Sam Kieth, Comics Legend and The Maxx Creator, Dies at 63

Sam Kieth, who introduced the world to The Maxx and The Sandman, has passed away at the age of 63. Kieth’s friend Scott Dunbier shared the news on behalf of the family, stating that the beloved creator died on Sunday, March 15th, after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia. There won’t be a memorial service, but instead of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be made in his name to either the Hero Initiative, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, or the Lewy Body Dementia Association. Our thoughts are with Kieth’s wife Kathy and his family.

Kieth would help introduce one of the most acclaimed comics in the industry when he co-created Sandman with Neil Gaiman, and Kieth would pencil the first five issues of the series. Sandman would go on to become an iconic comics property that would then extend to television courtesy of the Netflix series, and Kieth’s work helped to define Dream’s earliest adventures.

Sam Kieth Delivered One Of The Wildest Original Characters In The Maxx

Then, in 1993 Kieth would introduce The Maxx to the world, and The Maxx is easily one of the wildest original characters in comics. Kieth’s design of the Maxx immediately makes an impression, with his now unmistakable purple and yellow design, large teeth, and spiked hands.

The premise was even wilder, as Maxx was torn between the real world and a surreal world known as The Outback. In the Outback, Maxx was the powerful protector of the Leopard Queen, but in the real world, he was homeless and doing his best to protect the Leopard Queen’s real-world counterpart, Julie Winters.

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All sorts of chaos ensued in both worlds, and over the years, The Maxx would even have a crossover with Batman, who was introduced to The Outback thanks to the Joker. The Maxx would also end up getting a memorable animated series on MTV, and later IDW would republish the original series as well.

Kieth’s catalog is extensive, as in addition to Sandman and The Maxx it also includes books like Zero Girl, Wolverine/Hulk, Batman: Secrets, Judge Dread, 30 Days of Night, Elenaor & The Egret, The Hollows, Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious, Lobo: Highway to Hell, Mars Attacks: First Born, and Batman: Through The Looking Glass, just to name a few.

Our thoughts are with Kieth’s family and friends.

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