You like fun, right? This is fun.
So, I dunno. At this point I feel like I’m Mike Allred’s press agent or something. I’ve written quite a lot lately about how much I dig his work. I mean, Batman ’66 #30 didn’t just have the best comic-book cover of 2015 — read all about the history of it, here — it was the best issue of the entire series to date.
Of course, with Mike, everything is a family affair. His partner is his wife, colorist Laura Allred, and his brother Lee writes with him from time to time, as he did on Batman ’66 #30. I also get the real sense that he dotes on his kids.
Well, there’s something familial, or at least personal, about the Madman Comin’ Atcha 3D Cards set that came out recently.
This is, as they say, a labor of love.
The set is the brainchild of writer Christopher Irving, who in this successful Kickstarter video, sings the praises of Madman and discusses why he was inspired to create the set, with Mike’s involvement.
There’re 41 base 3D cards but all sorts of extras, too, like Artist Edition cards featuring images of Frank Einstein by Allred’s heroes (Kirby, Frazetta, Toth), friends (Darwyn Cooke) and industry colleagues and rising stars like Joelle Jones.
Enlarged to show detail. Card is standard size.
The cards feature either scenes from the Madman library or are new illustrations, and I promise you that if you’ve never read a single issue of Mike’s magnum opus, you will enjoy this. All you need are the 3D glasses that come with the set and a heart of joy. And if your heart is cold and stony, this is the cure.
The cards are like classic movie or TV show cards produced by, say, Topps. Each has a title and image on the front, with a description or stats on the back. Mike and Laura even have their own cards in the set, which is about as meta as it comes.
Enlarged to show detail. Cards are standard size.
The 3D — by Christian LeBlanc — is first rate, by the way, and some of the cards really take advantage of the technology, like the ones labeled “Like, Origin, Man…,” “Here’s Lookin’ at You” and “Chow Skip-Wang.”
There are different pricing levels, starting at a very reasonable $25. For more info, including how to order, click here. It explains how to get all the cards and bonuses.
But do get this set. It’s the ginchiest.
