MAX Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics specializing in comic book media aimed at adult-only readers. It was launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system .
8-505: The MAX Comics imprint is not Marvel's first effort to feature explicit content in their titles. The company's Epic Comics imprint in the 1980s and early 1990s often featured stronger content than their mainstream imprint. However, the MAX Comics imprint is the first time Marvel has specifically produced comics with uncensored content. The first series to be published under the Max imprint
16-451: The Epic imprint allowed creators to retain control and ownership of their properties. Co-edited by Al Milgrom and Archie Goodwin , the imprint also allowed Marvel to publish more objectionable content (sometimes explicit) without needing to comply with the stringent Comics Code Authority . Epic titles were printed on higher quality paper than typical Marvel comics, and were only available via
24-469: The Rawhide Kid's saga was called Slap Leather . According to a CNN.com article, "The new series pairs the original artist, John Severin , now 86, with Ron Zimmerman, a television writer. Making the Rawhide Kid gay was Zimmerman's idea." The character's homosexuality is conveyed indirectly, through euphemisms and puns, and the comic's style is campy. Conservative groups protested the homosexual take on
32-596: The character, which they claimed would corrupt children, though the covers carried an "Adults only" label. Since 2012, the new works under the MAX imprint have been limited to the Punisher series. Marvel now portrays MAX as a rating indicating mature content, rather than a separate brand. The latest MAX issue ( Get Fury #4 ) was published in October 2024 ( cover date ). While some works such as Alias have received acclaim,
40-595: The imprint has attracted controversy, with some critics considering some of the titles to be gratuitous in its use of mature or vulgar content. Former Marvel president and chairman Stan Lee openly criticized the Max imprint. Referring to an incident of strangulation with intestines in the 2001 Fury miniseries, based on the character Nick Fury , whom he co-created, Lee said, "I don't know why they're doing that. I don't think that I would do those kinds of stories". MAX Ant-Man and Deathlok miniseries were both solicited, but were cancelled before their release. Some of
48-478: The publisher's Epic Illustrated magazine, it published creator-owned work unconnected to Marvel's superhero universe, and without the restrictions of the Comics Code . The name was revived by Marvel in the mid-2000s for a short-lived program inviting new writers to pitch series proposals to the publisher. Launched by editor-in-chief Jim Shooter as a spin-off of the successful Epic Illustrated magazine,
56-592: The titles such as Alias , The Hood , Wisdom , Thor: Vikings and Apache Skies are considered part of Earth-616 , the main Marvel Universe , while others like Punisher MAX , Wolverine MAX , Fury , Deadpool MAX and Foolkiller take place in alternate universes. Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group ) was an imprint of American publishing company Marvel Comics , active from 1982 to 1996. A spin-off of
64-540: Was Alias , written by Brian Michael Bendis . Several limited series were then created specially for the Max imprint, such as Apache Skies and Haunt of Horror , but the majority of its publications were based around existing Marvel characters, such as Howard the Duck and Devil-Slayer . One Marvel character who was revived by Max was Rawhide Kid who in 2002 became the first openly homosexual Marvel comic book character to star in his own magazine. The first edition of
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