6 Awesome Comics You Must Read This Week (13 February)

6. The Maxx: Maxximized #4 By Sam Kieth And William Messner-Loebs (IDW)

I've read 4 issues of this series and I'm still not sure what it's about, but I am fascinated with it because it's so odd! It's kinda like a superhero comic but it could also be a deranged man's fantasy or it could be neither and something else entirely. Continuing the trend of reprinting old comics that other companies are doing at the moment, IDW have re-released Sam Kieth and William Messner-Loeb's celebrated series, The Maxx, with an updated art scheme, hence the subtitle "Maxximized". It stars a homeless giant purple monster thing called The Maxx who is on the hunt of a serial rapist called Mr Gone who's after his friend Julie, a hippy psychologist. The Maxx looks out for people being wronged and helps them out, making him a street level vigilante though his appearance makes him look like a Marvel cosmic supervillain! This issue follows Sarah, an unhappy and lonely teenager who misses her father after he went on a shooting rampage and killed himself. We learn about her crazy hippy mother and traitorous boyfriend Jimmy through her therapy session with Julie, bringing her into The Maxx's world where she sees him take out some carjackers in spotted underwear (who also bear a striking resemblance to the Mutant gang from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns)! The Maxx is a weird series but strangely compelling. Kieth's unique art style fits the bonkers narrative perfectly as it veers from surreal to nightmarish to something else entirely. At the very least, there isn't another comic out there that's quite like The Maxx so, if you're willing to take a chance, this series is well worth a look. It'll surprise you!