The Maxx Volume 1 (Wildstorm/DC Comics))
The Maxx, originally a 35-comic-book series, is a superhero parody whose costumed crusader is an insecure adolescent, his Gotham City the inexplicable world of sex and violence that adolescents find so attractive-repulsive. The Maxx is huge, purple with yellow claws and an upper plate of gleaming choppers. When down, he is homeless in a dumpster. Up or down, he is often with high-school hottie Julie, whose boyfriend, protector, and pet he is. This setup cleverly chimes with angst-drenched teen fantasies and how teen relationships can look to an observer. Maxx fights an unending battle with Mr. Gone and theisz(eyeless ovoids with needle teeth), and his delusion that he is in "Outbacks," an alternate reality that the whole scenario slips in and out of, hilariously complicates everything. Kieth says a common reaction toThe Maxxis, "I just don't get it." He doesn't say that, as with adolescence, not getting itisgetting it, or that his kaleidoscopic artwork makes it harder to get--but glorious.Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved