The Maxx

The second most popular subject (after his Image Comics colleague Spawn) for elite ANSI art of the '90s PC computer art underground, The Maxx was an incredible deconstructionist superhero comic book created by [Sam Kieth]. First appearing in Image's [Darker Image] sampler, the distinctive character went on to feature in 35 monthly issues of his own comic trhough 1998 and a 13-episode 1995 animated adaptation aired on the Oddities segment of MTV's Liquid Television.

What makes the character so distinctive? Well, he's very purple, for one. His face features enormous upper teeth, and his yellow-gloved hands each have a giant punch spike emerging from the knuckle area. The hero's real identity is a homeless man with a tenuous grasp on reality, who enjoys the mutual patronage of social worker Julie Winters -- who has an imaginary alter-ego herself as the Leopard Queen in the Outback, a different, fantastic, plane of existence. The Maxx protects her from the predation of the sinister Mr. Gone and his army of isz, protean little minions who can only say "meep". You will see a lot of scrollers featuring all of these characters, and as a bonus, sometimes the background of a panel will consist entirely of the word CHUNG repeated over and over again. All in all, a memorable milestone from its era!