With 2 Exclusive Calendar Covers, Featuring All New Illustrations

(November 9, 2020) Strange, surreal and unforgettable, Sam Kieth’s THE MAXX is a comic book unlike any other. Originally released by Image Comics from 1993 to 1998, THE MAXX has been hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “one of the weirdest ‘mainstream’ comics ever published.” It has transfixed comic book fans, inspired cartoonists, and been adapted by MTV into a cult classic animated television show. Now Clover Press is heading to Kickstarter to crowdfund Sam Kieth’s 2021 THE MAXX Calendar, with two different collectable calendars, each one featuring a different calendar cover with an all new illustration of THE MAXX.

“I’m thankful, and surprised, that people still enjoy THE MAXX,” says Sam Kieth. “I hope this calendar will provide some strange color onto their walls as we count the days go by.” The full-color, 11″ x 17″, wire-bound, 2021 calendar contains months from January 2021 to December 2021, with each month featuring a different, dynamic piece of THE MAXX cover art.

THE MAXX follows the adventures of its purple-clad hero The Maxx in two worlds: the real world, in which Maxx is a “homeless man living in a box,” and an alternate reality called the Outback in which Maxx is the powerful protector of the Jungle Queen. The Jungle Queen exists in the real world as Julie Winters, a social worker who often bails Maxx out of jail—and while Maxx is aware of the Outback, Julie is not, though the alternate realm is essential to both of their stories.

Image’s publication of THE MAXX lasted for 35 seminal issues, with Sam Kieth sometimes sharing co-writing credits with legendary writers Alan Moore and Bill Messner-Loebs. The comics were republished in 2013 by IDW Publishing with new covers by Kieth and new colors by Ronda Pattison.

THE MAXX is a favorite of critics, cartoonists and fans alike:

“Visually arresting.”—COMICBOOK.COM

“Surreal.”—SYFY WIRE

“The number 1 thing people should know though is that it’s weird. Really, really weird. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”—CINEMA BLEND

“Stylish and imaginative.”—BLOODY DISGUSTING

“Sam Kieth is a visual & conceptual genius.”—Derf Backderf

“THE MAXX sits next to Mad Magazine and Calvin and Hobbes as one of the major building blocks of who I am as an artist and writer. It’s part of my DNA now and I will always be grateful to Sam Kieth for sharing it with all of us.”—Skottie Young

THE MAXX campaign has multiple tiers, with pledge rewards including a set of THE MAXX postcards and a Sam Kieth variant cover of Juggernaut #1 signed by the artist. For updates, follow Clover Press on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can check out what Kieth is working on at his blog: www.samkieth.blogspot.com

To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/sam-kieths-2021-maxx-calendar?ref=ksrtwitter-prelaunch

Sam Kieth is a native Californian who broke into the comic book business by co-creating (along with Neil Gaiman) and illustrating The Sandman for D.C. Comics. Kieth went on to work for Marvel Comics where he illustrated dozens of award-winning Wolverine covers for Marvel Comics Presents. In 1993, Kieth left Marvel and DC, creating his own character, The Maxx, for Image Comics. Kieth’s Maxx, the story of an underdog superhero and his social worker gal pal, sold over a million-and-a-half copies of its first issue alone. In 1995 Kieth adapted the comic into an animated series for MTV, one of the first to utilize Computer Graphics, and the animated series was honored with an Annecy award for Best Animated series in 1995. In addition to writing and drawing Batman: Secrets and Arkham Asylum: Madness for DC, Kieth also created a series of creator owned comics including Zero-Girl, My Inner Bimbo and Ojo.

Located in San Diego, California, Clover Press is an eclectic, progressive, boutique publishing company focused on graphic novels and prose books. Headed by IDW co-founders Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins, Clover Press publishes a wide variety of collected and original content ranging from classic reprints of The Wizard of Oz to the latest in horror graphic novels. Clover Press is working with a wide variety of creators including Kevin Eastman, Craig & Clizia Yoe, Steve Niles, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ken Fisher, Matt Bors, and more.