Retro Arcs; The Maxx

Originally released in March of 1993 as part of the newly founded Image comics, Sam Kieth’s The Maxx was by far the most experimental title of the fledgling start-up company.  The series initially ran for 35 issues, and in November of 2013 was re-released as The Maxx Maxximized with new, sharper coloring from IDW.

The Maxx was a meta superhero book, before anyone would use the term.  In Sam Kieth’s book the titular Maxx is a homeless superhero, waging a war against the mystical Mr. Gone, a serial rapist and murder who toys with him, as well as Julie Winters a free-lance social worker who is inexplicably drawn to Maxx.

The plot follows Maxx as he wanders two worlds, what we see as the real world, and what he calls The Outback.  In the Outback we are who we want to see ourselves as.  It is here he protects Julie’s mental projection, the Jungle Queen.

Sam Kieth’s book dealt with serious issues, child abuse, rape, and suicide among others in a respectfully mature and metaphysical manner.  The initial 13 issue arc focuses on how Maxx, inadvertently helps Julie through her past traumas to build a better life for herself.  As he does this he comes to grip with who he actually is.  This is a book that is impossible to truly describe and I’d strongly encourage you to experience for yourself.  It should be noted that while this is Written and drawn by Kieth he received consistent support from William Messner Loebs on this project.

You may be familiar with The Maxx from the MTV version from 1995 that aired as part of MTV’s Oddities.  This was an incredibly faithful animated adaptation covering the initial 13 issues and main story arc.  While the low budget is clear in the minimalist animation, the voice acting was stellar and the character models were lifted directly from Kieth’s drawings.

If you want to pick up the first arc of The Maxx it’s pretty easy. As this was an image book from the early 90’s the initial run is pretty easy to track down for about a dollar a piece.  Wildstorm produced a graphic novel run, though these books run from 30-40 dollars due to their rarity.

The Maxx Maxximized books are easily found for cover price and the first compilation of issues 1-6 will be available in summer of 2014.  While the colors are definitely sharper I prefer the originals even more, even if Keith prefers the newer prints.