The Maxx: Maxximized #10 Review

What tale will we learn of Julie’s past? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

Fairy Tale: As Julie is spring cleaning, Mr. Gone entertains us with a little child-like tale of Julie’s traumatic up-bringing, and the little sickly rabbit that scrape, scrape, scrapes, which she keeps hidden under her bed. She learns lessons from her absentee father’s denial, and her mother’s unflinching willingness to face things that Julie (and Maxx) would rather avoid all together.

Despite fluctuations in overall quality, The Maxx: Maxximized always proves an entertaining read. In this issue we are treated to a look into Julie’s childhood, with Mr. Gone telling the kidnapped doctor a shocking tale. Meanwhile Julie and Sarah spring clean. Something that Julie’s needed to do for a long time.

Sam Kieth and William Messner-Loebs yet again give a solid script as though it didn’t captivate me on the same level as previous issues, it remained very thrilling. If you told me prior to reading this that Mr. Gone would be telling us a traumatic story from Julie’s childhood, I’d be extremely happy. The result however was a little poor. Though we get a glimpse into events that have made Julie what she is today, the overall tension and suspense was missing, with the story being rather predictable. Nevertheless, it was still better than most comics on the shelves, with the exchange of dialogue between Julie and Sarah being interesting.

Something that we’re nearly always guaranteed is great art (with fans of the original series being able to reiterate that). In this issue Kieth gives us a mixture of tones, with his usual quirky style in the present, with a slightly rougher tone during Mr. Gone’s tale. The dynamic layouts of both give the energetic flow that has made The Maxx stand out visually, with the strange creatures being a joy to witness. The stand out thing in this remastered version of The Maxx has to be the colours, with Ronda Pattison pastel like tone being perfect for this series.