The "Sam &amp; Max" franchise has been highly successful critically, and is considered an iconic and influential aspect of the video game industry in the 1990s and the adventure game genre. In 2007, Steve Purcell wrote that he was somewhat surprised at the success of his creation, noting that the series had gained a large fan gathering despite the small size of the franchise. As the series contains only a small amount of comics, video games and a short TV series, Purcell commented that there was "certainly not enough material to build that relentless traction of an endlessly renewed sitcom or a syndicated comic that has existed since the Korean Conflict". The comics were well received by critics, many praising the humor and style of the stories and characters. However, later commentators have noted that the comic book series did not gain much popularity or recognition until after the release of "Sam &amp; Max Hit the Road" in 1993; the later episodic video games are seen to have revived interest in the comics again, resulting in the creation of the webcomic "The Big Sleep" and publication of an anniversary edition of "Surfin' The Highway".