Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams

Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams by Sam Kieth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a homeless man in a purple outfit is hauled off to Arkham Asylum, Batman takes an interest. But no asylum can hold him for he is The Maxx! Can Batman and The Maxx stop the outback from dying? And whose Outback is it anyway?

There were a couple years during my first stint in college that the only three comics I read were Preacher, Poison Elves, and The Maxx so this was a no-brainer for me. I pre-ordered it in December 2018, around the time we found out my wife was pregnant. My son will be two in a couple days and it finally arrived. I devoured it like an isz on an air whale carcass.

I didn't realize how much I missed the Maxx until I noticed Ret' Quark'n in the background on the first page. Sam Kieth's art has evolved a bit since the original series decades ago. It still feels like The Maxx of old but with some modern flourishes and artistic nuances that come with the passage of time. For instance, Maxx's outfit has patterns on it and his boots aren't quite the same. The artwork is as way out as it ever was. Sam hasn't lost a step and may have even picked up a thing or two. His Batman is kind of grotesque but most of Sam's characters are.

Much like the Gen 13/Maxx crossover from yesteryear, this one plays fast and loose with the core concepts of the series. The Maxx is picked up for being himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and Batman tracks him to Arkham, where Dr. Disparu wires The Maxx, Batman, and some familiar villains up to a contraption. Batman and The Maxx jump back and forth between realities in order to save the Outback.

Like a lot of issues of the Maxx, I'm only about 81% sure what actually happened. The crazy visuals and the sweet rush of nostalgia were the big selling points for me. To his credit, Sam wrapped everything up to my satisfaction at the end, even quelling some of the gripes I had about breaking the Maxx's universe's internal logic. There were callbacks to a lot of classic moments in the series, like Ret' Quark'n and his giant hammer to Mr. Gone's snappy yellow outfit in the Outback.

Was Batman even necessary? From a sales standpoint, yes. From a story standpoint? Debatable. I hope this sells well enough for IDW to bring the Maxx omnibuses back into print.

Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams was like a visit from an old friend who hasn't gotten any less wild with age. Four out of five Wumpus Woofs.


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