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: October 1994
Cover Price: $2.95
Writer: Andy Mangels
Artist: Gabe Alberola

In a curious blend of flashback and dream sequence, Mr. Gone transports Julie and the Maxx back to Victorian England where he’s been killing woman and been dubbed Jack the Ripper. Bouncing in and out of England and the Outback, the Maxx is teamed with the Victorian-Age Troll (who’s existed for centuries) as they try to stop Gone from murdering his next victim: Julie Winters. The villain beats a hasty retreat … but his killing spree has come to end.

Andy Mangels has woven a fun little time-travel/dream story that leaves you guessing whether Gone really was Jack the Ripper OR if this was all some elaborate lifelike fantasy he concocted. Unfortunately, the interior art by Gabe Alberola doesn’t quite live up to Chap Yaep‘s exquisitely detailed cover art but, it’s certainly not terrible. From the cover, I only expected a minor appearance by the Maxx but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Maxx (as well as his mythos and supporting characters) was an extremely important part of this storyline. In fact, the title should have been named Troll/Maxx … and, had it included an indication of them fighting Jack the Ripper, I’m sure it would have sold even more on its release date.

On Ebay: Maxx | Troll | Andy Mangels