Last Night the Atomics Saved My Life!

[kingrockwell]

A while back, stubbleupdate requested some Joelle Jones. Because I'm a lazy sod, I'm only now posting this story, the opening act from Madman Atomic Comics #16, "Last Night the Atomics Saved My Life!" by Jones and Jamie S. Rich.



About four out of twelve pages.

So, there's a lot of context here that you might miss if you're not a Madman reader, but I'll try to fill in the gaps as I can, since I haven't gotten around to making the number of Madman posts I've been planning on in the last year.



So, the Atomics are suddenly a band, and Adam Balm's handing out fliers to their next show. One of them ends up in the hands of a shy girl.



So she checks out the show.



She's an instant fan, to obsessive degrees. The Atomics (and Adam in particular) end up inspiring her identity.



But one day, the band disappears, and the girl is crushed. Readers will know that this was caused by their adventure in space from Madman Atomic Comics #5, culminating in Adam's death two issues later, but that's not exactly common knowledge to the world at large.

Feeling lost and alone, the girl tries to find him the same way he found her.


Maybe it's just all the Phonogram I've been reading lately, but this is giving me pretty heavy Richey Edwards vibes at this point.

The girl runs into Zom-Bot Adam and doesn't know what to make of the situation. A shadowy guy in an alley (who i honestly can't identify! wait, i think that's Dean Crept of the G-Men From Hell, though he's looking young here) fills her in.



She stalks follows Zom-Bot Adam around and realizes Crept's telling the truth, so she seeks out spiritual guidance on the issue.



Aw man, the Cadaver. This guy used to be a Mutant Street Beatnik, but he got into an accident before they became the Atomics. Everyone thought he was dead, but as it turned out, he'd just become a supervillain. Has a particularly strong mad-on for Adam.

He hooks the girl up to a machine that he promises will help her understand Adam's current state. Like you can't guess what that means?

Sometime later, Frank, Joe, Luna and the recently-resurrected Adam find her in the park.


It's a little creepy, but a lot of sad. Poor thing. :(

The issue also included this pin-up of Frank and Joe by Jones.

Comments

[mllesays]

I have no idea what's going on, but I want to read this book.

[kingrockwell]

i get these comments every time i post Madman stuff, and if it's anyone's fault, it's mine
i really ought to post more Madman, from the beginning, so folks can catch up

[greenmask]

Oh, it's your fault?? Then POST, CURSE YOU, POST!

I think I need it.

[kingrockwell]

Oh, so many things I need to post!
But I'm not starting that series on Phonogram v2 till Thursday (a post every other day will put me just in time for #7 as it stops being recent), so I guess I can start with that History of the Mutant Street Beatniks I've been planning since March. It'll fill in a lot of Atomics-related context, and I can always sprinkle some Madman issues retrospectively.

[greenmask]

Hurrah!

Hurrah!

[stubbleupdate]

[stubbleupdate]

Joelle Jones =

[kingrockwell]

According to her tag here, she also drew the Dr. Horrible comic for Dark Horse, so that might be worth checking out.

[stubbleupdate]

I saw that, but I don't really care about Dr Horrible

You Have Killed Me is totally worth getting though

[kingrockwell]

Yeah, I've been trying to track that one ever since Jamie S. Rich posted a preview on the Allred boards. Might have to order it online though, since my LCS hates me.

[rhythmbandit]

So sad! I only know bout Madman comics from what I've seen here, but it seems like the coolest thing ever.

[kingrockwell]

Believe me, it basically is!