Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Date: December 1995
Cover Price: $3.50
Writer: William Messner-Loebs
Artist: Tomm Coker

The evil Mr. Gone kidnaps Gen¹³ along with a host of children by transporting them all to the outback. With the help of the Maxx and the Brothers Tortoise, the team tries to figure out a way back home. Freefall and Burnout manage to teleport back to the real world by following Gone through a teleport hole in reality. Back on planet Earth, the two heroes find the real-world Maxx, Julie and Sarah who help them figure out a way to defeat Mr. Gone and rescue everyone from the outback. The question remains: Whose Outback were they trapped in?

Tomm Coker‘s artwork is hard to pin down. He’s got some real shining moments here (like the giant floating monkey … and his Isz look as if they were drawn by Kieth himself) but some of his humans look strange (especially their faces). I guess I’m just spoiled by Sam Kieth’s art when it comes to Maxx books. It’s nice to see this crossover written by William Messner-Loebs (the scripter for the Maxx) because I think the balance between the Outback and the real world would be hard to handle for a writer who wasn’t familiar with the concepts. And, while his name is on the title of the book … this story isn’t really about the Maxx, all that much. It focuses more on Gen¹³ as they adjust to the strangeness that is the Outback. So, if you’re looking for some more Maxx/Julie story, you’ll probably be a little disappointed. However, if you’re interested to see an outsider’s perspective on the Outback … then this is the place to be.

On Ebay: Maxx | Gen 13 | William Messner-Loebs | Tomm Coker