An Interview with Comic Book Artist Mike Allred

Rebecca: He’s well known for his art style and his fascination with the bizarre. Hi I’m Rebecca Braden and welcome to watchmojo.com, our host Mike Battelle got a chance to chat with comic book artist and writer Mike Allred about his creations. Mike Battelle: Can you tell us a little bit about madman, I understand you’re the one who created the concept. Mike Allred: At first I created this character named Frank Einstein kind of like a modern Frankenstein monster. The guy that has brought back to life, and has no memory of this previous existence. This all scarred, plate in his head, stitches everywhere, the process that brought him back to life has made him a little stronger, a little faster but he also has fighting skills that he’s not sure why. and as the story progress we find out that he was a trained agent in his previous existence. So it’s a lot of conflicts about philosophy’s and what makes a person a good person and there’s a lot of existentialism in it but at the same time on the surface it’s always an adventure comic where the scientist brought him back, put him in this really strange adventures with giant robots and aliens from outer space. I always like going of doing different collaborative projects but then I always come back to make mad man because that’s where I can do anything I want. Mike Battelle: Aside from super hero comics, you’ve also worked on more abstract work like fables, would you like to talk about that? Mike Allred: Well fable is one of my favorite continuing series. Bill Wellingham is you know one of the first guys ever met starting in the business. First I just re page the actual story and then I get a two story and then another one. Mike Battelle: You’ve had obviously a lot of effort on the mad man series as your own creation, for fables. how much of it is you that’s put into the characters and the drawings? Mike Allred: What’s fun about collaborating with another writer is trying to put as much of what’s unique about you and well at the same time honoring their story in the case of be welling, I want to please him. It’s his story. He wrote it so I’m hoping that what I contribute visually is going to excite him first. I can’t help but my own spin on it, it just happens naturally. Mike Battelle: Did you feel that the fans are shifting away from super heroes and more towards abstract comics like fables? Mike Allred: I think there’s a lot of issues in the industry, the audience for in a more esoteric abstract or alternative book is growing. Hopefully all of the audiences are growing. you can look at a comic book and quickly discover if its something you’re going to want to stick with or not and I have the favorite books in all genres from all companies. I just celebrate good books.