Posted in: Comics, Image | Tagged: Darker Image, jim lee, rob liefeld, sam kieth, The Maxx

Jim Lee On Bringing Sam Kieth And The Maxx To Image Comics

Jim Lee recalls bringing Sam Kieth and The Maxx to Image Comics in 1993 for Darker Image which only lasted one issue...

I reported the sad news of Sam Kieth's passing over the weekend, as well as sharing tributes and memories from across the comic book industry, especially regarding the character that made him famous. The Maxx (in that form at least) first appeared in 1993's Darker Image, a black-and-white comic book published by Image Comics alongside founders Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. Jim Lee debuted his and Brendon Choi's character, Deathblow, a bit like The Punisher. Rob Liefeld and his character Bloodwulf, a bit like Lobo. And from Sam Kieth and William Messner-Loebs, The Maxx, like nothing we had ever seen before. Darker Image was meant to be a series; they only managed one issue, but then each character spun off into their own books. I quoted Rob Liefeld on Darker Image yesterday, but current DC Comics Publisher, President and CCO Jim Lee also had his own early-nineties memories to share. He posted to social…

"Kieth, who was not just a big name coming off his sensational run on Marvel Comics Presents, but a friend who also loved talking about the psychological underpinnings of our favorite characters. My pitch to Sam back then was simple: come do whatever you want. Total creative freedom. Own it all. Take it wherever you want-or nowhere at all. And Sam ran with it and launched his creation 'the Maxx' through our anthology series Darker Image #1, promptly selling over a million copies."

"The Maxx wasn't just a comic though-it was something raw, psychological, and completely unlike anything else out there. It was pure Sam 'i before e' Kieth. Even the way he spelled his name was out of the ordinary. Most of all—Sam was kind, sweet, and deeply self-effacing. 'I could never do what you guys do' referring to us, the Image founders. Back then, pre-Internet-hyping and self-promotion was the name of the game if you wanted to compete with the Big Two. Well, he did, but in his own way. A true original. Fearless in his work, never chasing trends-just following his own path.

"I remember feeling proud of him…and to be 100% honest, a bit jealous too…seeing him break through in a big way-even making it onto MTV! When he stepped away from comics, I figured he was just done with the grind. 'Good for him' I remember thinking when I read the headline. Again—a bit jealous. I didn't know how much he was dealing with. What a tragic loss. May peace be with you, Sam."

The Maxx would go on to be published in many different forms, in many different crossovers, and was recently collected in full. It remains the work that Sam Kieth is most remembered for.

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