From: [dyun g k] at [netcom.com] (Daniel "Damian" Yungk) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info Subject: Maxx Comic FAQ 1/3 Date: Thu, 29 Feb 96 16:12:41 GMT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>THE MAXX FAQ<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "I guess now you can really understand the rest of it...Anyway, I was born in Ohio..." Mr. Gone, issue #15. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the world of The Maxx! This document is designed to give you an introduction to "The Maxx", and answer the basic questions you might have. This FAQ is, and always will be, a work in progress. I'm sure there's more info to be added. If you've got any suggestions, drop me a line at [dyun g k] at [netcom.com.] This document was originally written for the Maxx Mailing List, maintained by Dave Gruber, [d j gruber] at [oak.oakland.edu.] For information on how to join this list, see Part VI: "The Maxx" on The Net. See ya in the Outback! Damian This FAQ was last updated on February 25, 1996. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Table of Contents<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% PART I.........The Story PART II........The Comic PART III.......The Animated Series PART IV........Differences Between the Comic and Television Show PART V.........The Merchandise PART VI........"The Maxx" on The Net PART VII.......Acknowledgements PART VIII......Notes %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PART I: THE STORY<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "...It was all coming back to me. I could feel the hot sun on my backskin and the grasses under my toes." Maxx, issue #1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- >>>ISSUES 1-20 -------------- The original story line to "The Maxx" is covered in the first 20 issues. The following information applies to these issues. >>>CHARACTERS ------------- >>>The Maxx A homeless man in the real world, Maxx sees himself as a superhero, and a protector of Julie Winters. The Maxx wears a mask which hides his face. Since finding this mask, Maxx has began slipping into a fantasy world known as the "Outback" at seemingly random intervals. Maxx has lost all memories of his pre-mask identity, and is apprehensive about learning the truth about his past. Maxx is incredibly strong, especially in the Outback. >>>Julie Winters Julie is the focal point of the story. She is a social worker who has bailed the Maxx out of jail on occasion. Since meeting the Maxx, she has begun a strong (and strange) friendship with him. Three years ago, while studying architecture in college, Julie was beaten, raped, and left for dead. After getting out of the hospital, she dropped out of school, and began doing "freelance social work". Somehow, she attracted the attention of Mr. Gone, a serial killer, who stalked her and eventually kidnapped her. Julie is an ardent feminist who believes women only become victims if they allow themselves to. >>>Mr. Gone A self-proclaimed "Student of the Mystic Arts", Mr. Gone is the only one who can travel freely back and forth to the Outback. A serial killer who has been terrorizing New York, Gone is also the only person who seems to know who the Maxx really is, and the true nature of Maxx's relationship to Julie. After stalking and kidnapping Julie, she freed herself with an Is tooth and beheaded him. (Not that this slowed him down very much.... ) Mr. Gone repeatedly tries to force Julie to accept the truth about some events in her past that she'd rather repress and forget. His efforts to accomplish this are often thwarted by The Maxx, whom Gone has repeatedly tried to dispose of. >>>Sarah James A teenage girl, Sarah is a misfit who dreams of someday being a writer. Sarah's mother and Julie are friends, and Julie has been trying to help Sarah deal with the memory of her father, who left her when she was a child. Although basically a loner, Sarah has become friends with Julie and Maxx. >>>The Isz Native to the outback, the Isz have been used by Mr. Gone to do his dirty work. The Isz are blind, and rely on their sense of smell to navigate through the world. In the Outback, the Isz are white, and somewhat harmless, except in large numbers. A large enough herd of Isz can stampede across the Outback, devouring everything in its path. When brought over to the real world, the Isz turn dark and malevolent, and become carnivorous and more intelligent; their sharp teeth can bite through steel. To humans, the Isz appear as whatever Gone chooses to dress them as. Gone and Maxx, however, have the ability to see the Isz in their true form. >>>SETTING ---------- The setting for "The Maxx" alternates between the real world of New York City, and the "Outback". >>>The Outback The Outback, also known as Pangea, and referred to as Australia by Maxx, is a vast, primal wilderness inhabited by a variety of strange creatures. Here, the Maxx is a mighty hunter, and the protector of the "Leopard Queen", Julie's counterpart in the Outback. The Leopard Queen lives in a large stone fortress which dominates the landscape. Below, vast hordes of Isz roam the grassy plains. The nature of the Outback is difficult to define. It exists parallel to our own world, and the Maxx shifts between our world and the Outback with no control. Mr. Gone also travels between these two worlds, but can do so at will. The Outback seems to represent Julie's subconscious, and may have been created by her mind. However, rather than being just a figment of her imagination, things from the Outback can enter the real world, and vice versa. (The Isz, for instance...) >>>New York City The "real world" of New York City is easier to explain. Here, Julie is a social worker, working out of her apartment. Maxx is homeless, living in a box in an alley. In the real world, Maxx believes he is a superhero, whose job it is to fight whatever wrongs he sees, especially those of Mr. Gone. His top priority is protecting Julie. ---------------------- >>>ISSUES 21 AND LATER ---------------------- Beginning with issue #21, "The Maxx" began a new story arc. The story picks up in the year 2005, ten years after issue #20. The focus is on Sara, now ten years older (and spelling her name without the "h"). She finds her father, Artie Pender, still alive in a trailer park in Seattle. Also looking for Artie are three FBI agents... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PART II: THE COMIC<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "...the metaphysical and spiritual roots of everyday life, as manifested through the metaphor of super-heroic struggle." Harry, issue #12. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The Maxx" was created by comic book artist/writer Sam Kieth. Back in 1983, he created a character known as "Max the Hare", who appeared in issue #5 of "Primer", published by Comico. In 1993, Sam Kieth began a regular series centered around an updated version of this character, now known as "The Maxx". The regular comic series, entitled "The Maxx", is published monthly from Image Comics (but issues are occasionally delayed a month or two.) As of this writing, the latest issue is #21, which came out on 1/31/96. The main people responsible for bringing you the comic, as indicated inside the front cover, are: Sam Kieth: story and art Bill Messner-Loebs: swell dialogue Alan Moore: swell dialogue * Jim Sinclair: finishes Mike Heisler: lettering Steve Oliff & Olyoptics: color Chance Wolf: logo Kell-O-Graphics: film output * Alan Moore provided dialogue for Issue #21. In addition to the regular series, "The Maxx", several other comics have featured characters from the series, and several special editions have been produced. These are listed in Part V: Merchandise. Some features found in the comic: The Maxx Traxx -------------- "The Maxx Traxx" is the letter column at the back of each issue of "The Maxx". It contains fan mail, responses from Sam Kieth, lots of fan art, and updates from Sam on the latest developments on "The Maxx." Head To Head ------------ "Head To Head" is a free classified ad section which appears in each issue of "The Maxx". Ads are free, and printed on a first-come first-served basis; there is room for 120 ads each month. The usual categories for these ads include "Artists seeking Artists", "Announcements", "Zines and Small Press","Buy/Sell/Trade", and "Pen Pals", among others. To place an ad (of 25 words or less), send your message to: Head to Head c/o Sam Kieth 4363 Hazel Avenue Ste. 1-285 Fair Oaks, CA 95628 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PART III: THE ANIMATED SERIES<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "...Cartoons today are so pretentious!" Julie, issue #5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In April, 1995, "The Maxx" premiered as part of MTV's "Oddities" series. Six episodes totalling 3 1/2 hours, "The Maxx" animated series covers the first 11 issues of the comic book, plus some additional stuff (see below). There are 3 1/2 hours total, divided up into 5 half hour shows, and one full hour season finale (which was later broken up into two half hour installments). Each half hour contains two 15 minute "episodes", numbered 1 through 10. The final hour contains a fifteen minute summary of the events thus far, told by Mr. Gone, and the final three episodes, numbered 11 through 13. Currently, "The Maxx" has been removed from MTV's schedule. ------- CREDITS ------- Creator: Sam Kieth Directors: Gregg Vanzo (Eps 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 11/12/13) Eugene Salandra & Ilya Skorupsky (Eps 7/8) Easy De La Rosa & Miguel Martinez (Eps 9/10) Supervising Director on Eps 7/8 and 9/10: Gregg Vanzo Writers: Sam Kieth Bill Messner-Loebs The Crappon created by Dave Feiss Producer at Rough Draft Studios: Claudia Katz Story Editors: Glenn Eichler & Claudia Katz Voice Cast: The Maxx: Michael Haley Julie Winters/Glorie: Glynnis Talken Mr. Gone: Uncredited Performance Sarah: Amy Daniels Sgt. Ocono, Cop, Fridge, The Crappon: Tony Fucile Sarah's Mom: Patty Wynne-Hughes Additional voices: James Dean Conklin, Scott Curtis, Tony Fucile, Molly McLucas, David Thomas, David Valera, Chris Vanzo. Storyboards: Jeffrey Clark, Seth Kearsley CGI Director: Scott Vanzo Sound Design: Kurt Vanzo Animation Services: Rough Draft Korea, a division of Rough Draft Studios,Inc. Animation Director: Chang Yeol Jung MTV Post-production Supervisor: Nick Litwinko Supervising Producer at MTV: John Andrews Creative Supervisor: Sam Kieth Executive Producer at MTV: Abby Terkuhle -------- >>>MUSIC -------- In addition to original music composed for the television series, the following songs were used: "I Wanna Marry A Lighthouse Keeper", performed by Erica Eagan, taken from the soundtrack to "A Clockwork Orange". "Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance", performed by Frank Zappa, from the album "We're Only In It For The Money". "Sartori In Tangier", performed by King Crimson, from the album "Beat". --------- >>>RUMORS --------- >>>Second Season ---------------- Currently, nothing definite is known about the future of "The Maxx" on MTV. Reportedly, both MTV and Sam Kieth are interested in doing a second season, but I have not received confirmation that this will happen. Currently, reruns of "The Maxx" have been removed from MTV's schedule to make room for new episodes of "The Head". >>>Video-tape release of first season ------------------------------------- The first season of "The Head", the other half of MTV's "Oddities" line-up, has been released on video. This could mean that a similar release is planned for "The Maxx", but I have heard nothing definite yet. -- Daniel Yungk {a.k.a. Damian} | ___ _ _ |Brazil, where hearts were [dyun g k] at [netcom.com] Enough | |/ \/ |entertained in June, with the siggin', already! | / / |we stood beneath an amber moon Quote of the moment: "Brazil" | |and softly whispered "someday soon"