Max Payne 3: The Complete Series

by Dan Houser, Sam Baer, Fernando Blanco (Illustrator)

Co-authored by the writers of the Max Payne franchise, the complete collection of the Max Payne 3 official prequel comics are bound together here for the first time!

Bridging the gaps between Max Payne , Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne and 2012's critically acclaimed Max Payne 3 from Rockstar Games, Max Payne 3: The Complete Series reveals formerly hidden moments in Max's life story, from a young cop on the rise to the man whose battles with the criminal underworld cost him everything he ever held close. Max is now more alone than ever - and this time, he may not even be able to rely on himself.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Video Games, Crime, Action

52 pages, Hardcover

First published October 22, 2013

About the author

Dan Houser is an English video game producer and vice president (along with his brother Sam) of creativity for Rockstar Games. As well as producing video games, Houser has written for all but one of the Grand Theft Auto III-era games, along with other Rockstar-produced video games.

Reviews

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max Payne has read some Proust.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic almost makes me want to play the game again. The feel of the narration and even the artwork are spot on. It was likely released together with the game, so there is nothing new here for fans, but plenty to offer to new comers who want a short introduction to this gritty, tough-as-nails character. This comic has much more focus on backstory than the game's cutscenes. They alternate with events from the game's first few minutes when has-been cop Max Payne triggers a series of bloody events that are going to send him into some exotic locales where his bullet time (slow-motion gunplay) will come in handy.

[David Ramirer · Rating 4 out of 5]

recht solide umgesetzter minicomic. schade, dass er gar so kurz ist, hätte gerne doppelt so dick sein können - daher ein stern abzug.
was mir an max payne gefällt: er ist ein einziges klischeeprodukt und eine wandelnde parodie, das kommt bei dem comic noch besser heraus als im gleichnamigen zugehörigen spiel.

[Samuel Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you just want to own more things max Payne 3 I'd recommend this, if however you want a satisfying read and a decent amount of backstory setting up the events of max Payne 3 I'd avoid it as I feel a little ripped off honestly

It's very well produced and manufactured, the artwork is very nice and it's very well put together, but once it arrived I immediately noticed how ( no pun intended ) comically thin it was and that's including several pages of just concept art, there are in total only 16 pages of story/panels which I finished in one sitting in about 15 mins

What makes it even worse is every story revolves around the bar scene in max Payne 3 as a framing device, especially the last story, so large parts of this is scenes and dialogue we've already seen making the shortness even more insulting

Sure, there's flashbacks to Max's past and some extra context for the place he's in but no where near enough to make me feel anywhere near satisfied both with my purchase or as a product in and of itself or to make it feel like anything other than just an extra product originally meant to encourage purchase of special editions etc

Like I said it is nice to own just to have it and the artwork is really nice but that's the only mindset/situation I'd recommend buying and even then I'd recommend spending no more than a fiver on it

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2/5

This is a serviceable prequel to Max Payne 3, which is ultimately one of my favourite games. It filled in a few gaps for me, since I'm only vaguely familiar with the plotlines in the first two games. I haven't had the privilege of playing those.

The artwork and writing are both decent, structured around the incident that Max recalls in Chapter IV of the game that explains how he got himself into this brand new mess. It's suitably brooding, self-pitying Max Payne monologuing about how much his life sucks and how messed-up he is, and it's handled effectively enough.

I wouldn't, however, recommend this for anyone who isn't a fan, as they're sure to be lost. It's only here to recap and fill in the blanks for anyone who's played the games and nothing else. So, like I said. Serviceable, but not much more than that.

[erkamdiyorum · Rating 3 out of 5]

max payne oyununda anlatılmayan (max payne'nin nasıl evlendiği, çocukluk anıları, ailesi, ilk polislik zamanı gibi) olayların ele alındığı, max payne 3 oyununa hazırlık için yapılmış bir çizgi romandı ama hikayeler, flashback diye tabir edilen geçmişe dönük anılar arası çok fazla kopukluk, kısaca bir olmamışlık hissiyatı oluştu bende. okunmasa da olur aslında ama en azından max hakkında daha fazla bilgiye sahip oldum. oyunu kaç kere bitirdim bilmiyorum bu yüzden benim açımdan yeri farklıdır.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short comic compilation doesn't add much to the story of Max Payne. You do get more context for Max's childhood, but this isn't a new case for him. All of the writing felt true to the characters and universe of Max Payne. I could imagine Max's voice delivering all of his lines. The art is clear and moody, and helps set the noir tone of the series. It's good, and if you love Max Payne and are looking for a little bit more I would recommend it. I just wish it had more to provide.

[Marcos_e.e · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nota 6,5.
Perfeitamente aceitável eu acho. Incrível como o Dan House e Sam Lake se deram ao trabalho de escrever um Tie-In que claramente ninguém se importaria de ler (além do fã gordola incel). O roteiro faz um remendo de toda história até o 3, não trazendo muito de novo. Com as frases de efeito que gostamos de sempre. Algumas cenas aqui tão até no jogo que ainda tava pra lançar na época. Eu gostei bastante dos desenhos. A vibe toda noir e edgy lembrou bastante o Justiceiro MAX do Garth Ennis.

[Alexis P · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story!

In this three-issue comic, Sam Lake and Dan Houser shed some light in Max Payne's childhood and early days as a cop. Everything is told through the usual noir, gritty, hard-boiled style the franchise is known for, starting with a bar fight (as seen in Max Payne 3).

A great comic for fans of the video game franchise.

[JJ_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of events that tie the end of the previous videogames to the 3rd one just fine

[Flyss Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just replayed the Max Payne series and this was the perfect accompaniment. I can’t wait for the Max Payne 1&2 remake.

[Vincent Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean this is not a prequel at all. Max just gives vague but badass dialogue about his wife and how bad his life sucks then ends with Passos in the bar which is in the game anyway so

[FireBolt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for max payne fans

[Dan Prieto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great graphic novel that provides some details on Max' childhood, married life, and events not explained during the actual games. The one downed side is that a lot of the dialogue is taken from one of Max's flashbacks during the 4th chapter in Max Payne 3. If you want a new plot that you've never seen before in the Max Payne universe you're out of luck. The majority of the novel is just Max sitting in a bar and reminiscing. Personally I found the flashbacks interesting and the art definitely added to the experience so I'll still give it a high score.

[Nyie Rombeng · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent&fantastic action drama&thriller! 2 combination i'm so love it!
walaupun mayoritas plot latarnya cenderung gelap&sedikit mencekam,that's the power of max payne storyline!
aku pikir max tak hanya sekedar balas dendam untuk jawaban kematian istri&anaknya yang pelakunya melibatkan orang terdekatnya,namun sekaligus untuk kehormatan dan kepercayaan iman dalam dirinya;) cos he's not believe angels but believe heaven out of there for himself<@_@>

[Lindsey.parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a little something extra.

[Sean Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but lightweight. I would have liked to see it bridge the gap fully between 2 and 3.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty thin book, mostly for the fans of the series. Caleidoscope of stories and memories from Max's past, creating prequel for the third game. People who are untouched by series will be probably lost, but others will feel urge to play games again, also it has nice noir feeling, so it was nice recap.