Announced at SDCC amongst a slew of awesome announcements, it looks like IDW is going to be giving Sam Keith’s “The Maxx” the royal treatment. The series, Keith’s seminal work by far, will see re-mastered hardcovers released through the company featuring new artwork by Keith, and IDW will also release an Artist’s Edition of the first book to show off the original raw work because they clearly love you very much.
You’ve all read “The Maxx” by now, right? It’s one of those books that defines a time and a career. In fact, I can remember watching “The Maxx” on MTV that adapted half the series alongside “Aeon Flux” long before I should’ve been watching stuff like that. It was weird but it’s fun, and I for one am looking forward to revisiting the series — especially if these hardcovers are as nice as the “TMNT” hardcovers (although hopefully with more issues packed per book, admittedly).
For the full press release from IDW, please see below.
IDW Press Release
Sam Kieth’s The Maxx was a runaway sensation when initially published. Kieth’s exquisite artistry and quirky stories resonated with readers who had never seen anything quite like it before. Exploring the strange relationship between two realities, The Maxx follows the dual identities of a man caught between the real world and a heroic fantasy realm called The Outback. The Maxx ran for more than 30 issues and inspired a popular animated show on MTV.
Now, 20 years later, the striking series is returning to comic shops with fully re-mastered and re-colored printings of the classic stories, and all supervised by Kieth to ensure the highest possible quality. The Maxx: Maxximized will also feature brand-new painted covers by Kieth Additionally, IDW will—for the first time ever—release a series of hardcover Maxx collections. And if that wasn’t enough, there will also be Artist’s Editions enabling readers to finally see Sam’s beautiful and delicate line work as they never have before.
“I want to thank my pal Ted Adams,” said Sam Kieth, “for giving me and some of my books a home at IDW… I hope he doesn’t lose his shirt!”
“Sam, as usual, is self deprecating to a fault,” said editor Scott Dunbier, “he’s an amazing artist and a good friend, and I could not be happier to have him at IDW.”
Kieth will also create a set of three comprehensive new art books called The Worlds of Sam Kieth that will showcase his incredible powers as an artist, but also tell the story of who he is and how he came to be the artist he is. The first volume is debuting at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International.
The original artist on Sandman, which he co-created with Neil Gaiman, Kieth’s enchanted style quickly grabbed the attention of readers, and his success allowed him to explore his own creations with The Maxx and Ojo. While his career in comics has found him working on some of the most iconic characters, he is arguably best known for creating The Maxx, and IDW is looking forward to being intimately involved in the next chapter of this classic character’s legacy.
About IDW
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; HBO’s True Blood; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.
IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Warner Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld are attached to adapt LORE into a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, with Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.
