The Maximortal
by Rick Veitch
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rick VeitchEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-15
ISBN: 0962486477
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: King Hell Press
Book Reviews of The Maximortal
Book Review: Unsettling stuff...
Summary: 4 Stars
Plot SPOILERS here and there.
Rick Veitch supposes that, sometimes, an idea comes along that is so in sync with the times that it manifests as a living entity. In Siberia, in 1908, a Russian trapper becomes party to the conception of a strange infant, an infant who is then placed in an egg and sent hurtling into space. Ten years later, in Visitation, California, an elderly couple witnesses a meteorite plummeting to earth. A closer look reveals a strange boy emerging from the meteorite. Has the time of the superhuman arrived?
Well, yes. But this is as seen thru the eyes of writer/artist Rick Veitch, so right away you know this won't be your typical superhero fare. This graphic novel, complex and very disturbing at times, won't be for everyone. I've read the thing, and, honestly, I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. THE MAXIMORTAL is, for sure, one of the most twisted takes on the superhero mythos yet. And, in the telling of the Maximortal's story, Veitch will keep you off-balanced and squirmy and maybe even agitated. Here's a hint: it's not so easy to make behave a willful child with destructive powers. Meanwhile Veitch soon constructs a story arc which begins to run concurrently with the "alien" boy saga. In 1937 we are introduced to Jerry Spiegal and Joe Schumacher, who have just created the comic book superhero True-Man. We see them sign a contract with Cosmo Publications, and without first reading it. You just know that's gonna bite them in the behind later.
Both storylines span years, and, in the Maximortal's case, it spans decades. Veitch goes on to tell of the Maximortal's subtle impact on society, from being an unwitting participant in a wartime act to later influencing the popularity of the superhero in cinema. To accomplish this, Veitch uses transitory point-of-views from a disparate bunch of characters - from Dr. John Watson to actor David Niven to even President Truman and Albert Einstein - as they come into indirect contact with the Maximortal. And, pointedly, in chronicling the tragic plight of Spiegal and Schumacher, Veitch signals an "Up yours!" to National Allied Publications (which would later become DC Comics) and its deplorable treatment of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman.
THE MAXIMORTAL is Veitch's deconstruction of the superhero, and it's an uncomfortable look and not for the younger audiences. If you're expecting standard superhero stuff, this is the wrong trade paperback, brother. First coming out in '92, THE MAXIMORTAL hasn't lost its bite. There is some seriously brutal and gross stuff in here. How gross? Well, for one thing, the mystic villain's name is El Guano. With a nice dosage of dark satire, this volume might be too high concept or "weird" concept for some. And the art? Rick Veitch's organic and sometimes explicit visuals, rendered in black and white, suits the ever-shifting story arcs. This trade collects the seven issues in the mini, as well as Rick Veitch's treatise "Curse of the Superman," in which he offers his take on Nietzsche's concept of the Superman and how it applies to comic books. And, if that's not enough for you, then you should check out Veitch's other work into this universe, Bratpack. But a word of caution: that one, too, isn't for the faint hearted.
Me, I'm still not sure if I liked this one or not. Reading it wasn't as enjoyable as reading Alan Moore's Marvelman/Miracleman stories or Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Veitch could've tidied up the main storyline a bit neater. And it hurts that the eponymous character is so unrelatable and enigmatic, although I guess that's how Veitch intended him to be. If there's anyone to root for here, it's probably the Jerry Spiegal character. Ultimately, I was left with a detached feeling, but also still intrigued, if that makes any sense. I was engaged, but not on an intimate level. Veitch has said that this trade and BRATPACK are only two volumes in what would be his 5-volumed King Hell Heroica series. So, as I await more of the man's grotesqueries, I'll give a nod to THE MAXIMORTAL, on the merit of Veitch's kooky and controversial ideas. But if you expect to warm up to his "superhero"...well, just don't get your hopes up.
Summary of The Maximortal
Seven years before The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Clay, Rick Veitch married the larcenous history of the comics business to the outrageous themes and characters of his infamous Brat Pack universe, creating one of the most startling and uncompromising visions of the super-hero archetype ever put to paper.General Books
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