A week after teasing the return of Sam Kieth’s beloved indie hero The Maxx to comics, IDW Publishing announced this week that they are teaming with DC Entertainment to producer a new miniseries, by Kieth, which teams The Maxx up with Batman.
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The miniseries will bring Kieth back to his first Maxx story in over a decade, teaming his greatest creation with the Dark Knight for a five-issue miniseries event timed to celebrate 25 years of The Maxx. The first issue of Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams will debut this September with covers by Sam Kieth and Jim Lee.
“Doing a Batman and Maxx crossover is like a family reunion with my favorite brother and our really cool cousin,” said Kieth in a statement. “You never want it to end…or at least I hope you won’t!”
Per the official release from IDW, here’s how the story breaks down: When a devious new doctor at Arkham Asylum conducts unconventional forays into the human psyche, he kicks off a disastrous chain reaction by experimenting on Arkham’s newest patient: The Maxx! The city of Gotham soon begins to merge with the Outback, The Maxx’s psychedelic mental landscape. It’s up to Batman to save Gotham and all of reality… but only by joining The Maxx on a trip into the darkest depths imaginable: the twisted minds of Batman’s greatest enemies!
A trip to Arkham fits perfectly for The Maxx, who is a hero in another plane of existence called The Outback but here on Earth appears to be a homeless man rambling about his adventures as the defender of the Jungle Queen.
The Jungle Queen exists in the real world as Julie Winters, a freelance social worker who often bails the Maxx out of jail. While the Maxx is aware of the Outback, Julie is not, though it is integral to both of their stories.
The Maxx, like many early Image Comics titles, was visually arresting, featured a big-name artist, and sold like gangbusters. It was adapted into an animated series on MTV’s Oddities. You can still buy The Maxx on DVD.
“It’s always a pleasure to work with Sam Kieth,” said editor Scott Dunbier. “He puts his heart and soul into his art, and gives you something truly unique in the process.”
