Comic Review: Batman/The Maxx #1

Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams #1

IDW Publishing & DC Comics

Writer/Artist: Sam Keith

I never got into the Maxx. Wow, that’s a great way to start the review. When I was reading comics from a young age (mainly growing up with a load of 90’s classics) I had seen a few pictures of this odd giant purple thing (no not you Thanos) but the concept of the Maxx never appealed to me. Fast forward 20 year’s and I still have no idea what to make of this guy but there’s something about the Maxx I find really fun and entertaining. Sam Keith’s bizarre creature is like a weird representation of 90’s heroes (minus the pouches) and the concept about the insanity of it all in this bizarre world named ‘The Outback‘ seems like a great concept for a story with mental patients.

Oh, what’s that? The Maxx is going to Arkham Asylum??? Gentlemen, you had my curiosity but now you have my Bat-Interest. Mixing this bizarre insane hero with a bizarre hero who beats up insane people is a great start from the get-go. Maybe it’s the nostalgia goggles on me, but this feel’s like one of those classic fun 90’s team-ups like Batman/Judge Dredd or Batman vs the Predator. We get thrown right into the action on the first page. The Maxx is a homeless guy in Gotham and Batman escorts him to Arkham to be treated. But what’s this?? The newest doctor plans to run his new tests on Arkham’s newest patient!

So far it’s set up to be a fun team up. Batman is thrown head first into the bizarre world of the Outback and just….goes with it. Sam Keith has a number of genuinely funny moments. Having Batman play the straight man to the wacky and somewhat idiotic Maxx is a fun buddy cop rather than pages upon pages of these two heroes battling it out before eventually putting aside differences and teaming up. It’s nice to see Batman wanting to help a patient like he always says, even if he is in this bizarre adventure. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Sam Keith is also on the art for this. I will admit I wasn’t taken by SOME of this artwork but there is something I like. It really does look like a dream-like state, a more caricature version of everything, kind of how Morrison’s Serious House story was like a nightmare, fever dream version. Batman’s symbol is the worst bit of his costume but the rest of him looks like Shadows of the Bat and other 90’s stories. I mean seriously, there’s been a number of times recently where comics have made me feel like it’s the 90’s Part Two: Electric Boogaloo. The colours are vibrant and it looks like there are more pencil and a watercolour design rather than inks for when it’s set in the Outback which I like.

I’m looking forward to where this goes, it could be the start of an interesting mini-series. By the looks of it we could be delving into the minds of Gotham’s greatest rogues which I’m always a huge sucker for, I wonder will they start appearing in the Outback? Sam Keith is toying with my inner 90’s fanboy here and I do like it, just please for the love of god fix that Bat symbol.