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The Maxx: Maxximized #7
The Maxx: Maxximized Vol. 7
Volume 7 concludes the re-presentation of Sam Kieth's groundbreaking series, The Maxx, with all new colors by Ronda Pattison. Collects the final issues of the series, #31–35
132 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2016
About the author
Sam Kieth
409 books274 followersKieth first came to prominence in 1984 as the inker of Matt Wagner's Mage, his brushwork adding fluidity and texture to the broad strokes of Wagner's early work at Comico Comics. In 1989, he drew the first five issues of writer Neil Gaiman's celebrated series The Sandman, but felt his style was unsuited to the book (specifically saying that he "felt like Jimi Hendrix in The Beatles") and left, handing over to his former inker Mike Dringenberg.
He acted as illustrator on two volumes of writer William Messner-Loebs' Epicurus the Sage and drew an Aliens miniseries for Dark Horse Comics, among other things, before creating The Maxx in 1993 for Image Comics, with, initially, writing help from Messner-Loebs. It ran for 35 issues and was adapted, with Kieth's assistance, into an animated series for MTV. Since then, as a writer-artist, he has gone on to create Friends of Maxx, Zero Girl, Four Women and Ojo.
Ojo comprises the first and My Inner Bimbo the second, in a cycle of original comic book limited series published by Oni Press. Loosely connected, the cycle will concern the intertwined lives of people with each other and sometimes with a supernatural entity known as the Mysterious Trout. Kieth has stated that other characters from The Maxx series will appear in this cycle of stories. My Inner Bimbo #1 was published in April 2006. Issue #2 was delayed past its original release date; It was finally resolicited in "Previews" in 2007 and hit the store shelves in November 2007.
DC Comics' Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious, a two-issue prestige format mini-series that started in August 2007, was written and drawn by Kieth. This was followed by 2009's two-issue prestige format mini-series Lobo: Highway to Hell, written by Scott Ian and featuring art by Kieth.
He acted as illustrator on two volumes of writer William Messner-Loebs' Epicurus the Sage and drew an Aliens miniseries for Dark Horse Comics, among other things, before creating The Maxx in 1993 for Image Comics, with, initially, writing help from Messner-Loebs. It ran for 35 issues and was adapted, with Kieth's assistance, into an animated series for MTV. Since then, as a writer-artist, he has gone on to create Friends of Maxx, Zero Girl, Four Women and Ojo.
Ojo comprises the first and My Inner Bimbo the second, in a cycle of original comic book limited series published by Oni Press. Loosely connected, the cycle will concern the intertwined lives of people with each other and sometimes with a supernatural entity known as the Mysterious Trout. Kieth has stated that other characters from The Maxx series will appear in this cycle of stories. My Inner Bimbo #1 was published in April 2006. Issue #2 was delayed past its original release date; It was finally resolicited in "Previews" in 2007 and hit the store shelves in November 2007.
DC Comics' Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious, a two-issue prestige format mini-series that started in August 2007, was written and drawn by Kieth. This was followed by 2009's two-issue prestige format mini-series Lobo: Highway to Hell, written by Scott Ian and featuring art by Kieth.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 4, 2017
I’ll admit I was slightly confused by this final volume. While, insularly, it was telling an engaging and emotionally-affecting story, to close out this comic series as a whole - fading away with soft allegory as opposed to something larger and more cataclysmic - it felt a little weak to me. THAT’S NOT SAYING IT’S BAD. Not at all! But I feel like most of what is contained in here would’ve worked better as a penultimate volume, peppered in earlier in the series, saving just the last chapter (which works) for the finale. As a whole, The Maxx is not an easy comic book to understand. There’s a lot of layers, and a lot of metaphors (almost too many to keep track of) and it can get confusing if you’re reading it too fast. As such, this is a series to savor (which is not hard to do with the gorgeous art and inventive paneling) and I think any fan of The Maxx could certainly find a lot more there with a second or third readthrough. A thoughtful and weird book that was sometimes a slam dunk and sometimes a brick, but overall, it was a good read.
April 27, 2017
The Maxx has to be, hands down, one of the most underrated comics of all time. Throughout the course of the series, Sam Kieth managed to take the tired familiar scenario of superhero/supervillain fighting for the honor of a lady and turn it into a complex, fantastical, psychological and very personal story. The Maxx started off as one thing and ended up as something entirely different.
The first four books in this remastered (or Maxximized) series served to lay all the pieces on the table. At the beginning we think this is a story about Maxx, but we then very quickly realize that Mr. Gone might be the driving force. The result was a complete mess of dysfunctional relationships with a good dose of magic. And now Kieth has to somehow tie all these loose ends.
What stands out most in the second half of the Maxx series is how Mr. Gone’s story unfolds. He’s violent, masochistic, and disturbed, and a very easy character to hate. But when we peel off the layers we find out that he’s very much a victim of his upbringing. We want to hate him, but it turns out we will never hate him as much as he himself already does. Every character in the Maxx has tragedy to deal with and no one tries to right his wrongs more than Mr. Gone. And as the story concludes we are left with a couple more hurdles to overcome and a group of people, estranged, betrayed, or simply hateful of one another, who must work together if they’re to find any happiness in their lives.
Quite a load, huh?
I would be doing the series a disfavor if I didn’t also highlight the excellent art which is so characteristic of the series. Sam Keith has an incredible ability to merge simple cartoonish designs with complex brushwork and very unique use of panels. From one page to the next he can go from near stick-figure like characters to lush paintings. The results are unexpected and quite wonderful. This is one of the ways the Maxximized remastering excels: by rescanning and recoloring all of Kieth’s original artwork from the series and presenting them in an oversized format.
After all these years, we still haven’t quite figured out the buzzare world Sam Kieth has created in the Maxx. It’s strange and nonsensical and at the same time concrete enough that the reader might be able to grasp it. It’s truly a unique and remarkable human story that is beautiful both inside and out.
The first four books in this remastered (or Maxximized) series served to lay all the pieces on the table. At the beginning we think this is a story about Maxx, but we then very quickly realize that Mr. Gone might be the driving force. The result was a complete mess of dysfunctional relationships with a good dose of magic. And now Kieth has to somehow tie all these loose ends.
What stands out most in the second half of the Maxx series is how Mr. Gone’s story unfolds. He’s violent, masochistic, and disturbed, and a very easy character to hate. But when we peel off the layers we find out that he’s very much a victim of his upbringing. We want to hate him, but it turns out we will never hate him as much as he himself already does. Every character in the Maxx has tragedy to deal with and no one tries to right his wrongs more than Mr. Gone. And as the story concludes we are left with a couple more hurdles to overcome and a group of people, estranged, betrayed, or simply hateful of one another, who must work together if they’re to find any happiness in their lives.
Quite a load, huh?
I would be doing the series a disfavor if I didn’t also highlight the excellent art which is so characteristic of the series. Sam Keith has an incredible ability to merge simple cartoonish designs with complex brushwork and very unique use of panels. From one page to the next he can go from near stick-figure like characters to lush paintings. The results are unexpected and quite wonderful. This is one of the ways the Maxximized remastering excels: by rescanning and recoloring all of Kieth’s original artwork from the series and presenting them in an oversized format.
After all these years, we still haven’t quite figured out the buzzare world Sam Kieth has created in the Maxx. It’s strange and nonsensical and at the same time concrete enough that the reader might be able to grasp it. It’s truly a unique and remarkable human story that is beautiful both inside and out.
February 10, 2017
Keith's last arc on The Maxx is profoundly weird. One has multiple psychological realities collapsing into each other, unreliable narrators within unreliable realities, solipsism and depression being manifested literally with Sara collapsing into her outback, Mr. Gone's redemption arc continues in a most bizarre way, and it ends undoing most of everything done. While this is still better than most 90s comics and a lot of comics now--one definitely sees this paving the way for the smarter Comics Image and Vertigo would release--Keith seems to have themed himself almost into incoherence. It is completes the run although one does wish some of the Maxx one-offs were included. The new colors are nice, and it is interesting to ponder some of the layer. This second run (the volumes six and seven) is about 2005 , written in 1998, and re-run ten years after it is set. The psychological and gender dynamics would make sense now, and Keith's somewhat realistic, if cartoony, depiction of women would be more welcome now as he does not make them a-sexual but also does not sexualize his characters without context all the time. Yet one definitely gets the feeling that Keith's 2005 was processed through the lens of the 1990s and even that was processed through the lens of Keith's youth in the 1970s. The timing seems be dated and yet so retro for 2005 that it doesn't really date.
September 4, 2018
A melancholic conclusion to a surprisingly great series. This final volume had some odd tangents, issue long storylines that didn't seem to really fit in all that well, but overall the series really tackles some tough subjects. Really enjoyed it throughout, even if it was confusing as hell at times. The author realizes this and sorta-kinda-not-really addresses it in this volume as well.
January 22, 2020
Cierre tramposo, casi azaroso y algo golpebajista de The Maxx, ahora con Kieth casi tan solitario como sus personajes.
April 25, 2026
Reread
February 23, 2024
El final de la serie ha llegado y en este tomo termina de descubrirse el final de nuestros personajes.
Han habido un par de historias que me sobraron, no me interesó para nada la historia de Mabel y Gloria, puro relleno. Pero lo que pasa con nuestros personajes queridos fue espectacular.
Han habido un par de historias que me sobraron, no me interesó para nada la historia de Mabel y Gloria, puro relleno. Pero lo que pasa con nuestros personajes queridos fue espectacular.
May 14, 2018
The Maxx is not an easy comic to read. Surreal to the point of disorienting and dealing with heavy subject matter like rape, depression and how the scars from abuse never really fade away, it is a tough read. It is for the same reasons why The Maxx is an essential read. The only other story I find it slightly similar to would be the tv show Bojack Horseman-an Animated anthropomorphic comedy about depression. Both rely on the use of a surreal/cartoony atmosphere to deal with issues that would be too harsh and heavy to acknowledge in any other form. The Maxx of course dials the surrealism up to 11.
Sam Keith is a master architect of the various worlds and shattered psyches we stagger into and out of. Always preserving the same dark and dreamy atsmosphere but contrasting it starkly with the superbly written inner monologues. His characters are some of the best - deeply flawed, but seeking redemption and all plagued by memories of shame and pain.
It’s been decades since The Maxx was released and though flawed, the series has such a unique flavour - surreallity with a purpose and darkness with actual depth. Unfortunately it’s originality is also its greatest weakness. This series is seriously weird and messed up.
Sam Keith is a master architect of the various worlds and shattered psyches we stagger into and out of. Always preserving the same dark and dreamy atsmosphere but contrasting it starkly with the superbly written inner monologues. His characters are some of the best - deeply flawed, but seeking redemption and all plagued by memories of shame and pain.
It’s been decades since The Maxx was released and though flawed, the series has such a unique flavour - surreallity with a purpose and darkness with actual depth. Unfortunately it’s originality is also its greatest weakness. This series is seriously weird and messed up.
July 7, 2020
I was a little disappointed in this as I was hoping for a more straightforward ending, but really considering how the comic had went up until this point I should have known better. The ending just felt a little deus ex machina for me, although that may not be the correct term. There is a definitive ending and we see where the characters end up, but the way they got there just didn't feel right to me.
That being said, I have to agree with others who have said the Maxx is a very underrated comic. It really does transcend the genre in a way only a few comics have. What started out as basically a superhero comic ended up being anything but. The storytelling that went into this series was amazing, as the plot was so weird it was like playing with fire in the sense it could have all fallen to pieces at any time, but somehow always maintained a narrative, even if that narrative was hard to follow at times.
Sam Kieth's artwork can be polarizing, but here he's at his best and it fit this series perfectly. I really think more readers should check this series out, as I've never read anything like this.
That being said, I have to agree with others who have said the Maxx is a very underrated comic. It really does transcend the genre in a way only a few comics have. What started out as basically a superhero comic ended up being anything but. The storytelling that went into this series was amazing, as the plot was so weird it was like playing with fire in the sense it could have all fallen to pieces at any time, but somehow always maintained a narrative, even if that narrative was hard to follow at times.
Sam Kieth's artwork can be polarizing, but here he's at his best and it fit this series perfectly. I really think more readers should check this series out, as I've never read anything like this.
January 31, 2020
Uno de los comics mas raros que leí en mi vida. Es un cómic para releer varias veces. A pesar de algunas inconsistencias con el argumento, la historia te atrapa. Los personajes son muy obscuros y atormentados, como dice Mr. Gone: "todos somos hijos de la verguenza." Todos los personajes intentar de alguna u otra forma redimir su vergüenza. Un viaje muy obscuro y retorcido en lo mas profundo del inconsciente. El final me dejó un gusto amargo. Todo termina muy de golpe, como apurado. De hecho, aparecen nuevos personajes (el tio Freddie y sus compañeros) que no influyen para nada en la historia (o por lo menos yo no le encontre el sentido).Me dio la sensación que este personaje iba a ser desarrollado en los números siguentes pero de golpe se decide terminar la historia y este personaje como otros que aparecen a lo largo de los 35 números del comic quedan a la deriva. De todas formas, es muy entretenido, totalmente atípico a cualquier comic de super heroes de los 90. Recomendable!
May 9, 2021
At the end of the series, I'm left both impressed and disappointed. This series is incredibly ahead of its time and would be much more at home now than it was then. It's intriguing, weird, beautiful, and deals with incredibly realistic themes. At the same time, I'm not sure how well it handles its own premise--the end gets increasingly disjointed until the whole thing sort of collapses under its ambition. Still: impressive.
November 16, 2024
The Maxx was never a superhero comic. It was always a parable about love, shame, inheritance, and forgiveness. For ourselves just as much as for others. Although it was never as fully baked or fleshed out as it could have been, especially towards the end of its run, it never lost sight of its core themes, meaning, and purpose. No worlds ever truly end, we just have to find that snow-globe to remember them. Or at least a pair of nail clippers.
January 29, 2023
And this is how the surreal journey ends: bittersweet and me wishing there was a one-book collected edition containing the whole series.
April 6, 2026
The artwork is absolutely incredible and the panels are cool and unique. The story seems to have great potential, but it’s a fever dream that barely makes sense as a coherent narrative.
March 25, 2017
This whole series started off so much better than it ended.
Oh, well.
At least I can say I've finished it, finally.
Oh, well.
At least I can say I've finished it, finally.
May 31, 2019
Edición argentina, séptimo y último y rompecorazones e inevitable y desolador tomo final.
September 18, 2022
Durísimo pero hermoso.
July 2, 2024
Los cinco números finales de la obra más existencialista y personal de Kieth.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews