10 Comic Books With Awesome Animated TV Shows You Forgot Existed

The Maxx began life as a monthly series created by Sam Kieth for Image Comics back in 1993.

It was about as distinctive a comic as you could find, with Kieth’s striking artwork matched only by a wholly original plotline, the likes of which probably wouldn’t make it to print these days – and certainly wouldn’t be the subject of an animated series.

But this was a different time, long before the internet, when adults channel surfed late at night, seeking something to enliven the senses. Often inebriated in one way or another, they tended to find solace in alternative animation – and it doesn’t get much more alternative than The Maxx.

Made and broadcast for MTV, the series centered on The Maxx, a homeless man who shifts between reality and a hyper-realised dream world known as The Outback. While in reality, he lives a life of squalor, in the Outback, he is a superhero, often tasked with protecting his only friend, Julie Winters, a “freelance social worker” he shares a special bond with.

A trippy and often disturbing delve into the dark side of life, The Maxx featured any number of nefarious characters with the most controversial being a Mr Gone, a telepathic serial rapist on the trail of Julie, who goes by the alter-ego of Jungle Queen in the Outback.

Blending complex animation with CGI and live-action film, The Maxx defied convention. It struggled to find a large audience, but that 13-episode original run still makes for cult viewing.