eldest son Han, and Han recently had his first child, whom he named Anakin.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

And I KNOW FOR A FACT I'm not the only one that initially misread Jordan's post as "Allred is a MORON!!"

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

Doesn't the bio also claim that Allred was born in 1820?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Oh yeah, and isn't his other kid named something geeky?

Back to Solo, "An Hour with Hourman" is very innocent (if you ignore the coke/speed addict parallels) joycore as well.

xpost

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I can't imagine Allred's old enough to have a kid that's having kids. Unless the Allred boys are hitting puberty right before they say "I do."

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:42 (twenty years ago)

http://www.supersnail.com/images8/2__wc_01_10_juaxss.jpg

Mike and Laura do look very young. Also: the cutest couple in comics, ever.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

I wondered about that, but it says "no kiddin'" in the bio so it must be true!

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 27 October 2005 18:45 (twenty years ago)

Mike and Laura married very young, I think when they were each around 18.

There are very spiritual issues in some volumes of Madman.

I LOVE YOU MIKE ALLRED.

― Leeeeeeeeee (Leee), Thursday, 27 October 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

I recommend checking out the interview with Allred on the Best Show On WFMU from February 25, 2003. It's still archived here.

(And it's real, not a sketch!)

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Thursday, 27 October 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Not to sound ignorant or whatever, but isn't having kids early the Mormon "way"?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 27 October 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

also remember he has been publishing comics since '89 and had a career before that, he's not all *that* young!

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 27 October 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

god they are cute!! actually in that picture they could be sue & johnny storm!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 27 October 2005 23:14 (twenty years ago)

Muthafucka! The way WFMU does their RealAudio stuff, I don't think I can listen to the interview until I do a rebuild and get rid of Media Player Classic on my system. Bah. Does he say anything especially enlightening?

Why is it the good things are never "real life", only the bad?

Awesome. I'm looking forward to reading this after I'm finished with midterms!

― Chris F. (servoret), Friday, 28 October 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

Still a shame, though:

http://www.groberunfug.de/unfug/unfuggrafiken/us-comics/solo-7.jpg

― Chuck_Tatum (Chuck_Tatum), Friday, 28 October 2005 08:31 (twenty years ago)

Who is the girl that Robin's warding off in that third picture?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 28 October 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

wow i need a copy of this... i think the allred family do probably my favorite comics art ever

― dave k, Friday, 28 October 2005 09:33 (twenty years ago)

She's a character unique to the story. You'll just have to read it. She technically does become his ward, though!

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 28 October 2005 09:40 (twenty years ago)

SO FREAKING GOOD!

I think that Teen Titans / Doom Patrol story was part of that once-solicited, then-killed Go-Go-Teen-Titan tribute. But SO GOOD! Who the hell was that blobby superpet/sidekick, tho? Batmite is Batmite, and that small alien thing is J'onn J'onnz, right? Whither THE BLOBBY THING?

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 28 October 2005 12:50 (twenty years ago)

I think it might be Proty from the Legion of Superheroes

― Mark C (Markco), Friday, 28 October 2005 13:03 (twenty years ago)

THe small alien thing is, um, Zook, I think. Who was J'onn Jonzz'z sidekick back in the day. He/she got good play in the first Bizarro Comics thing. And yeah, blob is Proty.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 28 October 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

Blobby white thing is definitely Proty!

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 28 October 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

Ha - I meant to say that Zook was J'onn J'onzz's.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 28 October 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Next issue: TEDDY KRISTIANSEN

WHO IS TOTALLY PSYCHED FOR SOME ANGLECORE!>?!?!?

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 28 October 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

DAMMIT EVERYBODY IN CHAPEL HILL ALREADY BOUGHT THIS BOOK GRRR.

― carson dial (carson dial), Sunday, 30 October 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

I bought this on ILC's recommendation and I am loving it (though I guess I'll buy anything with Allred's name on it).

Also awesome in a smilar vein: Fin Fang Four!!

― ng-unit, Sunday, 30 October 2005 23:15 (twenty years ago)

Fing Fang Four (or whatever the fing it's actually called) is indeed equally awesome!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 31 October 2005 05:41 (twenty years ago)

Solo and FFF happened to be the only comics I bought last week, it was like I had been transported to a magical land of Batdances and thrillpower.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 31 October 2005 14:20 (twenty years ago)

Every book should feature monster / receptionist robot love. And dragon chefs.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 31 October 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

MR. JOHNS PLEASE TAKE NOTES!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 31 October 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

this was really really great. should i start reading madman now (i read a bunch somewhere in the 90s) also what else have the allreds done?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 18 November 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

YES READ MADMAN AND LOTS OF IT!! (Though the very first volume, I think it's called Madman Adventures on Oni, is terrible.) He's got a few "serious" ones that I haven't read because they're serious.

Also X-Statix/X-Force urgent & key, if not read already!

― Sonneywolferinecastleee (Leee), Friday, 18 November 2005 08:31 (twenty years ago)

Also, that Prez issue of Sandman (the only one of the run that I kept when I did my purge)

― Chris F. (servoret), Friday, 18 November 2005 08:38 (twenty years ago)

SOLO >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all Madman, but especially post-Tundra. If you've already read the stuff when they were lettering themselves, you're probably fine for life.

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 18 November 2005 08:57 (twenty years ago)

oh BTW from upthread: Who is the girl that Robin's warding off in that third picture? - that's the original Bat-Girl, who had a massive unrequited crush on Robin.

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 18 November 2005 10:44 (twenty years ago)

Slocki, you will LOVE X-Force/X-Statix. See if you can get the X-Force hardcover volume - the entire X-Force part of the series all in one big book, oversized on really nice paper and lots of little extras. The X-Statix issues are all in trade paperback.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:13 (twenty years ago)

what IS x-force? i'm assuming we're talking an x-men spinoff of some kind?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

It's about a celebrity superhero squad. They have a very high mortality rate, so there's always a lot of new characters coming and going. Basically, it's a really funny and weird comic about celebrity culture, race, sexuality, and "passing" in a culture that otherwise hates your kind. The first 14 issues were published as X-Force - it had absolutely nothing with what came before in that title, and alienated fans of that comic so much that they were writing hysterical letters well into the series, the funniest of which were reprinted in the original issues. (Sadly, these are cut from the collections.)

The series was relaunched as X-Statix, and kept going until the series ran its course around the same time its numbers were at cancellation level.

It's one of my favorite comics series ever, no question.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

Oh, I forgot to mention that they are a celebrity superhero squad of MUTANTS living in the X-MEN world.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

Just to be clear: everything else with the name X-Force is utter shit, so be careful.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 18 November 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

i was never able to find a copy of this, sob... i think pretty much all the madman stuff is great; my favorite issue is the one where madman gets shrunk down and has to run around the sewer, etc....

― dave k, Friday, 18 November 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

Did he meet shrunk-down Godzilla?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 18 November 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

not as i recall, but he is on some guy's zit when he pops it! very nasty!!

― dave k, Friday, 18 November 2005 17:24 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

What's that CD Mike Allred did like? I think the band is called The Gear or something?

Also, that morman book - I haven't seen it in the UK, is it any good?

― Louie_Strychnine, Wednesday, 7 December 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Anyone read "Red Rocket Seven"? Endearing and all, but dear God, SO SO DORKY! Maybe I'm too much of a cynic to take Allred's joycore, but I did cringe a lot reading it.

The explanation of Brian Jone's death is all kinds of classic tho.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 15 January 2006 01:12 (twenty years ago)

It's pretty clear in that he doesn't have much time for anything after Glam, and music before is shown as culminating in Glam. Also, atheists are bastards.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 15 January 2006 01:40 (twenty years ago)

Well, isn't the main reason that the post-Glam movements don't look as enticing in the book the fact that the main chracter isn't there to witness them? Which may be deliberately done to obscure the fact that Allred doesn't care about them, but maybe not - I mean, 7 sure seems to gobble up whatever he can get, there's no sort of "and then music went bad" grouchyness at play.

I think my main problem with the book is he tries to fit music into this single narrative of heroic feats into which all good music can be inserted, thus the awkward early 90's mural with like 20 alternative types and Coolio. One of the reasons it makes me cringe so much is it's far too close to my own conception of music in my early to mid teens.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 15 January 2006 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Also, atheists are bastards.

His dismissal of Nietzsche in Solo I found rather weak. Also, how come the horrible dream world was the most moving bit of art in the whole issue?

― Chris F. (servoret), Sunday, 15 January 2006 06:53 (twenty years ago)

Well, it's telling that he does get shanghaied away from Earth right after Bowie - rather than, for example, after Morrissey or after the Beatles - and the two traumatic events he sees on the space viewer are the death of Elvis and the rise of punk in the UK.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 15 January 2006 11:39 (twenty years ago)

What? No. The death of Elvis and the death of Lennon are shown as traumatic - the Sex Pistols and Ramones are just shown on the screen like everyone else (same page features KISS, Queen, Facwett and Springsteen.) Also: the two page spread talking about how Seven was bummed out about missing new developments on earth includes all sorts of Punk & New Wave d00ds (Devo, Adam Ant, Elvis Costello, Duran Duran, Sonic Youth, etc.) as well as Morrisey & Marr.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 15 January 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

I don't have my copy to hand, but I'm fairly sure the panel with the Sex Pistols in it has them isolated on a viewscreen with a caption that says something like 'events on Earth did nothing to reassure us'. Also, the fact that punk and new wave are just part of some huge sprawling montage does suggest that they're less important to the author than the areas of music that Seven interacted with in person.

I can't remember whether Lennon's death is mentioned while they're adrift in space - I know it does get a panel - but it would have been separated from the death of Elvis. I remember the Sex Pistols as being on the same page, during the 'waiting' scene before they meet Norcum Bah.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 15 January 2006 15:06 (twenty years ago)

You're right that Lennon is on another page - I'm just saying that that and the death of Elvis are the only two panels where you see a true negative emotional reaction from Seven. The exact caption for the Sex Pistols panel is "there wasn't much to subdue our anxiety in our artificial luxury", and you gotta remember that the panel before it is Seven having a confrontation with one of his brothers, and the next is them getting out of their cell and Seven saying "finally!". So I think the caption's relating more to them having to spend all that time in isolation watching the screen than outrage over evil Punk taking over. As I said, The Ramones are on the same page, next to Springsteen and Queen.

And I just don't see him giving less attention to the areas that Seven doesn't interact with as proof that he doesn't care about them - I mean, the plot demands that he be isolated some time or other, and the time that's chosen for that will necesairly get less music coverage. It's a consequence of it being a sci-fi adventure as well as a Rock fantasy thingie. I mean, I agree with you that the post-Bowie stuff isn't shown in as exciting a light as Glam, The British Invasion, etc., but it doesn't have to be intentional bias.

What kinda copy do you own, btw? Mine has some post-story pictures of Seven hanging with Joey Ramone and Kurt Cobain, and another montage (this time re-enacting "Sgt.Pepper's...") with loads of post-Bowie ppl included.

To be honest the comic would probably be a lot better if he had gotten rid of the whole sci-fi religion yawnsomeness and stuck to having Seven as a behind-the-scenes guy fer pop history, I'll admit.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 15 January 2006 16:02 (twenty years ago)

whew, that sounds pretty awful.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 15 January 2006 16:33 (twenty years ago)

someone once told me allred was like the world's biggest sting fan so i have spurned his work

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Sunday, 15 January 2006 18:08 (twenty years ago)

It's a terrific comic, actually - and I do have the copy Dan mentions - but I agree that the sci-fi-Jesus stuff is a distraction from the musical journey. My favourite parts of the book are the interactions between Seven and musical history.

I probably am just reading too much into it - I'd be curious to see what Allred picked for his desert island discs, though.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Sunday, 15 January 2006 18:29 (twenty years ago)

doesn't he use the dandy warhols as the modern band that carries on the torch of all those old bands?? anyways, i do remember it being somewhat cringeworthy - it's a bit like an illustrated version of mojo magazine or something - but the package is still very pleasant... the art is typically excellent, and i like the sci-fi jesus stuff, at least as a break from the "history of rock".

― dave k, Monday, 16 January 2006 02:34 (twenty years ago)

whew, that sounds pretty awful.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 16 January 2006 02:48 (twenty years ago)

Sounds like I don't need to read that then. Has anyone here read any of Beck? It has that same sort of weird rock hagiography thing going on-- the lead character periodically goes into a dream state where he meets all the died-stupidly "legends" of rock (Jimi, but also Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, maybe even Mama Cass) egging him on to achieve the ultimate in rock guitarist/vocalist perfection.

― Chris F. (servoret), Monday, 16 January 2006 05:08 (twenty years ago)

It's indefensible, but pretty enjoyable. A lot like his statement in Solo that he basically believes the 50s and the 60s were the apex of entertainment. I don't agree, but I've rarely has such a good time reading something I disagreeed with.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 16 January 2006 09:08 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it was lightweight, but very enjoyable. Re-reading that Hourman vignette the other day made me smile. Plus, the "go-go" reference at the end of the Batman story does make up for the slur on Nietzsche. (I have to assume that Allred was too busy rereading the Book of Mormon to actually read N after stumbling across the "abyss" quote and discover that N wasn't a nihilist.)

― Chris F. (servoret), Monday, 16 January 2006 10:15 (twenty years ago)

I still don't have that Solo. I've been let down viciously by my local comic store.

― Vic Fluro (Vic Fluro), Monday, 16 January 2006 12:28 (twenty years ago)

vic, you can have my copy if you like - I am not likely to miss it...

― Mark C (Markco), Monday, 16 January 2006 12:47 (twenty years ago)

doesn't he use the dandy warhols as the modern band that carries on the torch of all those old bands??

The Dandy Warhols show up as the band that Seven's group supports on some concerts and that helps him hide from evil atheist aliens while record shopping/video renting. There's no great praise heaped upon them. I quite liked that part of the book, but then I've always found the Dandy Warhols a very likeable bunch (not too keen on their music tho.) I think the main reason they show up is Allred is friends with them irl.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Monday, 16 January 2006 17:14 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

i was never able to find a copy of this, sob... i think pretty much all the madman stuff is great; my favorite issue is the one where madman gets shrunk down and has to run around the sewer, etc....

also the events leading up to this situation is one of my favorite madman moments.

madman is battling a man who's stomach acid has consumed him entirely so he is just a blob of acid devouring humans. madman is able to battle this blob with his gun which shoots alka seltzer tablets.

― sweaty palms, Wednesday, 2 January 2013 22:33 (thirteen years ago)

I flipped through his issue of FF with Fraction writing and couldn't do it. The clever, it was toxic, oozing into my every pore. I love his art, but not when coupled with that writer.

And what's the street date on the SOLO collected edition?

― Matt M., Sunday, 6 January 2013 18:31 (thirteen years ago)

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